Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is increasing his pressure on the US, insisting that the world should draw “clear red lines” for the Iranian nuclear program. The Telegraph (UK) is reporting that President Obama is going to make such a statement but no other news agency is confirming that yet. Obama has ordered a 25-nation minesweeping exercise in the Persian Gulf as a signal to Iran, and has implemented a new radar system in Qatar. This US-Israeli dance is getting quite intense: it appears as if Prime Minister Netanyahu does not believe that Obama is serious about preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon no matter what steps short of war Obama is willing to take. As Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, is claiming that the US and Iran have reached a secret deal for the US to stay out of an Israeli attack on Iran.
I have not posted yet on the blasphemy case that is going on in Pakistan because I was hoping that it was an anomaly. But the case has simply exploded internationally. Charges were leveled against an 11-year old Christian girl for desecrating the Koran. It now appears as if the charges were trumped up in an attempt to purge Christians from that region in Pakistan. The case raises many issues, one of which is the extent to which personal freedom and religious solidarity are compatible in some societies. We’ll watch how this case unfolds over the next few weeks.
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