Just when people were beginning to think that the Middle East situation could not get worse with the Iraqis at loggerheads with the US over inspection of potential locations where the development, manufacture and storage of weapons of mass destruction are believed to be ongoing, violence against innocents and increased instability in the peace process between the Palestinian Authority and Israel made many in the region fearful of where this trend may lead.
Just outside Luxor, Egypt, militant fundamentalist gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists visiting archeological sites and killed, at last count, 69 and wounded dozens more. The Egyptian government placed the blame of this most recent attack on fundamentalist Islamic militias who have sought to overthrow the current government and make Egypt an Islamic state. These fundamentalists believe that the Egyptian government has become too Westernized and that traditional values should be made into the law of the land.
The Egyptian government has long been perceived as having become too Westernized by these fundamentalist groups and attacks against civilians and government officials have been relatively common occurrences. It should be remembered that Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated by members of the Muslim Brotherhood because he wanted to strengthen ties to the US and other Western countries.
Meanwhile, the US and Iraq are at a standoff about the allowance of arms inspectors into various areas in Iraq to search for weapons of mass destruction. Iraq is testing the waters to see if they can break the UN embargo against sales of weapons and other materials and limitations on the purchase of Iraqi oil on the open market which would bring in money that the US feels would aid in the acquisition and development of a weapons program. The US has positioned two aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf and has ordered a squadron of F-117 stealth fighters to the region to bolster pre-positioned forces already in the region.
To top off this busy week in the region, Israeli cabinet officials have confirmed that there is a major block within Likud, the ruling party in Israel, that is considering breaking off from the party and withdrawing support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu. They feel that the Prime Minister has not served as a leader to the entire party and has caused fragmentation within the party that could hinder its ability to maintain a steady government. Although the chances of success are slim, the fact there are voices within the Likud party that are making a stand against the policy of Netenyahu suggests that members of his own policy are getting tired of his inability to adequately deal with the security issues and bring about peace. Netenyahu's detractors in the opposition party, Labor, meanwhile are probably rejoicing over this news as it only enhances their chances to push on their agenda while Netenyahu has to solidify his position within his own government.
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