For instance Greater Surbiton, a blog focusing on the Balkans, commented:

The Bashir indictment is to be celebrated, because whether or not it results in the tyrant ever facing justice, it represents a nail in his political coffin; a push sending him further along the road already trodden by Milosevic and Karadzic. His international isolation will increase; what is left of his legitimacy will decrease; it will be more difficult for other states to collaborate with him; and if he survives his eventual overthrow, the successor regime will have to collaborate with the ICC in bringing him to trial, which will be a catalyst to its own democratic reform - just as enforced collaboration with the ICTY catalysed democratic reform in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia.

Similarly, bloggers from Africa have been drawing parallels between Karadžić's indictment and arrest, and the potential coming ones for African dictators such as Omar al-Bashir in Sudan or Rober Mugabe in Zimbabwe (coincidentally, Sokwanele informs that yesterday Enough and Impunity Watch released a paper on the “Legal options available in holding accountable President Robert Mugabe for possible international crimes”).

Faustine Barraza, a blogger from Tanzania, commented:

It now appears that Karadzic will have his day in court […]
It is a good lessons to African dictators that the World is watching and that one day, they might be called to account for what they did. I hope Al-Bashir and Mugabe are paying attention.

Musengeshi Katata of the blog focusing on the DR Congo Forum Réalisance [Fr] also warns other dictators:

Il n'y a pas meilleur avertissement pour Omar el Béchir, le prochain candidat de la Cour Internationale de Justice. Ainsi qu'à tous ceux qui croient qu'ils peuvent, sans tenir compte de nos valeurs, de notre éthique et morale humaine, nous servir impunément leurs bassesses quelques soient les fonctions qu'ils exercent, leur nationalité, leur confession, la couleur de leur peau. And justice for all.

There is no better warning for Omar al-Bashir, the next candidate for the International Criminal Court. As well as for all those that believe they can, without taking into consideration our human values, ethics and morality, impose their vileness with impunity no matter their position, their nationality, their religion, their skin color. And justice for all.

Black River Eagle from the blog Jewels in the Jungle on African issues, participating in the debate at the portal African Loft, wondered:

Let’s see if Serbia extradites this European war criminal to Den Haag (The Hague) or demand that he be tried in their own national courts. This could have a negative impact on the pending indictment and trial of Omar al-Bashir at the ICC if the Serbs insist on doing the latter.
[…]
Because he is a Muslim, a serving head-of-state of an African country he should escape international justice? In the name of peace for Darfur and a negotiated political settlement that will hold up over time? Give me break. Karadzic specialized in the slaughter and mass rape of thousands of Muslims in the heart of Europe, and the sucker is going down I guarantee you.

A few other Africans have given their opinion regarding Karadžić's arrest on the BBC World Have your say blog, on yesterday's post about his arrest. Below is a selection of them.

Arnaud Ntirenganya Emmanuel, a Rwandan in Cameroon:

As a victim of Rwandan genocide the arrest of Radovan Karadzic is not enough at all, this man is supposed to tried quickly and pay for suffer and misery he caused. His arrest can only help to heal the wounds if he is treated exactly the same as his victims. For me I will have peace of mind when all perpetrators of Rwandan genocide are hanged.

Kelvin Kamayoyo:

The issue of sitting presidents hidding in the principle of sovereignity must not be their defence and lead to prolonged suffering of the innocent citizens as in the case of Zimbabwe, Sudan-Darfur. Omar al Bashir must be indicted as soon as possible and spped up the trials of the alleged cases before him as doing so it will enable to hasten the quenching of the civil war in Darfur.

George Wills Bangirana:

This is very interesting news for all citizens of the world but more so for us in Africa who live the brutality of our leaders past and present.
It beats my understanding how these once “mighty” people who hold political office unleash all kinds of mayhem on the very people they are supposed to protect without as much as a flinch and then when their turn in the cooler comes up, they live like rats-Saddam Style- or cry out to the very people they were brutalising for mercy and help. it only confirms one thing that No condition in the world is permanent and leaders better beware. Your turn may be not very far away.

Julie Kampala:

Though the arrest of Karadzic will not ressurect the dead that he killed. It will deter other dictators or dictatorships like Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Bashir of Sudan and the Burman government.

Breaking news in the Israeli mainstream news and blogosphere reports that a man driving a bulldozer ploughed down the streets of Jerusalem in a mad rampage, mimicking the tractor attack of 20 days past.

An estimated 24 people were wounded and three killed when armed civilian Yaakov Asael and border guard Amal Ganem shot the driver dead, ending the assault. The murderer is reportedly a Palestinian from East Jerusalem in possession of an Israeli identity card.

While a gag order has been placed on the mainstream news media in releasing an identity, the blogosphere reports the attacker's name as Ghasam Abu-Tir. His name was released with initial news of the attack and widely publicized on the radio, but is now being hidden by official news sources.

The Israeli Blogosphere Reacts–

A Soldier's Mother writes in This is Israel an entry entitled, “It's Happened Again”:

Yet again, a bulldozer has been used as a terrorist weapon to hurt innocent civilians. Today's terrorist has been identified as Ghasam Abu-Tir, a relative of Hamas lawmaker Muhammad Abu-Tir… The terrorist was 22 years old and a resident of an Arab neighborhood in Jerusalem… What Israel will do as a result of this latest attack…no one knows. Stay tuned and pray for the wounded.

Brian Blum of This Normal Life recounts his day in Jerusalem:

Amir and I were downtown when the police cars and ambulances started zooming past us, their sirens blaring. We had just finished an ice coffee at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and were waiting at a bus stop to go home. One after another, the police sped down Jaffa Road. There must have been at least 100 vehicles in just a few minutes. The reason was clear: there had been a terror attack. But we didn’t know what or where…

Was it a suicide bomber on a bus? An explosion at a cafe? The police all seemed to be heading in the direction of the King David Hotel. Wasn’t British Prime Minister Gordon Brown staying there? Had U.S. Democratic candidate Barack Obama already arrived. About that time, my cell phone died, leaving us incommunicado.

He continues:

The bulldozer driver had apparently been working just around the corner in nearby Yemin Moshe, one of Jerusalem’s most fashionable and expensive neighborhoods. Two accomplices fled and the police were sealing off any possible escape routes. Immediately after the attack, politicians began calling for a ban in the employment of East Jerusalem Arabs as construction workers in the city. But how? Jerusalem these days is one big construction zone. Bulldozers abound. Do we need to fear walking past a new building going up like we once avoided cafes and buses? What means will the terrorists use next?

…In another hour we have guests coming from overseas for a pizza party. Tonight I have a conference call with the States. Just another day in Jerusalem. Life goes on. But a normal life? Never.

Izzy Bee of Israelity Bites was also having an average day until she encountered “Massive Weapons of Construction”:

Today, I was coming back from my dentist appointment and took a shortcut through the YMCA carpark (It's across the street from the King David Hotel, where British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife had just left and Barack Obama is due to check in tonight.) Timing is everything, they say. Just ten minutes later, chaos broke out.

Once again a Palestinian construction worker –aren't they all?—let loose against the traffic in the heat of a Jerusalem afternoon. After he rammed a bus and passing cars with his bulldozer, armed civilians shot him dead. One car driver was seriously hurt, and at least ten other people were injured, including a scuffed up little baby.

David Bogner of Treppenwitz comments:

Guns don't kill people… apparently tractors kill people.

Another heavy equipment terror attack just occured on Jerusalem's crowded streets. Another Arab terrorist is off to meet his 72 virgins. I can only pray that they are all male… and none too tender about their first time.

I really have nothing constructive to say about this.

Jameel of The Muqata posts about the incident including photos and videos, as well as updated news about the attack. He explains:

Once again, civilians keep the streets of Jerusalem safer. The responsible person for shooting and killing the terrorist was a civilian. A Border policeman apparently also took part. There are 5 wounded, 2 of them in serious condition and one of the wounded is an infant. [Note: these numbers are now outdated] 2 cars and a bus were damaged by the tractor. The attack took place near the King David hotel.

Dion Nissenbaum of Checkpoint Jerusalem asks:

Since this attack comes about two weeks after the first bizarre construction vehicle rampage in Jerusalem, it is certain to stoke the debate here about whether this is a new strategy being used by Palestinians - and what can be done to stop these attacks.

Since the first attacker acted alone and had no known ties to militant groups, it was thought that the rampage might be a strange anomaly.

But, as newspaper editors always tell us, it only takes three to call something a trend.

Now we have two.

In “Race of Suffering,” Lirun of East Med Sea Peace adds questions of her own:

Another psycho attacker has struck innocent pedestrians in jerusalem… i wonder who will suffer the most.. will it be israelis.. the wounded.. our economy.. world image? will it be the palestinians.. their farmers.. the residents of jerusalem or their world image? how many new roadblocks will be set up?

In a post entitled, “Using Technology to Tell You I Am OK,” Israluv of Sabra at Heart reassures:

Another terrorist bulldozer attack near my neighborhood and it means I need to change my status on Facebook, MSN Messenger, Gtalk and twitter to let everyone know I am ok. It makes life a bit easier to share the news via the web and lucky for me most of the people I know use one of the many different services listed above.

Changing my status online doesnt stop the influx of “are you ok” phone calls but it definitely helps me share the news with those who don't live in Jerusalem or even in this region with my status. My parents are still in New York and since we are 7 hours ahead I have to notify them before they even awake that I am ok…

Looking forward to the day my status online no longer needs to be updated to tell people that I am ok.

Possible Implications–

Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski reacted to today's attack saying, “You throw terrorists out the door, they climb through the window with all kinds of means and ideas. Every working tool becomes a means of terror and we must rethink how we employ those working here.”

A Note to My Readers–

At this time, I'd also like to add a personal note to my Global Voices Online readers, who I know to be intelligent and critical media consumers. As you are reading news of this incident, please take into consideration the tone and words that different news sources use in describing it and how it reflects the content of the article. Does the headline mention people or objects? Who does it hold responsible for what happened? How does the author view the attack in light of the larger situation in Israel and Palestine?

Compare these sampling of headlines:

• “Sixteen wounded in copycat bulldozer attack in Jerusalem” (Jerusalem Post, Israel)
• “Second Palestinian bulldozer rampage injures 29 on Jerusalem main street” (DebkaFile, Israel)
• “Israel terror: Three killed, 44 hurt as Palestinian runs amok with bulldozer in street” (Guardian, UK)
• “Palestinian in construction truck rams cars” (Yahoo! News)
• “Israel Bulldozer Driver Shot Dead” (BBC News, UK)
• “Bulldozer attack: Israel threatens military action” (France 24)
• “Bulldozer attack hits Jerusalem” (Al Jazeera, English version)
• “Attack injures 5 near Obama's Jerusalem hotel” (CNN)
• “Attack with bulldozer near where Obama to stay” (New York Times via Reuters)

Have Your Say–

What is your country saying? Do bloggers' headlines differ from those of the mainstream news? Please add your own findings in the comments section. Let's compare.

They said that Radovan Karadzic lived in Belgrade under false name of Dragan David Dabic. He was disguised as an alternative medicine doctor and even worked in one private clinic in Belgrade. He also was a contributor to the Healthy Life magazine and took part in forums and lectures, gathering up to several hundred people. At the time of the arrest, Radovan Karadzic (aka Dragan Dabic) had long hair and a white beard.

Dragan Dabic had an official web site. [Editor's Note: The site later turned out to be a fake. Please see comments below, or follow these links - here and here - to read more about the hoax.] Here is what is says there (SRP):

Dr. Dragan “David” Dabic was born some 60 years ago in a small Serbian village of Kovaci, near Kraljevo. As a young boy, he liked to explore nearby forests and mountains, spending a lot of time on Kopaonik mountain, where he used to pick the omnipresent natural and potent medicinal herbs that grew there.

As a young man he moved to Belgrade, and then on to Moscow, where he graduated with a Psychiatry degree from the Moscow State University (Lomonosov). After Russia, Dr. Dabic travelled around India and Japan, after which he settled in China, where he specialized in alternative medicine, with a special emphasis on Chinese herbs. In the mid-1990s, Dr. Dabic returned to Mother Serbia for good.

Since then, Dr. Dabic has emerged as one of the most prominent experts in the field of alternative medicine, bio-energy and macrobiotic diet in the whole of the Balkans, and is a frequent guest on many forums, seminars and symposiums (Belgrade, Novi Sad, Pancevo, Sombor, Smederevo…) dedicated to these topics.

For panel invitations or private consultations, Dr. Dragan Dabic can be reached at the following contact:

healingwounds@dragandabic.com

According to B92, the editor of Dabic/Karadzic at Healthy Life, Goran Kojic, was stunned to discover that he had published articles written by a man accused of grave war crimes:

He would come and communicate with me personally, and it's really interesting that I never saw in that man… that it was the last thing on my mind, that this was Radovan Karadžić. We never discussed politics or anything of the sort either.

Bloggers have different opinions on one of the most wanted fugitives in the world - Radovan Karadzic aka Dr Dragan David Dabic.

Niko, in the his post titled “Dr. Dragan Dabic,” writes quite ironically (SRP):

The man who was sitting next to my mother at the Hotel Intercontinental.

The man who introduced himself to participants […] as a doctor speaker next month - August - in the same place.

The man common folks trusted and applauded, healthy and sick ones were giving credit to him.

The man who is a such hero and patriot that he changed his own name, who isolated his own country and who made his own people suffer, who did not want to go to the Tribunal in the Hague and tried to defend himself and in this way tried to save his own pride and the pride of his country.

The man many young people (who don't know recent history of their country) pledged allegiance to and wore t-shirts with his name written on them. His name? Dr. Dabic? All of them were idiots. They wore t-shirts with the wrong name of the wrong man. Idiots.

Their hero is a man who, unlike them, might not to introduce himself by his own name. The incarnation of patriotism for them is the man who has changed his identity in order to be unknown.

Idiots, your hero has always been Dr. Dabic. Change your t-shirts.

Burek, a blogger from Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina, believes (BOS) that the victims of the Srebrenica massacre will get some satisfaction, following the arrest of Radovan Karadzic:

[…] We've heard that Dr. Dragan Dabic alias Radovan Karadzic, an alternative medicine doctor, has lived quietly in Belgrade for the past few years. It was very difficult to identify him because he had long gray hair and a beard, said the police from Serbia. Although it is difficult to believe in that, let's ask a question why, after so many years, the killer from Durmitor was arrested only in July? It is difficult to answer exactly, but it is not necessary to waste time on that. At the moment, the most important thing is that he has been arrested. It is also important that he looks healthy and will be able to participate in the trial. […]

Finally, the victims of the most terrible massacre in Europe since World War II could get some satisfaction. […]

Danilovic is apparently disappointed because of the arrest of Radovan Karadzic. He writes (SRP):

Belgrade is not my capital more. This government is not my government. This polished man (president Tadic) is not my president. Traitors to my country are not my brothers. Traitors are not my compatriots. I am proud because I am a Serb and an Orthodox Christian. I am proud because Radovan Karadzic's horoscope sign is a Gemini, just like mine. I am proud because he has made a fool of the traitors for the past few years. I am proud because he has saved a million Serbs from being murdered. I am proud because he did not allow 1941 to happen once again. I am proud because he is Serbian […]

The process of establishing a democratic system in Serbia is a very long one and it implies a lot of international obligations. One of them was the arrest of Radovan Karadzic. In that context, Dejan Jovic concludes (SRP) in his post on B92's blog platform:

[…] The arrest of Karadzic is great news. The friends of democracy in Serbia were waiting for it very long. Now Serbia will have an opportunity to establish authority of the democratic and pro-European forces. For the first time since 1989, Serbia has got a chance to become a respectable European country. At the same time, this arrest presents a very hard challenge for nationalist forces. Democratic Serbia should not miss this chance.

A 35-year-old woman killed on the spot was said to be on the way home for her kid’s birthday.

Police have confirmed the incidents were deliberately made, though cause unknown. Timed-bomb may be used on the attacks, according to the police.

The attacks inevitably created panics among Chinese, not only because the Olympics is drawing close, but also that it adds to the recent series of unrests across the country a new episode. The stun it brings about was concluded as the name of blogger Wang Xuguang’s post:

恐怖主义离我们有多远？

How far away is terrorism from us?

From Zhangjiajie blast, Weng’an conflict, Shanghai police-killings, to the very near tragedy that two villagers got killed by riot police, the nerves of Chinese were kept highly strained. However, though more or less unsettled mentally, people have not been so much panic as in this time that the shadow of death falls on innocent citizens.

On the previous stretch of conflicts, since the spearheads were pointed towards the authority that treated people unfairly, blogshpere and words of mouth more or less identified with the “trouble-makers”, most of them suppressed commons. Even when 6 Shanghai police were stabbed dead, not a small number of people side and bear compassion with the murderer Yang Jia.

However, people’s mind dramatically turned over this time, as the attacks were directed to innocent and uninformed people.

hndashu said:

The strongest condemnation of terrorism aimed at common citizens.

强烈谴责针对平民的恐怖袭击罪行

老树根007 said:

炸老百姓的真是混蛋！

What bastards those bombed people!

And more netizens thought they should have a more suitable group of people to bomb.

wjszhangm suggested:

看不起这帮废物，有种你去炸贪官啊？！脑C,和底层的草根过不去算个P本事

Shame on these craps! You should bomb the corrupted officials if you dare! Idiots, what the hell do you think you are to be hostile against grassroots!

Words of anger were poured out:

xpts0102

妈的，这般畜生，这么多贪官污吏不去炸，这么多土匪不去炸，炸无辜百姓算什么。

F***k such jerks, that bombed the innocent and leave so many officials that take, so many outlaws that plunder out of target.

岁在甲午 said:

炸贪官还能落个好名声，炸老百姓简直就是畜生。

A good reputation you get to bomb a corrupted official, but only a beast you are to kill common people.

More details about the detonation is yet unknown, but the quick response of police win applauds. Information were available very soon after the event and no restriction of interview were met by journalists, including those from Hong Kong.

However, the cause and purpose of the explosion is still a mystery. And that some citizens got alert text-message before the attack incurred a lot more suspects and guesses, so that people on the internet united to launch the flesh search engine, trying to search out the murderer. Netizens commented that the campaign would be the most meaningful use of the flesh engine.

Also, the anti-terrorism tide has rushed to Free-Tibetters, who were also the suspects.

对于藏独，疆独，回独等KB分子，除了必要的审讯要舌头，其余的应该就地枪毙

For the terrorists of Free-Tibet, Xingjiang-independence and Hui-indenpence, except the necessary trial, they should be shot right away.

A time of unrest might be coming. What or who is to blame?

On the night of July 21-22, many major world media outlets and almost all the media from Serbia immediately issued reports of the arrest.

Many bloggers from the Serbian blogosphere were surprised by the news. Below are the first reactions from some of them.

On the his blog, Co of SLIKE I DOGADJAJI wrote (SRP):

While I was prepering a report about my visit to Portland, I ran into the news that Radovan Karadzic has been arrested. I simply could not believe that it was true, but the news is published on all web sites.

[…]

Hugh Griffiths, a B92 blogger, wrote this in English:

Many of us never thought we would see this day come, that the unholy trinity of the secret police, the criminals and the priests who protected you would ensure an enduring freedom until your dying day. But luckily for us, even pessimists are wrong, at least some of the time. […]

Blogger Dynhysbys of A K U L T U R A expressed his satisfaction (SRP) with the news of Radovan Karadzic's arrest:

[…] I am glad because this government is ready and has an intention to face the problems that are still pulling Serbia into the hell of the 90's. […]

Misha of the Doctor blog criticized the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), but wrote that even though he didn't believe in its justice, he loved Serbia more than Radovan Karadzic:

[…] No matter how bad the reputation of the Tribunal in the Hague is because of the acquittals of the cutthroats such as [Ramus Haradinaji] and [Naser Oric], and no matter how innocent Radovan Karadzic was (God will help him to prove it?), Serbia is always on the first place for me. […]

Below are some of the initial reactions from bloggers.

Eric Gordy of East Ethnia:

The arrest of Karadžić is of course a huge event, leaving just two major suspects (only one of whom is worth the trouble) still to be captured and tried.

[…]

The Tribunal had better not mess this one up because there are not many chances left. […]

Pengovsky of Sleeping With Pengovsky:

[…] The arrest was confirmed by the office of the President of Serbia Boris Tadić, without giving details. I imagine this is a high-risk game for Serbian leadership as Karadžić and general Ratko Mladić (who remains at large) have quite a following in Serbia and Republic of Srbska in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Hopefuly Serbian President Boris Tadić will fare better than the late Zoran Djindjić.

Perhaprs, just perhaps, the wars of Yugoslavia will finally be brought to an end. […]

[…]

[From the comments section, another note by Pengovsky]

After the first couple of hours looking for reactions, caution seems to prevail. Noone wants to get his/her hopes too high too soon.

Douglas Muir of A Fistful of Euros:

[…] On a personal note: for years my wife has said that Karadzic was living “down the street” from us back in the early 2000s. At that time, we were living in the street Golsfortieva (that’s Serbian for “Galsworthy”) in the neighborhood of Vracar in central Belgrade. She picked this up from talking with the neighbors, and for five years it’s been a running joke in our house. “Right down the street from us!” “Right, sure, yes, dear. Whatever, okay.”

Well, at least one source is claiming that the arrest was made in… the neighborhood of Vracar, in central Belgrade. Headline: Blogger’s Wife ‘Very Satisfied’ By Arrest.

Anyway. A day or two may pass without much news, as under Serbian law the accused has the right to challenge certain aspects of his arrest — most notably, whether or not he’s really the person in question.

Still: great news, if true.

Balkan Ghost of Finding Karadzic:

[…] The world is a better place today than it was yesterday. Those of us interested in international criminal justice sometimes grow weary at the unfairness and impunity that are often the end results of the worst misconduct in the world by some of the worst people in the world.

But not today. Radovan Karadzic now will begin the process that will see him face the charges listed in his indictment of instigating genocide and intentionally killing thousands of Muslims in Bosnia between 1992 and 1995.

Sarah Franco of Cafe Turco:

[…] I have just returned from Belgrade, and there was indeed hope in the air. Something was changing. It’s easy to say so now, of course, but those who know me personally know that was my feeling. But as I was leaving, Jelena and I were talking about the possibility that Mladic could soon be arrested, but none of us thought that Karadzic would ever be arrested. It is an irony that it took SPS to get to power for this to happen, but it makes sense. They are cynicals, not true believers, and they will over-run any obstacle to their goals. Now Mladic and Karadic were the obstacles… Too bad for them.

[…]

At this very moment I am on the phone with one of my friend from Belgrade. She is watching the news on TV and I am waiting for the latest developments. My friends are receiving SMS messages from all around, people are incredibly happy, and now I need to go to sleep because tomorrow there is plenty of work wayting for me, but how can one sleep with such excitement?

Shaina of Bosnia Vault:

[…] Rhetorical question: I wonder how long until the obligatory “free Radovan” website pops up?

No doubt it will contain the good doctor's poetry. […]

Some Russian bloggers seem to be working on that already.

Moscow-based LJ user grenzlos (Arthur Medvedev) has posted two poems by Karadžić, translated into Russian.

And LJ user log2stas wrote this (RUS):

[…] No matter how much of a war criminal he was in the European Union's view, he was fighting for his country… The Serbian leadership [is cynical].

In general, it's an interesting history lesson. Lenin, who killed millions of Russians, is resting by the Kremlin wall and the country is holding military parades next to his mausoleum.

Peter the Great, who turned the peasants into drunkards, drew the country into debt, built a useless port city on human bones - he is a major state figure.

Stalin, who sent tens of millions of Russians to the concentration camps, is the idol of internet dwellers.

President Bush, a war criminal, organizer of torture cells, guilty of using the banned chemical weapons during the storming of Fallujah - he'll be quietly fishing during his retirement.

None of them spent time in jail, nor has been punished in any way for what they've done.

And Radovan Karadžić will appear in court and they'll try him… because he was defending his country.

On the other hand, Jesus has also been crucified. […]

Screenshot of the Interpol web site. The mugshot on this post is from the same source.

Volunteers at his well-known website 64Tianwang.com (English) have been actively posting all news coverage and details surrounding Huang's case, but the campaign to have his charges dropped gained a lot more momentum when, following his formal arrest on Friday afternoon, three of China's better-known social issue bloggers, all from Sichuan, Wang Yi, Ran Yunfei and Linghu Buchong*, joined up with two other intellectual-writers, Liao Yiwu and Li Yadong, to take the brave step of issuing a letter of protest. The letter has been posted not just on their own blogs, but also on the more mainstream My1510, IndyMediaCN, among many others.

A translation of the letter, the original of which has since been read and spread widely online, can be seen below. Of particular note, however, is the online support yet another highly-read blogger, Mo Zhixu, has been providing on his own and in his own way, centered around his blog at independent portal Bullog.cn.

In early June, he posted the content of Huang's Chinese Wikipedia entry, which at the time had far more information than its English counterpart, in a post at Bullog which although has since been deleted, can still be found elsewhere.

In a June 15 post titled simply, ‘One less person on MSN', Mo reposts a Chinese-language RFA news report with the details of Huang's arrest and earthquake relief/writing activities in the few days prior. On June 17 he posted a picture of the official document first used to detain Huang nearly a week earlier on June 11, along with the legal definition of what constitutes “possession of a state secret” in China:

Then on Saturday, July 19, Mo returned to Huang's case with a picture and transcription of the official notice of Huang's formal arrest, addressed to Huang's mother, a post which in just a few hours had received over 11,000 hits and many supportive and outraged comments:

Below is the text of Wang, Ran, Linghu, Liao and Li's statement on Huang's arrest:

致成都市警方、政府、人大及广大市民：

2008年7月19日，我们在朋友聚会中，得知自6月10以来被成都警方刑事拘留的黄琦先生，已于今日下午，因“非法持有国家机密”的罪名被正式逮捕。
我们与黄琦素不相识，但尊敬他创办“天网”、致力于公民维权的努力。我们知道他曾因此坐牢，并在狱中遭受不当待遇，出狱后留下脑部疼痛等多处后遗症。我们尊敬他在此情况下，仍然坚持从事“天网”的民间维权活动，尤其是为六四受难者家属唐妈妈争取政府补偿金的努力。
作为经历了512大地震的几位四川知识分子，我们尤其尊敬黄琦先生在地震后，参与民间震后救灾的工作。我们知道他在灾区为灾民提供力所能及的物资援助，也与地震罹难者学生的家长有所联系。

但我们非常不理解，一个普通公民参与救灾、了解灾区真实情形，这和“国家机密”有什么关系？我们也曾以普通公民身份，参与过一些灾区救助的工作。我们和黄琦先生一样，也和成千上万在灾区的民间志愿者一样，因此了解到一些非官方的、甚至与媒体的报道不完全一致的信息。可是，难道一个公民从媒体以外了解到的信息，就属于“国家机密”吗？难道国家天然地拥有一切社会信息的所有权吗？难道一个公民有幸（或不幸）见到或听到了一些和政府口径不一致的信息，他就“非法持有国家机密”了吗？
如果这样的话，那就意味着每一个和黄琦说过话的灾民，都非法持有着国家机密。换言之，一旦他们成了灾民，他们就同时成了“国家机密”或携带国家机密的病毒。成都和四川警方应该逮捕每一个和黄琦有过接触的灾民，而不是仅仅逮捕黄琦一人。或者至少把所有灾民都隔离起来，免得我们一和他们说话，就触碰了国家机密。

基于法治的常识，我们知道所谓国家机密，第一是不为一般公民所知，第二是国家事先采取了保密措施。换言之，凡是能在大街上看到的事，都不是机密。凡是在大街上看见裸体，一定不是看见的人有问题，而是被看见的人有问题。也就是说，一个非国家机关的普通公民，除非他以非法的方式刺探、偷窃被国家机关预先加以保护的信息；否则，他所知道的任何信息，都不可能触及“非法持有国家机密”这一罪名。

因此，我们对成都警方因黄琦先生参与震后救灾而逮捕他、构陷他，不得不表示强烈的质疑、反对和抗议。尽管我们看出，地方政府似乎不太喜欢民间的救灾志愿活动，但成都警方逮捕黄琦的事件，仍然是令人震惊的。我们只能理解为这是对市民社会的一种否定，对民间的一次粗暴和傲慢的挑衅，也是对这个刚刚遭受地震的省份的一次羞辱。
我们基于个人的经验和良心，不相信这是一次公正的逮捕。但我们希望成都警方能以尊敬法治、尊重公民权利，同时也是尊重自己的方式，来处理这一案件。我们主张并支持媒体、网络和民间可以自由地报道和评论这一案件，我们更加鼓励成都和其他地方的知识分子、市民和媒体，更多地站出来质疑和批评成都警方，以公民的正当方式，帮助政府尊重他自己制定的法律。

我们呼吁成都警方对黄琦先生，不要采取任何刑讯逼供等违反法治的野蛮做法，呼吁成都警方准许黄琦先生的委托人可以与他见面，呼吁成都警方不要以非法的方式，继续骚扰、威胁黄琦身边的天网义工。
我们不愿这一案件，成为奥运年中又一次引起国际关注的糟糕的人权记录。但遗憾的是，我们怀疑成都警方正致力于这样做。作为中国的知识分子，我们也不愿看到中国的人权状况总是遭到其他国家人士的批评，所以我们只好硬着头皮，率先批评自己的政府。
希望成都警方和成都司法部门，也能在这个案子中有率先的回应。愿我们的批评、抗议和政府的回应，都能成为对成都、对中国的祝福。

Just a brief description of Huang's website Tianwang: put online in 1998 as a platform for reuniting families with missing persons, a year later it had expanded its focus to larger social issues, exposing several corruption cases and one major medical scandal, during which time Huang Qi was beaten while his website garnered heavy praise in commercial and official Chinese (as well as foreign) media. Less than two years later, the website was shut down. Two weeks after that, Huang Qi had it up and running again, this time hosted overseas, only then to be blocked within China as it remains today. That same summer, Huang Qi was sentenced to five years in prison for subversion of state power. All this and more can be read on Tianwang here.

*Linghu Buchong has informed GVO that while he in fact did not sign his name to the letter, he was the first person to have posted it to Bullog.

As the news of the inscription of Cambodia's 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple announced by the World Heritage Committee early this month in Quebec, Canada, a large number of text messages were sent via cellphone to share the exciting news during the midnight (Phnom Penh time).

People of the two countries witness the power of pride and nationalism, again, particularly at the time that Cambodia heading to national election on July 27 and that Thailand is struggling with her own internal politic.

Not surprisingly, as the world is more connected, at least virtually, Thai and Cambodian citizens begin their discussions on the Internet for the first time. A post of link with title “Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia,” appeared on Global Voices Online on June 24, attracted 70 comments (at the time of writing this post).

Nationalism versus Rationalism
Somongkol Teng, a former Fulbright scholar, proudly announced the official news of the newly inscribed temple on his blog, which has attracted a number of comments from his readers, including people in neighboring country Thailand.

A comment left by a Thai citizen, who identifies as Tavorn Kamboonreang, on Somongkol's blog post, has led to a long, heated discussion.

On July 10, 2008, Tavorn commented:

Dear Khamen(Cambodian) Neighbors,
You think you win the Preah Vihear World Heritage now but soon you will see that you lost because UNESCO will send 7 nations including Thailand to “invade” your country. UNESCO ripped our two countries apart by siding with you and your foxy politicians. You know where you belong. Look at Phnom Penh which was built to model after Bangkok by King Narodom who lived and worked in Bangkok under Thai Royal Patronage for years. Rejoice now but be prepared to get back to be under Thailand’s protection again because you need to be where you belong. I am your Thai neighbor and it’s my duty to help you get back to your good sense. Remember who help you when your country was under the Khmer Rouge-Pol Pot and your refugees had nowhere else to run to but Thailand. Please take care and be grateful.

Does an individual opinion reflect the Thai society in general? Thai native Isriya Paireepairit, a technology columnist for a number of Thai newspapers and magazines, wrote a post on the issue in Thai language (he also provides translation here) that:

I quoted the follow up article by Dr. Charnvit Kasetsiri. He stated that Preah Vihear is definitely belonged to Cambodia from both historical-archaeological and legal. The Thai claim (geological) has never been supported by World Court.

Another blog post of his deals with one of his friends, who lives in the United Kingdom. Isriya asked an interesting question in response to a campaign running by his friend who wants to claim back Preah Vihear temple for Thai citizens.

I quoted my conversation with my Thai friend (I'm living in UK at the moment) to demonstrate the general public's view on this incident. This friend now wants to “bring back Preah Vihear” to Thai people. I question them as ‘is Preah Vihear really belonged to us? (So we can
get it back). I also quote Thongchai Winichakul, a famous Southeast Asian History Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He wrote an article about nationalist. The title can be translated as “Preah Vihear will be yet another racism timebomb”

Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Several thousand people gathered at Wat Phnom to celebrate the day. Savada Khmer [in PDF], a song composed by Samdech Sangha Raja Jhotañano Chuon Nath (1883 -1969).

Savada Khmer translated into English
All Khmers, please remember the root and history of our great country
Our boundary was wide and well known
Others always thought highly of our race
And always placed our race as the elders.

We have great heritage and culture
Which has spread far and wide in the Far East.
Religion, arts and education,
Music, philosophy and strategies are all that we have spread.

All Khmers, please remember our roots and history
Which speaks of the grandeur of our great race
Make up your mind and body and try hard to rebuild
In order to lift the value of our nation
To once again rise to the greatness that we once had.

Is the power of nationalism as strong as the power of love? So far, at least two public events organized in the Cambodian capital to celebrate the important event as well as to reclaim the so called ‘unity' for the country. Donations have been made, largely by Phnom Penh-based business people, to help military at the Cambodian-Thai border. Cambodian journalism lecturer Moeun Chhean Nariddh takes a look at the history of nationalism used in the mainstream media to fight against French colonialism, then the Chinese and Vietnamese dominance. The opinionated media trainer wrote an op-ed to a daily newspaper that:

…Nevertheless, the media’s role in promoting nationalism is not new. The pioneer of Cambodian media started the first Khmer-language newspaper in 1936 with the explicit mission to promote nationalism and engage in Cambodia’s struggle for independence from French colonial rule. A nationalistic Cambodian press appeared first to challenge French rule, then the Chinese and Vietnamese dominance in Cambodia’s economy and politics, and also American “imperialism,” until the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975.

Richard, an observer and blogger at Connecting the Dots, wrote a blog post that the current Thai government, under-fired for it first supported Cambodian government in getting the temple listed, which it later withdrew due to an injunction issued by Thailand's Administrative Court to suspend any move endorsing Cambodia's bid to list the ancient temple as UNESCO's World Heritage site:

Although the court ruled against Thailand, many Thais never accepted the ruling in their hearts. As a result the signing of the documents between Thailand and Cambodia was all it took to set this off. Thailand’s ruling party the People Power Party (PPP) is under attack for a variety of reasons, this signing became just another avenue of attack. The signing was ruled to be in violation of the Thai constitution in that parliament was excluded. The reputation of the PPP of not caring about laws, rules and the Thai people and now also being seen as very possibly giving up Thai soil to Cambodia has set this nationalism movement in motion. This has lead to escalation of conflict ant the site of the temple with both Thai and Cambodian military on the scene. There is no doubt to outsiders that the temple issue is being used as leverage to force this apparently useless Thai government out.

In an article appeared in Bangkok-based Prachatai, an independent online newspaper, Harrison George discusses the history (including what led to an anti-Thai-riot in 2003) of the two countries, both are members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

And now our ignorance of Thailand’s history is threatening relations with Cambodia. We’ve seen this before. In 2003, in the run up to Cambodian elections, actress Suvanant Kongying was falsely reported in the Cambodian press (possibly by a rival company to the Mistine cosmetics she was fronting for) as saying that Angkor Wat should be given back to Thailand. ‘Given back’, because it had been stolen from Thailand by the Cambodians.
The Khmers, whose schoolbooks seem to be as nationalistically one-sided as everyone else’s, got understandably irate about this. But so did the Thais. When the news was breaking I was told by 2 Thais who had the benefit of a university education, that Suvanant’s alleged statement was so obviously untrue it must have been fabricated. I asked what they meant. Cambodia couldn’t have ‘stolen’ Angkor Wat from Thailand, they explained, because Thailand had never occupied it.

Live update from Preah Vihear province:
I've just received an update from Geffrey Cain, our Contributing Author, who is currently is Preah Vihear province to cover the news. Here is his message sent to me on July 20, 2008:

Writing from the Thai-Cambodia border where I'm covering the dispute. Needless to say, things out here are incredibly tense. Yesterday we had a major stand-off between Thai and Cambodian soldiers at a pagoda, where they raised their guns at each other and threatened to fire. Today the Thai military has deployed cannons facing our position.

Reactions from Sudanese bloggers
Three Sudanese bloggers, Ras Babi, The Sudanese Thinker (disclosure: it's me), and Black Kush, have been among the few that commented on the matter.

Black Kush rolled out a sequence of posts on the issue as it progressed where he wrote the following:

SO Bashir has been indicted by the ICC. So what comes next now?

The ICC prosecutor has taken the boldest step ever. Charging a sitting head of state fo genocide can get him a round of applause,but that is leaving lots of people wary of the future.

So far the armageddon predicted has not happened, yet. No UN staff has been shot in the street and no car-jackings reported in Khartoum. Were the fears groundless?

Not at all. There are lots of people out there in the street who are stupid enough to start anything. It may not be the official response of the government, but some lunatics may take the lawlessness into their hands and rick havoc.

I personally think it was a wrong move on the part of the ICC. Now that he has made his point, I think UN Security Council should suspend the possible arrest warrant from being issued.

Ras Babi, as he usually does, wrote a short poem:

is it true?
the Arabs support you…
is it true?
some Sudanese stand with you….
…
Hitler had his fans
Franco had his fans
it is true…
they have gone
…..
China will sell you
Russia became like you
too bad too trust
….
you brought to us
genocide
janjaweed
Russians and Chinese
polluting our land
stealing our resources

Sudanese Thinker published his analysis and shared two photos he found in a very active Sudanese Facebook group discussing the ICC's decision, which he thought summed up the extremes of Sudanese opinion on the matter rather well -from rational debate to rejecting responsibility and conspiracy theories.

Reactions from Sudanese Facebookers
The aforementioned Facebook group where the most heated discussions are taking place is called:

“معا ضد المحكمة الجنائية الدولية . فلنتحد لنصرة الرئيس عمر البشير” (translation: “Together Against the ICC. Let’s Unite for President Omar al-Bashir’s Victory”)

The group was started by a Sudanese and currently has over 2,700 members, virtually all Sudanese as well. While a sizable number of the members oppose the Sudanese regime, the group clearly leans on the side of condemning the ICC's decision. The following are some random quotes from a thread representing the diverse opinions in the group fairly well.

Gino Mino:

Did people forget that Al-Bashir took power by force, that he executed and murdered countless Sudanese, that under his watch Millions of Sudanese died in warfare and from extreme poverty, that he and his cronies dragged the name of Sudan to the gutter that today it's on every tongue as a terrorist sponsoring nation?

Wake up ya Sudanese… AlBashir is a criminal and it's about time that he is cornered!

Khadega Malik:

He deserves worse than international court. He deserves Allah's Justice. Where he would face soon in his grave
… I am with the international court if it can at least achieve the goal of embarassing him internationally.

Ayman Ayman:

You know nothing…..and u will be the first people to cry…..shut up
… Admin please kick them out

Khadega Malik:

Believe me, you will be the one to CRY, and I will remind you there INSHA ALLAH. Someone like you who is that blind, would be the one to CRY.

Gino Mino:

Why should we be kicked out? We have not used profanity nor have we insulted only one. We have expressed nothing but the truth… why are you so afraid of the truth!?!

… and sorry we will not shut up, I thought AlBashir is implementing democracy now in Sudan, so you are obliged to listen to our point of view :)

Sana Ali:

first of allll ya Gino and Khadega no hard feelings but am replying to this topic with all due respect to both of you guys! stating my opinion…ok? alright….I really am surprised that it came down to this and that the ICC finally found a way to try to get to sudan! I dont' noe about u guys but it almost seems like a plan to take down allllllll muslim countries and not only that but also stop the ones that are somewhat prosporing from moving forward and excelling! its kind of ironic…none the less, al bashir did everything to stand behind sudan and suport it ..he made sudan one of the VERY FEW countries that are not bowing dowing and kissin the feet of the US or the UN

Yassir A.gamma:

Man f*ck u and f*ck ur sick cheap sneaky disloyal thoughts too…

Khaled M. Khaled:

heeeey yasir dont flip out. it ain't worth it.every one has the right to express his own opinion.

Sally Osama:

Its so sad for me to see my fellow Sudanese rip each other off..even if we are against ElBashir political views how can you support US taking over our country??

Sara Ibrahim Haddad:

ok, people are really angering me right now….with all this “AMERICA WILL INVADE”

AMERICA
IS
NOT
AND
WILL
NOT
INVADE
SUDAN

so stop bringing up america because u want someone to blame because u dont want to hold accountable the REAL people to blame!!

Bashier is a devil!! shaytan!!! along with other african corrupted leaders…sudan's image is tarnished globally…..and we have people agreeing with bashier??! are u crazy? OR ARE U JUST SCARED OF HIM?

Moreover, it is a positive sign to see Sudanese flocking to Facebook - not so much the blogosphere - to express their opinions freely and without authoritarian restrictions.

In his post Tell us the Truth, Daniel Bloch blames the Israeli government for hiding the truth from the public:

The argument over the price that was paid for the Hezbollah deal is legitimate. The problem is that we were not told the truth in time, in order to balance between our minds and our emotions. It is clear now that the government's security department knew several hours after Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser's kidnap that they are not alive - this after a chase in which several of our soldiers died. Did the government know this when it decided to start the war? From the end of the war until today, a campaign which comprised various elements of hiding truth from the families and the general public. Is there someone in the security council who believes that Ron Arad is alive? I want to see what these beliefs are based upon.

In the situation that was formed, there was no choice but to complete the deal. But had we known the full truth, was it necessary for us to reach the current state? Perhaps a brave and trustworthy leadership should have initially stated: “there is no deal unless we have clear information about the soldier's fate!”

Below is a part of an interview with Mark Regev, spokesman for the Israeli prime minister, posted on You Tube. In it, he talks about the reasoning behind Israel's decision to swap live prisoners for dead soldiers:

The government held two special cabinet meetings just on this topic.
We as Israelis attach an extremely high premium to every single one of our service men and women. To them and to their families. And every Israeli serviceman has to know that if he or she are taken hostage and held hostage behind enemy lines, we as a society will do utmost to bring about their release. That's not weakness, that's part of our national strength. We place an extremely high priority on every single one of our people.

Yonatan Raz writes about the lack of certainty with the government's statements prior to the Hezbollah deal: It was not clear if they were alive or dead.

In my opinion, the most worrysome question regarding the prisoner swap relates to how uncertain the Israeli security council and Prime Minister were in regards to the fate of the abducted soldiers. I am afraid that they all knew the soldiers were dead. All knew and said that 99% chance the soldiers were dead. All knew, but no leader - from the Prime Minister, Defense Minister to the IDF and Intelligence heads - had neither courage nor responsibility to say to the publid: “It is unfortunate, but they are dead. The answer is clear from the information in our hands.” This should be the starting point of the negotiations, and how Israel should estimate a valid compensation for the deal.
…
The decision not to take responsibility and not to clearly state Udi and Eldad's fate, is yet another show of the bad nature of this current government, who has one goal: to survive… Healing from the mediocrity and lack of authority will be most challenging for the next government.

A prominent assumption notes that Israel is making an effort clear all open issues with Lebanon in order to sign a legitimate peace agreement. The Shebaa Farms is a small area of land with disputed ownership located on the border between Lebanon and the Israeli controlled, disputed Golan Heights. Even after the recent (2000) Israeli military withdrawal from southern Lebanon, Hezbullah cites what it sees as continued Israeli occupation of the disputed Shebaa Farms as partial justification for attacks upon Israeli concerns. Pinhas Inbari describes the prisoner swap an an Israeli attempt to close all “open files” with Hezbollah, who on their side, have rejected Israeli attempts for normalization, and have sent a clear message that the Shebaa farms is only one clause in a general list over the Galil:

Israel returned all Lebanese prisoners it had, and emptied out its cemetery holding enemy fighters. This move was a “case closer”, through which Israel signals to Hezbollah its intent on clearing the table from all points of disagreement and friction. Israel aims to bring normalization or a sort of ‘hudna' in the northern border. In addition, the diplomatic attempts behind the scenes to hand over the Shebaa farms to the UN should be noted.

Hezbollah received the Israeli messages, yet their people show up at the Ras Al-Nakura border crossing in their full uniform, violating resolution 1701. Palestinian flags were raised everywhere, in addition to photos of Marwan Barghouti. Some even wore the Palestinian Kafiah around their neck. The clear message behind all this is that Hezbollah formally adopts the Palestinian problem. This message was also prominent in the different speeches, including Nasrallah's. One of Hezbollah's websites defined Bint Jabal as the “pearl of the Galil”. Hezbollah signals that the Galil is a part of Lebanon, continuing its request to get back villages in the Galil. In other words, even if Israel gives the Shebaa farms to Lebanon, there will not be a general cleanup of all the problems with Hezbollah, but new files will open up.

A lot of grief fills the Israeli blogosphere - grief over the death of these soldiers, and the crushed hopes for their condition. It does not help that Israeli media is highlighting the celebrations across Lebanon and Palestine. Israel Harel writes:

The doubts, for those who had, have been crushed. And the heart, as it has been this whole time, beats with the families. But as a nation, we have no reason to be proud of what happened yesterday. Not like this, in such a disrespectful manner, should we have fulfilled our duties towards our sons. Not like this, when a terrorist organization deceives us until the last second, should we have returned our sons to their homeland. But the State of Israel, almost in any field, does not act as a sovereign state. And it agreed, as Hezbollah foresaw, to this humiliating deal.

We are a moral society, hence we will always pay higher prices.
But a moral society does not let terrorists abuse it. A moral society does not surrender to immoral extortion and does not pay a price that jeopardizes the future of its soldiers and citizens and seeds future abductions. A moral society teaches the abductees a lesson and makes them reach a conclusion that abductions are not worthwhile.

May both soldiers rest in peace.

Jews Sans Frontiers refutes the allegations and says that Kuntar did not smash the skull of an Israeli four year old:

“Why no mention of forensic evidence regarding the distance from which Danny Haran was shot? And why would Quntar, under fire, for whom the hostages represent his best chance to survive, kill them? And how did BOTH he AND his mate find the time, while police was closing in upon him with guns ablaze, to hit the girl repeatedly, and in few view of the police? And finally why were the police shooting in the direction of Quntar, knowing that he had or might have had hostages with him?… In the end, it comes down to Kuntar's word against the word of unidentified police officers and a physician who works for the Israeli government. Quntar seems to have had no reason to lie. The police who botched their mission and might have been responsible for the death of the hostages did have a reason to lie. He was then convicted in an Israeli kangaroo court that makes the Guantanamo justice system look good in comparison, and the whole trial was so convincing that it was made “top secret.” This looks so far as a tale spun out of facile assumptions, potential lies, and blatant lies–and of course the willful credulity of journalists and commentators… Whatever Quntar did however, Israel has no moral authority to judge him. Killing children is effectively legal in Israel as long as the child is Palestinian.”

American Palestinian Terry Scot draws attention to more unbalanced reporting.

While Nahariya, Israel, reports that “Thousands of Israelis prayed and cried at funerals Thursday for two soldiers whose return from Lebanon in black coffins touched off a nationwide wave of anguish,” Terry Scot points out the unabashed irony of it all:

“My heart breaks for that nation of sensitive souls that is so anguished over the dead bodies of state soldier-terrorists “Udi and Eldad”. What noble cherishing of human life, what sensitivity and empathy that the entire world must be made to watch the drama of this funeral while just a few kilometers down the road an entire nation is systematically brutalized and massacred. Alas, you never hear the first names of “Palestinian Terrorists” in Gaza, Nablus, Jenin or the rest of occupied Palestine. The cronnies at AP and other new agencies continue to validate the bitter reality that an Israeli life is worth more than a thousand Arab lives by placing such phoney news as front page stories on the AP wire. Where are those truth-seeking journalists and editors when it comes time to documenting the coffins of slain Palestinians (please, let's just call them non-Jews, because being an Israeli is not sufficient for exalted status, you have to be a Jew).”

Terry Scot then links us to the website Cross Cultural Understanding to remind us of the death of Ayah Al Najjar, the eight year old Palestinian girl that was killed by an Israeli Air land Rocket:

“The body of 8-year-old Aya al-Najjar was mutilated on Thursday afternoon by a rocket fired from an Israeli airplane while she was playing in the garden outside her house in the village of Khuza'a in the southern Gaza Strip. The little girl had just finished her school exams and went home eager to play as she had no more revision to do. She asked her mother if it was ok for her to play in the garden and the mother agreed. An apache helicopter hovered over the place, Aya looked at it and carried on playing. Neither her nor her mother expected to be the target of a rocket fired from the apache. It seems, however, that Zionist hate for everything Palestinian has no limits as Aya was hit directly with the rocket causing her young body to be shredded into little pieces. Aya was not the first Palestinian child to be targeted by the IOF and will not be the last; Muhammad al-Dora, Iman al-Hams and Iman Hijjo are but three names, of Palestinian children killed by the IOF, in a list of about 1000 Palestinian children killed by the IOF since the start of the Aqsa intifada out of a total of 5000 Palestinians killed during the same period. Earlier, Palestinian resistance fighters fired a home made missile at an Israeli colony in retaliation to an IOF incursion into the Gaza Strip during which the troops bulldozed tracts of land and uprooted trees. The attack resulted in the death of one Israeli settler and the wounding of three others, according to Israeli sources.”

Terry Scot finally states the obvious when he writes:

“I challenge the brave journalists of the free and not-so-free press to be equitable in their reporting of the news of deaths of Arab and Jew alike.”

Tunisian blogger Sami ben Gharbia hails the fighters, killed in the 80s and mid-90s, as martyrs, saying they deserve to be buried in Tunisia. He writes:

تزامن خبر تحرير الأسرى اللبنانيين الخمسة وعلى رأسهم عميد الأسرى العرب سمير القنطار و الذي جاء نتيجة أخر عملية تبادل مع الكيان الصهيوني التي صار يتقنها حزب الله اللبناني مع النداء باسترجاع رفات ثمانية شهداء تونسيين لقوا نحبهمه في جبهات الجنوب الللبناني المقاوم

News of the liberation of the five Lebanese prisoners of war, led by the dean of Arab prisoners Samir Kuntar came as a result of the latest prisoner swap with the Zionist regime, which the Lebanese Hizbullah has now perfected, and coincided with a call for the return of the remains of the eight Tunisian martyrs, who were killed on the battle fields of resistance in Southern Lebanon.

Ben Gharbia also links to a page which has the names and photographs of the Tunisian fighters here.

Annaqued [Ar] joins his colleague in calling for a state funeral for the eight Tunisians. He writes:

لم لا عودة رفات ابطالنا الثمانية الى تونس … بمراسم رسمية؟؟؟

Why haven't the remains of our eight heroes been returned to Tunisia .. in a state ceremony?

Commenting on this post, Al-Hallège writes:

هذا أبسط ما يكرم به الشهيد..و الأمة التي لا تحترم شهداءها هي أمة الى زوال

This is the least we can do to honour our martyrs .. and a nation which doesn't respect its martyrs is one which will be destroyed soon.

Another commentator, Abunadem adds:

فعلا هدا هو الحد الادنى لحق المواطنة في اي دولة وهو الاعتراف بالانسان حيا او ميتا .انظر مادا يفعل الصهاينة حين يفقد او يموت لهم انسان ؟؟يطالبون به حتى وا كلفهم التنازل عن الكثير اما نحن فلا يهتز لنا جفن ؟؟؟
لمادا لم تتحدث تلفزتنا الوطنية عن هؤلاء على الاقل ؟؟؟

It is true. The least a citizen deserves in any country is recognising that he is a human being, whether he is dead or alive. See what the Zionists do when the lose one of their sons or one of them dies. They demand their bodies even when that forces them to sacrifice a lot. As for us, no one cares. Why aren't our national television stations talking about those people at least???

Writing at Nocturnal Thoughts, blogger Tarek [Ar] reviews Tunisian newspapers and wonders why the story of the eight Tunisian fighters were not covered more prominently.

And last but not least, blogger Chiheb praises Hizbullah for humiliating Israel. He says:

خلال عمليّة تبادل الأسرى اللّبنانيّين {…} أثبت حزب اللّه قدرته على تركيع أسطورة الكيان الصّهيوني،وحرّك مشاعر العرب التّي تعاني المرارة من المحيط إلى الخليج ،ويعلن إنتصار المقاومة من جديد بعد حرب 2006

During the Lebanese prisoner swap, Hizbullah proved its ability to humiliate the Zionist regime and move the emotions of Arabs, who suffer from bitterness from the Ocean to the Gulf, and announce the victory of the resistance once again after the 2006 war.