Free Republic

Golani soldiers won special recognition for saving an innocent Arab child who was sent to provoke IDF soldiers into shooting him. The two Golani soldiers recently were manning a check post near Gush Katif when a 10-year-old boy suddenly ran towards them. Despite fears that the child was carrying explosives, the soldiers did not fire. "The child fell into the arms of one of the soldiers," said the troops’ officer. "He hugged him to make sure he was not carrying a bomb. The child apparently received a few shekels to run towards the soldiers and provoke them into shooting." The...

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian militants burst into a Gaza City mourning tent set up for Yasser Arafat on Sunday and fired shots in protest at the presence of his moderate successor Mahmoud Abbas, but he was unhurt, witnesses said. They said a Palestinian security man was fatally wounded in an exchange of fire between militants and bodyguards shielding Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen. He was on a visit to accept condolences for the Palestinian president, who died on Thursday. The chaos erupted after masked gunmen from Arafat's faction-ridden Fatah movement shouting "No to Abu Mazen," a critic of violence,...

Throughout the Arab world, Islam is not just the state religion. In some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, the Koran is by law the state constitution and the practice of other faiths is a serious crime. Egypt always has prided itself on greater tolerance than the Saudis, in part because Egypt also is home to a large Coptic Christian community, which accounts for 10 to 15 percent of the country's population. While the Copts periodically complain of government harassment, and in recent years many of their churches have been burned, they make a significant contribution to Egypt's economy. Egypt matters...