Numbers

From the last The Economist, a statistic about the Arab death following the Conflicts in the Arab world since 1990

Sources: Algerian Government, British Council, B'T selem, Iraq Body Count, Kuwaiti Government, Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Project on Defense Alternatives, Reuters, UN

Conflict in Darfur, since 2003 - 400,000

Algerian Civil War 1991-2002 - 150,000-200,000

Invasion of Iraq (since 2003) - 101,000-109,000

Iraqi Shia rebellion - 60,000-100,000

War for Kuwait (1990 and 1991) - 24,000-31,000

Second Palestinian intifada (2000-05) -5,500

Gaza war (2009) - 1,400

Lebanon war (2006) - 1,200

Every human being have its value and its story and the same right to live. The same right to have its life defended. Why the apparent solidarity in the Middle East when it is about opposing Israel is fading away when it is to help the lives of other Arabs? The same question for the human rights activitst across the world.

The same Economist is quoting Mona Eltahawy, relating to another issue, but still concerning the Arab world: "Israel is the opium of the Arabs".

Still related to the latest evolution in the Middle East: why any kind of solidarity - human therefore, whatever the race, origin and country - is almost absent in the case of Iran? Of course, the situation is not clear, mainly regarding who could take the direct advantage of any change of the current status. But, beyond the geopolitical and pollitical considerations, it is first of all a matter of respect for the human rights.

Vigil for TA attack held in Jerusalem

Jonathan Beck
The Jerusalem Post

August 2

Hundreds of people convened Sunday afternoon in Jerusalem's Kikar Zion to express solidarity with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) after two people were killed and more than a dozen injured on Saturday night.
Some 500 arrived to the square, carrying signs in with slogans including "Live and Let Love," "Why Kill?" and Tourism Ministry posters of Jerusalem on which the phrase "Senseless Hatred destroyed Jerusalem" was written in Hebrew. Some people waved flags with the rainbow colors symbolizing the gay community and others waved black flags.
News of the vigil spread by word of mouth, through phones and SMS messages.
Dina G., a Jerusalem resident who was present at the vigil, told The Jerusalem Post that the vigil was a "beautiful, soulful" event, with no displays of violence and minimal police presence. Apart from the mostly young people who were at the square, some older people arrived, as well as religious Israelis, she said.
Dina told the Post that the vigil was quiet, with people congregating to honor the dead and some holding up signs, but without shouting slogans.
In a similar event in Tel Aviv, MK Dov Khenin, of the Hadash party, said the murder Saturday was "a horrible reminder of the serious threats to the democratic spectrum of liberties. Again we learn that no man is an island and no place is a safe bubble.
"We will not ask for whom the alarm bell tolls today - it tolls for all of us," Khenin added.
Vigils were also held in Beersheba in the South and Carmiel in the North.

More about:

Eye witnesses - Forward - There were nowhere to run