A R A B I C A ارابيكا
SYRIA OPPOSITION
*Al Jazeera reports that members of the Syrian opposition told the network that “Syrian security agents were killed by soldiers because they refused to fire on unarmed civilians in Jisr al-Shughour.” The town, located off the highway between the northern city of Aleppo and the port city of Latakia, is home to 50,000 people. Residents say the wave of killings in the town began to spiral on Saturday when a sniper on the roof of the main post office fire on the participants in a funeral of six protesters who were shot during a demonstration the day before.
*A group of women purportedly from the besieged Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour denounced President Bashar al-Assad and charged him and the thugs known as the “shabiha” with trying to kill everyone in the town. “They’ve poisoned our water, killed our chickens and destroyed our land,” said one woman. “The Syrian media are lying scum and there isn’t a bigger liar than our president, may God strike him down.” A second women said “they came in vehicles and tanks’ and “four of my nephews were killed.”
*Syrian women also speak out here, at a small protest in the city of Darya. A banner to Russia’s president in Arabic and Russian reads: “Medvedev: You’re participating in the killing of our children.” A second street-wide banner carried by the women reads: “Where are our children who were arrested after the prisoner amnesty?” It is signed “the women of Darya, June 7th 2011.”
BORDER TURN
*Hamas announced that it will reopen the border crossing with Egypt following a dispute between the two sides over entry requirements. The Rafah border, which was closed by former President Hosni Mubarak in 2007, was reopened on May 28th. But just one day after visa requirements were supposed to be relaxed, Hamas and Palestinians trying to enter Egypt complained that they were being turned away. Egypt then closed the border for “routine maintenance,” saying there was no problem. Hamas then closed its side last weekend in protest. Hamas will reopen its side on Wednesday.
HOLED UP
*A headline from CNN Arabic: “Gaddafi under fire: We will not give up and there is no going back.”
June 7, 2011
photo credit: illustir