Articles
December 27, 2012
By Shannen Hill
L.A. Watts Times Intern
Syria
Syria’s civil war has lasted the entire year and their vice president, Farouk al-Sharaa, believes that it will end in a stalemate. The war started as a result of protests against the government’s violent treatment of 15 students who wrote anti-government graffiti on a wall last year. The Syrian rebels have already seized military bases in Syria and battled some of the best armed forces near their president’s powerbase. They also expect to receive military help from Gulf Arab states.
Egypt
The president of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi, has been promoting a new constitution for the country. There were many mixed opinions about the new constitution, resulting in protests and Morsi permitting the army to arrest citizens. However, after gaining the support of The Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptians are beginning to support the ratification of the constitution. Last week, millions of Egyptians voted peacefully on the new constitution.
Palestine
Palestine has made great advances towards becoming an independent country. One of their greatest achievements this year was receiving a non-member, observer state status in the United Nations. While they have yet to gain independence, Palestine is gaining recognition from their international peers.
Israel
There have been growing conflicts between Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group. This conflict resulted in the killing of Ahmed al-Ja’abari, the chief of Hamas’ military wing. The current leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, has recently been giving a series of speeches threatening to destroy Israel. Palestine, along with the countries of the United Nations, has chosen to ignore the statements made by Mashaal, leaving the prime minister of Israel angry with the international community, claiming that they use double standards.
Libya
A United States ambassador, along with three other Americans, was killed in Benghazi, Libya on Sept. 11, 2012. This attack became a subject of debate on how effective the United States Army is. While the F.B.I. has identified several suspects, none have been arrested and some have fled Benghazi. This was the first time since 1979 that an American ambassador had died in a violent assault.