Monky Business

There's been a punch-up at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem–by a load of monks.

This is refreshing. Normally, you have to go to Mexico to see monk fights.

Guardium

Israel unveils new robot soldier.

Sarah Connor cancels holiday in Tel Aviv.

"I Was a Sonic Blaster Guinea Pig"

Sharon Weinberger wins the Julius Caesar "Ides of March" foresight award.

Candle in the Wind

From the Jerusalem Post:

On at least two occasions this week, Hamas staged scenes of darkness as part of its campaign to end the political and economic sanctions against the Gaza Strip, Palestinian journalists said Wednesday.

In the first case, journalists who were invited to cover the Hamas government meeting were surprised to see Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and his ministers sitting around a table with burning candles.

In the second case on Tuesday, journalists noticed that Hamas legislators who were meeting in Gaza City also sat in front of burning candles.

But some of the journalists noticed that there was actually no need for the candles because both meetings were being held in daylight.

This sort of political theatre is not unknown in.... SOME?!?!?!?

Wanted: A Moral Compass.

Martin Fletcher, NBC News Correspondent and Tel Aviv Bureau Chief, comes completely unglued with a column that demonstrates that he absolutely lost the ability to tell good from evil.

It is hard for me to describe Ahmed Sanakreh as a terrorist, although I know it's true. Hard, because I got to know him and his family quite well, and when you understand people, it's hard to hate them...

Alaa, Ahmed and their friend Nasser abu Aziz were my de facto guides to the Palestinian side of the second Intifada (uprising). They were terrorists to the Israelis, freedom fighters to their neighbors, and sources to me.

Dear God, how rudderless do you have to be to not only employ such monsters as "guides," but to actually sympathise with them and then try to justify it with some very public and ineffectual hand-wringing? What sort of an attitude is, "Sure they're bloodthirsty murders who don't discriminate between soldiers and little girls, but they're nice chaps when you get to know them."

To coin a phrase, Get a new soul. That thing's not fit for a dog. Get a new soul.

Robosoldier

The Israelis have developed a robot soldier that, according to the AP, can,

Fight its way down dark alleys, through caves and over rubble, seeking out bombs and booby traps along the way and warning human foot soldiers of enemies and danger ahead.

Sarah Connor was unavailable for comment.