| Egyptian attackers again explode gas pipeline to Israel, Jordan Posted: 26 Apr 2011 10:54 PM PDT From JPost and BBC: Saboteurs on Wednesday blew up a pipeline running through Egypt's North Sinai near the town of El-Arish that supplies gas to Israel and Jordan, a security source told Reuters.
"An unknown armed gang attacked the gas pipeline," the security source said, adding that the flow of gas to Israel and Jordan had been hit.
"Authorities closed the main source of gas supplying the pipeline and are working to extinguish the fire," the source said, adding there was a tower of flame at the scene.
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Neighbouring Jordan depends on Egyptian gas to generate 80% of its electricity while Israel gets 40% of its natural gas from the country. Syria also imports gas from Egypt. Israel's Leviathan gas field can't go online fast enough. 
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| Jordan starts trial of Danish cartoonist for blasphemy Posted: 26 Apr 2011 09:28 PM PDT From Al Arabiya:  A Jordanian court has begun blasphemy proceedings against Danish artist Kurt Westergaard for a controversial cartoon he drew of the Prophet Mohammed.
"A court in Amman began today the trial in absentia of those who insulted the Prophet, including Westergaard and Danish newspapers which published his offensive cartoon," said Tareq Hawamdeh, lawyer for local journalists and activists who brought the suit. The proceeding started on April 25.
"Judge Nathir Shehadeh adjourned the trial until May 8 to hear the witnesses," Mr. Hawamdeh said in a statement.
In 2005, Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten ran a feature with several different artists' drawings under the heading "Faces of Mohammed." The most controversial of the cartoons was Mr. Westergaard's depicting the Prophet Mohammed with a bomb in his turban.
The Jordanian court subpoenaed Mr. Westergaard on April 14 after accusing him of committing "the crime of blasphemy."
A Jordanian prosecutor summoned Mr. Westergaard for questioning that year after 30 independent newspapers, Websites and radio stations in Jordan sued him over the cartoon, which was published in at least 17 Danish dailies, sparking violent protests in a number of Muslim countries, including Jordan.
"These judicial steps should serve to prevent future attempts to insult Islam and stir up racial hatred towards Muslims across the world, particularly in Europe," said Zakarya Sheikh, a spokesperson for the group of local media who is suing Mr. Westergaard.
Mr. Sheikh, who is the editor of an Islamic weekly newspaper in Jordan, sued Mr. Westergaard in 2008, saying: "I will do everything in my power to bring him to trial. He deserves the harshest punishment available within the law."
Mr. Westergaard, 75, told Agence France-Press after the subpoena that "I have not heard about this trial and have not been informed."
"In any case, I have no intention of going even if I am asked to," he said, adding, "I do not want to risk becoming familiar with the Jordanian prisons, which would be hell."
Jordanian legislators have demanded that the government sever ties with Denmark. Amman has condemned the caricature, warning that it could spark further extremism and harm relations between Denmark and Muslim countries.
In 2010 a man with ties to Somalia's hard-line Islamist group al-Shabab was arrested after attempting to kill Mr. Westergaard in his home with an axe.
Mr. Westergaard is currently living under around-the-clock police protection.
Does this mean that Jordanian law allows anyone worldwide to be prosecuted for blasphemy? If this is how moderate, Western-leaning Jordan acts when it is not ruled by Islamists, imagine what kind of a country it would be if it was! 
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| EoZ gets mentioned in JPost Posted: 26 Apr 2011 06:37 PM PDT In a JPost article by Benjamin Weinthal: Amnesty International Ireland's communication director, Justin Moran, criticized a popular US-based, pro-Israel blog, "Elder of Ziyon," for pointing out ties between Arrigoni's supporter and girlfriend, Claudia Milani – who works for Amnesty International – and her promotion of anti-Israel events.
According to the Elder of Ziyon blog, Milani is the "coordinator of Israel/Occupied Territories section of Amnesty International/Italy," and as such, she gave a talk at an "Israel Apartheid Week" event advertised by Amnesty last month.
Her Facebook page shows that she is "friends" with noted Israel-haters, including Greta Berlin, Adam Shapiro, Max Ajl and Ken O'Keefe.
Moran, from Ireland's Amnesty office, wrote an e-mail to a reader who complained about the Elder of Ziyon blog entry, saying "I think the site you link to is acting in a deplorable manner by using the tragic death of Mr. Arrigoni to personally target his girlfriend – a woman who is right now coping with the loss of a loved one in unbelievably tragic circumstances." Cool! (I did speak to Weinthal last week, but you never know if it is going to make it into print until it does.) 
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