Tel Aviv Bombing Update
Accusations are flying after the fatal bombing at a Tel Aviv nightclub on Friday. The Palestinian Authority is blaming Hezbollah, but Israel stated Hezbollah had nothing to do with it. Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility but only after initially denying it. The Israelis are blaming the Syrians.

It is in the Syrian's best interests to wreck the peace process. Pease between Israel and Palestine is the single most important issue in the stability of tyranical regimes in the Middle East. As Natan Sharansky and others have pointed out, so long as totalitatian leaders in Arab states can point to an external enemy, they can distract their own populations from their lack of democratic institutions. When you look at the situation in that way, Syria is the only party with a strong motive for the bombing, whether they did it directly or through proxy groups like Hezbollah or Islamic Jihad. This is especially true when they have pressure at home and in Lebanon to democratize.

Will this end the peace process? Probably not. While Israel is demanding cooperation, Israeli and Palestinian security forces have arrested seven in connection with the bombing.
- posted by Base10 @ 9:49 AM