A harbinger of things to come. “Three killed in gunfight on Israeli/Egyptian border as Muslim Brotherhood declares victory in Egypt elections,” from the Daily Mail, June 18 (thanks to Twostellas):
Three were killed in a gunfight on the Israeli/Egyptian border today – as the Muslim Brotherhood declared it had won Egypt’s elections.
Militants fired on an Israeli crew building a border barrier on the frontier, killing one of the workers – while Israeli soldiers shot dead two of the infiltrators….
Israeli military spokesman Yoav Mordechai said: ‘A terrorist squad opened fire and possibly also fired an anti-tank rocket at an area where (Israel) is constructing the border fence.’
An Israeli military source said one of the workmen, an Arab citizen of Israel, was killed by the gunmen.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, about 18 miles from the Gaza Strip.
Soldiers who rushed to the scene killed two of the militants and searched the Israeli side of the border for more gunmen, the source said….
In the most serious attack in the area since the Egyptian popular uprising, militants crossed over the Egyptian border and killed eight Israelis in August 2011.
On Saturday, at least two rockets were fired deep into southern Israel, causing no damage or casualties. It was not clear whether they were launched from Gaza or Sinai.
Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, ruled by Islamist Hamas, have launched Grad rockets at Israel from the coastal territory in the past.
Israel also says militants have also crossed into Sinai to launch similar attacks on its territory.
And last night Israeli aircraft carried out a series of strikes in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire from the enclave. Medical sources in Gaza said seven people were wounded.
The rise in tension came as Islamist candidate Mohammed Morsi today declared victory in Egypt’s first free presidential election since Hosni Mubarak’s ouster 16 months ago.
But the military council that has ruled since the uprising issued an interim constitution, just as polls were closing, that gave the generals sweeping authority to maintain their grip on power and subordinate the nominal head of state.
Though official results have not yet been announced, the Brotherhood released a tally that showed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood took nearly 52 per cent of the vote to defeat Mubarak’s last Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq with about 48 per cent in a very close race….
In a victory speech at his headquarters in the middle of the night, Morsi, 60, clearly sought to assuage the fears of many Egyptians that the Brotherhood will try to impose stricter provisions of Islamic law.
He said he seeks ‘stability, love and brotherhood for the Egyptian civil, national, democratic, constitutional and modern state’ and made no mention of Islamic law.
‘Thank God, who successfully led us to this blessed revolution. Thank God, who guided the people of Egypt to this correct path, the road of freedom, democracy,’ the bearded, U.S.-educated engineer declared.
He vowed he would be a ‘servant’ to all Egyptians, ‘men, women, mothers, sisters … all political factions, the Muslims, the Christians.’…
Sure. As long as the women and Christians know their place.