Missing Peace: In Tunis Islamists Vow to Destroy Israel, While Egyptians Ban Jews From Visiting Tomb of Rabbi

The following from Missing Peace is reposted with permission:

In Tunis Islamists vow to destroy Israel, while Egyptians ban Jews from visiting tomb of Rabbi

Hamas PM Haniyeh in Tunis

Jerusalem, January 10, 2012

On Monday Ishmael Haniyeh visited Tunisia, during his first official Middle East tour as the prime minister of Hamas in Gaza.

During that tour he tried to generate support for his plan to launch a ‘holy war to liberate Jerusalem’.

Difficult times


When he addressed a cheering crowd in Tunis, he predicted ‘difficult times ahead for Israel’.
He also said the following:

Barry Rubin: Tunisia: There’s Still Hope for Democracy Because The Majority Doesn’t Want Islamism

Tunisia: There's Still Hope for Democracy Because The Majority Doesn't Want Islamism

By Barry Rubin

Is Tunisia, the Arab world’s historically most moderate country in social and intellectual terms, headed for Islamism or some kind of difficult but democratic future? I want to rethink my conclusions on this point. Or is it just the timeline that needs to be extended?

It should be stressed that Tunisia has more prospects for achieving democracy and avoiding radical Islamism than do Egypt or Libya. In Egypt, 60 percent of the vote was obtained by the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists in the first round, with claims of up to 75 percent in the second round. Excluding Christian voters, that means somewhere between two-thirds and 80 percent of Egyptian Muslims support radical Islamist parties. Only the army, which is eager to suppress moderates but would rather make deals than fight the Islamists, stands in the way of radicalization. In Libya, the political situation is far less clear but radicals have the guns while tribal and regional conflicts are likely to promote conflict and extremism.