Fmr. Pres. Katzav sentenced to 7 years in prison; day of both shame and pride for Israel

Former Israeli President Moshe Katzav was sentenced to seven years in prison for his conviction on rape and other charges.  On the one hand, for Israel it is a day of sadness and shame that a former President so debased his high office by heinous criminal behavior. On the other hand, Israel can also be proud that even someone who held the highest office in the country was not above the law and was brought to justice for his crimes. The fact that Israel prosecutes even high prominent officials for their crimes, which was then reported on Al Jazeera, may have helped to fuel the discontent against corruption in Egypt, Tunisia and other Arab nations.

If Arabs don't want NATO leading in Libya, then let them step up

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said that Arab nations do not want the Libya intervention operation under NATO control.  OK, then.  If the Arabs do not want NATO leadership, then let them step up.  It was the Arab League, surprisingly, that got the diplomatic ball rolling to get the UN Security Council to authorize the No Fly Zone etc. operation in Libya.  Now that the resolution is adopted and the operation has begun, where is the Arab leadership and participation?  Next door to Libya is Egypt.  While Egypt is undergoing political transition, the military is firmly in control for now and the Egyptian military is equipped with 300 F-16 fighters with American-trained pilots and has a large, well equipped ground force.  Where is Egypt?  Saudi Arabia has squadrons of F-15 and F-16 fighter jets with American-trained pilots.  Where are the Saudis?  So far, the big Arab participation in Libya is four Qatari fighter jets.  If the Arabs do not want NATO to lead in Libya, let's see them step up and do the heavy lifting.