Egypt

A third swarm of thousands of locusts crossed into Israel from Egypt.

Four crop-dusting planes on Monday sprayed the area of the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council, home to many farming communities, where the insects have invaded.

The swarm of about 30 million locusts first appeared near Cairo on March 2 and caused millions of dollars worth of crop damage in Egypt.

The locust attack comes in the weeks before the start of Passover, which recalls a destructive plague of locusts that the Bible says was sent by God to help free the Jewish slaves.

Jerusalem — The moment President Barack Obama declared victory, Israelis — both pundits and private individuals — began pondering what it could mean for Israel-U.S. relations.

“We want the best for the U.S. because we love the American people, but I hope we won’t need their government because, while I respect Obama, I don’t trust him,” said Michal Yehoshua, a 21-year-old government employee, sipping hot coffee during a break.

The U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi Tuesday, just hours before the U.S. Embassy in Cairo was attacked over an American-made anti-Muslim movie.

But questions were immediately raised about the true identity of the filmmaker – who falsely claimed to be an Israeli Jew who obtained the financing for his film from 100 Jewish donors -- and whether the movie actually sparked the rioting or was just used as a convenient excuse.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is considering amending the Camp David Accords to give Egypt full control over the Sinai, his legal adviser told a national newspaper.

Mohamed Gadallah told the Egyptian Al-Masry Al-Youm that Morsi is “studying” whether to amend the basis for the peace treaty signed between Israel and Egypt in 1979.

Jerusalem — The attack this week along the Israel-Egypt border poses dilemmas both for Israel and for the new Egyptian president.

Should Israel accede to pressure to modify its 1979 peace treaty with Egypt and allow more Egyptian troops into the Sinai to quell the unrest there?

For Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, will his crackdown on militancy in the Sinai be seen domestically as his offering a helping hand to Israel, a country much of his constituency still views as an implacable foe?

Three Egyptian celebrities reacted violently after they were told in a prank that Israelis were interviewing them on a show they thought was German, according to a translation posted by The Middle East Media Research Institute’s (MEMRI), a pro-Israel group.

One of the Egyptians, actor Ayman Kandeel, assaulted the female interviewer.

Israeli President Shimon Peres extended Israel’s congratulations to Mohamed Morsi upon his election as president of Egypt this week, but questions remain about his power and the viability of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.
“We honor the peace between us, because peace is the real victory for both of us,” Peres said during an event Monday with visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Peace is really the victory of all children in the world.”

Hamas has claimed responsibility for firing 10 long-range missiles into southern Israel.

Hamas said Tuesday evening that its armed wing, Izzaddin al-Kassam, fired 10 Grad missiles into Israel in the afternoon. At least 40 rockets fired from Gaza struck southern Israel on Tuesday.

Hamas also took responsibility for firing several rockets late Monday night that landed in Ashkelon but did not cause any damage or injuries. The Palestinian Ma'an news agency reported that the rockets were targeting a nearby military base. Hamas controls the Gaza Strip.