LIBYAN BREAKTHROUGH? – AT 9:13 A.M. ET:  One of the great questions during the "Arab Spring" is, who are the revolutionaries?  Are they true freedom fighters, or will they make matters worse?  Will we have, say, in Egypt, another Iran? 

We know that Egypt isn't going well.  Radical Islamists are rising in power, while the moderates and modernists who sparked the revolution are still trying to organize.  Egypt, the most important Arab country, seems to be moving closer to Iran, a frightening development.

But there is a story out today that gives guarded hope for the Libyan revolution.  We cannot confirm this story.  But, if true, and if the rebel forces described actually take power, we can have a major pro-Western advance in Libya.  But read with caution.  From AFP:

JERUSALEM (AFP) – French writer Bernard Henri Levy said he delivered a message on Thursday from Libyan rebel leaders to Israel's premier saying they would seek diplomatic ties with Israel if they came to power.

Levy told AFP he passed on the verbal message from Libya's National Transitional Council during a 90-minute meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

"The main point was that the future Libyan regime would be moderate and anti-terrorist and will be concerned with justice for the Palestinians and security for Israel," Levy said.

"The future regime will maintain normal relations with other democratic countries, including Israel," he added.
Levy, who helped engineer France's recognition of Libya's fledgling rebel authority, visited the rebel-held Libyan city of Misrata last weekend.

He said on Thursday that Netanyahu "did not appear surprised" at the content of the Libyan message.

COMMENT:  In a story like this, it's fair to see Israel as a symbol of Western democracies.  If the rebels will seek normal relations with Israel, it's logical to assume that they would seek normal relations with us, a dramatic improvement from the Gadaffi days.

Again, no confirmation.  But, as the story points out, Levy has served as an intermediary between the Libyan rebels and France, and is apparently trusted by both.  This could be a major development.

June 3, 2011