Israeli-Arab War

[American Patriot]

Syrian MiG goes down near Israel
World Tribune ^ | September 24, 2007

JERUSALEM — Syria has lost a MiG-21 fighter-jet near Israel. Israeli officials said the Syrian Air Force sent several MiG-21s on a mission near the Golan Heights, part of which was captured by Israel in the 1967 war. They said one of the MiGs crashed on Sept. 22.

The governments of neither Israel nor Syria officially confirmed the crash of the Syrian MiG-21. The Israel Air Force has been on alert for Syrian retaliation in wake of reports of an Israeli air strike on a suspected Syrian nuclear or missile facility near the border with Iraq on Sept. 6.

The Israel Air Force ordered several F-15 multi-role fighters to confront the Syrian MiGs, officials said. But the Syrian fighters were gone by the time the F-15s arrived. Officials said Syria has rarely held air force missions near the Golan Heights. They said that in 2007, after years of inactivity, Damascus increased combat exercises that included refurbished MiG fighters.

The Israel Air Force has been monitoring Syrian air movements. On Sept. 22, the air force sent combat jets to the Golan Heights after a Syrian MiG disappeared from Israeli radar screens.

Officials said Syria has also moved troops south toward the Golan Heights over the last two weeks. But they said Damascus was not expected to initiate hostilities, although they did not rule out attacks by insurgency groups aligned with Syria.

On Sept. 20, Israeli F-15s were first sent to the northern Golan Heights along the Syrian frontier. Officials said air force radars detected "suspicious activity," which turned out to be a flock of migrating birds.

The Syrian fleet has been based on the MiG-29 as well as older MiG-25s and -23 fighters. Damascus was said to have about 200 MiG-21s, most of which have been retired amid a shortage of spare parts and maintenance.

Industry sources said Russia has been negotiating for a contract to modernize some of the Syria's MiG fleet. The sources said Syria has been discussing a joint project that would include and funded by Iran.

"Our deliveries to Syria are for defensive arms, and in no way can that balance be disrupted," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday. "Moreover, given the particular delicacy of questions related to deliveries of arms to this region, in our contract we always prohibit the transfer of weapons to anyone apart from the direct recipient of such weapons."

"If there are facts indicating that obligations have not been fulfilled, if those obligations have been violated, we always investigate such instances," Lavrov told a briefing at the United Nations. "But, in this instance, we have not received any facts. We have spoken about this with our Israeli colleagues, and they are worried about this."

[Brian Baldwin]

In you free discussion thread in another forum we spoke of the middle east being a hinge point. I personally think that the Syria/Israel conflict that is likely to engaged within weeks is probably even more important right now than Iran/US. This could draw in other nations which in turn could force the big three to put their troops in action. In otherwords this could be the move that causes a jump offsides and an start to global conflict that will snowball.

[American Patriot]

Thursday, 15 Ramadan 1428 m e 27-9-2007 15:49 pm Mecca 12:49 GMT
http://72.14.203.104/translate_c?hl=...x%3Fid%3D51562

جيش الإسلام يعلن مقتل قائده وأربعة آخرين في الغارة الصهيونية

Army declares Islam leader killed and four others in the Zionist raid

الأربعاء 14 من رمضان 1428هـ 26-9-2007م الساعة 10:11 م مكة المكرمة 07:11 م جرينتش

Wednesday, 14 Ramadan 1428 m e 26-9-2007 22:11 pm Mecca 19:11 GMT

الصفحة الرئيسة > الأخبار > العالم العربي والإسلامي

Page Chairperson> News> Arab and Islamic world

	جيش الإسلام Army Islam

مفكرة الإسلام : أعلنت جماعة جيش الإسلام استشهاد "فوزي الأشرم"، أمير الجماعة في مدينة غزة، وأربعة آخرين من عناصر الجماعة خلال الغارة الصهيونية التي وقعت مساء اليوم قبل الإفطار بوقت قليل.

Islammemo: The Army of Islam group killed "Fawzi Alahram," Amir Community in Gaza City, and four other elements of the group Zionist raid that occurred this evening, shortly before breakfast.

وهدد أبو المثنى، الناطق باسم جماعة جيش الإسلام في تصريح صحافي له قبل قليل، بأن الرد من قِبل الجماعة سيكون أفعالاً لا أقوالاً، مشيرًا إلى أن الجماعة لقنت العدو درسًا من خلال عملية الوهم المتبدد، والتي أسفرت عن اختطاف الجندي الصهيوني جلعاد شاليط.

He threatened Abu Muthanna, spokesman for the Army of Islam group in a statement to the press earlier, that the reply by the Community acts will not earlier, indicating that the group taught the enemy a lesson through a process of disillusionment abandoned, which resulted in the kidnapping of the Zionist soldier Gilead Shalit.

يشار إلى أن أول ظهور لجماعة جيش الإسلام كان من خلال مشاركتها مع كتائب القسام في عملية اختطاف الجندي الصهيوني جلعاد شاليط، ويتزعم ممتاز دغمش جماعة جيش الإسلام على مستوى قطاع غزة.

It should be noted that the emergence of the first group of Army of Islam was through involvement with the Qassam Brigades in the kidnapping of the Zionist soldier Gilad Shalit, an excellent leader of the Army of Islam Dghamsh group at the level of the Gaza Strip.

وكانت طائرات الاستطلاع الصهيونية قد قامت بقصف سيارة من نوع "ماغنوم" بالقرب من دوار دولة شرق مدينة غزة.

The Zionist reconnaissance planes had bombed the car of the type "Magnum" near the turnstile state east of Gaza City.

وأفاد شهود عيان أن طائرات الاستطلاع ألقت صاروخًا باتجاه جيب يقل أربعة مقاومين؛ الأمر الذي أدى إلى استشهاد من بداخله وتحوّلهم إلى جثث متفحمة.

Eyewitnesses said the reconnaissance aircraft dropped missiles at least four pocket of resistance; Which led to the martyrdom of the inside and turn them into charred corpses.

وأضاف الشهود بأن الانفجار كان عنيفًا للغاية، ويتميز عن غيره من الصواريخ بقوة الانفجار والصوت الرهيب الذي نتج عنه.

The witnesses added that the explosion was extremely violent, and differs from other missile explosion and strongly voice, which resulted in terrible.

وكانت سيارة الجيب تسير في ضاحية الزيتون وقت الغارة، وقد أحاطت جمهرة من الناس بحطام الجيب، وقام بعضهم بغمس أيديهم بدماء الضحايا تعبيرًا عن رغبتهم بالانتقام، وكانوا يرددون "الله أكبر".

The jeep moving in the suburb of olive time of the raid, took a crowd of people debris enclave, and some of them PGMs their hands the blood of the victims as an expression of their desire to retaliate, and they were shouting "Allahu Akbar".

وأصيبت عدة سيارات بشظايا الانفجار، كما تحطم زجاج بعض النوافذ في بنايات مجاورة.

Several cars shrapnel blast also shattered some glass windows in nearby buildings.

من جهة أخرى استهدفت الدبابات الصهيونية المتمركزة شمال قطاع غزة وفي منطقة الزيتون ببلدة بيت حانون منزلاً لعائلة أبو جراد؛ الأمر الذي أدى إلى استشهاد أربعة مواطنين وإصابة العديد بجروح مختلفة.

Elsewhere targeted Zionist tanks stationed in northern Gaza Strip area of the town of Beit Hanoun olive house to a family Abu locusts; Which led to the martyrdom of four citizens and injuring many various injuries.

وأفاد شهود عيان بوجود تحركات وتعزيزات صهيونية في منطقة بيت حانون؛ ما قد ينذر بعملية عسكرية كبيرة قد تقوم بها قوات الاحتلال الصهيوني لشمال قطاع غزة.

Eyewitnesses reported the presence of Zionist movements and reinforcements in the area of Beit Hanoun; Foreshadowing what has been a major military operation carried out by the Zionist occupation forces to the northern Gaza Strip

[American Patriot]

Arafat aide seriously ill


YnetNews ^ | 09.26.07 | Ali Waked


A top advisor of former PA chairman Yasser Arafat is suffering from similar symptoms to those diagnosed in the deceased Palestinian leader before his death, a Palestinian Web site reported Wednesday.

Doctors at a London hospital treating Nabil Abu Rudeineh had to remove one of his kidneys and implant instead a kidney donated by his sister, the Web site said.

Rudeineh's family told the PNN Web site that the former aide was recovering and would return to the territories in the near future.

Rudeineh has been feeling unwell for some time now and doctors told his family that the liver malfunction he suffered may have been caused by poisoning.

The report revived speculations in the Palestinian media that Arafat might have been poisoned by Israel and that Rudeineh was also targeted.

Ten months after Arafat's death, his personal doctor claimed that French doctors who treated Arafat in the last days of his life had found he was infected with HIV.

The doctor also claimed that the HIV virus was inserted into Arafat's blood to camouflage the poisoning.

(I have to say... perhaps Arafat died from poisoning? LOL!

[American Patriot]

BBC: Israel admits air strike on Syria
BBC ^ | Tuesday, 2 October 2007, 14:11 GMT 15:11 UK | BBC Staff




Israel has confirmed that it carried out a strike on a Syrian military installation last month.

Syria accused Israel at the time but Israeli officials refused to comment, and the Israeli military censor imposed a strict blackout on information.


The censor's office has now allowed some details to be released.



On Monday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told the BBC that a Syrian military construction site was hit in the Israeli air strike on 6 September.


Israeli Army radio reported that Israeli planes attacked a military target "deep inside Syria", quoting the military censor. No further details were given.


Mystery remains

It is still not known why Israel carried out the strike or what exactly was hit.


Some US officials have linked the raid to suspicions of secret nuclear co-operation between Damascus and North Korea. Damascus and North Korea have denied any nuclear ties.


Other reports suggested that the raid may have targeted Iranian arms bound for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.






In the early hours of 6 September a number of Israeli jets appeared to enter Syrian airspace from the Mediterranean Sea.



Later, unidentified drop tanks, which may have contained fuel from the planes, were found on Turkish soil near the Syrian border, indicating a possible exit route.


Witnesses said the Israeli jets had been engaged by Syrian air defences in Tall al-Abyad, north of Raqqa and near the border with Turkey.


Syria and Israel are formally at war. Israeli has occupied the Golan Heights since 1967. Peace talks between them collapsed in 2000.

[American Patriot]

Israel seeks to buy $1.3 bln of U.S. missiles
MSNBC.Com ^ | Oct 31, 2007 | Jim Wolf, Reuters

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration announced tentative plans on Wednesday to sell Israel up to $1.32 billion worth of advanced guided TOW and Hellfire missiles, munitions and other weapons.

The prime contractors for the proposed sale would be Raytheon Co and Lockheed Martin Corp, the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a mandatory notice to Congress.

Israel is seeking to buy 1,700 Lockheed Martin Hellfire II missiles plus 100 Raytheon Patriot guidance enhanced missile-plus munitions and 2,000 radio frequency TOW 2A missiles, the notice said.

"Israel's strategic position makes it vital to the United States' interests throughout the Middle East," the agency said. "It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability."

At the same time, the Pentagon announced plans to sell Egypt up to 2,000 similar, TOW 2A anti-armor guided missiles plus related equipment in a deal valued at up to $99 million. Raytheon would be the prime contractor for this sale, the Pentagon said in a separate notice to Congress.

"Egypt needs these TOW 2 missiles and launchers to augment its current inventory and provide mechanized infantry and field artillery units with an anti-armor capability," the agency that handles U.S. government-to-government arms sales said.

The United States has longstanding commitments to Israel and Egypt, which in 1979 became the first Arab state to make peace with Israel.

-snip-

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...

[American Patriot]

Region: Rules of the game, Palestinian-style... Wiping Israel off map morally correct?
JPostt ^ | 10, 30, 2007 | BARRY RUBIN

The Region: Rules of the game, Palestinian-style
By BARRY RUBIN


Several Fatah security force officers assigned to protect Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as he went to meet with PA head Mahmoud Abbas, at the end of June, planned to assassinate him instead. This event should be amazing enough to get people to rethink their premises. After all, it is late 2007, with a supposedly moderate leadership running the PA and Fatah, and this kind of thing is still happening.


The would-be assassins were Fatah - not Hamas, and they were quickly released by PA authorities before outside pressure forced their re-arrest. Prediction: they will be freed soon with little media coverage.


But this is merely the same pattern as happened with the assassins of Israeli government minister Rehavam Ze'evi in 2001 or the gunmen who seized the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in 2002: international indifference, a show of PA law enforcement, and terrorists go free.


The PA has never really punished anyone for murdering or trying to kill an Israeli or for attacking Israel. Occasionally, in the 1990s, there were convictions, but only on charges of damaging the Palestinian cause - which meant attacking at an embarrassing time. Even those prisoners were quickly released.


Remember that in the Olmert case the conspirators, if successful, would have tremendously damaged the PA and Fatah before an international summit meeting from which Palestinians hoped to benefit. If they'd actually started shooting, much less killed or wounded Olmert, the PA, Fatah, and the Palestinian cause would have been so discredited that it would take years before they were offered a state or lavish Western aid again.


Consequently, based on his own interests, Abbas should have them shot, which is what the PA does to people it deems traitors. But they probably won't even get community service in the end.


Why? Because of the rules of Palestinian politics. These tenets are fatal to the hope of getting a Palestinian state, of the Palestinian polity becoming more moderate, of ending terrorism, or stopping even officially sponsored PA incitement. Palestinians know these rules well; outsiders seem largely unaware of them. Exceptions can be found but few, and since these are considered shameful they go unpublicized and thus form no precedent for changing the rules, which are:


(1) Palestinians cannot stop other Palestinians from attacking Israel. To do so would be betraying the cause, becoming Israel's lackey.

(2) He who is most militant is always right. Extremism equals heroism. This is one reason why Fatah has such a difficult time competing with Hamas. It cannot denounce these rivals for being too intransigent. Suicide bombers along with those who manage them are role models, not misled individuals, much less evil ones.


(3) More violence is good and a "victory" if it inflicts casualties or damage on Israel. Other than ritual denunciations for the foreign media, these are matters for pride, with the implication being that they advance the cause rather than sabotage it.


(4) No Israeli government can do anything good. Olmert is no better than anyone else even as he offers to accept a Palestinian state, and is ready to give up east Jerusalem. Some Palestinian leaders can talk privately to Israeli counterparts about cooperation (and even their dream of peace) but don't tell this to their own people.


(5) Since Palestinians are the perpetual victim they are entitled to everything they want and never need to give anything in exchange for Israeli concessions. Thus, the preferred PA diplomatic option is that Israel withdraws from the West Bank and east Jerusalem, recognizes an independent Palestinian state, releases all Palestinian prisoners, and then talks can begin.



(6) No Palestinian should be imprisoned for attacks on Israel one minute longer than required by international public relations‚ needs. After all, if they are doing heroic deeds against an evil enemy - even by murdering civilians on purpose - why should they be punished?


(7) Fatah won't discipline or expel anyone for launching attacks.


(8) Wiping Israel off the map is morally correct. If anyone says anything different they will be scared or ashamed, justifying their lapse as a temporary tactical measure or way to fool enemies.


(9) The movement sets as top priority the so-called "right of return," the demand that all Palestinian refugees or their descendents must be allowed to live in Israel. It is better not to get a state than to give up this demand.


(10) It is more important to be steadfast and patient with a terrible status quo than to make big gains by ending the conflict forever. To do so would give up future Palestinians' chance to seek total victory. Their right to all of the land cannot be given away.


Palestinian leaders may sincerely voice their dismay with this problem privately but won't fight to smash them. If they ever really do change we'll know.


But until then, these are the reasons why the Palestinian side cannot - and will not - reach for peace or keep existing commitments very well. Even if a handful of top Palestinians want to reach agreement with Israel, they cannot - and even worse, dare not - violate these commandments.

[American Patriot]

HEADS UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Home Front Command Preparing Citizens for War (Israel)
IsraelNN.com ^

Israel's Home Front Command launched a public information campaign on Sunday in an attempt to prepare the public for possible war scenarios. The Home Front Command will send a manual entitled "Being Protected and Prepared" to every Israeli household, instructing the public on types of rockets and shelter options. The manual will be available in several languages.

Home Front Command personnel have also been collecting the gas masks issued to Israelis during the 2003 Gulf war, and will issue new, more advanced kits in the future.

Officials deny concerns of an imminent conflict, saying they want to avoid a situation in which residents will be unprepared, as was the case during the Second Lebanon War for citizens of the north.

[American Patriot]

This is CURIOUS.....

Jeb Bush to arrive in Israel for private visit
Jerusalem Post ^


Two weeks before US President George W. Bush is scheduled to arrive on his first visit to Israel as President, his younger brother Jeb Bush is scheduled to arrive Monday for a private visit.


Bush, the former governor of Florida, will be accompanied by his wife and children, and will travel around the country, including visits to Massada, Nazareth and a tour of the northern border with Deputy Chief of General Staff. Maj.-Gen. Dan Harel.


Bush is scheduled to meet Monday with Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik and a number of Knesset members.

[American Patriot]

Let's see.

Jeb going to visit Israel.

Report out about Israel's survivability in a nuclear war.

Israel is quietly preparing people for a 'possible war'.

President going there for the FIRST time since he became President.

VERY CURIOUS. Very, very curious indeed.

[American Patriot]

Mossad»: 120 members of Fatah Islam entered Gaza via Sinai
muslm.net via Debka ^


..."accompanied by large quantities of arms and ammunition especially missiles"



Allegedly site «Journalists» Israeli close to the Israeli intelligence agency «Mossad» yesterday that some 120 fighters of the organization «opening Islam» arrived in the Gaza Strip recent arrivals from the Nahr el-Bared camp north of Lebanon through the Egyptian Sinai.

وقال الموقع إنهم قدموا إلى غزة وبصحبتهم كميات كبيرة من الأسلحة والذخائر خصوصا صواريخ «أبومصعب الزرقاوي».

He said the site they had come to Gaza accompanied by large quantities of arms and ammunition especially missiles «Eboumassab Zarqawi».

وأضاف أن «التنظيم الذي يعتبر أحد أذرع تنظيم القاعدة العالمي نقل قواته بعد هزيمته في مخيم نهر البارد على يد الجيش اللبناني إلى العراق وقطاع غزة».

He added that «organization, which is considered one of the global arms of Al Qaeda forces after the transfer of defeat in the Nahr el-Bared camp by the Lebanese army to Iraq and the Gaza Strip».

(Excerpt) Read more at 64.233.179.104 ...

[American Patriot]

Rockets Hit Israel; Gaza Attack Kills 2 Amid Bush Visit

Wednesday, January 09, 2008


JERUSALEM — An Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza killed two Palestinians and wounded four others Wednesday, Palestinian security officials and medics said, as President Bush arrived in the Mideast to try to build momentum for stalled peace talks.

The Israeli army said it had targeted militants in the area firing projectiles at the rocket-scarred southern Israeli city of Sderot.

Danny Dahan told Army Radio that a rocket tore through the ceiling of his Sderot home and landed on his son's bed.

"Rockets have been raining on this town for years and no one is doing anything," a crying Dahan told the radio, speaking from the hospital where he was treated for shock. He did not suffer any serious injuries.

Members of the Hamas-allied Popular Resistance Committees told Hamas television that members of their group were firing salvos before the Israeli strike.

Israel is pursuing a peace agreement with the moderate Palestinian government of President Mahmoud Abbas, who rules from the West Bank. At the same time, it is battling Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in June after routing Abbas' forces. The U.S. and Israel consider Hamas a terrorist group.

At a November peace conference in Annapolis, Md., Israel and the Palestinians pledged to try to reach a final agreement before Bush leaves office.

"I come with high hopes," Bush said as he began his first presidential visit to Israel on Wednesday. "And the role of the United States will be to foster a vision of peace. The role of the Israeli leadership and the Palestinian leadership is going to do the hard work necessary to define a vision."

In Gaza, thousands of Palestinian hard-liners staged small Bush protests, underscoring the deep political split with West Bank moderates who have welcomed his visit as an important gesture to the Palestinians.

Supporters of the Islamic militant Hamas chanted "Death to America," and burned U.S. and Israeli flags. A shadowy Al Qaeda-inspired group appeared in public for the first time with rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and uttered vague threats against U.S. targets.

In Hamas-ruled Gaza, about 5,000 supporters of the Islamic militant group marched in the streets to protest the visit, burning effigies of Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

"America has declared war on the people and imposed an unjust, murderous siege on our people," Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas leader, told the crowd, referring to U.S. support for Israel's virtual closure of Gaza since Hamas seized control of the territory by force in June.

Even supporters of Abbas were critical of the U.S. leader. Some 200 supporters allied with Abbas' Fatah movement and other secular Palestinian factions urged Bush to abandon what they said was his pro-Israel bias.

"We call on President Bush in his visit to adopt an equal standard, and not to continue the biased policy in favor of the occupation government," a senior Fatah leader in Gaza, Zakariya al-Agha, told the marchers.

Bush's challenge is to convince skeptical governments that, with just a year remaining in his presidency and Americans deep in the process of selecting his successor, he is willing to devote the time and effort necessary to bridge decades of differences in this troubled region.

Expectations of success are low, and no one is predicting breakthroughs during Bush's eight-day visit to Israel, the West Bank, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Olmert and Abbas agreed in a meeting Tuesday to overcome disputes over Israeli construction in contested areas and ongoing violence and finally instruct their negotiators to begin tackling the core issues of a final peace agreement.

An Olmert ally said Wednesday that he believed Bush's visit would help the sides reach an agreement.

"I am happy that we are beginning to talk on the subjects that perhaps we should have begun to talk about earlier," Vice Premier Haim Ramon told Army Radio. "Both sides pay heed to his (Bush's) requests and his wishes and his visit will certainly accelerate the talks."

Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said that Bush's visit is important as a show of support for the negotiations. "We don't expect President Bush to come here and conduct the negotiations between us and the Israelis, and we don't expect President Bush to make the decisions required by us and the Israelis," he said.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview published Wednesday that the U.S. considers a disputed Israeli neighborhood in east Jerusalem to be a "settlement" and that the United States opposes the project.

Rice's comments, published in The Jerusalem Post daily, marked the U.S. administration's strongest criticism yet of Israeli policies in disputed east Jerusalem. The Palestinians are expected to put settlements at the top of their agenda when they meet Bush on Thursday.

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been overshadowed by Israel's decision last month to build 300 more apartments in Har Homa, an Israeli neighborhood being built in east Jerusalem. Some 7,000 Israelis already live in Har Homa.

"Har Homa is a settlement the United States has opposed from the very beginning," Rice said.

In the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, about 20 masked supporters of an Al Qaeda-inspired group, the so-called "Army of the Nation," displayed weapons in a first public appearance.

A spokesman for the group, who only gave his nom de guerre, Abu Hafs, said Bush was "not welcome" in the Palestinian territories. "We are coming, not to Bush in Tel Aviv, but God willing to Washington," he said.

He described members of the terror network Al Qaeda as "brothers," with similar methods and ideology, but added that "there is no complete connection" to his group.

In recent months, several Al Qaeda-inspired groups have emerged in Gaza, though possible links to the terror network are murky. An almost complete closure of Gaza since the Hamas takeover in June has driven Gazans deeper into poverty, creating fertile ground for militant groups.

On Wednesday, some Gazans recalled the visit of President Bill Clinton to Gaza in 1998. At the time, peace hopes ran high, and he was given a hero's welcome.

"We were full of joy and hope on that day (of Clinton's visit)," said Shawki Abdel Rahman, 59, a retired teacher, who watched Bush's arrival on a large-screen TV in a Gaza electronics store.

"Today, it's the opposite," he said. "There is no peace and no joy over this visit."

[American Patriot]

Bolton: Israel May Have to Strike Iran Soon
Arutz Sheva - IsraelNationalNews ^ | 1/24/8 | Gil Ronen

Former American Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton hinted broadly Tuesday that Israel will have to strike Iran's nuclear program on its own, and soon. Speaking at the Eighth Herzliya Conference, Bolton said an Israeli strike could be the last resort against Iran. Former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who also spoke at the conference, hinted that the military option is growing more likely with time.

Ambassador Bolton devoted the first part of his speech to an attempt to push the Israeli press into revealing details of the strike against the suspected Syrian nuclear facility four months ago. "There is a lot that we don't know about the facility because of the veil of secrecy that the Israel government and the American government have tried to throw over it," he said.

"We don't know for example exactly what the facility was – whether it was a clone of the Yongbyon reactor; whether it was a uranium enrichment facility; whether it was a storage location for North Korean plutonium or plutonium based weapons," he added, and explained that he could speak freely at the conference because the American Constitution's First Amendment applied to him even when he was abroad (this elicited laughter from the audience).

Bolton calls Israeli press 'timid'
Bolton went on to list his conjectures: "We don't know if it was North Korea in effect renting space in Syria to recreate the North Korean program. We don't know if it was a sale of technology or equipment from North Korea directly to Syria and we don't know whether it was a joint venture perhaps between Syria and North Korea working together," he said. "Our governments, however, do know the answers to some of these questions."

He continued with a jab at Israel's media: "What I don't understand really is the timid nature of the Israeli press which I know knows a lot more about this strike than it's been willing to talk about. I am sure somewhere in the Israeli press there is a John Peter Zengler who is willing to risk something in order to give the public more information about this."

John Peter Zengler was an 18th century publisher who was arrested for libelous sedition after printing criticism of the governor of New York and then acquitted, in what is considered a landmark trial in the development of the freedom of the press in the U.S.

Bolton explained that this information is being withheld for fear that if it came out that North Korea once again, following its game plan, was engaged in nuclear proliferation contrary to its obligations, it would embarrass the U.S. which is seeking ways to back off of North Korea.

Iran 'noticed' IAF raid
Regarding the IAF Syria raid, Bolton said: "The daring and successful Israeli military strike… has obvious significance for the potential of a military strike against Iran's nuclear program. I think, given the debacle caused by our National Intelligence Estimate, that it's close to zero likelihood that President Bush will authorize use of military force against Iran's program before he leaves office, absent some dramatic new development."

He concluded: "Certainly in Teheran you can bet that they took careful notice of what the Israeli Defense Force did. Penetrating Russian supplied radars very similar to the air defenses that Teheran has; using techniques that could be very useful for a long range strike against Iran; this is the kind of operation that the Iranians need to continue to worry about. Because I think with the collapse of American policy, the Israeli strike against the Syrian / North Korea facility is the harbinger of what may be – absent regime change in Teheran – the last resort… Unless you are prepared to see Iran proceed unmolested toward a nuclear weapons capability, which this NIE has given them free rein to do in my judgment, you are coming very close to a decision point in this country of whether you will use military force to stop Iran."

Mofaz: next 2 years critical
Minister Shaul Mofaz hinted that Israel may indeed attack in Iran in order to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Mofaz noted that the warming of relations between Arab countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia with Iran is "moving fast very quickly, while the world not only is not moving ahead – it is moving backwards."

"This reality," Mofaz said, "is a clear deterioration in the effort to halt Iran by diplomatic means and therefore the likelihood of the other options rises." He did cite a window of opportunity for diplomacy, however: "We have to find other ways to renew the momentum which has weakened… The diplomatic timetable is getting shorter, the next two years are critical to halt Iran using diplomatic methods," he estimated.

Mofaz added: "Reality is complex but the picture is very clear: Iran may be leading in points but the final whistle is still far ahead… It is clear that the current trend must be reversed; and all the means are justified. This is a historical time… This time, no leader will be able to say 'we didn't know, we didn't understand the importance of this time.' The world must do everything that is necessary in order to assure a future of peace and prosperity for the next generations as well."

[American Patriot]

India to launch 2 more Israeli spy sats
The Asian Age,India ^ | Jan. 23,2008 | Seema Mustafa

India to launch 2 more Israeli spy sats

By Seema Mustafa

New Delhi, Jan. 23: India and Israel are working together to launch two more spy satellites with the schedule requiring at least one of these to be placed in orbit within this year. The successful launch of the 300-kg TecSar has been generated considerable enthusiasm in both India and Israel with the satellite expected to start sending the first images in early February.

The decision to launch the TecSar spy satellite, which is also referred to as Polaris, was taken shortly after the UPA government came to power. The deal was finalised during the visit of Israeli defence ministry director-general Amos Yaron to New Delhi three years ago. It is the first of three such satellites agreed upon between the two governments with the government here oblivious to the adverse reaction to the launch from its traditional friends in West Asia. The launch was effected in great secrecy with only a couple of mainstream Israeli newspapers getting a whiff of the new cooperation between New Delhi and Tel Aviv just a week before the launch.

The Israeli media, which has had access to more information than given out by the government here, has pointed out that the satellite was intended to spy on Iran and Syria. The government here has tried to give the strategic cooperation a "commercial" colour by highlighting the fact that India is virtually renting out its launching pad for such satellites. It did the same for Italy, it is pointed out, at a cost that is supposedly 70 per cent less than offered by other such countries for putting satellites in orbit. This runs counter to reports in the Israeli and international media of growing strategic cooperation between the two countries and that India hopes to benefit from the satellite with information on Pakistan, which is not outside the orbit of TecSar.

Israeli officials have told their media that the satellite, by far the most sophisticated launched by Israel till date, will be able to get images during the night and through inclement weather conditions. Sources here said that Israel wanted the satellite launched from India because of a certain position required to monitor the countries that it has targeted. The term used by Israeli officials to describe Iran and other countries it will use the satellite to spy upon is "enemy". Iran has been identified as the primary target of the satellite launched from India despite the close relations between New Delhi and Tehran.

It is clear that the spy satellite launch has been delayed by a few months. It is not clear why although Indian officials maintained it was because of "technical" reasons. The Israeli media, interestingly, first claimed that it was because of US pressure that was finally overcome after US President George W. Bush was convinced that it was required by both India and Israel for their security. A commentator has claimed that the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party leader Benazir Bhutto tipped the balance for India. More lately, the Israeli newspapers have attributed the delay to pressure from Iran. A leading Israeli newspaper, the Jerusalem Post, has said that Iran had used the "Indian Opposition parties — particularly the Muslim and Communist political factions — to prevent the launch". It added, "Despite the reported Iranian opposition, last month the Indian government conveyed a message to the defence ministry in Jerusalem confirming that it would launch the TecSar."

[Jag]

Israeli Official: Israel Wants to Cut Ties With Gaza

Thursday , January 24, 2008


GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip —
Israel wants to abandon all responsibility for the Gaza Strip, including the supply of electricity and water, now that the territory's southern border with Egypt has been blasted open, Israel's deputy defense minister said Thursday.

It was not immediately clear whether the minister, Matan Vilnai, was expressing the view of the Israeli government, or was testing international receptiveness to such idea.
As tens of thousands of Palestinians clamber back and forth between the Gaza strip and Egypt, details have emerged of the audacious operation that brought down the hated border wall and handed the Islamist group Hamas what might be its greatest propaganda coup, the London Times reported Thursday.
Click here to read the London Times report.
Hamas, which took control of the coastal territory last June after a stand-off with Fatah, has denied that its men set off the explosions that brought down as much as two-thirds of the 12-km wall in the early hours.
But a Hamas border guard interviewed by The London Times at the border admitted that the Islamist group was responsible and had been involved for months in slicing through the heavy metal wall using oxy-acetylene cutting torches.
That meant that when the explosive charges were set off in 17 different locations between midnight and 1am the 40ft wall came tumbling down, leaving it lying like a broken concertina down the middle of no-man's land as an estimated 350,000 Gazans flooded into Egypt.
The guard, Lieutenant Abu Usama of the Palestinian National Security, said of the cutting operation: "I've seen this happening over the last few months. It happened in the daytime but was covered up so that nobody would see."
Asked whether he had reported it to the government, he replied: "It was the government that was doing this. Who would I report it to?"
Abu Usama, who normally works from a small guard cabin in no-man's land, added: "Last night we were told to keep away from the wall. We were ordered to stay away because they were going to break the blockade."
As Gazans flooded into Egypt, the strip's Hamas prime minister, Ismail Haniya, called for an urgent meeting with his rivals in Fatah and with the Egyptian authorities to work a new border arrangement.
Mr Haniya called for the border crossing to be reopened "on the basis of national participation," meaning that Hamas would be prepared to cede some control to President Abbas and his Fatah-led government in the West Bank. "We don’t want to be the only ones in control of these matters," Mr Haniya said, speaking from his Gaza City office live on Hamas TV.
"Everything Haniya is saying is simply to exploit this situation to win political gains. ... It is a part of the problem, not the solution," said Ashraf Ajramim, a Cabinet minister in Mr Abbas's government. Israel refused to comment on the developments in Gaza.
The skill of the Hamas demolition operation was clear to see along the border, although The Times could not visit the entire length of the border. Where the charges had been laid, the wall was heavily damaged. Elsewhere it appeared to be clearly cut.
The destruction of the wall prompted hundreds of thousands to cross into Egypt – and Egyptian border guards did not try to stem the tide of humanity.
Instead Rafah became a huge Middle Eastern bazaar. Thousands of people were herding back cows, sheep and even camels from Egypt into the Gaza strip. Others brought back motorbikes while many women lugged back cans of olive oil and men could be seen weighed down with jerry-cans full of fuel.
Moneychangers flocked to the border, offering Egyptian pounds and American dollars for the Gazans' Israeli shekels. The shops soon began to run out, however, and those returning were complaining of sky-rocketing prices.
Instead, many people jumped into taxis - or even on the roofs of taxis - to take themselves to El Arish, 45km away, the nearest town with shops.
In no-man's land, along the stretch that the Israelis used to call Philadelphia Road before their disengagement in 2005, Hamas gunmen raced along in pick-up trucks flying the group's green flag. Egyptian riot police waited by the gates of the old border crossing, leaning with nonchalance against their riot shields.
Among those returning were Osama Hassan, 25, who went shopping with his 17-year-old fiancee Sarah for their wedding essentials. He bought a special mattress for his injured back; she brought kitchen supplies.
“I’m Fatah, but today, I wish I could see (Hamas prime minister Ismail) Haniya and kiss his forehead, because without the gunmen doing this, we would have been stuck in the Gaza Strip,” he said.
Egyptian shopkeepers swiftly raised prices of milk, taxi rides and cigarettes, but that did not deter the Gazans, for many of whom it was their first trip out of the territory.
Some staggered back into Gaza carrying televisions, and others sported brand-new mobile phones. In Gaza City, prices of cigarettes - which had skyrocketed during the total blockade of the past week - fell by 70 per cent in a few hours.
Rami al-Shawwa, a 23-year old falafel vendor, said he planned to head to Egypt in the afternoon, after his brothers returned from there. He was going to buy waterpipe tobacco and just “smell some new air”.
“We have been living in darkness for days, and closure before,” he said, adding that he is not concerned about getting stuck in Egypt. “For my 23 years in Gaza, a year in Egypt will make up for it.”

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_frien...325091,00.html

Jag

[Jag]

Egypt won't take control of Gaza

---

JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Jan. 24, 2008

---

A top Egyptian official said Thursday that Egypt's border with Gaza will go back to normal, and strongly rejected the idea - floated by Jerusalem - that Israel might relinquish all responsibility for the troubled Gaza Strip.
"This is a wrong assumption," Hossam Zaki, the official spokesman for Egypt's foreign ministry, said of Israeli hints that it was thinking of giving up all responsibility for Gaza, including supplying electricity, now that the territory's southern border with Egypt is open.
"The current situation is only an exception and for temporary reasons," Zaki said. "The border will go back to normal."
Zaki said Egypt had not been formally approached by Israel about any such proposal.
Deputy Defense minister Matan Vilna'i had said earlier that Israel wants to relinquish all responsibility for the Gaza Strip, including the supply of electricity and water, now that the territory's southern border with Egypt has been blown open.
"We need to understand that when Gaza is open to the other side we lose responsibility for it," Vilna'i said, according to his office. "So we want to disconnect from it."
"We want to stop supplying electricity to them, stop supplying them with water and medicine, so that it would come from another place," continued the deputy defense minister.
However, Israel will continue to be responsible for the flow of such supplies into the Gaza Strip until an alternative is found, the office quoted him as saying.
Speaking from the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, Defense Minister Ehud Barak refused to echo the statement by his deputy.
"I don't go too far in my interpretation of this," Barak offered.
Meanwhile, the High Court of Justice called an emergency session to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip following the blockade imposed on the territory. The session is slated to take place on Sunday and judges will deliberate appeals submitted by Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups.
The court has rejected similar appeals in the past and judges have approved the temporary withholding of fuel from the Strip.
The decision came as Egyptian border guards began trying to control the masses of Palestinians flooding across the border for a second day, stopping some from moving deeper into Egypt, but not attempting to reseal the border.
Earlier, US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns declared that Egypt was responsible for restoring order to the Gaza border, Army Radio reported. The residents of the Strip, he said, had become prisoners of the Hamas government. Burns, who was speaking to Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, added that Kassam rocket fire from Gaza must stop immediately.
Also Thursday, Construction and Housing Minister Ze'ev Boim said that Israel must retake control of the Philadelphi corridor, most likely with the coordination of Egypt, Europe and the US.
Boim told Israel Radio that Egypt could supervise the border and use the current situation at the Rafah crossing to "fix their non-compliance with the existing border agreement Israel was ordered to obey."
The construction and housing minister went on to say that the current blockade imposed on the Strip was "meaningless" because there were no restrictions to what as being smuggled in.
He added that Israel must be allowed to eliminate all involved in terror activity including those considered members of the Palestinian "political echelons."
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak instructed his forces at the border to detain any Palestinian who illegally crossed the border.
Mubarak's statement came several hours after the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced that Egypt does not intend to shut off the wide-open Rafah border with the Gaza Strip.
Mubarak also called on Palestinian rival factions not scuffle with Egypt's security forces at the border crossing.
Mubarak said that while Egypt would not let them starve, the Palestinian factions must consider the suffering of the Palestinian people above all.
The Egyptian president urged the Palestinians not to involve Egypt in their internal disputes, Israel Radio reported.
Egypt's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassam Zaki told CNN that the border will remain open "as long as this is a humanitarian crisis."
After the "shopping spree," Zaki said, "We expect everyone to go back to Gaza to their homes within a short period of time."
"We are not opening the Rafah crossing just for everybody to cross - we're opening it because it's a very dire humanitarian situation," he added.
Hamas leaders on Wednesday called for an "urgent and speedy" meeting with representatives of Egypt and the Palestinian Authority to work out new, shared arrangements to control the border crossing in Rafah.
The call came shortly after Palestinian gunmen blew up large parts of the wall separating the Gaza Strip from Sinai, enabling tens of thousands of Palestinians to cross freely into Egyptian territory. Palestinian and Egyptian sources estimated that some 300,000 Palestinians entered Egypt Wednesday. Although many had returned home by nightfall, the sources said thousands planned to spend the night in Egypt.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...icle%2FPrinter

Jag

[American Patriot]

Is Ahmadinejad setting a trap for Israel and the US?
American Thinker ^ | January 28, 2008 | James Lewis

Posted on 01/28/2008 11:29:33 AM MST by forkinsocket

Like the Jedi Knights in Star Wars, much of Israel's safety depends on an absurdly small number of daring pilots and their jet planes. The Israel Air Force has managed to use that capacity with amazing skill and daring, as it showed last September when a dozen fighter bombers and support aircraft jammed Syria's Russian-supplied air defenses and destroyed a secret nuclear facility on the Euphrates river --- not far from Iran. The nature of that target has still not been revealed, but it must have been important enough to risk triggering a missile attack from Syria. That means the target was believed to be very important: most likely a joint Iranian-Syrian-North Korean nuclear facility.

In a very odd move, the Syrians are now rebuilding that mysterious concrete cube in exactly the same location --- even though the whole world knows about it now. Why should they spend vast amounts of money doing that, if it would only become another fat target?

One possibility is that it's a trap for IAF jets. Surround the concrete cube with enough new Russian anti-aircraft missiles, back it up with radars based on Russian ships that just happen to be doing the biggest naval exercise in years right now in the Mediterranean, and provoke another attack by announcing another nuclear breakthrough. It could be a baited ambush.

The whole thing smells like an Ahmadi-Nejad shell game, with Russian help: put your nuclear materials under a dozen different giant concrete shelters, and dare the enemy to attack all of them, without knowing which one has nuke materials. All of the sites would be heavily defended with state-of-the-art Russian anti-aircraft missiles. Not just one trap for attacking aircraft, but a dozen or more.

Ahmadi-Nejad constantly uses the most provocative language possible. He's a known Revolutionary Guard fanatic from the Khomeini days, when a million people were killed in the Iran-Iraq war, some of them in blind suicide charges across minefields. A'jad sounds like a religious nut, but he's shrewd enough to use even his martyrdom complex to intimidate and provoke his enemies.

So there could be method in his madness. He may be deliberately trying to draw Israel and the US into a long and costly conflict, relying on domestic political pressure to force a humiliating retreat, just as Hezbollah did in last summer's Lebanon war. As a side benefit, he may expect his own domestic opponents to be forced to rally around him. Since he is running for re-election in the rigged Mullahcracy, war can only benefit him.

John Bolton just talked about the Iran threat at a conference in Israel. Said Bolton:

"... the pre-emptive use of force ... has to come before they get the (nuclear) weapon. ... in the next year the use of force by the United States is highly unlikely ... That increases the pressure on Israel ... if it feels Iran is on the verge of acquiring (nuclear) capability, it brings the decision point home to use force." (emphasis added) "A senior Israeli security official said in reaction that 'one should listen very closely to what Bolton has to say.'"

Do you need more of a hint?

Soon we may see the most dangerous confrontation since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Ahmadi-Nejad and the Khomeinist regime have been preparing this for thirty years. They've had plenty of time to choregraph the moves.

If Israel is compelled to act while the United States is paralyzed by our obstructionist Left, Ahmadi-Nejad may finally see his chance. All of his actions in office suggest that he is trying to force Israel and the West into a corner where he thinks he can win. Defeating the formidable Israel military is his biggest chance to become the celebrated star of the Middle East.

[Jag]

Feb 4, 2008 0:21 | Updated Feb 4, 2008 4:22
US anti-missile ship to dock in Haifa

By YAAKOV KATZ

An American missile ship set to dock at Haifa Port on Monday is equipped with an anti-missile defense system that could be deployed in the region in the event of an Iranian missile attack against Israel.
The USS San Jacinto.
Photo: AP




The USS San Jacinto is an AEGIS cruiser in the Ticonderoga Class and was commissioned in 1988. It carries the most advanced underwater surveillance system available today and is equipped with the AEGIS missile defense system, which was developed by Lockheed Martin to protect against aircraft and missiles. The ship will remain in Haifa for three days.

While the IDF developed and operates the Arrow missile defense system, defense officials said Israel has expressed interest in the AEGIS and that last year, the Defense Ministry requested information on the system from the Pentagon. During the first Gulf War in 1991, the US deployed Patriot missile batteries in Israel to defend the country against Iraqi Scud missiles.

"It is possible that one day, if we are under attack, the US will send these ships to the region to help defend us," a defense official said.

"Until then, it is important that we get to know the system, its capabilities and its interoperability with our systems."

The San Jacinto can launch long-range surface-to-surface Tomahawk cruise missiles, rocket torpedoes and standard surface-to-air missiles. The heart of the AEGIS system is the SPY-1A radar system, which is capable of detecting and tracking any aircraft or missile flying within 320 kilometers. The ship has participated in operations in Iraq and Bosnia.
Defense analysts said the decision to dock at Haifa could also be part of a growing competition between the United States and Russia over military control in the Middle East. Russia recently decided to reestablish its naval presence in the region at Tartus, Syria. In recent months, Syria has begun renovations at the port to facilitate the docking of large Russian Navy ships.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...cle%2FShowFull

Jag

[American Patriot]

Syria Acquiring Russian Rockets At "Furious" Pace
WorldNetDaily ^ | February 6, 2008 | Aaron Klein

JERUSALEM - Syria, aided by Russia and Iran, in recent months has been furiously acquiring rockets and missiles, including projectiles capable of hitting the entire state of Israel, according to Jordanian and Israeli security officials speaking to WND.

A Jordanian security official said one of the main reasons Damascus did not retaliate after Israel carried out its Sept. 6 airstrike inside Syria allegedly targeting a nascent nuclear facility was because Syria's rocket infrastructure was not yet complete.

The official said after the Israeli airstrike, Syria picked up the pace of acquiring rockets and missiles, largely from Russia with Iranian backing, with the goal of completing its missile and rocket arsenal by the end of the year. The Jordanian official said Syria is aiming to possess enough projectiles to fire over 100 rockets into Israel per hour for a sustained period of time.

"The Syrians have three main goals," explained the Jordanian official. "To maximize their antitank, antiaircraft and ballistic missile and rocket capabilities."

According to Israeli and Jordanian officials, Syria recently quietly struck a deal with Russia that allows Moscow to station submarines and warboats off Syrian ports. In exchange, Russia is supplying Syria with weaponry at lower costs, with some of the missiles and rockets being financed by Iran.

"The Iranians opened an extended credit line with Russia for Syria with the purpose of arming Syria," said one Jordanian security official.

"Russia's involvement and strategic positioning is almost like a return to its Cold War stance," the official said.

Both the Israeli and Jordanian officials told WND large quantities of Syrian rockets and missiles are being stockpiled at Latakia, Syria's main port on the Mediterranean Sea, as well as at Syria's Tartus port, another major port area south of Latakia and north of Damascus...

(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...

[American Patriot]

Iran Eyes the China Card
Washington Post ^ | February 06, 2008 | Kayhan Barzegar

Iran Eyes the China Card

February 06, 2008

Washington Post

Kayhan Barzegar

China’s presence in Iran and the Middle East might be a potential threat for the United States given its current regional policies – but it is an opportunity for emerging nations like Iran.

For rising nations, like Iran, that tend to follow their own independent route to advancement, the best situation is a multi-polar world in which potential global powers like China can offer investments and technology to protect rising nations from the U.S. and Europe’s pressing strength. From an Iranian perspective, therefore, China’s increased presence in Iran, the region, and even global economy is not at all a threat; rather, it is an opportunity to outweigh other powers.

In recent years, China has played a quiet, carefully planned economic game in Iran, which has advanced its political-strategic interests here and helped advance its presence in the Persian Gulf countries, which are the region’s closest allies of the West. Undoubtedly, China’s presence in the region satisfies those countries.

Iran’s “Look East” policy has roots in its cultural-societal, geographic and political-economic connections with Asia. For many years, the Iranian perception of international relations has compelled the country to balance its political, economic and cultural affinities between West and East. In recent years, China’s fast-growing economy and its extensive demand for Iran’s energy sources have reinforced Iran’s inclination to advance further economic and political-strategic cooperation with China. Today, one of Iran’s strategic goals is to bind its energy-rich resources to the South-Asia region via the Iran-Pakistan-India Pipeline (IPI), extending the pipeline to China’s markets in future years.

(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.washingtonpost.com ...