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The Escalating Ties between Middle Eastern Terrorist Groups and Criminal Activity - David T. Johnson
Remarks by the Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Jan. 19, 2010: Hizbullah, al-Qaeda, the Taliban in Afghanistan and others - groups that the U.S. government has designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations - engage or have engaged in criminal activities as a vehicle to finance their terrorist (or violent political) activities. Two years ago, U.S. and Colombian investigators were able to dismantle an international cocaine-smuggling and money-laundering gang that funneled some of its profits to Hizbullah.
Mitchell meets Abbas as Washington blames Israel, PA for impasse
US special Mideast envoy George Mitchell continued a regional swing on Friday by holding talks with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, even as Washington tried to shift blame onto Israel and the PA for the floundering state of efforts to restart peace negotiations. US President Barack Obama voiced pessimism in a Time magazine interview on Thursday, suggesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had taken “too long” to accept a Palestinian state and impose a temporary settlement freeze, while Abbas was excused because he has Hamas “looking over his shoulder.” Obama concluded, “if we had anticipated some of these political problems on both sides earlier, we might not have raised expectations as high."
Galilee streams reach best flow in years
For the first time in seven years, all the streams in northern Israel are flowing steadily, Hillel Glazman, director of the Streams Monitoring Department at the Nature and Parks Authority (NPA), told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday January 21. The western and eastern Galilee received 200 millimeters (7 inches) of rain in one day. Lake Kinneret rose at least that same amount in the last two days
Mitchell Pitches a New 5-Point Plan for Middle East Negotiations by Avi Yellin
United States envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell arrived in the region this week in efforts to further press the Jewish state into relinquishing territory to the American-backed Palestinian Authority. According to PA sources quoted by the London-based Arabic newspaper al-Hayat, Mitchell is unveiling a five-point plan that will force local parties back to the negotiating table and press Israel to retreat back to the Armistice Line that existed between the Jewish state and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan between the years 1949 and 1967. Reflected in Mitchell’s new plan is an acceptance of the 2002 Arab Initiative, which calls for a complete Israeli surrender from all lands won in the 1967 Six-Day War and the establishment of a new Arab state in these lands. Mitchell announced last March that the Arab Initiative will be incorporated into the Barack Obama administration’s Middle East policy.( Ed note: Pressure such as this will surely ‘cost’ USA enormously)
Israel's 'Green Machine' Gears Up for 2010 by Hana Levi Julian
By the end of this year, Israel will become the first nation on the planet to host a national electric car network. Better Place, the firm that came up with the technology for the vehicles, was founded by Israeli businessman Shai Agassi; the cars are built by Renault-Nissan. The electric car to be used has no exhaust pipe and no gas cap, but rather a simple electric socket instead. It runs on a 450-lb. lithium-ion battery and can go as far as 140 miles before the battery needs to be swapped or recharged. Designated free car parks in a network of 200 “swap stations” around the country will take care of that, Agassi says, with the power for the batteries to come from solar technology now under development in the Negev.
Arab Report: Syria Calling Up Reserves by Gil Ronen
Tensions have escalated along the Israeli-Lebanese border and Syria has begun calling up troops from its Fourth Reserve, sources told the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat. The newspaper, printed on four continents, reports that the Israeli military has been carrying out drills on Israel's northern frontier, as the second anniversary of the death of senior Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh approaches. Mughniyeh was killed when a car bomb exploded in Damascus on February 13, 2008. The sources added that Hizbullah is concerned Israel may launch a surprise attack on its bases and posts. "Israel has accustomed us to aggression and we are used to being vigilant and on the lookout all the time. That is what we are doing,” a source said.
Signs of Oil in the Negev by Hillel Fendel
A joint venture near the Negev city of Arad has produced “preliminary indications” of an oil reserve, the drillers announced. The venture is a partnership of Zerach Oil Exploration Ltd., which owns 50%, and Avner Oil Ltd. and Delek Drilling Ltd, which own 25% each. The three companies notified the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) on Sunday that they had found oil at the Tzuk Tamrur 4 oil exploration well, west of the Dead Sea. They emphasized that they do not yet know if the quantities found are commercial. The Tzuk Tamrur 4 drilling began three months ago, after seismic studies indicated that 6.6 million barrels of high-quality oil could be found there. The drilling has reached a depth of 2,040 meters, and the partners plan to keep on going until they reach 2,150 meters.
Barak: NIS 25 Million to Gaza, Every Year by Hillel Fendel
Defense Minister Ehud Barak has approved, as a "humanitarian" gesture, the annual transfer of 25 million shekels to Gaza. Despite the state of war that essentially exists between the Hamas regime in Gaza and Israel, Haaretz reports that the money will go to Gazans who are eligible for Israeli pension or National Insurance payments.
Holocaust Cabinet Meeting: “World is Obligated to Jewish State" by Hillel Fendel
The government has dedicated today’s meeting to the memory of the six million Jews starved, tortured and massacred in the Holocaust. This Wednesday January 27, the United Nations and at least 20 countries will mark International Holocaust Day. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, speaking at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, said, “I hope the United Nations will remember what happened when the Jews did not have a state - and the privilege and obligation of the international community to defend the Jewish State’s existence.”
VENEZUELA HAS MORE OIL THAN THE MIDDLE EAST.
(IsraelNN.com) Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey announced Friday January 22, that approximately 513 billion barrels of “technically recoverable” oil were found in the Orinoco belt region of Venezuela – twice as much as previously believed. Outside the Middle East, the largest oil reserves in the world exist in Venezuela. The Orinoco region spans a 50,000-square-kilometer (19,305-square-mile) area in the eastern portion of the country.
Chemical Ali hung.
Saddam Hussein's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majeed, also known as Chemical Ali, has been executed, Iraq TV reports on January 25
NASA Launches Effort for Closer Cooperation with Israel by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu.
(IsraelNN.com) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator and former astronaut Charles F. Bolden Jr. is in Israel and on Sunday urged closer cooperation with the Jewish State, which he cited for its expertise in space technology
No doubt Iran has military nuke program.
German intel: Tehran could make crude Bomb by year’s end
New intelligence acquired by Germany's BND and reportedly under review in Germany, Israel, the US and the UN in Vienna conclusively shows that Iran's nuclear program has an advanced military offshoot which answers to the country's defense establishment, Der Spiegel reported Monday January 25. Aside from exposing the existence of a clandestine weapons development program, the document apparently shows that Tehran is in possession of advanced blueprints for producing a nuclear bomb.
Mitchell fails to sway Abbas into renewed talks with Israel
As his latest trip to the region ended on Sunday January 24, US special Mideast envoy George Mitchell failed to lure Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas back to peace talks with Israel, and Washington may now be opting for lower-level contacts to slowly build momentum.
PA warns European officials against contacts with Hamas
A senior Palestinian Authority warned the European Union on Saturday Januar y 23, that recent contacts by European officials with Hamas could legitimize the Islamist terror militia which rules the Gaza Strip and undermine the PA.
IDF readies official rebuttal to Goldstone report
Israel is expected to release a report later this week prepared by the IDF in response to the Goldstone report which will present evidence to refute its claims that the army deliberately targeted civilians in Gaza in last winter’s conflict with Hamas. The IDF rebuttal to those allegations will include filmed documentation that Israel did not intentionally damage civil infrastructure or seek to kill innocent civilians.
Jewish Agency report finds anti-Semitism at worst since WWII
As the world marks Holocaust Remembrance Day this week, the Jewish Agency released an annual report on Sunday documenting the sharpest rise in anti-Semitic acts in Europe. More anti-Semitic events occurred in Western Europe during the first 90 days of 2009 than in all of 2008
Olmert's negotiator: Full Mideast peace impossible Aluf Benn and Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz
The head of the Olmert government’s task force on negotiations with the Palestinians was critical of the approach taken by the previous Israeli prime minister in a conference last Thursday January 21. Brig.-Gen. (res.) Udi Dekel insisted, "I do not believe that in the foreseeable future there is a possibility of an agreement with the Palestinians on all the issues, especially on the problematic core issues.”
Israeli leaders fan out to ‘embrace’ East European allies
In a series of solidarity visits to key East European allies on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was off to Poland on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to Hungary, and deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon to Slovakia, while Israeli President Shimon Peres was warmly welcomed on a three-day state visit to Germany. The trips are intended to repay months of diplomatic support with a high-profile embrace. "We are trying to hug those who hug us," one senior diplomatic source said. Timed to coincide with the Holocaust observances on Wednesday, the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the visits are also coupled with substantive meetings with senior government leaders in each country to advance bilateral relations.
Merkel insists ‘time to discuss Iran sanctions'
Other EU leaders less clear on acting without full UNSC agreement On the heels of a German intelligence report that Iran is close to creating a crude nuclear bomb, German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday January 26 called for prompt action at the UN Security Council for a new round of economic sanctions against Tehran to increase pressure to halt its renegade nuclear program.
Barak warns stalled peace process worse danger than Iran nukes
Mitchell plan calls for more IDF withdrawals in West Bank Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday January26, that Israel’s continued confrontation with the Palestinians is a greater long term security threat to Israel than Iran’s renegade nuclear program.
Iran Leader Predicts Destruction of Israel (AFP)
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted on his website Wednesday January 27, saying: "Surely, the day will come when the nations of the region will witness the destruction of the Zionist regime." The Iranian President Ahmadinejad has often said that Israel is "doomed to be wiped off the map" and has termed the Holocaust a "myth
The Middle East Has Always Been Hard - Michael J. Totten (Commentary)
President Obama admitted in an interview with TIME that he was "too optimistic" about his ability to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, that it's "just really hard." Most Westerners who get involved in the Middle East come away disappointed and disillusioned after a while.
U.S. in Joint Operations with Yemeni Troops Against Al-Qaeda - Dana Priest
U.S. military teams and intelligence agencies are deeply involved in secret joint operations with Yemeni troops who in the past six weeks have killed scores of people, among them six of 15 top leaders of a regional al-Qaeda affiliate, according to senior administration officials.
Palestinians Don't Want Serious Talks. - Sever Plocker
The Palestinians engaged in talks with all Israeli governments since the Oslo Accords. Arafat conducted intensive negotiations with Netanyahu during his first term in office. However, since Netanyahu was sworn in as Israel's prime minister for the second time last April, the Palestinian leadership is coming up with constant excuses to avoid significant dialogue with Israel. The Palestinians do not wish to negotiate with Netanyahu because they perceive him as a practical politician seeking practical solutions. “We have no incentive for entering talks with an Israeli prime minister who wants to get down to business." (Ynet News)
A Different Forum Needed for Goldstone - Adam Yoffie and Noah Pollak
On Wednesday, Justice Richard Goldstone will give the George Herbert Walker, Jr. Lecture in International Studies at Yale University The report he produced is a perversion of human rights and international law. It is riddled with factual errors and twisted accounts of the war. The members of Goldstone's staff have long histories of anti-Israel political activism.
Turkey calls Holocaust ‘most grave crime against humanity in history’
The Turkish Foreign Ministry marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Tuesday January 26, with a statement in which it condemned the Holocaust in unusually strong terms and vowed to prevent anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia and discrimination. The communiqué made a point of "condemning the Holocaust as the most grave and unprecedented crime against humanity throughout history.” Israeli Foreign Ministry sources said the formulation was exceptional for Ankara,
Polish Bishop calls Holocaust a ‘Jewish invention’
A Polish bishop said this week that the Holocaust is a “Jewish invention" that Jews magnify in the press as propaganda to gain support for Israel. Tadeusz Pieronek, a professor and friend of the previous pope, John Paul II, told the Catholic news site Pontifex.roma on Monday January 25, that the financial support, military power and lobbying efforts from wealthy Jews are the only reasons why the media covers the Holocaust and gives a skewed version of history.
More upbeat economic news for Israel
Unemployment in Israel fell by 0.1 percent in December 2009, with a total rate of 6.5%, revealing a consistent downward trend since summer of last year, according to figures published by the Israel National Employment Service on Monday.
Netanyahu warns against ‘new Amalek’ at Auschwitz
In a forceful speech at Auschwitz-Birkenau marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Wednesday January 27, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reasserted the right of the Jewish people to self-defense amid growing concern over the Iranian threat and increased attempts to de-legitimize Israel and hand-cuff its military. From the cursed ground at Auschwitz-Birkenau and other camps rise the voices of our brothers and sisters, our people who choked to death and were burned and murdered,” said Netanyahu. “Remember what Amalek did to you,” he cautioned, quoting a passage from Deuteronomy. “We will never forget. We will not allow the Holocaust deniers or those who desecrate [Jewish] graves and signs to erase or distort [our] memory.” The prime minister also warned that though the “Nazi Amalek” was almost entirely a ghost of the past, “a new Amalek is appearing and once again threatening to annihilate the Jews. We will not allow it ... We will never forget and always stand guard,” he said. “After losing a third of our people in blood-soaked Europe, we learned that the only guarantee for the protection of our people is the State of Israel and its army, the IDF.”
Israel refusing UN request to launch wider Cast Lead
Goldstone will stir anti-Semitism, hamper war on terror'. Israel will reject the UN’s demand to create a “verification commission” to investigate claims made in the Goldstone report that Israel committed war crimes in last winter’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.
Netanyahu Digs In on Gush Etzion with Tree Planting by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu planted a tree in Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, Sunday afternoon January 24, a symbolic move that firmly dug into place a message to the United States that large centers of Jewish population in Judea and Samaria will remain part of the State of Israel. The ceremony took place several hours after the Prime Minister met with U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell, whose efforts to bridge the deep gaps between Israel and the PA have failed, leaving American officials publicly pessimistic for the first time in the 19 years since it pressured then-Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir to debate Yasser Arafat in Madrid.
Quran Cited on Jewish Links to Land of Israel by Hillel Fendel
Land of Israel activists sought to educate Arabs regarding the Quran's teachings on the bonds between the Land and Nation of Israel, and handed out flyers in Arabic with the relevant verses.
The verses were taken from Sura 5:20-21, Sura 7:136-137, and Sura 17:103-104. The first selection reads: “Recall that Moses said to his people, "O my people, remember G-d’s blessings upon you: He appointed prophets from among you, made you kings, and granted you what He never granted any other people. O my people, enter the holy land that G-d has decreed for you, and do not rebel… ”The second selection: “We let the oppressed people inherit the land, east and west, and we blessed it. The blessed commands of your Lord were thus fulfilled for the Children of Israel, to reward them for their steadfastness, and we annihilated the works of Pharaoh and his people and everything they harvested.” The third selection: “And we said to the Children of Israel afterwards, "Go live into this land. When the final prophecy comes to pass, we will summon you all in one group." The distribution of the flyers followed the weekly Shdema lecture, which was given this time by Dr. Hagi Ben-Artzi on the meaning of Tu B’Shvat (Jewish Arbor Day) in Kabbalistic literature. 5
Abbas Rejects Israeli Presence on Eastern Border by Gil Ronen
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas rejected Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's statement that Israel must maintain a presence in the Jordan valley, a day after Netanyahu made the statement. Netanyahu had said that the Jewish state must ensure "an efficient way, at the entry and exit points, to stop rockets from being smuggled into the territories close to Israel." This, he said, “will require an Israeli presence on the eastern side of the Palestinian state.” The PA chairman rejected the idea. “The Palestinian leadership will not accept the presence of a single Israeli soldier in the Palestinian territories after the end of the occupation," Abbas spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP on Thursday January 29. Netanyahu has long said that any PA state formed under the terms of a future agreement would have to be demilitarized
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