-
ISRAEL
- ALLEGED MEMBERS OF JEWISH TRIBE OF MANASSEH GOING HOME AFTER
2,700 YEARS - October 13, 2006, www.wayoflife.org - Indian citizens
who claim to be descendants of the Jewish tribe of Manasseh are
preparing to return to Israel 2,700 years after being taken captive
by the Assyrian army. There are seven or eight thousand of these
people, who call themselves Bnei Menashe [children of Manasseh],
living in the northeastern Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur,
and they have been trying to return to Israel since soon after
the Jewish state was formed in 1948. They claim that their forefathers
were taken captive when Assyria conquered the northern 10 tribes
of Israel in about 721 B.C. This event is recorded in 2 Kings
17:5-23. After being exiled from Israel they eventually traveled
through Afghanistan and settled in the border regions of China
and India. For almost three millennia they have kept many of
the Jewish customs, such the Sabbath, Kosher dietary laws, and
circumcision. In the 1950s, thousands of the Bnei Menashe people
set out on foot to Israel, but they were stopped by Indian authorities
("Lost Tribe of Israel Returning Home," WorldNetDaily,
Oct. 6, 2006). Following visits by Jewish rabbis who have begun
converting some of the Bnei Menashe to orthodox Judaism, the
door is opening for them to return to Israel. (Other rabbis do
not believe they are Jewish descendants.) The first group left
in 2003, and another 218 are scheduled to immigrate in November
2006. Regardless of whether or not the Bnei Menashe are true
Jewish descendents, the continued existence of Israel as a people
and a nation after thousands of years of exile from their homeland
is a great miracle and an irrefutable evidence of the authenticity
of the Bible, which prophesied these things long before they
happened. The return of Israel to her homeland also reminds us
that the hour is very late and that the horrible events described
in Revelation 6-18 are likely on the near horizon.
- -----
- THE PUBLIC LYNCHING OF JONATHAN POLLARD AGAIN
- By Esther Pollard - November 14, 2006 - No matter how many
different ways the same lies about my husband, Jonathan Pollard,
are repackaged, they are still lies. Whether as a well-orchestrated
series of "leaks" to the media by unnamed American
officials; whether deliberately leaked to a Jewish writer for
recycling in New Yorker Magazine; or whether repackaged in a
slick new book by a "retired" American intelligence
officer ---they are all lies. For 21 years, the government of
Israel has turned its back on Jonathan, enabling hostile elements
in the American intelligence community to use his case as a weapon
against Israel and the Jews. These enemies of Israel continue
to point to Jonathan as "proof" that Israel cannot
be trusted as an ally, and that American Jews are not loyal citizens.
Ever vigilant, lest this valuable weapon against Israel be released
from prison, the American intelligence community continues to
lobby fiercely to keep Jonathan in prison forever.
- Hiding behind a veil of secrecy which denies Jonathan's attorneys
access to their own client's sentencing docket, American intelligence
officials are able to make the most outrageous claims against
Jonathan, knowing that they will never have to substantiate them,
or be challenged in a court of law.
- Following the same strategy that was first used at the 1998
Wye summit, US intelligence officials have once again turned
to the ever-willing Israeli media as a vehicle to attempt to
torpedo any chance of Jonathan's release. The strategy works
like this: lies about Jonathan are entrusted to the Israeli media
in the guise of an "exclusive" scoop. In Israel this
"exclusive" is picked up by the foreign press, relayed
around the globe and back to the American press. By the time
the circuit is complete, public opinion has been so thoroughly
galvanized against Jonathan's release that his life sentence
is virtually ensured.
- This time, the patsy given the "exclusive" was
Israel TV Channel 10, and the scoop, an "exposé"
about Jonathan Pollard by "retired" intelligence officer,
Ronald Olive, in the form of a new book, just published by the
US Navy's own press. The book, not only repeats all the old lies
about Jonathan, it reveals that the US Navy even created its
own video about Pollard for the Defense Intelligence Agency to
train new intelligence recruits about treason. In spite of the
fact that Jonathan was never charged, indicted or convicted of
treason - a crime which applies only to those who spy for enemies
of the US - Olive claims that this video makes the name "Pollard"
synonymous with the crime of "treason."
- That the Navy deliberately chose to misrepresent Israel as
an enemy state by making Jonathan the poster boy for treason,
speaks volumes. It is significant that the Navy deliberately
featured an Israeli spy over all the others it was holding at
the time, including spies for Cuba, China, North Korea and the
Soviet Union. This sends a strong message to new intelligence
recruits that America regards Israel as the greatest threat to
her national security!
- Indifferent to the extreme sensitivity of the timing - the
eve of Bush and Olmert's meeting - Channel 10, in a striking
departure from professional practice, chose not to question any
of Olive's allegations or the American intelligence community's
motivation in continually blocking Jonathan's freedom. Channel
10's complete failure to investigate the validity of the claims
against Jonathan is unethical and morally reprehensible. It ignores
the impact on a victim whose ability to defend himself against
these lies is virtually non-existent. Part of the Channel 10
"exclusive" presentation featured an American office
surveillance video provided by Olive. The video shows a clip
of Jonathan putting documents into a brief case, a routine part
of his job as an intelligence analyst. The commentary by Olive
however, reinterprets the film as "Pollard caught in the
act of stealing a million documents." Never questioning
the content of the video, nor the vitriolic voice-over provided
by Olive, nor the timing of its release 2 decades later, Channel
10 (and then rest of the Israeli media) dutifully rebroadcast
this film and included it for replay on a host of web sites.
- Still following Olive's lead, Channel 10 breathed new life
into the canard that Jonathan will automatically go free in the
year 2015. This is another blatant lie. In the year 2015, after
30 years in prison, Jonathan would be entitled to make another
request for clemency, nothing more. Jonathan Pollard is not in
prison for what he did, but for what he represents - Israel and
the Jews. Those who oppose his release after 21 years in prison
will continue to oppose it forever.
- Nevertheless, and not to be outdone by Israel TV Channel
10 which broke the Pollard "scoop" with two days of
feature programming, the media in this country (with few exceptions)
jumped on the bandwagon and embraced the lies about my husband
as if they were documented fact.
- Not a single media outlet asked Jonathan's Navy accusers
for hard evidence or factual documentation. No one asked the
basic simple question: "If Pollard is guilty of such crimes
as spying for multiple countries, why was he never charged, indicted,
or tried for these crimes?"
- No evidence exists to substantiate the claim that Jonathan
spied for other countries. If there were any evidence, he would
surely have been indicted. The accusation itself is absurd!
- Media outlets which normally call us every time Jonathan
sneezes, this time had no questions for us about all of these
allegations against Jonathan, and sought no comment from us.
Why is Jonathan again being falsely accused in the media of crimes
which he never committed? Whose interests are being served by
this public pillorying? As for Channel 10, without advising me
in advance that they were airing a new smear campaign about Jonathan,
they invited me to take part in "a program about Jonathan
for the 21st anniversary of his incarceration." On air,
the trap was sprung; as soon as I began to refute the false allegations
with documented facts, I was hustled off the air and out of the
studio. I heard an on-the-set director give the order to get
me out of there! Channel 10 is not interested in promoting the
truth.
- There is an urgent need on the part of the Israeli public
to understand why the government of Israel has so cruelly abandoned
Jonathan Pollard for more than 2 decades. The media's marketing
of all of the old lies about Jonathan as if they were fact, simply
exploits this need. It reinforces the public impression that
the absolute indifference of Israel, of the American Jewish leadership
and of the Israeli media to Jonathan's plight, after all, is
not unreasonable.
- Jonathan has already served 21 years in prison - far longer
than the median sentence of 2 to 4 years that such an offense
usually carries. No one blinked when a recent decision of a US
Court sentenced to a mere 3 months, a pentagon analyst who had
spied for China for more than a decade. For China's spy, 3 months
in jail is enough. But for Israel's spy, even 21 years is not
enough?! The original sin of betrayal and abandonment by Israel
remains the root cause of this latest smear campaign against
Jonathan. The Israeli government has failed once again, to come
to the defense of her agent; and once again Jonathan has been
lynched in the court of public opinion. The utter silence of
Israeli officials, commentators and opinion-makers as Jonathan
is about to enter his 22nd year of an unlimited life sentence
screams to the Heavens. What other country in the world demonstrates
such an abject lack of national honor?
- Shame! . IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis Website:
http://www.imra.org.il
- -----
- SECURITY COUNCIL FAILS TO ADOPT DRAFT RESOLUTION ON MIDDLE
EAST, OWING TO NEGATIVE VOTE BY UNITED STATES UNITED NATIONS
SECURITY COUNCIL - SC/8867 - Department of Public Information
. News and Media Division . New York
- November 11, 2006 - Vote is 10 in Favour to 1 against, With
4 Abstentions (United Kingdom, Denmark, Japan, Slovakia) - Ten
Council Members voted in favour of the draft, while four countries
( United Kingdom, Denmark, Japan, Slovakia) abstained. Speaking
prior to action on the draft, the United States representative
said that the text did not display an even-handed characterization
of the events in Gaza and was politically motivated. Nor did
it advance the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace to which the
United States aspired and for which it was working assiduously.
While joining other Council members in deeply regretting the
loss of life in Beit Hanoun, he noted that Israeli authorities
had admitted that the incident had been a mistake and intended
to conduct an investigation into the events there, which he hoped
would be completed expeditiously.
- He said, however, that he was disturbed by the language of
the resolution that was in many places biased against Israel.
For example, one of the preambular paragraphs of the text equated
military operations of Israel that were legal with the firing
of rockets into the territory of Israel that was terrorism.
- At the same time, he said he was disturbed that the draft
did not contain a single reference to terrorism or any condemnation
of a recent statement by Hamas that Palestinians should resume
terrorist attacks on a wide scale or strike against United States
interests, he continued, maintaining that the Palestinian people
deserved a Government that would become a legitimate partner
in the peace process and work toward a two-State solution through
the Quartet's Road Map.
- Following the vote, the representative of Qatar said that
his country had submitted a balanced draft that reflected the
views of the majority of Council members. Peoples and Member
States should judge the objectivity of the draft for themselves.
His delegation was trying to protect the civilians who desperately
needed protection and any lukewarm reaction from the Council
gave an impression that it was shirking its responsibilities.
The image of defenceless civilians killed mercilessly at Beit
Hanoun, he said, would leave a lasting image in the minds of
the people all over the world. The Council's failure to put an
end to Israel's aggression would lead to the continuation of
the cycle of violence which in turn leads to further deterioration
of the situation in the Palestinian territories. The representative
of the Congo also expressed disappointment at the failure of
the draft.
- The Permanent Observer of Palestine thanked all those who
had voted in favour of the "balanced text before the Council"
and said that he was disappointed that the draft not been adopted.
He said the Council had conveyed two wrong messages: for Israel,
it had sent a message that it could continue to behave above
international law; for Palestine -- that justice was not being
dealt within an appropriate way by the Council. But his people,
despite the disappointment, would never lose hope. Justice would
prevail and the occupation would eventually come to an end. Only
through negotiations -- and not massacres and aggression -- would
the solution to the conflict be found, he continued. His people
would never lose faith of the great principles enshrined in the
United Nations Charter. "We will continue coming to you
until justice prevails," he said.
- The four abstaining Members expressed deep sorrow over the
incident at Beit Hanoun and other loss of life in Gaza but also
claimed the draft was unbalanced, describing negotiations that
had progressed toward more equity but had not achieved a text
that would have been helpful in ending the violence.
- The United Kingdom's representative said she remained deeply
concerned about the consequences of Israeli military action and
the resulting loss of civilian lives, calling for restraint on
the part of Israel while calling also on Syria and Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas to use their influence to stop the firing
of Qassam rockets into Israel. She said it was absolutely right
that the Council act on this issue, but that it was essential
to act in a manner that was balanced.
- Also looking for a more balanced text, the representative
of Denmark said rocket attacks against Israel must stop, but
at the same time, Israel must make sure that its security operations
were conducted in accordance with international law and did not
hamper finding a peaceful solution on the ground. A State's response
in the right to self-defence must be proportionate. The representative
of Japan said his delegation had participated constructively
in the negotiations on the draft proposed by Qatar. He appreciated
the efforts to reflect some of Japan's concerns during discussions,
but said that further improvement was needed. Concurring, Slovakia's
representative said the text lacked recognition of the full complexity
of the Middle East situation. The meeting, which began at 12:19
p.m., adjourned at 12:47 p.m.
- Background
- Following is the complete text of the draft resolution considered
by the Council:
- The Security Council,
- "Reaffirming it previous resolutions 242 (1967), 338
(1973), 446 (1979), 1322 (2000), 1397 (2002), 1402 (2002), 1403
(2002), 1405 (2002), 1435 (2002), 1515 (2003), and 1544 (2004),
- "Reaffirming the applicable rules and principles of
international law, including humanitarian and human rights laws,
in particular the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection
of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949, "Expressing
its grave concern at the continued deterioration of the situation
on the ground in the Palestinian Territory occupied by Israel
since 1967, during the recent period, particularly as a result
of the excessive and disproportionate use of force by Israel,
the occupying Power, which has caused extensive loss of civilian
Palestinian life and injuries, including among children and women,
- "Condemning the military operations being carried out
by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Gaza Strip, in particular
the attack that took place in Beit Hanoun on 8 November 2006,
which have caused loss of civilian life and extensive destruction
of Palestinian property and vital infrastructure,
- "Condemning also the firing of rockets from Gaza into
Israel,
- "1. Calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, to immediately
cease its military operations that endangers the Palestinian
civilian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including
East Jerusalem, and to immediately withdraw its forces from within
the Gaza Strip to positions prior to 28 June 2006;
- "2. Calls for an immediate halt of all acts of violence
and military activities between the Israeli and Palestinian side
as was agreed in the Sharm El-Sheikh understandings of 8 February
2005;
- "3. Requests the Secretary-General to establish a fact-finding
mission on the attack that took place in Beit Hanoun on 8 November
2006 within thirty days;
- "4. Calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, to scrupulously
abide by its obligations and responsibilities under the Geneva
Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in
Time of War of 12 August 1949;
- "5. Calls upon the Palestinian Authority to take immediate
and sustained action to bring an end to violence, including the
firing of rockets on Israeli territory;
- "6. Emphasizes the need to preserve the Palestinian
institutions, infrastructure and properties;
- "7. Expresses grave concern about the dire humanitarian
situation of the Palestinian people and calls for the provision
of emergency assistance to them;
- "8. Calls upon the international community, including
the Quartet, to take immediate steps, to stabilize the situation
and restart the peace process, including through the possible
establishment of an international mechanism for protection of
the civilian populations;
- "9. Calls upon the parties supported by the international
community to take immediate steps including confidence-building
measures, with the objective of resuming peace negotiations;
- "10. Stresses the importance of, and the need to achieve,
a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the Middle East,
based on all its relevant resolutions including its resolutions
242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002) and 1515 (2003), the Madrid
terms of reference, the principle of land for peace, the Arab
Peace Initiative adopted by the League of Arab States Summit
in March 2002 in Beirut and the Road Map;
- "11. Requests the Secretary-General of the United Nations
to report back to the Security Council on the implementation
of this resolution in a timely manner;
- "12. Decides to remain seized of the matter." www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2006/sc8867.doc.htm
- -----
- POLL: 70% Certain stay in Israel even if Iran gets the bomb,
Olmert should resign 51%:42% Dr. Aaron Lerner November 24, 2006
- Telephone poll of a representative sample of 450 adult Israeli
Jews) carried out by Teleseker "this week" (the report
declines to cite a specific date) for Maariv and published on
24 November 2006: Can Israel alone stop the Iranian nuclear plans
with force? Yes 44% No 53%
- If Iran gets the bomb, will it use in in order to try and
destroy Israel? Yes 66% No 32%
- If Iran succeeds in attaining military nuclear capability,
will you consider leaving the country? 70% Won't leave the county
under any circumstances 20% Would consider leaving but probably
stay 07% might leave If it turns out that all the international
diplomatic efforts fail, should Israel attack the Iranian nuclear
facilities even alone and without international support? Yes
49% No 46%
- Should Israel attack Iran even if it expects an Iranian response
that will cost dearly in losses, and the resulting postponement
in the Iranian nuclear program will be for only a short period?
Attack 45% Don't 49% . Do you count on the USA and on the Europeans
to succeed in stopping the nuclear program of Iran by peaceful
means and via UN Security Council resolutions? Yes 24% No 75%
- Do you think that in the end, even if it a matter of taking
a number of years, the Iranians will succeed in their efforts
to get nuclear weapons? Yes 70% No 18%
- To what extent can each of the following people best handle
the Iranian threat (1 to 10) Netanyahu 6.1 Lieberman 5.8 Barak
4.5 Olmert 4.3 Peretz 3
- Do you have confidence in the ability of the state leadership
to manage the state, and mainly to deal with security problems?
No 64% Yes 35%
- Do you think that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert should resign?
Yes 51% No 42%
- Should Defense Minister Amir Peretz resign? Yes 78% No 17%
- If Amir Peretz stops serving as defense minister, who is
the best candidate to replace him? Mofaz 32% Ayalon 18% Dichter
16% Lieberman 14% Barak 13%
- Maariv 24 November 2006
- Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review
& Analysis) (mail POB 982 Kfar Sava) Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax
972-3-7255730 INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il Website:
http://www.imra.org.il
- -----
-
- -----
- SYRIA WANTS GOLAN IN RETURN FOR HELPING US
- Hala Jaber and Sarah Baxter The Sunday Times November 19,
2006 - SYRIA is to demand American help in securing the return
of the Golan Heights from Israel as the price of co-operation
over Iraq. With the White House under pressure to talk to its
adversary, President Bashar al-Assad has resolved that his assistance
will not be cheap. Assad has been considering how to respond
to an American overture following reports that the Iraq Study
Group will recommend that the United States engage Syria and
Iran in talks on Iraq, a position backed by Tony Blair last week.
The Syrian president wants America and Britain to use their influence
with Israel to raise the return of the Golan Heights, seized
by the Israelis in the 1967 war. "It will be the top demand,"
said Ayman Abdel Nour, a leading reformer in the ruling Ba'ath
party.
- Assad has ruled out co-operating with the Americans in return
for the promise of unspecified benefits. "The Syrian leadership
is fed up with the Americans and does not trust their word when
it comes to future aid for Syria," Abdel Nour said.
- "Syria will not do anything unless it has secured guarantees
from Washington and London that every action Damascus takes to
help them will be reciprocated. It will be a step by step scenario:
these actions for those actions," he added. Assad also insists
that any help must be dependent on a timetable for US troop withdrawals,
a move resisted by President George W Bush. Shaul Bakhash, an
expert on the Middle East at George Mason University, Washington,
said: "Neither Iran nor Syria will do a favour for the US
without wanting something back - and what both countries want
are things that the US is not willing to give them."
- The Syrians believe they are in a position of strength. "Already
there is talk that Syria is the winner and will set the new rules
of the game in the region," Abdel Nour said.
- Additional reporting: Peter Hall, Damascus - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2460033.html
- -----
- DISKIN HIZBULLAH SMUGGLING EXPLOSIVES INTO GAZA
JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST November. 19, 2006
Bet head Yuval Diskin announced on Sunday that Hizbullah has
successfully smuggled 33 tons of explosives into the Gaza Strip.
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1162378432983&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFullShin
- -----
- LATEST FBI ACCUSATION AS POLLARD BEGINS 22ND YEAR
IN PRISON:
- "Pollard Responsible for Katrina Surge Damage"
- November 21, 2006 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE! Source: SHAKKRAN
NEWS SERVICES*, Washington DC *Anti-Israel updates for discerning
journalists. Subscribe today! Olive claims that his next book
will "prove" that Pollard was single-handedly responsible
for the devastating surge.
- As Jonathan Pollard marks the end of his 21st year in prison
(11/21/06) and begins year 22 of a life sentence for his service
to Israel, startling revelations continue to flood the media.
- US senior intelligence sources today revealed to Israel TV
Channel 10 reporter Gil Tandoori the latest and most stunning
accusation against Jonathan Pollard. According to these sources,
Pollard continues to do damage to the US weather system even
as he languishes in a federal prison cell in Butner, North Carolina.
- These sources, who are so secret that even they don't know
who they are, have consented to go public in yet another new
book to be written by their colleague, "retired" intelligence
officer, Ron Olive. The new book will identify Jonathan Pollard
as the man responsible for the sudden surge in last years' hurricane
storm, Katrina, which caused devastation along much of the north-central
Gulf Coast of the United States.
- The storm which caused nearly 2000 deaths and billions of
dollars worth of damage, ravaged the area. According to news
reports, a sudden surge in the storm caused severe and catastrophic
damage along the Gulf coast, devastating the cities of Mobile,
Alabama, and Waveland and Biloxi and Gulfport in Mississippi
and New Orleans and other towns in Louisiana. Levees separating
Lake Pontchartrain and several canals from New Orleans were breached
by the surge, flooding 80% of the city and many areas of neighboring
parishes for weeks. Olive claims that his next book will "prove"
that Pollard was single-handedly responsible for the devastating
surge.
- According to Olive, top secret sources have proof that Pollard
was able to manipulate the course and intensity of the storm
with tools that he fashioned out of an old toothbrush, a worn-out
pair of flip-flops and a wishbone left-over from a dehydrated
Kosher chicken dinner, - all items purchased in the prison cantina.
- Channel 10's Gil Tandoori reports speaking to Olive at his
home in Washington, where he is said to have declared, "The
insidiousness of this man, Pollard, can scarcely be believed!
In my next book, I intend to do a full report, based on the most
unreliable sources I can find, to expose Pollard once and for
all, as a former Indian Shaman whose ability to manipulate entire
weather systems, makes him a menace not only to the United States,
but to the entire solar system! If he can ravage the entire Gulf
Coast with his bare hands from a prison cell, there is no telling
the kind of damage he is capable of if he ever gets a chance
to set his mystic skills to work on the Temple Mount in Israel!"
- Olive is alleged to have continued, "Some say that Poltergeists
predate Pollard, but my sources say that they have evidence that
there were no Poltergeists in the USA until Pollard was arrested."
- Asked to comment on this latest accusation against an Israeli
agent in peril, the Israeli Prime Minister's office said only,
"Pollard acted alone, what do you want from us?!" and
slammed down the phone.
- J4JP adds: If you believed anything in the Ron Olive book
"Capturing Jonathan Pollard" (reviewed by Newsweek)
you'll love the follow up. It promises to be every bit as lacking
in credible fact as the first volume!
- For further information, including of dates of non-publication
of this and other non-factual and non-credible articles about
Israel and her agent, Jonathan Pollard, (and any other non-challenging
questions you may have) contact the offices of the US Navy Press
directly. THE ABOVE BROADCAST SATIRICALLY SPONSORED BY: Justice
for Jonathan Pollard and The Committee to Bring Jonathan Pollard
Home
- For credible news and updates about Jonathan Pollard visit
the Justice for Jonathan Pollard Web English Site www.jonathanpollard.org
or the Hebrew Web Site www.FreePollard.net or Russian http://maof.rjews.net/authorg.php3?id=21&type=o
- http://www.imra.org.il
-----
- BUSH: I'D UNDERSTAND IF ISRAEL CHOSE TO ATTACK IRAN
- By Yossi Verter, Haaretz Correspondent Last update - 20/11/2006
- The United States lacks sufficient intelligence on Iran's nuclear
facilities at this time, which prevents it from initiating a
military strike against them, Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice has told European politicians and diplomats with whom she
has recently met. Rice mentioned three reasons why the United
States is currently unable to carry out a military operation
against Iran: the wish to solve the crisis through peaceful means;
concern that a military strike will be ineffective - that it
would fail to completely destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities;
and the lack of precise intelligence on the targets' locations.
U.S. President George W. Bush and President Jacques Chirac of
France met several weeks ago. Bush told his French counterpart
that the possibility that Israel would carry out a strike against
Iran's nuclear installations should not be ruled out.
- Bush also said that if such an attack were to take place,
he would understand it. According to European diplomats who later
met with Rice, the secretary of state did not express the same
willingness to show understanding for a possible Israeli strike
against Iran. Nonetheless, Rice did not discount the possibility
that such an operation may take place. In recent talks with their
Israeli counterparts, French government officials estimated that
Iran would reach the "point of no return" in its nuclear
program by spring 2007, in approximately five months.
- At that point, according to Israeli sources, Iran will be
in a position to simultaneously operate approximately 3,000 centrifuges
for enriching uranium. Various estimates by international experts
hold that Monday Iran is operating 340-600 such centrifuges.
In talks with Israeli sources several days ago, a French government
official asserted that an Israeli military attack against Iran
would be "a total disaster" in terms of its implications
for the entire world. According to the French official, such
a strike would at best delay the completion of Iran's nuclear
program by two years. The attack would also result in Iran cancelling
its membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, cause
a great deal of agitation in the Arab world, lead to a rise in
oil prices, and could result in a major Iranian military response
that would not target Israel alone. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/789940.html
- -----
- GENERAL ASSEMBLY PLENARY TENTH EMERGENCY SPECIAL SESSION
28th & 29th MEETINGS - 15 November 2006 General Assembly
GA/10534 -
- Text of Resolution United Nations A/ES-10/L.19 General Assembly
Distr.: Limited 15 November 2006 Original: English http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/N06/616/32/PDF/N0661632.pdf?OpenElement
06-61632 (E) 151106 *0661632*
- Tenth emergency special session Agenda item 5
- Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the
rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory
- Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan,
Kuwait, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mauritania, Morocco,
Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic,
Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Palestine: draft resolution
- Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the
rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory
- The General Assembly,
- Recalling its relevant resolutions, including resolutions
of the tenth emergency special session,
- Reaffirming Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338
(1973), 446 (1979), 1322 (2000), 1397 (2002), 1402 (2002), 1403
(2002), 1405 (2002), 1435 (2002), 1515 (2003) and 1544 (2004),
- Reaffirming also the applicable rules and principles of international
law, including humanitarian and human rights laws, in particular
the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian
Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949,1 in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory, including East Jerusalem,
- Expressing grave concern at the continued deterioration of
the situation on the ground in the Palestinian Territory occupied
by Israel since 1967 during the recent period, particularly as
a result of the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force
by Israel, the occupying Power, which has caused extensive loss
of civilian Palestinian life and injuries, including among children
and women,
- Condemning the military assaults being carried out by Israel,
the occupying Power, in the Gaza Strip, which have caused loss
of life and extensive destruction of Palestinian property and
vital infrastructure,
- Condemning in particular the killing of many Palestinian
civilians, including children and women, by Israel, the occupying
Power, that took place in Beit Hanoun on 8 November 2006,
- Emphasizing the importance of the safety and well-being of
all civilians and condemning all attacks against civilians on
both sides,
- 1. Calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, to immediately
cease its military assaults against the Palestinian civilian
population in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East
Jerusalem, and to immediately withdraw its forces from within
the Gaza Strip to positions held prior to 28 June 2006; ....
- ------------------------------------
- 1 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, No. 973. 2 A/56/1026-S/2002/932,
annex II, resolution 14/221. 3 S/2003/529, annex. ...
- JOHN BOLTON ( United States) said he would request a recorded
vote against a resolution that only exacerbated tensions by serving
the interests of elements hostile to Israel's inalienable and
acknowledged right to exist. Just yesterday, the Third Committee
(Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) had passed a resolution stressing
the need to avoid country-specific human rights resolutions.
With resolutions such as that, the United Nations contributed
to the conclusion that the Organization was incapable of playing
a helpful role in the region.
- He said that the challenge of advancing towards the vision
of two States, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace
and security, required serious and determined efforts by the
parties and the constructive support of countries in the region
and the international community. Regrettably, he continued to
see little in the way of constructive support for genuine efforts
to move towards the two-State goal. However, in a larger sense,
the United Nations must confront a more significant question
-- that of its relevance and utility in confronting the vast
array of global challenges in the twenty-first century.
- For whole article: http://www.cephas-library.com/israel_resolution_un_10th_special_session.html
- -----
- UN COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE INTO ISRAELI PRACTICES VISITS
QUIETRA
- QUNIETRA, SOUTH WEST (SANA - Syrian news agency): November
21, 2006 - Governor of al-Qunietra Nawaf Fares described that
destroying the liberated city of Quniertra and dozens of towns,
villages, and farms in the occupied Golan in addition to building
settlements there as a " flagrant violation of the international
legitimacy , agreements and resolutions particularly 4th Geneva
agreement related to protection of civilians in the occupied
territories." Receiving a delegation of the special UN fact
finding mission to investigate into the Israeli practices in
the Arab occupied territories . Receiving a delegation of the
special UN fact finding mission to investigate into the Israeli
practices in the Arab occupied territories .
- Fares said the Israeli occupation has stolen Golan's water
and ruins and tried to change Qunietra's nature, geography and
humanity. Head of the UN mission pointed out that he would submit
a report to the UN General Assembly including all information
presented to him in this regard.
- Thawra-Sawsan http://www.sana.org/eng/21/2006/11/21/87884.htm
- -----
- MUSLIMS KILLING MUSLIMS IN IRAQ ARAB NEWS
- (Saudi) 21 November 2006 'Don't Make Iraq Proxy Battleground'
"Agence France Presse - QUOTE FROM TEXT "not prepared
to let Iraq become a proxy battleground for Syria's differeces
with the United Sates" EXCERPTS: BAGHDAD, 21 November 2006
- Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki told the Syrian foreign minister
yesterday that he was not prepared to let Iraq become a proxy
battleground for Syria's differences with the United States.
"If Syria or any other state has differences with the United
States, it's their own business," Maliki said. "It
should settle these differences, but not at our cost," the
premier told a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Walid
Muallem, the first Syrian official to visit Iraq since the US-led
invasion of 2003. Maliki said Iraq aimed to improve relations
with Syria, but "this requires a strong desire from both
the brother countries." Syria should be "more understanding
toward us," he said, adding: "What goes on in Iraq
is a threat for everybody. The interest of Syria is to contribute
in the stability of Iraq.". . .
- US authorities have regularly accused Syria of not doing
enough to prevent Sunni Arab insurgents smuggling men and materiel
across its border with Iraq. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. William
Caldwell said yesterday that up to 70 foreign fighters a month
were slipping across the border from Syria. But Muallem denied
that his landmark visit was an attempt to "appease the United
States." . . .
- "The Iraqi president will go to Iran this weekend and
meet the Iranian president. The two will discuss a range of issues
including the current situation in Iraq," a source close
to the president said. Two Shiite ministers escaped assassination
bids yesterday as insurgents set their sights on Iraq's beleaguered
government, still struggling to curb the raging bloodshed. At
least 16 people were killed in attacks on the ground yesterday...
.
- Among them was the popular satirist and broadcaster Walid
Hassan, whose weekly show "Caricature" on Iraq's Al-Sharqiya
channel poked fun at the sectarian politics gripping the country.
On the southern outskirts of Baghdad, police found 14 bodies
believed to be those of Sunni Arabs kidnapped, tortured and executed
in retaliation for a bombing in a Shiite neighborhood Sunday,
a security source said. Police and troops were still hunting
for an Austrian and four US security guards kidnapped by militiamen
disguised as policemen near the Kuwaiti border on Thursday, the
British military said. But Higher Education Minister Abed Dhiab
Al-Ujaili said he was resuming his Cabinet duties after stopping
work in protest at a mass abduction of ministry staff last week.
Armed men dressed in police uniforms kidnapped up to 150 staff
and visitors from the ministry's scientific research institute
in broad daylight. Sue Lerner - Associate - IMRA http//www.imra.org.il
- -----
- TERRORISTS GIVE ORDER JEWS MUST EVACUATE ISRAELI TOWNS NEAR
GAZA
- bombarded by rocket attacks since withdrawal By Aaron Klein
WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU November 21, 2006 - TEL AVIV - The only
way to stop the regular rocket fire on Sderot, an Israeli city
of about 20,000 nearly three miles from the Gaza Strip border,
is for the Jewish state to evacuate the entire city, Hamas announced
in a statement today. "Only the departure of residents from
Sderot will stop the rocket fire," Abu Abaida, spokesman
for Hamas' so-called military wing, said in a statement to reporters.
- "There are no limits on our rocket attacks and we will
prove that in coming days. We advise residents of Sderot to evacuate,"
the Hamas spokesman said.
- Asked by WND if his statement was rhetoric or whether the
Hamas leadership actually sanctioned a call for Israeli residents
to evacuate, Abu Abaida replied, "We are very, very serious.
The evacuation can be done in the next days or even up to several
weeks, but it must be done. And after that, we will stop all
rocket fire unless the Zionists continue more military operations
in Gaza"
- Abu Abaida said Hamas is seeking to impose "a new equation
in which the Zionists understand that for every incursion into
Gaza, we will use our rockets to bombard your towns and cities
until more and more are forced to evacuate. Our rockets have
already improved, as Sderot residents know. We keep working on
(the rockets) to improve deadliness, force and distance."
Indeed, Israeli security sources said Palestinian rockets fired
in recent weeks at Sderot have been packed with more explosive
material than ever before. Israeli had promised not to tolerate
'a single rocket attack' Full story: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53060
- -----
- PEACE NOW'S REPORT ON SETTLEMEN LAND LESS THAN MEETS THE
EYE
- A Preliminary Assessment by Alex Safian, PhD - CAMERA November
22, 2006 - Peace Now, the Israeli advocacy group, has issued
a new report, Breaking the Law - One Violation Leads to Another,
claiming that "a large proportion of the settlements built
on the West Bank are built on privately owned Palestinian land,"
including 86.4% of Ma'ale Adumim's land and 35.1% of Ariel's.
Overall, the report claims, "Palestinians privately own
nearly 40% of the land on which settlements have been built."
This is in direct contradiction to often repeated claims by numerous
Israeli governments that settlements are built only on state
(that is, public) land and not on private land.
- The Peace Now report harshly concludes in its Executive Summary
that: "...in addition to ignoring international laws and
agreements, Israel has violated even its own norms and laws in
the West Bank, through the confiscation of private Palestinian
property and the building of settlements upon them... Peace Now
condemns the violation of Israeli law carried out over the past
forty years by the State of Israel. We condemn the efforts of
politicians and bureaucrats to launder the land grab, which deprived
thousands of Palestinians of the basic human right of possession,
on the individual and collective levels. We demand that the present
Israeli Government rectify the situation, which means returning
the private land to its owners.
- Are these rather strong, if not hyperbolic, conclusions justified
by the evidence that Peace Now cites in its report? The answer
would seem to be no. The database (probably a simple spreadsheet)
at the heart of Peace Now's assertions came to them through a
leak, and they are not even certain how current the information
is. As the report admits, the data is "updated to the best
of our knowledge through 2004."
- But if they don't know the currency of the data, what else
don't they know about the data? How, for example, do they know
that the data hasn't been tampered with? After all, with widely
available software anyone can insert any data they want into
a spreadsheet. Even if the spreadsheet was at one time accurate,
how can Peace Now be certain that the version they relied upon
was accurate? ..
- ... But contrary to Peace Now's charges, Ms. Sasson found
that use of private Palestinian land for outposts was due not
to some nefarious land grab but to errors in marking state land
on maps. According to her report, Summary of the Opinion Concerning
Unauthorized Outposts:
- There are further serious problems with Peace Now's allegations
as well. Absolutely key to the questions they raise, for example,
is the legal definition of what is public, or state, land, and
what is private land. Unfortunately, the section of Peace Now's
report dealing with land law in the West Bank is extremely misleading,
and in quite a few places simply incorrect. For example, according
to the report:..
- Such land would revert to state ownership only if the owner
dies intestate. In other words, contrary to Peace Now, it is
private property as would be understood in the United States.
- But, and this is the crucial point, what Peace Now refers
to as "private property" in the above paragraph, state
land which has been cultivated for 10 years, is not at all private.
For the rights in such land, whether or not it is registered,
are in no way equivalent to what would be commonly called private
property. Rather, it is more a form of feudal tenancy, as explained
by the previously mentioned Survey:
- <quote> The land tenures of Ottoman law consist of
various modes of user the features of which are set out in the
Ottoman Land Code... Most of the land [in Palestine] is held
under two distinct tenures commonly referred to as mulk and miri.
Mulk means "property." The tenure called mulk is a
private ownership tenure. Land so owned may be called "allodial"
land. It is held in absolute ownership. The holder has almost
unfettered freedom in regard to its use and disposition. Miri
is a conditional usufruct tenure of land held by grant from the
state. The holder or possessor is a usufructury whose tenure
resembles a leasehold, subject to certain limitations on the
use and disposition of the land and to the payment of certain
fees. (p225-226)
- That is, what Peace Now is calling "private Palestine
land" is under the Ottoman Code miri land, and it is therefore
not privately owned. It is rather land in which a person is granted
by the state a limited right of use. And contrary to Peace Now,
the land remains the property of the state, and therefore in
no way does it revert to the state only if there is a failure
to cultivate. Miri land - the land of the Emir, or equivalently,
of the sovereign - is state land, period...
- This category is important, since, as pointed out by a different
British Mandate source: "Practically all the unoccupied
land of Palestine is mewat and cannot be occupied without the
permission of the Government. (Palestine and Transjordan, p 210;
Great Britain, Naval Intelligence Division, 1943)"
- The same source offers a further definition of mewat land:
- "Mewat is ownerless land, at a minimum distance of a
mile and a half from the nearest inhabited town or village. Another
system of measurement is, sufficiently distant from such a town
of village that the voice of a man shouting there cannot be heard.
(p 210)."
- In light of these facts about land tenure in the West Bank,
the flaws in the following key statement in Peace Now's report
should be obvious:
- The "privately owned land" to which this report
refers is:
- A. Land that was registered and recognized as private property
before 1968, at a time when the process of land registration
was still open and available to Palestinians, or
- B. Cultivated land which is recognized by Israel as private
land according to the Ottoman law.
- Land that was "registered ... as private property"
before 1968 was not so registered. It was registered as miri
land, state land on which a certain party or parties had a limited
right to cultivate, and no more. In addition, in many cases land
which had once been registered had later falllen into disuse,
and therefore even the rights to cultivate had been extinguished.
But it seems from the above that Peace Now considers all this
land, if it was ever registered before 1968, to still be private
Palestinian land.
- In addition, Peace Now ignores altogether that much West
Bank land is mewat, or waste land, and therefore permanently
in the public domain, with not even rights to cultivate.
- The bottom line is that even if Peace Now's very questionable
data is correct, its analysis is not, and its claims and charges
therefore deserve little credibility. http://www.imra.org.il
- -----
- NASRALLAH ON A TIGHTROPE
- THE DAILY STAR - Sue Lerner - Associate - IMRA (Lebanon)
22 November 2006:"Hizbullah is gambling big in the street"
Quote from the text: "Nasrallah is worried about his friends
in Damascus, but he is losing Lebanon because of this" Hizbullah,
through its alliance with Syria and its repeated efforts to neutralize
the Hariri tribunal, is risking its own future as an accepted
Lebanese party. The tribunal is Syria's Achilles heel. Even if
a mid-level intelligence operative is accused, the centralized
nature of the Syrian system is such that prosecutors will soon
end up at the peak of the security apparatus, perhaps reaching
into President Bashar Assad's inner sanctum. The fight over the
future of the Syrian regime is taking place now...This could
be as damaging to him as being held personally responsible for
ordering the Hariri hit. Hizbullah's anxieties are understandable.
If Syrians are fingered by United Nations investigator Serge
Brammertz, Assad is unlikely to comply with a request to send
them before the mixed tribunal. The president has said several
times that Syrian suspects would be tried before Syrian courts.
- If that happens there could be a showdown between Damascus
and the international community, putting Hizbullah in a tight
spot. Not only might the party find that weapons transfers from
Syria and other forms of cooperation would come under greater
international scrutiny, it would be ever more difficult for Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah to play up his support for Assad without risking
an angry Lebanese Sunni backlash. ... No one doubts that Hizbullah
can mobilize a large number of supporters. ... Hizbullah doesn't
need to break heads or burn property to make things very difficult
for the majority. .... even if the demonstrations are non-violent,
they will be perceived as acts of intimidation. Intimidation
in Lebanon usually has the opposite effect to what its practitioners
intend. . . .After taking Lebanon into a devastating war last
summer, Hizbullah now threatens to carry it into a domestic crisis
with prohibitively high economic costs. This will eliminate what
little confidence the country managed to salvage after the end
of fighting in August. . . .If its efforts at intimidation fail
and the government refuses to resign, the opposition's frustration
may increase. This means that the prospect of protesters becoming
more violent will also rise.
- And while violence would decisively and harshly turn ....
It doesn't take much to see that Sunnis are more incensed than
ever with the way Hizbullah has faced Hariri's murder. The parliamentary
majority has one of two . . .. The majority's message should
be one that acting Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat echoed on Monday:
Syrian allies hold the presidency, the speakership of Parliament,
and a substantial share of parliamentary seats; therefore handing
them the means to block Cabinet decisions by vote would grant
Syria effective veto power over policy in Lebanon. Nasrallah
is worried about his friends in Damascus, but he is losing Lebanon
because of this. http://www.imra.org.il
- -----
- LEBANON ON THE BRINK OF CIVIL WAR
- Against the backdrop of the worsening crisis in Lebanon,
Lebanese Minister of Industry Pierre Gemayel was assassinated
yesterday (November 21, 2006). Pierre Gemayel was the son of
former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel, and he served as the
representative of the Phalange party in the Al-Siniora government
and was a senior figure in the "March 14 Forces" political
alliance.
- A group calling themselves "Fighters for the Unity of
Al-Sham [Greater Syria] and its Liberty" took responsibility
for the assassination in a communiqué that read: "Allah
granted us success today as well, in the assassination of the
agent Pierre Gemayel, one of those who unceasingly spouted their
venom against Syria and against the Resistance [i.e. Hizbullah],
shamelessly and without any trepidation. This is the fate of
the traitors, agents, and hired hands who do no hesitate to belittle
Lebanon's unity, liberty, integrity, and future for the sake
of the enemy's interests. All of those who harm those people
who have paid the steep price for the Arabs and for Lebanon -
may their voices be silent and may their mouths be mute. We crossed
out this agent [Pierre Gemayel] from the list of our targets,
and sooner or later we will pay the rest of the agents their
due..."(1)
- Sa'd Al-Hariri, head of the majority "Al-Mustaqbal"
faction in parliament and son of assassinated former Lebanese
PM Rafiq Al-Hariri, responded to Pierre Gemayel's assassination,
saying: "[The Syrians] want to murder every free man and
to renew the series of murders they promised." In an interview
with CNN, he added: "We think that Syria's hands were in
this crime, since in a few days there is supposed to be a second
round [in the Security Council to ratify the establishment of]
an international tribunal [to judge the assassination of Rafiq
Al-Hariri], and Syria is trying to evade this."(2) Other
senior figures in the "March 14 Forces" also blamed
the murder on the Syrian regime.
- Hizbullah and its partners in the opposition condemned the
assassination and warned that the goal of the assassination was
"to throw Lebanon into a state of anarchy, destruction,
and civil war..."(3) On the other hand, Ibrahim Al-Amin,
the editor of the daily Al-Akhbar, which is close to Hizbullah,
wrote the day after the assassination that "despite the
cruelty of the crime, it will not bring about any change in the
practical agenda of the two sides in the struggle." He said
that "the political struggle will continue... the battle
will remain open... for, unfortunately, the agenda of the battle
in Lebanon is greater than the crime that took place."(4)
Full story: http://www.cephas-library.com/israel_lebanon_on_brink_of_civil_war.html
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