DE UPDATES VAN GPL… HET MIDDEN-OOSTEN VAN. 7 JUNI…. Nr 116

De VERSPERRINGEN van de RAKET SLAAN Westelijke Negev dicht:
IDF doodt Palestijnse militant in Gaza
De scores van raketten Kassam en mortieren die door Palestijnse verschrikkingsmilities worden gelanceerd verpletterden Israëlische gemeenschappen in Westelijke Negev op Vrijdag 6 Juni, zoals de hoop voor een bestand met Hamas in Gaza ploeterde. In antwoord op een mortieraanval die en Israël doodde, doodde een luchtstaking op Centraal Gaza een milicien Hamas. De troepen IDF ontsproten en doodden een Palestijnse terrorist van de Instantie na het identificeren van een groep gunmen in het gebied rond de stad Judean van Hevron Donderdag middag.

DE BEGROETING VAN DE STAD' S VAN NEW YORK AAN DE PARADE VAN ISRAËL: - Marissa Bruto (het Centrum van Jeruzalem voor Openbare Zaken)
De begroeting aan de Parade van Israël begon officieel in 1965 en trekt vandaag meer dan 100.000 marchers. De aanwezigheid van politici is beduidend sinds het oprichten van de parade gestegen, toen slechts de Israëlische ambassadeur en een paar Amerikaanse politici verschenen. De parade is een barometer voor de gemeenschap en de opkomst de betekenis stelt van Amerikaanse Joden voor' van comfort en veiligheid in de V.S. De deelnemers, de thema's die worden gekozen, en de dynamica van de parade zelf wijzen op hoe de Amerikaanse Joden op Israël en op zich betrekking hebben.

DE FIRMA VAN BLAIR OP BOYCOT VAN HAMAS: - Ian Black
Tony Blair, dat Quartet van internationale bevoegdheden, op Donderdag 5 vertegenwoordigt Juni, sloot besprekingen met Hamas uit tot het Israël erkent en ophoudt in brand stekend raketten.

ASSISTENTEN OLMERT: VOORUITGANG DIE MET DE V.S. BIJ HET SMEDEN VAN GEMEENSCHAPPELIJKE MENING OVER IRAN WORDT GEBOEKT: - Barak Ravid
Na zijn bezoek aan de V.S., zeiden de assistenten van Eerste Olmert van de Minister vooruitgang in het vormen van een gemeenschappelijke mening over het kernprogramma van Iran werd geboekt. De daar bovengenoemde bronnen waren ook vooruitgang in het verzoek van Israël om geavanceerd F-35 gevechtsvliegtuigen, en de opneming van de Luchtmacht van Israël In het globale de vroege waarschuwingssysteem van de USAF tegen inkomende ballistische raketten geweest. (Ha' aretz)

ONHEILSPELLENDE WAARSCHUWING??
DAN GILLERMAN AAN DE V.N.: ISRAËL ZAL ZICH VERDEDIGEN - Yitzhak Benhorin
Ambassadeur van Israël aan de V.N., Dan Gillerman, lanceerde een formele klacht aan de V.N. Secretaris-generaal Ban Ki-moon en de Veiligheidsraad van de V.N. Over de Palestijnse mortiershell versperring die Amnon Rosenberg doodde. De „excellentie, de moord van een Israëlische burger vanochtend en de aanval op Nahal Oz onderstrepen gisteren de kwaadwillige en moordende bedoelingen van Hamas. Het is een terroristenorganisatie die geen medeleven of zorg voor burgers, noch Israëliër noch Palestijn heeft. Hamas’ commitment to violence and disregard for the Palestinian people are reminders that it has no interest in peace nor is it suited for engagement with the international community,” wrote Gillerman. “Israel will not stand idly by as its citizens are subjected to indiscriminate and lethal rocket attacks. Israel will defend itself, as any other nation would, in accordance with its inherent right under article 51 of the United Nations Charter.” (Ynet News)

THE WEAKENING OF HIZBULLAH : - Guy Bechor
In contradiction to the common perception, Hizbullah has undergone a process of weakening in the past two years. The 2006 war resulted in extensive civilian destruction, the killing of hundreds of Hizbullah fighters, and harsh accusations leveled against it. In the wake of Hizbullah military commander Imad Mugniyah’s assassination, Nasrallah feared that Israel would do it again, and renewed negotiations with German mediators. (Ynet News)

SHAVUOT HOLIDAY-FEAST OF WEEKS—BEGINS SUNDAY NIGHT : by Hillel Fendel
Tonight, Sunday night June 8, begins the holiday of Shavuot, commemorating the day on which the people of Israel received the Torah 3,320 years ago, and the beginning of the harvest season. The holiday, which also marks the end of the 49-day Omer period, is celebrated for one day in Israel, and two days in the rest of the world. First-fruit ceremonies will take place in many kibbutzim throughout the country. On Monday, the public Torah reading in synagogues features the Divine revelation of the Ten Commandments, which are the basis for ethical behavior throughout most of the world.

IRAN COMPLAINS TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL ABOUT ISRAEL’S THREAT : by Hana Levi Julian
With tongue in cheek, Iran appealed to the United Nations Security Council on Saturday June 7, for ‘protection from Israel’ after Transportation Minister Sha’ul Mofaz commented that Israel would move to end the nuclear threat if necessary. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed repeatedly to “wipe the Zionist entity off the map,” most recently during a June 2 speech in which he promised Israel “will soon disappear off the geographical scene.”

SDEROT’S SAPIR COLLEGE HIT IN ROCKET AND SHELLING ATTACK : by Hana Levi Julian
A barrage of four Kassam rockets slammed into the western Negev city of Sderot and the surrounding area on Friday afternoon June 6, followed by another Kassam rocket landing in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council less than an hour later. No one was injured and no damage was caused in the Eshkol Region. Nine mortar shells had been fired at the western Negev in several attacks earlier in the day; three of the shells slamming into the area less than an hour before the rocket barrage.

THE PLOT THICKENS: HIRSCHSON LINKED TO OLMERT INVESTIGATION: by Hana Levi Julian
Former Finance Minister Avraham Hirschson has been added to the growing list of those who may be involved in campaign finance irregularities and other forms of corruption in the widening investigation against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The police are currently investigating allegations that NIS 100,000 was passed between Zaken and Hirschson to fund the former Finance Minister’s election war chest in March 2004. At that time, there were no general or internal party primary elections, and the sum wasn’t reported to the relevant authorities. Nor was it recorded in party financial ledgers, according to Israel Police sources

HAMAS MORTARS ATTACK ISRAELIS AND IAF PILOTS SILENCE THE SOURCE: by Hana Levi Julian
Israeli civilians in the Gaza Belt region were again forced into bomb shelters Tuesday morning June 10, to ride out a series of rocket and mortar attacks by Palestinian Authority terrorists in Gaza. Dozens of rockets and mortar shells were fired in the southern region. Israel Air Force pilots took to the skies and within minutes silenced the mortar launchers closest to Kibbutz Nahal Oz, the community that absorbed the most intense attacks of the morning. Eyewitnesses said two terrorists were killed and one was injured in the first IAF strike, which took place close to the Nahal Oz Crossing. The second strike was aimed at a target in Sujaya, east of Gaza City. One enemy operative was killed and two were injured in that attack.

PA PROMISES NOT TO EXECUTE ARAB WHO HELPED ISRAEL: by Israel NN Staff
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has made formal assurances that it will not carry out a planned execution of a suspected Israeli agent handed down by a military tribunal in Hevron. The Arab defendant, Imaad Sa’ad 25,
was sentenced to death last month

REPORT: ASSAD’S BROTHER-IN-LAW ATTEMPTED A COUP : (Ynet News)
Die Welt reports that Syrian military intelligence chief Assaf Shawkat, Assad’s brother-in-law, attempted to seize power by force in February, but was arrested after Hizbullah leader Imad Mugniyah informed Assad of the plot. Shawkat was detained along with a hundred other Syrian intelligence officers. Mugniyah was assassinated in Damascus days later.

IRAN BUILDING SEVEN REFINERIES TO END PETROL IMPORTS: (Fars News Agency-Iran)
Iran has launched construction of seven oil refineries in an effort to boost its crude and gas refining capacity and achieve energy self-sufficiency. All seven refineries would begin operations by 2012, a senior Iranian official said. Iran is the world’s fourth-largest oil producer but lacks sufficient refining capacity and imports large amounts of gasoline which it then sells at a heavily subsidized price, imposing a heavy financial burden on the state.

PALESTINIAN CAUGHT WITH SIX PIPE BOMBS AT NABLUS CHECKPOINT: - Efrat Weiss
IDF soldiers manning the Hawara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday June 8 apprehended an 18-year-old Palestinian who was carrying six pipe bombs. (Ynet News)

PEOPLE VS. DINOSAURS: - Thomas L. Friedman
From outside, Israel looks as if it’s in turmoil, but Israel has a strong civil society. The economy is exploding from the bottom up. Israel’s currency, the shekel, has appreciated nearly 30% against the dollar since the start of 2007. The reason? Israel is hard-wired to compete in a flat world. It has a business culture that strongly encourages individual imagination and adaptation, where being a nonconformist is the norm. While you were sleeping, Israel has gone from oranges to software. In the first quarter of 2008, the top four economies after America in attracting venture capital for start-ups were: Europe $1.53 billion, China $719 million, Israel $572 million and India $99 million, according to Dow Jones VentureSource. Israel, with 7 million people, attracted almost as much as China, with 1.3 billion.

BRITAIN IS A HOT-BED OF ANTI-ISRAEL SENTIMENT: - Israeli Ambassador to Britain Ron Prosor (Telegraph-UK)
Throughout its modern history, Britain has prided itself on its liberal society, which cherishes human rights and values civil liberties. That pride was well-founded when Britain stood alone in Europe facing the dark forces of the Third Reich. Since returning to these shores as Israel’s ambassador last November, however, I have been dismayed to find that, as far as Israel is concerned, these values are under threat. Israel faces an intensified campaign of delegitimization, demonization and double standards. Britain has become a hotbed for radical anti-Israeli views and a haven for disingenuous calls for a “one-state solution,” a euphemistic name for amovement advocating Israel’s destruction. But Britain’s Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell said any such “uncomfortable or distasteful” views were held only by a “small minority.”

IRAN DECRIES MOFAZ’S THREAT AS ‘FOOLISH’ :
Iran’s Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar described as “foolish” the threat issued by Israel’s Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz this weekend (June to attack Iran if it persists in pursuing nuclear weapons. Najjar also vowed that “the response will be very painful” if Israel attacks Iran.

ISRAEL PUTS OFF FATEFUL DECISION ON LARGE GAZA OPERATION:
Barak buys time for more Egyptian mediation
Israel’s security cabinet held an urgent meeting on Wednesday June 11, to finally chose between accepting a truce with Hamas or authorizing a major anti-terror sweep into Gaza, and decided to keep waiting to see if Egypt could come up with better ceasefire terms.

BILL TO DISSOLVE KNESSET GAINS MAJORITY SUPPORT:
Likud: ‘Olmert government has reached the end of its path’
A total of 74 MKs have confirmed they plan to support a bill to be voted on next week that would dissolve the Knesset in favor of November elections, a move the ruling Kadima faction is now trying to pre-empt through a party primary that would replace embattled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

RESERVE IDF SOLDIERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST PRISONER EXCHANGES:
A letter written by reserve soldiers and officers from an IDF infantry brigade and addressed to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen Gabi Ashkenazi implores him to discourage Israel from engaging in prisoner exchanges that would free hundreds of Palestinian terrorists in the event that they are captured by enemy forces. “We are willing to sit in the enemy’s prison as long as it takes,” wrote the elite soldiers, who also requested that Israel not hold negotiations over bodies or body parts.

DEATH OF A VISION: - Uri Elitzur, Ynetnews
Time has come to admit there will be no friendly, peace-loving Palestinian state - Ehud Olmert returned from his farewell visit to Washington just when a hail of Qassam and Grad rockets rained down on Negev communities, with the IDF not really knowing what can be done about it…

REPORT: 260 ARAB MILITARY OFFICERS TO TRAIN PA FORCES IN JERICHO: (Xinhua-China)
260 Arab security officers from Egypt, Jordan and Morocco will go to camps in the West Bank city of Jericho to train Palestinian forces loyal to Mahmoud Abbas, sources at the Palestinian Interior Ministry said on Tuesday June 19.

WASHINGTON TO LIMIT CONTACTS WITH UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL: (AFP)
The U.S. has decided to limit further its involvement with the UN Human Rights Council due to its “pathetic” record, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday June 6. Secretary of State Rice “has taken the decision that we will engage the Human Rights Council really only when we believe that there are matters of deep national interest before the council,” he said. “Instead of focusing on some of the real and deep human rights issues around the world, it has really turned into a forum that seems to be almost solely focused on bashing Israel.”

ISRAELI COMPANY DEVELOPS SYSTEM TO SEE THROUGH WALLS : - Guy Griml (TheMarker-Ha’aretz)
Cameron’s unique radar utilizes Ultra Wide Band (UWB), a technology that has only come of age in recent years, and with the use of special algorithms can process data picked up by the detector to give a reasonable image of anything behind that wall.

IRAN SAYS THE WEST FAILED TO STOP ITS NUCLEAR “VICTORY” :
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday June 11, that Western threats and pressure had failed to stop Iran’s nuclear program. “With God’s help today (the Iranian nation) have gained victory and the enemies cannot do a damned thing,” Ahmadinejad said in a speech broadcast live on state television. “Today the Iranian nation is standing on the nuclear height,” he said. (Reuters)

US ARMY TRAINING EGYPTIANS TO FIND SMUGGLING TUNNELS : - Barak Ravid
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is teaching Egyptian troops how to use advanced technological equipment to find and destroy smuggling tunnels, at a U.S. Army base in Texas

IDF GENERAL IN RESERVES: ‘DO-NOTHING APPROACH WILL DESTROY HAMAS’: by Hillel Fendel
While Israel’s top defense and political echelons debate whether to attack Hamas or agree to a ceasefire, at least one top general feels a third option is available: Doing nothing. The true picture in Gaza today is that the population there is in terrible straits. People are fueling their cars with cooking oil instead of gas, there are shortages of food and the like, and the suffering is great. Hamas is dependent on public support, and it is in big trouble. “It won’t be us that will topple Hamas,” Yair said, “but rather the [people of Gaza] themselves.”

IRAN SIGNS PACT WITH IRAQ : by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
On Monday June 9, Iran and Iraq signed a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral defense cooperation. The agreement lays out the basis for an “expansion of defense cooperation between the two countries,” according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency. The agreement is expected to play a role in influencing Baghdad to refuse an American request that US troops be allowed to remain in Iraq past the end of 2008. In addition to its defense pact with Iraq, Iran signed a similar Memorandum of Understanding with Syria in 2006. Iran and Syria cooperate in supplying and supporting the Hizbullah terrorist organization endeavoring to take over Lebanon, on Israel’s northern border.