GPL MIDDLE EAST UPDATES FROM . AUG 17 NO 129
EIGHT STRANDED GAZA TERRORISTS USE IDF CHECKPOINT AS SAFE HAVEN : by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas has left eight Fatah-aligned Hilles clan terrorists stranded in Gaza, where they fear death at the hands of Hamas. They are remaining close to the IDF’s Erez Crossing checkpoint, at the northern edge of Gaza, where Hamas is more reluctant to fire at them and incur the danger of encountering return fire from the IDF.

THE KING OF BAHRAIN WANTS THE JEWS BACK : by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
The king of Bahrain, King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, called this week for the Jews who emigrated from the Gulf nation to return. “This king loves Jews; therefore, he asked the Jews living in Bahrain to request Jews living in Israel to return. There are two reasons for it, one is lip service or to emphasize his love to the Jews there,” Israeli immigration activist Natan Aloof commented in response to King Al-Khalifa’s invitation.

TALANSKY WON’T RETURN TO TESTIFY AGAINST OLMERT : by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Lawyers for American businessman Morris Talansky informed the Justice Ministry Thursday evening August 14, that a criminal probe against him in the United States precludes his planned return to Israel to continue cross examination in the cash envelopes affair involving Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The police say Talansky’s absence won’t affect the investigation. Police investigators have vowed they have enough evidence to indict Prime Minister Olmert. The State Prosecutor and police also are investigating Prime Minister Olmert in other cases without any connection to Talansky and which may conclude in additional indictments.

TERRORISTS BUILDING 16 MILE RANGE ROCKETS DURING CEASE-FIRE : by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Gaza terrorists are building a 25-kilometer (16.8 mile) range rocket, dubbed Nasser-3, despite the temporary eight-week-old ceasefire with Israel, according to CNN. The maximum range of the Nasser rocket, being manufactured by Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) terrorists, includes Israel’s 5th largest city, Ashdod, which is dotted by oil refineries. A rocket explosion at one of them would cause a mega-disaster and severely cripple Israel’s economy. At least 16 different terrorist organizations are active in the Gaza area

OLMERT REJECTS RETURN OF ANY PALESTINIAN REFUGEES TO ISRAEL : (Reuters)
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas that Israel will not allow the return of any Palestinian refugees as part of a future statehood deal, Olmert’s office said on Thursday August 14. The rare official statement was issued in response to reports Olmert proposed absorbing 2,000 refugees per year for 10 years as part of an agreement to establish a Palestinian state. “The prime minister never offered to absorb 20,000 refugees in Israel. prime minister again reiterates that under any future agreement, there will not be any return of Palestinian refugees to Israel in any number,” Olmert’s office said.

EX-EGYPTIAN ENVOY SPIED ON ISRAEL : - Yaakov Lappin and Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
Former Egyptian ambassador Mohammed Bassiouny took part in espionage activities against Israel during his 18-year-term, Israel’s ex-ambassador to Washington Danny Ayalon told the Jerusalem Post on Thursday August 14. In a speech in Egypt on Saturday August 16, Bassiouny was quoted as saying: “There is no such thing as friendship [with the Israelis]….Besides, I was sent there as an intelligence officer and not because of my character. Do you really think that I worked there as an ambassador?”

RAFAH, ROUND FOUR : - Dina Ezzat (Al-Ahram-Egypt)
Egyptian authorities are determined that there will be no replay of the scene of thousands of Palestinians storming into Egyptian territories, as occurred in January. Cairo is convinced, according to sources that spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly, that continued suffering in Gaza is to a great extent the doing of Hamas. “The leaders of Hamas need to be honest with themselves and with their people and sympathizers. They need to say that their desire to stay in control is a clear reason for the continued problems of Gaza, including the almost permanent closure of the Rafah crossing point,” one senior official commented.

IRAQI ASSASSINATION TEAMS TRAINED IN IRAN BY QUDS FORCE AND HIZBULLAH :
Iraqi Shiite explosive and assassination teams are being trained in at least four locations in Iran by Tehran’s elite Quds force and Lebanese Hizbullah, according to intelligence gleaned from captured militia fighters and other sources in Iraq. “Wanted” posters picturing men believed to be heading the special groups are being posted around Baghdad, A military officer said.

USA WARNS TURKEY OVER ENERGY DEAL WITH IRAN : - Andrew Ward and Alex Barker
The U.S. on Wednesday August 13, warned Turkey not to strike an energy deal with Iran that undermined diplomatic efforts to halt Tehran’s nuclear program, on the eve of a visit to Ankara by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran and Turkey signed several cooperation agreements Thursday August 14, but failed to complete a deal for building a new natural gas pipeline - a project the U.S. has opposed. (AP)

SEPT.-11 FAMILIES CAN’T SUE SAUDI ARABIA : - Anthony M. Destefano
Families of Sept. 11 victims were rebuffed again Thursday August 14, in their attempt to hold Saudi Arabia legally responsible for the terror attacks. A three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Manhattan found that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, four Saudi princes, a Saudi banker and the Saudi commission responsible for disbursing funds to charities were protected from lawsuits under U.S. Law.

FATAH GUNMAN WHO BROKE PLEDGE TO CEASE TERROR, ARRESTED BY IDF : - Yuval Azoulay
Israeli security forces operating in Nablus apprehended Firas Tashtush, a senior Fatah-Tanzim gunman who had violated a signed pledge to cease all terror-related activities. He is suspected of planning to supply Tanzim members with explosive materials, and was said to have taken part in attacks against IDF troops.

NEW RADAR SYSTEM IN PLACE AGAINST IRANIAN MISSILES : by Hana Levi Julian
American G.I.s are coming to Israel’s Negev desert - and this time they’re staying. According to a report published in Defense News this weekend, the United States and Israel have signed an agreement to deploy the “X-band FBX-T” early-warning missile radar system, which is linked to a U.S. satellite-based alert network. Deployment of the X-band comes as part of America’s agreement to help defend the Jewish State against any future strike by a nuclear-armed Islamic Republic. The official said the X-band system can track an object the size of a baseball from a distance of more than 2,000 kilometers. Once the “X-band” is integrated with the ISRAEL SLAMS Arrow system that range of identification will expand to 2,000 kilometers. The new range allows the Israeli public an effective window of approximately five minutes in which to prepare for a Shehab-3 ballistic missile attack from Iran. It similarly gives the IDF five minutes in which to intercept the Iranian missiles.

CABINET APPROVES FREEDOM FOR 200 PA TERRORISTS: by Hana Levi Julian
The Cabinet voted Sunday morning August 17, to approve Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s latest “goodwill gesture” to Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, freedom for 200 PA terrorists.

ISRAEL SLAMS UNIFIL COMPLAINTS AGAINST IAF : by Hana Levi Julian
The head of Israel’s diplomatic delegation to the United Nations met with the commander of the UN’s Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Friday August 15, to deal with flak over continued Israeli Air Force reconnaissance flights and other complaints.

HUCKABEE TOUTS McCAIN’S PRO-ISRAEL CREDENTIALS ON ISRAEL VISIT:
Paying his tenth visit to Israel on Monday, former US presidential candidate Gov. Mike Huckabee insisted that his fellow Republican Sen. John McCain will be a much stronger friend of Israel in the White House than Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama. “McCain has a much stronger view of how Israel must protect itself,” Huckabee told The Jerusalem Post. “There is no naivete on his part about the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program.” Huckabee, a former Governor of Arkansas and Baptist Minister, said

ISRAEL NAVY TO CONFRONT PRO-PALESTINIAN VESSELS OFF GAZA :
‘Humanitarian’ ships aim to draw attention to ‘blockade’ of Strip
The Israeli Navy has been ordered to turn back two boats manned by 44 pro-Palestinian foreign activists which will attempt later this week to “break the siege of Gaza.” After getting wind of the protest voyage, the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s legal team instructed the government that under the terms of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians, the Mediterranean waters surrounding Gaza are under Israeli control. In addition, Gaza has been declared a war zone, allowing the Israeli navy to patrol the waters around Gaza, Israeli officials asserted

TEHERAN TEST-LAUNCHES ROCKET THAN CAN CARRY A STAELLITE :
According to US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe on Sunday August 17, Washington is worried about Tehran’s declaration that it has successfully test launched a rocket that is able to carry a satellite into outer space. The launch is raising eyebrows concerning Iran’s motives, said Johndroe. The type of rocket Iran used on Sunday could also be used as an intercontinental ballistic missile containing heavy conventional and even nonconventional payloads.

PA SUMMER CAMPS BANNED IN EAST JERUSALEM:
A summer camp organized by the Palestinian Authority that was meeting at an east Jerusalem college was banned on Sunday August 17, by Israeli police. Minister for Public Security Avi Dichter. Under the terms of the Oslo Accords, no Palestinian political activism is allowed in Jerusalem.

SHAS : NOT TIME FOR PEACE WITH PA YET : by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
Knesset Member Nissim Ze’ev of the Shas party says that the Palestinian Authority is not ready for peace with Israel at this time. In a Sunday interview ( August 17) on Israel National News, the veteran knesset member said: “Abu Mazen [PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas] stands today and stood in the past at the head of a terrorist organization,” MK Ze’ev declared, rejecting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s decision to free 200 Arab terrorists held in Israeli jails as a “gesture” for Abu Mazen. “What is the gesture for? What do we receive in return? If Abu Mazen wants to do anything that practically contradicts the Hamas position

IRANIAN CLAIMS OF ENHANCED JET RANGE DISMESSIED : - Yaakov Lappin (Jerusalem Post)
Iran’s claim of having increased the range of its fighter jets, allowing them to fly as far as Israel and back without refueling, did not signify any new operational abilities, an arms expert said on Sunday. Yiftah Shapir, head of the Middle East Military Balance project at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies, said, “You may be able to technically fly the distance at high altitude without arms on the jet, but there’s a big difference between that and flying low as you would on a mission to avoid radar, laden with arms, which takes up more fuel.” “I’m certain the Iranians are far from having that capability,” he added

ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF LEBANON WAR TRUCE, ISRAELIS BELIEVE ANOTHER WAR WITH HIZBULLAH IS INEVITABLE :- Robert Berger
On the second anniversary of the truce ending the Lebanon War between Israel and Hizbullah, many Israelis believe another war with the Islamic group is inevitable. “The war set the stage for a more comprehensive Middle East conflict,” said Israeli analyst Michael Oren. ” Much of the Arab street believes that Hizbullah won that war, and there is tremendous expectation on Hizbullah to continue the struggle.” In 2006, Oren said, “We destroyed all of Hizbullah’s infrastructure, much of its civilian headquarters, we killed about a quarter of their fighters, that is a prohibitive number of casualties for any modern fighting force, and yet perception is everything in the Middle East and the perception was, in the Arab world at least, that Israel was bested in that conflict.” Hizbullah fired 4,000 rockets into Israel during the 34-day conflict. With a bristling new arsenal of rockets, Oren believes a Hizbullah attack on Israel is just a matter of time. (VOA News)

RUSSIAN GENERAL ACCUSES ISRAEL OF ARMING GEORGIA :
In a military briefing for the Moscow press corps on Tuesday August 19, a top Russian general accused Israel of arming the Georgian military in recent years. Russian Deputy Chief of General Staff Col.-Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn accused Israel today of supplying Georgia with mines, explosive charges, special explosives for clearing minefields and eight kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). “In 2007, Israeli experts trained Georgian commandos in Georgia and there were plans to supply heavy weaponry, electronic weapons, tanks and other arms at a later date, but the deal didn’t work out,” Nogovitsyn added.

IRAN TO BUILD MORE NUCLEAR SITES :
According to Iran’s IRNA state news service on Tuesday August 19, Tehran is getting ready to build more nuclear facilities. Earlier, the Islamic Republic announced plans to build six more nuclear facilities by 2021. Russia is helping Iran build its first nuclear power plant in Bushehr on the southern Iranian coast, which is set to begin operation by the end of the year. Other known nuclear facilities are located at Isfahan and Natanz.

IDF DETECTS SYRIAN ROCKET TEST :
Syria in recent months has test launched several rounds of ballistic missiles, according to Israel TV Channel 2. The military censor released information showing that Syria has been test-firing rockets recently that Israeli radar systems connected to its anti-missile defense systems have been tracking. Syria has about 1000 longer-range missiles modeled after the Soviet-designed Scud missile with a range of between 300-700 km, putting any location in Israel within reach. But Israel is more concerned about Damascus’ extensive arsenal of shorter-range rockets like the Grads fired by Hizbullah at Israel in the Second Lebanon War. Syria is believed to have thousands of these rockets, which have been laced with ball bearings and other metal projectiles to create a “poor man’s” cluster bomb.

CAUTION : A NEW REALITY : - Yoel Marcus, Ha’aretz
There is a lesson for Israel regarding the Iranina threat in last week’s Russian invasion of Georgia: If Israel is dragged into a war, God forbid, it is liable to find itself very much alone. Israel cannot rely on the automatic involvement of America, which did not lift a finger to stop the brutal Russian offensive….

MK BEN-YISRAEL : IRAN’S MISSILE LAUNCH WAS A SCARE : by Gil Ronen
Former head of the Israel Space Agency, Kadima party Knesset Member Professor Yitzhak Ben-Yisrael, said Iran is far from launching a spy satellite, and that the launch Sunday of a dummy satellite was meant to deter Israel from attacking its nuclear development facilities

MORE THAN 100 CHILDREN ARRIVE AS NEW IMMIGRANTS : by Hana Levi Julian
More than 100 children were among the 290 new “anglo” immigrants who landed at Ben Gurion International Airport Tuesday morning August 19. Among the new Israelis arriving from New York were 100 children, 46 families, 18 singles and six IDF soldiers, with the immigrants ranging in age from one month old to 72.

ARAB WATER THEFT : WHERE HAS ALL THE WATER GONE ? by Hillel Fendel
The Arabs have been stealing some 3 million cubic meters of water each year in parts of Judea, south of Jerusalem, and the government has now taken action. The Civil Administration confiscated some 50,000 kilometers’ worth of water piping this week from Arabs living in the South Mt. Hevron region. The Arabs steal the water by hooking up pipes to the central pipelines that deliver water to the Jewish towns in the Mt. Hevron Regional Council.

OLYMPICS MEMORIAL FOR 11 ISRAELI ATHLETES : by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
A ceremony in memory of the 11 Israeli athletes murdered by PLO terrorists during the 1972 Munich Olympics was held Monday evening August 18, in Beijing’s Olympic Village. As in past years, the Israeli Olympic Committee and the Israeli Foreign Ministry arranged the memorial on their own.

FORMER ITALIAN PRESIDENT : WE SIGNED PACT WITH TERRORISTS : by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
In a letter appearing in the weekend edition of the respected Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, former Italian President Francesco Cossiga revealed that the government of Italy agreed to allow Arab terrorist groups freedom of movement in the country in exchange for immunity from attacks in Italy

IRAN OFFERS TO HELP MUSLIM COUNTRIES LAUNCH SATELLITES : - Nazila Fathi and Thom Shanker
A day after Iran declared that it had test fired a new rocket capable of launching a satellite, the country said Monday August 18, that it was prepared to help other Muslim countries send up satellites. However, military officials in Washington have concluded that Sunday’s Iranian missile launching was a failure. The first stage of the missile performed successfully, but the second stage flew off wildly, destroying the top of the missile and its nose cone. (New York Times)

ISRAEL ABSORBS 75 NEW IMMIGRANTS FROM GEORGIA : - Yael Branovsky
A total of 75 new immigrants arrived in Israel last week from Georgia, with most of them settling in Bat Yam and Ashdod. According to the Jewish Agency, some 120 additional some 120 additional Georgians are preparing to immigrate in the coming months. (Ynet News)

IRAN’S TICKING BOMB : - Moshe Dann
There is a little man in Tehran who talks to “the hidden Imam” - a mystical messianic-like figure. “It’s not only, or necessarily Ahmadinejad who speaks to the Imam,” . “There’s a whole new second generation elite of the Revolutionary Guard who indoctrinate their troops with the belief in the need to hasten the advent of the Imam. This has also spread to Hizbullah in Lebanon.” “He, Ahmadinejad, represents a large elite and wider trend. Hence he is more dangerous, since even if he were to disappear through elections or other means, the trend he represents would remain strong

PAKISTAN’S “ISLAMIC BOMB” CASTS A LONG SHADOW : - Yaakov Lappin
The resignation of Pakistani President Musharraf on Monday August 18, has reignited concerns among some security analysts who say the prospect of an Islamist revolution in Pakistan - the world’s sole nuclear-armed Muslim state - keeps them up at night. Dr. Ely Karmon, an expert on Islamist movements and their drive to obtain weapons of mass destruction, says radical Pakistani Islamists have set themselves the goal of gaining access to Pakistan’s estimated 80 to 90 nuclear bombs, an arsenal they call “the Islamic bomb.” (Jerusalem Post)

ISRAEL’S GRAND STRATEGY: - Barry Rubin (Jerusalem Post)
Israel is facing threats on four fronts. To the north is Hizbullah, a radical Islamist group which will never accept Israel’s existence. Israel has warned that any aggression will result in all of Lebanon being a target. Israel’s deterrence on this front should not be underestimated To the northeast is Syria, with whom the Israeli government is currently negotiating. Virtually no one in the leadership expects an agreement. Regarding the PA, Israel wants to see Fatah remain in power: Hamas would be worse, and the PA does do a bit to block terrorism. The Hamas front in Gaza is the most potentially volatile. Hamas frequently violates the cease-fire, but at a low level. There is no (human) solution; the enemy is not going away, nor will it moderate. The world wants to hear that Israel is seeking peace and doing everything possible, and it will.

OLMERT : ISRAEL WILL GO ALL-OUT NEXT TIME TO STOP HIZBULLAH :
Olmert tells Home Front Command it will play key role in next war
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned Lebanon’s new government on Tuesday August 19, that Israel would not hold back if Beirut allowed Hizbullah to launch another attack on Israel. The new government in Beirut passed policy guidlines that endorse “the right of Lebanon, its people, its army and the resistance [Hizbullah] to liberate its land.” The agreement also grants Hizbullah veto power over key decisions made by the unity government.

KASSAM STRIKES ISRAEL AND BARAK CLOSES CROSSINGS : by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Arab terrorists violated the two-month-old temporary ceasefire Tuesday night August 19, with the 43rd Kassam rocket on the western Negev since the truce went into effect on June 19. Defense Minister Ehud Barak retaliated by ordering that all Gaza crossings be closed, hours after announcing the reopening of the Kerem Shalom crossing

HISTORIC BNEI MENASHE PERMITTED TO MOVE TO ISRAEL: by Hillel Fendel
In a decision that is being called “historic,” the government has resolved to allow the remaining 7,232 members of the Bnei Menashe Jewish community in India to immigrate to Israel.

ISRAEL TRYING TO DISCOURAGE ‘FREE GAZA’ BOAT ACTIVISTS: by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The government is trying to convince 40 leftists on the “Free Gaza” boats from trying to test Israeli sovereignty over the Gaza coast on Thursday August 28, according to foreign news agencies. The Foreign Ministry replied to a letter sent by Free Gaza and responded that although their intentions may be positive, “the result of your action is that you are supporting the regime of a terrorist organization in Gaza.”

JORDAN FREES KILLERS OF ISRAELI SOLDIERS: (AFP)
Four Jordanian prisoners handed over by Israel last year to complete their life sentences in the kingdom were released from jail on Wednesday August 20. The four, who were convicted of killing two Israeli soldiers in November 1990, received a hero’s welcome from relatives as they walked out of Qafqafa prison carrying Jordanian flags.

NEW REFUELING AIRCRAFT FOR THE ISRAELI AIR FORCE : (Israel Defense Forces)
The Israel Air Force will receive a new refueling aircraft in 2009 - a Boeing 707 containing a refueling system - from Israel Aerospace Industries.

SYRIA TO EXPAND MILITARY TIES WITH RUSSIA :
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday August 20, he would use this week’s visit to Russia to expand military ties with Moscow. Assad told Kommersant newspaper, “Of course military and technical cooperation is the main issue. Weapons purchases are very important. I think we should speed it up.”

WITH AHMADINEJAD’S VISIT, TURKEY BOWS TO THE DARK SIDE: - Soner Cagaptay
In the prayer hall of Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, Iran’s Pres. Ahmadinejad, turned the ritual into a political show. With permission from Turkish authorities, he allowed Iranian television to videotape him during the entire prayer, in violation of Islamic tradition. Then, as he left the mosque, Ahmadinejad got out of his car to encourage a crowd of about 300 to chant, “Death to Israel! Death to America!”

HAMAS IN GAZA :
Hamas has established a terror hothouse in Gaza designed to continue the jihad against apostates, pursue the struggle against Israel, secure the overthrow of the Abbas regime in the West Bank, and assist the efforts of the parent movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, in overthrowing the moderate regimes in the Middle East headed by Jordan and Egypt.