DE UPDATES VAN GPL HET MIDDEN-OOSTEN VAN. 22 augustus Nr 130

PERES VIERT 85STE VERJAARDAG MET BEZOEK AAN NEGEV:
Israëlische President Shimon Peres vierde zijn 85ste verjaardag op Donderdag 21 Augustus, met een solidariteitsbezoek aan de stad Negev van Dimona, in overeenstemming met zijn lifelong inspanningen om ontwikkeling in het dun-bevolkte woestijngebied aan te sporen. Peres werd warm begroet door sympathisanten en serenaded door verscheidene muzikale groepen tijdens zijn reis van 10 uur van de ontwikkelingsstad, die ook de hoofd kernreactor van Israël huisvest.

MEDVEDEV VERZEKERT OLMERT VAN DICHTE BANDEN TERWIJL HET ONTVANGEN VAN ASSAD:
Syrië zeker Moskou zal nieuwe wapens verstrekken
Russische President Dmitry Medvedev telefoneerde Israëlische Eerste Minister Ehud Olmert op Woensdag 20 Augustus, om te verzekeren dat de banden van zijn natie met Israël vast ondanks recente spanningen bleven die door IDF worden gecre�ërd die en van het Georgische leger opleidt uitrust. Maar toch heette Medvedev ook Syrische President Bashar Assad in zijn dachau van de Zwarte Zee op Donderdag 21 Augustus welkom, om geavanceerde wapenverkoop te bespreken aan Damascus en zelfs een beroep om Russische raketbatterijen op Syrische grond te plaatsen.

WASHINGTON ONTKENT ISRAËLISCH VERZOEK OM BOEING 767:
De ontploffingen Israël van Ahmadinejad als kiem `van corruptie'
Het Israëlische recente verzoek van Ehud Barak van de Minister van de Defensie om werd nieuw Boeing 767 te kopen afgewezen door het Beleid van Bush naar verluidt uit zorg het zou kunnen worden gebruikt om IAF oorlogsvliegtuigen op lange-afstands opdrachten bij te tanken om de kernfaciliteiten van Iran te slaan. IAF heeft mid-air het bijtanken momenteel capaciteiten en bezit zeven F-16I vechtersstralen die een 2.100 kmwaaier hebben, die hen zou toestaan om Iraanse doelstellingen te raken zonder het bijtanken. Israël bezit ook dozens F-15I vechtersstralen die duizenden kilometers kunnen vliegen zonder het lopen uit van brandstof. Een ander anti-Israël tirade van Iraanse President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, die een verklaring over zijn persoonlijke Website deze week postte die Israël een „roept kiem van corruptie“ die „.“ spoedig zal verwijderd worden

CANADESE MP: DE ANTI-JOODSE AANSPORING PURVEYS VAN MAHMOUD ABBAS: door Nissan ratzlav-Katz
Het Canadese Lid van het Parlement Irwin Cotler, een Liberale partijvertegenwoordiger, heeft verklaard dat de Palestijnse Instantie, met inbegrip van zijn Voorzitter en Fatah leider Mahmoud Abbas, aan het purveying van haat van Joden zich schuldig maakt. Hij betreurde ook dat de officiële PA aansporing door Westelijke overheden en media afzet wordt genegeerd.

DE BASIS VAN DE BEWEGINGEN VAN DE LUCHTMACHT VAN BEN GURION AAN NEGEV: door Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Grote Basis 27 van de Luchtmacht van Israël Bij de Luchthaven van Ben Gurion zal volgende week naar Negev, in een beweging zijn gesloten en worden overgebracht die een massieve luchtbegroeting aan Negev zal kenmerken. The airport area has been home to the IAF’s cargo and transportation aircraft for 49 years. Its new home will be at the Nevatim base, located between Be’er Sheva and Arad

UNIONS MAY SHUT DOWN COUNTRY OVER THE BUDGET : by Hana Levi Julian
National Histadrut labor union leader Ofir Eini threatened to shut down the country with a strike if the Cabinet approves the proposed 2009 budget at its next meeting on Sunday August 24. The Budget was subsequently passed . The Finance Ministry proposal includes widespread cuts in spending on defense and social service programs.

HAMAS THREATS TO OLMERT : GIVE IN TO DEMANDS: by Zeev Ben Yechiel and Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Hamas has threatened to harm kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit if Prime Minister Ehud Olmert does not free Gaza-based Hamas terrorists. The demand comes in the wake of plans to release 199 Palestinian Authority (PA) terrorists from Judea and Samaria on Friday August 22. The Prime Minister agreed to free them as part of continuing series of “goodwill” measures to bolster the popularity of Fatah party leader and PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

JORDAN RELEASES 4 MURDERERS OF ISRAELIS : by Ze’ev Ben-Yechiel
The Kingdom of Jordan has released four terrorists convicted of murdering two IDF soldiers. The four Jordanian nationals were captured and sentenced to life in Israeli prisons for their 1990 murder of an IDF soldier and an officer, but were handed over to Jordan as a “gesture” of goodwill to King Abdullah II.

LIBERAL ‘POCKETS ‘ IN SAUDI ARABIA’S RIGID STATE : - Andrew Hammond (Reuters)
The Saudi government has a project to develop at least four “economic cities” where many expect the religious establishment will be kept at a distance from social life, the workplace and education. Women will be able to drive and there may even be cinema houses.

ISRAEL FEELING DIPLOMATIC FALL-OUT FROM RUSSIAN CRISIS WITH THE WEST:
US wants Jerusalem to break off talks with Damascus
Russians officials assured on Thursday August 21, they will not take up President Bashar Assad’s offer to host Iskander missiles in Syria, but the growing Russian crisis with the West is now jeopardizing Israel’s indirect talks with Damascus as well as the six-nations’ discussions over tougher new sanctions on Iran.

HANIYEH VOWS ‘JERUSALEM WILL BE RETURNED BY JIHAD’ :
Also demands Jordan Valley, ‘right of return’ to Israel
Speaking on the 39th anniversary of an arson attack on the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh declared on Wednesday August 20, that his group will not sign onto any peace deal that does not call for Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley to be returned to the Palestinians, as well as ensuring the right of return for Palestinian refugees to go back to Israel.

HIZBULLAH WARNS OF ‘FRIGHTENING REVENGE’ SOON, FOR MUGHNIYEH’S DEATH:
Hizbullah warned on Friday August 22, that a “frightening” attack is coming soon to avenge the apparent assassination of its military commander Imad Mughniyeh in a car bombing in Damascus last February. “Hizbullah will soon avenge the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh,” declared Hizbullah member Sheikh Ahmad Murad in southern Lebanon. “The revenge will be frightening and huge surprises are in store,” he added.

TERROR VICTIMS SUE BANK OF CHINA FOR TIES WITH HAMAS : by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
More than 100 victims and relatives of targets of Arab terrorist attacks have filed an historic suit in Los Angeles against the Bank of China, which transferred hundreds of millions of dollars to Hamas and Islamic Jihad between 2004 and 2007. The suit, filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday August 21, details how the bank wired money through its American branches to an account in China used by the terrorist groups.

ISRAEL, USA AND TURKEY IN JOINT MEDITERRANEAN NAVAL EXERCISE: by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
Israel was the host this week for Reliant Mermaid IX, a joint search and rescue (SAR) exercise in the Mediterranean Sea involving the air and naval forces of Israel, the United States and Turkey

SYRIAN REQUEST FOR RUSSIAN MISSILES A PLOY FOR US INTERVENTION: by Ze’ev Ben-Yechiel
“Syria was planning to acquire the weapons systems a long time before the negotiations between Israel and Syria were resumed. [The Syrians] have been trying to do so for a very long time as part of their policy, and this is not something new,” said Shalom. Syria’s announcement last week that it plans to purchase arms from Russia, including long-range missiles and fighter jets, is aimed at getting the United States involved in a new round of Israeli-Syrian peace talks, according to Israeli sources.

OBAMA’S VP SAYS HE’S ZIONIST: RIVALS SAY HE’S NAÏVE ON IRAN : by Gil Ronen
Sen. Joseph Biden (D - DE), whom Barack Obama has picked to be his running mate in the race for the U.S. presidency, called Israel “the single greatest strength America has in the Middle East” in a 2007 interview and proclaimed that he is a Zionist

CABINET BUDGET DEBATE IN SHADOW OF PM’S THREATS TO FIRE LABOR : by Hillel Fendel
The lame-duck Olmert government continued ts hours-long debate of the 2009 budget. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert threatened, at the start of the meeting, to fire ministers who did not accept the final vote. A Labor Party minister, for his part, said his party would quit the government if the budget is accepted as is. BUT, after a marathon 16-hour session, the Cabinet approved the proposed 2009 budget by a 13-12 vote at 2 AM Monday morning August 25. It ended with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert winning his demands, and Labor and Shas voting against the budget.

HEBREW UNIVERSITY ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD : by Avi Tuchmayer
An international survey has listed Hebrew University of Jerusalem as the one of the world’s top universities. According to the report issued by China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Hebrew University is 65th among the world’s top 100 universities in the new Academic Ranking of World Universities. The Jerusalem campus is the only Israeli institution included in the list, joining such top names as Harvard, Stanford, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)and Britain’s Cambridge University.

IDF BEGINS MAJOR MOVE TO NEGEV: by Hillel Fendel
A Hercules jet will take off Monday afternoon August 25, from central Israel to the new Nevatim Israel Air Force base in the Negev, marking the start of the herculean IDF move to the Negev. The move marks today’s closing of the IAF’s main transport base, in Lod, and its replacement in Nevatim. The new base will be formally dedicated later this week in the presence of President Shimon Peres and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi

TEHERAN: NEW SUB-LINE LAUNCHED AND SECOND NEW NUCLEAR PLANT UNDERWAY:
In line with its transparent attempts to breed fear and confusion, Iran announced on Monday August 25, that it has launched a domestic production line for a mid-size submarine that will be able to fire missiles and torpedoes, state TV reported. The report claimed two other submarines have already been delivered to the Iranian Navy, to serve alongside two submarines acquired from Russia. Meanwhile on Sunday August 24, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported that the regime has started planning its second nuclear power plant in Darkhovin, in the southwest of the country.

NASRALLAH VOWS IDF TROOPS “WILL BE DESTROYED” :
According to Hizbullah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday August 24, the Shi’ite terror militia will respond in an unyielding and resolute way to any Israeli hostility towards Lebanon. Nasrallah warned that the outcome of another war would be worse then the Second Lebanon War. IDF soldiers “will be destroyed in our mountains, valleys, homes, and cities along with your state, which usurped our holy land,” he said. “The army of this enemy will see on the ground and in the fists and eyes of the mujahideen (holy fighters) what it never imagined seeing,” continued Nasrallah.

‘FREE GAZA’ PROTEST SHIPS ALLOWED TO REACH PORT :
After initially warning they would be intercepted, Israeli leaders decided at the last minute to allow two protest ships from the Free Gaza Movement to reach port on the Gaza coast on Saturday. The decision was taken late last week by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who agreed “not to play into their hands” by giving the pro-Palestinian activists on board a publicity coup if the Israeli navy forcibly stopped the ships from reaching Gaza.

ISRAELI COMPANIES WANT TO DRILL FOR OIL IN JUDEAN DESERT:
The Israeli energy companies Ginko Oil Exploration and Delek Energy System are demanding permits to drill for oil in the Judean Desert nature reserve. Over two years ago Ginko discovered a small amount of oil close to the Dead Sea. The company believes it can recover up to 6.5 million barrels of oil from the site.

PA TERRORISTS RETURN TO HEROES’ WELCOME: by Hana Levi Julian
Close to 200 terrorists, including two who had murdered Jews, were freed Monday August 25, in another “goodwill gesture” to the PA by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

TERRORISTS CLAIM JAIL IS ‘TOO TOUGH’ : by Gil Ronen
A report by the Israel Bar Association says that prisoners and detainees being held in Israel’s jails for terror crimes claim to suffer from maltreatment. The report cites complaints regarding poor ventilation in rooms, lack of proper lighting, and of suffering inflicted upon them during their transportation from one prison to another. The prisoners complain that men from the Prison Service’s Nachshon unit humiliate them and use dogs to hurt their pride. In addition, they would prefer not to have to wear handcuffs and leg cuffs while being transported, claiming that this is an affront to their human dignity. These men are most of the “heavy leaders” of Hamas and Fatah who have proved to have no conscience when killing people!

ISRAEL’S ECONOMY GREW AT 4.2 % ANNUAL PACE IN 2 ND QUARTER: - D Rosenberg(Bloomberg)
Israel’s economy this year will probably expand at its slowest pace since 2003, with the Bank of Israel in June forecasting growth of 4.2 percent. That would still leave Israel ahead of the world’s developed economies, which the International Monetary Fund said July 17 will grow 1.7 percent this year.

ISRAEL’S AMERICAN-STAFFED MISSILE SHIELD AGAINST IRAN: - Aluf Benn and Barak Ravid
Earlier in this month of August, the U.S. and Israel agreed on the deployment of a high-powered early-warning missile radar system in the Negev, to be staffed by U.S. military personnel. The station will receive information from the U.S. team in Europe that will aid it in its work. The deployment of the Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTAGS) system, is widely seen as a kind of parting gift from Washington to Jerusalem as President George W. Bush prepares to leave office. The new system is significantly more accurate than Israel’s “Green Pine” radar system, which supports the Arrow anti-missile system, and can detect incoming missiles as far away as 600 klms. The system will protect Israel’s skies from missile attacks, but the flip side of the deal is that Israel’s freedom of action against Iran or Syria may be significantly curtailed.

NATIONALISTS THANK PEACE NOW : by Hillel Fendel
A “Peace Now” report finds that Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria (Yesha) has nearly doubled, mostly east of the partition wall. The ultra-left radical organization, which seeks a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria - areas of Israel populated by hundreds of thousands of Jews - states that the rate of new construction in Yesha has jumped 180% compared to last year. It further finds that 55% of the new construction is happening east of the partition wall, most of which is designated by the Road Map plan for a future Palestinian Authority state. The construction is private and not government-funded, it is within the towns’ borders

KASSAM ROCKET ATTACKS : RAMADAN PREVIEW? : by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
Palestinian Authority terrorists launched two rockets at Jewish communities in the western Negev on Monday August 25. No injuries or damage were reported, but the attacks may be a preview of more to come as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches. In reaction to the rocket attacks, Israel announced the closure of the crossings into and out of Gaza.

RAMADAN; INSIGHT INTO ISLAMIC THINKING….A MONTH OF JIHAD
During Ramadan of 2004, in Sawt Al-Jihad, an internet journal affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, an ideologue explained: “Men of Jihad, this is your festive season since Jihad, in a state of fasting, has a particularly delectable taste for the believers…. Wonderful it is to delight in the breaking of the fast and to taste the killing of infidels, to delight in the sound of the wailing of tyrants and lowly degenerates…. [Ramadan is a] month of fighting, of self-sacrifice, of military victories, of the victory of religion and the humiliation of the infidels. The most courageous and finest forays took place in Ramadan….”

EGYPTIAN ‘THINK TANK’ : PA STRIFE TO CONTINUE A LONG TIME : by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The strife between Hamas and Fatah will continue for a long time, and the chances of a compromise are slim, according to Prof. Gamal Soltan of a Cairo think tank. He said that Egypt’s strategy is “to keep the [Hamas] movement at arm’s length in order to contain it.” Egypt fears a ‘take-over’ by the Moslem Brotherhood, which spawned Hamas.

ABBAS REJECTS PEACE AND WELCOMES TERRORISTS : by Hana Levi Julian
Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) fulfilled the time-honored PA tradition of rejecting any form of peace with Israel on Monday afternoon August 25, as soon as nearly 200 convicted terrorists crossed the border into PA territory. “I promise we won’t rest until we bring about the release of all the prisoners,” vowed Abbas in a special welcome ceremony for the 198 terrorists released by Israel in the latest “goodwill gesture” . Abbas reiterated his intention to reject peace with Israel, despite numerous security concessions by the Olmert government

RICE SEES DIFFICULTIES IN MIDEAST TALKS :
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged Monday August 25, that a broad peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians is a long shot before President Bush leaves office, but she rejected the idea of a half-measure now. “I think it’s extremely important just to keep making forward progress, rather than trying prematurely to come to some set of conclusions,”

DROUGHT STRICKEN, IRAN BUYS U.S. WHEAT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 27 YEARS :
Wracked by drought, Iran has turned to the United States for wheat for the first time in 27 years, marking a setback for Tehran’s search for agricultural self-sufficiency. According to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report, Iran has bought about 1.18 million tons of U.S. hard wheat since the beginning of the 2008-2009 crop season in June. The last time Iran imported U.S. wheat was in 1981-1982.

ISRAELI WATER ‘DEMAND’ IS DRAINING THE SEA OF GALILEE: Tobias Buck
This summer both the water level and the mood of Israelis living by the Sea of Galilee are plunging to record lows. The country has suffered four successive seasons of drought, with rainfall no more than half the annual average. At the same time, Israel’s thirst for fresh water means the country continues to pump vast amounts of water from the lake to meet the needs of farmers, gardeners and ordinary citizens as far away as the Negev desert in the south.
The result is visible everywhere on the lake, which is falling by between one and two centimeters a day. The drying-out of the Sea of Galilee has caused alarm far beyond the region. The lake supplies fresh water to the taps of two in five Israelis, but soon the pumps will have to fall silent. The water level has already fallen below the upper and lower red lines, denoting levels below which the lake was previously thought to be at serious risk. (Financial Times — UK)

HIZBULLAH AND GLOBAL ISLAMIC WORLD TERROR :
Hizbullah’s deep involvement in terror throughout Iraq demonstrates that the organization does not view itself purely as a Lebanese factor with national and local objectives, but as an arm of Iran in spreading the Shiite Islamic Revolution throughout the Middle East and in the long term throughout the entire world. Hizbullah’s strategic ties with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards for the purpose of operations in Iraq once again illustrate how Iran, in general, and its Revolutionary Guards, in particular, directly promote international terrorism globally.

HAMAS TERROR ‘COMMANDER’ DEIF SURFACES WITH NEW THREATS AGAINST Israel :
Mohammed Deif, the shadowy leader of Hamas’ armed wing in Gaza, broke a two-year silence on Tuesday August 26,with a new vow to continue battle until “victory” over Israel. Deif is a notorious Hamas bombmaker and terror commander who tops Israel’s most wanted list. He has become legendary among Palestinians for surviving several assassination attempts and lives in hiding. Deif said he will go on fighting until victory, or until he is killed.

ISRAEL GRANTS ‘AMNESTY’ TO WANTED PALESTINIANS:
Israel gave ‘amnesty’ to dozens of wanted Palestinians on Tuesday August 26, less than one full day after the government freed 198 Palestinian prisoners as a friendly gesture to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Both moves come as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is visiting the region to push along floundering peace talks. Forty five Palestinian fugitives will be completely pardoned with freedom to roam in the territories and beyond, said a top Palestinian source.

HAMAS ‘RAPIDLY’ CARRYING ON ARMS SMUGGLING IN GAZA:
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak traveled to Alexandria on Tuesday August 26, to discuss mutual security concerns with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, including claims by top Israeli security officials on Monday that Hamas has accelerated its weapons smuggling operations along the Gaza-Sinai border despite increased efforts by Cairo to curb the flow. Barak, said on Monday the Egyptian-brokered truce in Gaza was fragile and the Israeli army was getting ready for its end at any moment.