GPL M/ EAST UPDATES FROM . SEPT 3 NO 132

DUTCH SUSPEND INTEL OPERATION IN IRAN FEARING IMMINENT US ATTACK :
According to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf on Monday August 1, Holland has suspended a covert military operation to sabotage Iran’s weapons industry after assessing that Washington intends to strike Iran in upcoming weeks. The Netherlands recalled its agent secretly working in an area it now suspects the US will target in air strikes soon using unmanned aircraft.

OLMERT PUSHING TO SIGN SUMMARY DOCUMENT WITH PA :
Cabinet ministers lash out at strategy; Abbas also rejects it
The Israeli media is buzzing with reports that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has accelerated his efforts to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians before leaving office after the Kadima primary later this month, even trying to come to terms with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on the thorny issue of Jerusalem.

HAMAS LEADER MOVES BUREAU FROM DAMASCUS TO SUDAN :
According to Kuwait’s Al Rai newspaper on Tuesday September 2, the political head of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, has moved his bureau from Damascus to Sudan, a regime also closely aligned with Iran. Mashaal moved under a covert agreement with Syrian authorities, said Palestinian sources.

ISRAEL SECURITY THWARTS UP TO FIVE HIZBULLAH ABDUCTION PLOTS:
Shi’ite militia determined to retaliate for Mugniyeh hit
According to Israeli officials on Monday, up to five Hizbullah attempts to abduct Israeli businessmen abroad in revenge for terror commander Imad Mughniyeh’s assassination in February have been thwarted recently by Israeli security services in cooperation with authorities in other countries.

IRANIAN JEWS TRAVELING ABROAD FORCED TO VOW NO IMMIGRATION TO ISRAEL :
Iran’s government has started requiring all Iranian Jews to vow they will not immigrate to Israel before traveling from the Islamic Republic. In recent weeks, around 40 Jews traveled to Austria from Tehran in efforts to immigrate to America after getting the needed visas and permits.

SUPREME MOSLEM COUNCIL : TEMPLE MOUNT IS JEWISH : by Hillel Fendel
The widely-disseminated Arab Moslem position that the Temple Mount is not Jewish has been debunked - by the Supreme Moslem Council (Waqf) of Jerusalem, in a Temple Mount guide published in 1925. The Jerusalem-based Temple Institute (http://www.templeinstitute.org) reports that it has acquired a copy of the official 1925 Supreme Moslem Council Guide Book to Al-Haram Al-Sharif (the Moslem name for the Temple Mount). On page 4, the Waqf states, “Its identity with the site of Solomon’s Temple is beyond dispute. This, too, is the spot, according to universal belief, on which ‘David built there an altar unto the L-rd…’, citing the source in 2 Samuel XXIV,25.

IRAN; WE PRODUCE/EXPORT WEAPONS TO 50 COUNTRIES: by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
Iranian officials have boasted of their homegrown arms industry in recent days, including claims that they develop their own missiles and export weapons to more than 50 countries.

JERUSALEM COURT UPHOLDS U.S. JUDGMENT AGAINST PA : by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
A Jerusalem District Court on Monday evening September 1, upheld the enforceability of a United States Federal Court judgment ordering the Palestinian Authority to pay US $116 million in damages to the family of two American victims of PA-backed terrorism. On June 9, 1996, a Hamas terror cell ambushed, shot and killed Yaron and Efrat Ungar as they drove with their baby son, Yishai, on a road adjacent to Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem

SAS KILLS HUNDREDS OF TERRORISTS IN “SECRET WAR” AGAINST AL-QAEDA IN IRAQ: - Sean Rayment
More than 3,500 insurgents have been “taken off the streets of Baghdad” by the elite British force in a series of audacious “Black Ops” over the past two years. While the majority of the terrorists were captured, several hundred, who were mainly members of “al-Qaeda in Iraq,” have been killed by the SAS. The prime targets have been those intent on joining the wave of suicide car bombers that claimed around 3,000 lives a month in Baghdad at the height of the terrorist campaign in 2006. The SAS is part of “Task Force Black” which also includes the U.S. Delta Force. Together they have helped reduce bombings in Baghdad from about 150 a month to just two.

BARAK READY TO ALLOW PALESTINIAN CAPITAL IN JERUSALEM :
Some Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem could become the capital of a future Palestinian state as part of a final peace agreement, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday September 3. Some 250,000 Arabs live in eastern Jerusalem, and the Palestinians are demanding that the area serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

ISRAEL-SYRIA TALKS TO RESUME THIS WEEK:
Assad claims ‘door to peace is open’
According to several of London’s Arabic dailies on Wednesday September 3, a fifth round of indirect peace negotiations between Damascus and Jerusalem are set to resume on Sunday September 7, in Istanbul, following upbeat comments this week from Syrian President Bashar Assad that “today, there is a possibility of peace.”

EU LEGISLATOR: MONEY FOR PA AN OBSTACLE TO PEACE : by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Increased European Union (EU) aid to Hamas workers for the Palestinian Authority (PA) is illegal and is an obstacle to peace, EU Member of Parliament Daniel Hannan wrote in the London Telegraph. The EU has approved giving the PA another $80 million in addition to $500 million it already has received from the EU this year. Hannan stated that “a welfare state is…the perfect terrorist habitat.”

EGYPT CUTS OF FLOW OF GAS INTO ISRAEL : by Ze’ev Ben-Yechiel
The supply of gas to Israel from its Egyptian neighbor was stopped on Friday August 29 29, and as of Wednesday morning (Sept 3) it had not yet been resumed, prompting some in Israel to fear that its main supplier of natural gas is running low on the resource.

“PALESTINIANS WILL REJECT ANY AGREEMENT THAT DOES NOT MAKE JERUSALEM THE PALESTINIAN CAPITAL “: (Maan News-PA)
Palestinian leaders will not sign a peace agreement with Israel that does not guarantee the status of East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state, said Palestinian chief negotiator Ahmad Qurei on Tuesday September 2.. Qurei also said that excavations under the Al-Aqsa Mosque and in the area of the Mughrabi Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem have sparked concern that the iconic mosque is under threat.

U.S. FIGHTS ISLAMIC PUSH AT UN. - Betsy Pisik
The Bush administration, European governments, and religious rights organizations are mounting a new effort to defeat a General Assembly resolution that demands respect for Islam and other religions but has been used to justify persecution of religious minorities. The resolution, called “Combating Defamation of Religion,” is sponsored by the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

RICE TO VISIT LIBYA, FIRST SUCH TRIP IN 55 YEARS : - Sue Pleming
Condoleezza Rice will make a landmark trip to Libya this week, (early Sept), the first by a U.S. secretary of state in more than half a century, the State Department announced on Tuesday.

THE TWO STATE SOLUTION INCREASINGLY UNLIKELY; - Giora Eiland
The most that any Israeli government can offer the Palestinians (and still survive politically) is much less than the minimum that any Palestinian regime could agree to accept (and still survive politically). The real gap between the sides is huge, and it keeps on growing.

CAN AHMADINEJAD LOSE THE ELECTION? Benedetta Berti (Jerusalem Post)
Is Ahmadinejad’s reelection in the June 2009 Iranian presidential elections assured? Three years after his decisive victory in June 2005, Ahmadinejad’s popularity has been steadily declining both within his own constituency and among his former allies. Inflation has risen from 10.9% in 2005 to 25.3% this summer and the administration’s economic mismanagement and massive increase in overhead are partially to blame.

ASSAD AFFIRMS SYRIA HAS HANDED PEACE PROPOSAL TO ISRAEL:
Damascus has handed proposals for peace with Israel to Turkish mediators and is waiting for Israel’s response before holding any face-to-face negotiations, Syrian President Bashar Assad said on Thursday September 4. Assad said the document was intended to serve as the basis for direct talks and that he was waiting for a similar document laying out Israel’s starting position.

SARKOZY IN DAMASCUS TO PRY SYRIA AWAY FROM IRAN:
French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Syria on Wednesday September 3, in an effort to pry Damascus away from Iran and into the Western orbit, a move that France hopes would have a dramatic impact on the entire region. By ‘coincidence’, the chief executive of France’s Total oil company said on Thursday September 4 that Total would sign deals for an oil block extension in Syria and for a gas development deal in the country. (Reuters)

TERRORIST TRACK EL AL CREW MEMBERS:
Terrorists have recently been monitoring El Al crew members in Toronto, in an apparent bid to carry out terror attacks against El Al employees. The believed terrorists were spotted at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, where the El Al pilots and crew members of its direct flight from Toronto to Tel Aviv stay between flights.

PA FOREIGN MINISTER PESSIMISTIC ABOUT ‘PEACE TALKS’:
Palestinian Authority foreign minister Riad al-Malki told the Israel Council on Foreign Relations in Jerusalem on Wednesday September 3, that there have been no final decisions and no agreements put on paper yet, much less signed, in talks between the PA and Israel, despite daily reports to the contrary.

OLMERT TO INTRODUCE ‘DISENGAGEMENT 2′ ON SUNDAY: by Hana Levi Julian
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert plans to introduce an embryonic strategy for the next Disengagement, this one from Judea and Samaria, at the Cabinet meeting on Sunday September 7. The issue will be discussed but will not voted upon at this stage. Olmert said he “intends to hear comments”on the initiative”.

SECOND TEMPLE ERA WALL FOUND ON MT ZION: by Ze’ev Ben-Yechiel
“We were here. There should be no question about it.”
A 2,100-year-old section of the wall surrounding Jerusalem, dating from Hasmonean times, has been unearthed on Mount Zion, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Wednesday September 3. The excavations have revealed part of the expanded southern city wall, from the Second Temple period, when ancient Jerusalem was at its largest.

POLICE TO RECOMMEND INDICTING OLMERT: by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Police negotiators were to meet Thursday September 4 and Sunday the 7 th, to wrap up recommendations that the government indict Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for crimes in three different cases, police sources said. The suggested indictments cover alleged fraud and breach of trust in the probes involving American businessman Morris Talansky, Rishon Tours and private investments.

PA TV: A WORLD WITHOUT ISRAEL: by Israel NN TV
Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) presents a new video which shows how the PA TV educates the children regarding the state of Israel. The children are taught to see a world in which the state of “Palestine” exists and replaces all of Israel.

ISRAEL TO EVACUATE GHAJAR WITHIN THREE MONTHS :
Sources close to UNIFIL in south Lebanon said on Friday that Israel is expected to withdraw within the next three months from the northern half of the disputed village of Ghajar, in hopes of depriving Hizbullah of an excuse for arming itself against Israel. It is possible too that Israel may abandon the Shabah Farms area.

NASRALLAH : EVEN IF ISRAEL CEDES SHABA, WE WILL NOT DISARM:
‘My hostility towards Israel is the greatest possible hostility’
Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said on Thursday that even if the dispute with Israel over the Shaba Farms and Ghajar border area is resolved, the Shi’ite militia will not give up its arms, since they are needed to protect Lebanon from Israel. Nasrallah said Thursday September 4, that “Hizbullah is still at war with Israel”

SYRIA INSISTS ‘ 1967 LINES NOT UP FOR DISCUSSION”:
The day after Syrian President Bashar Assad confirmed that he has delivered a written peace proposal to Israel through Turkey, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem insisted on Friday, September 5 that the June 4, 1967 borders are the only basis on which direct negotiations can take place between Jerusalem and Damascus.

ISRAELI CABINET TO DEBATE VOLUNTARY EVACUATION PLAN FOR JUDEA/SAMARIA:
At the weekly Israeli cabinet meeting this coming Sunday September 7, a controversial legislative proposal is to come up for discussion for the first time that would offer compensation to Jewish settlers living beyond the West Bank security barrier if they voluntarily move into Israel. Some recent reports suggest the plan is part of the Kadima party’s overall phased strategy for reaching peace with the Palestinians.

ISRAEL ALLOWED JORDAN TO TRANSFER 1,000 GU NS TO THE PA:
According to Israeli defense officials on Thursday September 4, Jordan was allowed last week to transfer up to 1,000 automatic riflles and around 10,000 bullets to the Palestinian Authority to strengthen its hand in the West Bank over rival Hamas.

CAN WE COUNT ON USA ? :
The exclusive reliance on the US is becoming dangerous for Israel in the new world emerging in recent years. In this world, American power no longer enjoys exclusivity - rather, the globe features several centers of power. Russia is quickly regaining its status as a global power, China and India’s power is growing quickly, and the European Union has already become an economic and diplomatic power…

ELDAD : “STOP JIHADIST ISLAM” : by Yoni Kempinski
Knesset Member Aryeh Eldad held a press conference on Wednesday September 3, announcing a first-of-its-kind summit in Jerusalem for the establishment of a defensive coalition of European legislators. Eldad said that there is a growing understanding in Europe that even though most of the governments surrender to the political power of the Muslim immigration, “Europe must stand and stop it. It’s time, it’s almost the last possible moment, to stop Jihadist Islam in Europe.”

MUSLIM INCITEMENT ON THE RISE : by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
In recent weeks, Muslim leaders have been heavily focusing their efforts on inciting their followers over alleged Jewish “threats” to the al-Aksa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Raed Salah, held an annual fundraising rally earlier this month in Umm el-Fahm under the heading “Al-Aksa is in Danger.” Attended by tens of thousands, including guests from other countries, the gathering was a platform for incitement to the effect that Jews were “defiling” the Muslim house of worship and planning to build a new Temple on the Temple Mount. A spokesman from the Islamic Movement in South Africa also addressed the “Al-Aksa is in Danger” festival, saying: “Be patient, in the end victory will belong to Islam. We hope that soon we will pray together in Jerusalem, in Al-Aksa.”

POLICE DEPLOYED FOR RAMADAN: by Ze’ev Ben-Yechiel
As the first prayer session of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approached on Friday September 5, Israeli law enforcement agencies were placed on heightened alert around the Temple Mount. Under the Ramadan restrictions, the only male Arabs from PA-controlled areas that will be allowed to enter the Temple Mount are those who are married and over the age of 45. Of that group, those under 50 will have to present a special entry permit.

ISRAEL BUILDING UNDERGROUND HOSPITALS: - Julie Stahl (CNSNews)
Two major hospitals in Israel are building underground facilities in preparation for Israel’s next war. Both Rambam Hospital in Haifa and Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv plan to use their new underground facilities as parking lots in peacetime. They can be converted to 650-bed hospital facilities within 48 hours, said architect Arad Sharon who is designing the two underground hospitals. They will be self-sufficient facilities with their own water, electric and hospital gases supply. They will also be protected against chemical and biological attacks, said Sharon.

U.S.FORCES HIT AL-QAEDA TARGETS IN EFFORTS TO CATCH BIN LADEN : - Sara A. Carter
U.S. ground forces crossed the border from Afghanistan and attacked suspected al-Qaeda targets in Pakistan on Wednesday September 3, as part of an aggressive new strategy to kill or capture Osama bin Laden before President Bush leaves office, U.S. officials said. “I know the hunt is on; they’re pulling out all the stops,” said a Defense Department official with knowledge of the situation. “They want to find bin Laden before the president leaves office and ensure that al-Qaeda will not attack the U.S. during the upcoming elections.”

PLO REJECTS PROPOSAL ON JERUSALEM’S ARAB NEIGHBOURHOODS :
Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Yasser Abed Rabbo rejected on Wednesday September 3, an Israeli proposal to cede “certain neighborhoods” of eastern Jerusalem that could become part of the Palestinian capital in any future peace agreement. In an interview with Ma’an, he said that Israel must withdraw from all areas it occupied in 1967. Palestinian negotiators, he said, would accept nothing less.
BEWARE, THE FRIENDS OF BASHAR ARE HERE! : - Michael Young
Meeting Thursday September 4, in Damascus was a new fraternity, the Friends of Bashar. It includes the emir of Qatar, the prime minister of Turkey, and the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and their aim is to ensure that the Assad regime remains in power and breaks out of the international and regional isolation imposed on it after the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri. Sarkozy has proven to be the most destructive of opportunists. On Tuesday he declared that peace in the Middle East “went through France and Syria,” and that his aim was to see Syria “regaining its place in the concert of nations.”

PALESTINIAN CRIMES AGAINST CHRISTIAN ARABS AND THEIR MANIPULATION AGAINST ISRAEL: - Interview with Justus Reid Weiner
Under the Palestinian regime, Christian Arabs have been victims of frequent human rights abuses by Muslims. There are many examples of intimidation, beatings, land theft, firebombing of churches and other Christian institutions, denial of employment, economic boycotts, torture, kidnapping, forced marriage, sexual harassment, and extortion. Palestinian Authority officials are directly responsible for many of the human rights violations.