[غبل] [م/] تحديثات شرقيّة من. [سبت] 18 ما من… 134

إرهابية يطعن [إيدف] جندية قرب الالبحر الميت:
طعن إرهابية فلسطينيّة [إيدف] جندية على يوم الإثنين العصر سبتمبر - أيلول 15, في ملتقى قرب [جريش], شمال صحيحة من الالبحر الميت. كان الجندية [ليغت-تو-مودرتلي] مجروحة في الظهر. الإرهابية يدار أن يسرق الجندية سلاح ناريّ ويهرب داخل الغرفة حمّام من محطّة بنزين قريبة. أمن حدّد فريق بعد ذلك الإرهابية, غلبه, واسترجع السلاح.

[ألمرت] يقدّم [أبّس] 98.1% من بنك غربيّة:
تفاصيل من مفاوضة تسرب قبل قمة
إسرائيل تلفزيون أفاد قناة 2 في يوم الأحد سبتمبر - أيلول 14, أنّ رئيس وزراء خارجة إسرائيليّة [إهود] [ألمرت] قد قدّم [بلستينين] سلطة رئيس مجلس إدارة [مهموود] [أبّس] بعض 98.1% من الضفّة الغربيّة لدولة مقبلة فلسطينيّة في هم سرّيّة يفاوض أثر. اضطرّ أنّ [أف كورس] كنت أجزت بالكنيسة!

[أوس] أن يبيع `صغيرة [بونكر-بوسترس]' إلى إسرائيل:
`قنبلات ذكيّة' استطاع اخترقت إيران منشأة نوويّة
أخطر البانتاغون ال [أوس] إجتماع على الأسبوع من قصده أن يبيع إسرائيل بعض 1,000 قنبلات [برسسون-غيدد] أنّ يكون قادرة من يتصرّف مثل `مخزن مدمرة' ذخائر أيّ استطاع كنت أساسيّة إلى يستهدف إيران منشأة نوويّة باطنيّة.

يرجع قوّة بحريّة روسيّة إلى سوريا' [س] مينة ال [ترتثس]:
روسيا يعلن في يوم الجمعة سبتمبر - أيلول 14, أنّ هو كان قد بدأ يجدّد المينة سوريّة [ترتثس] لذلك القوّة بحريّة روسيّة يستطيع استعملت المينة كقاعدة لعملياته في الشرقيّة [مديترّنن]. يأتي الإعلان عقب رئيس سوريّة [بشر] أسد قد استأنف لأسلحة عقود وأخرى أشكال المعونة من موسكو على شهور أخيرة.

يقول مصدر سوريّة [مشل]' [س] مكتب رئيس يغتال:
وفقا ل مصدر في المعارضة سوريّة يؤسّس في ال [أوس], المكتب قذفت رئيس لحماس زعيمة [كهلد] [مشل] كان بلا جدال في ضوء النّهار واسعة بعد يكون يجرّ من سيارته أسبوع متأخّرة. المنافسة مجموعة حرية اغتلت حزب من سوريا إدعاءات هشام [أل-لبدني] كان في [هومس]. لم يدلّ التقرير لون في إسرائيل للإصابة. حاول موسّاد أن يغتال [مشل] في 1997 في الأردن. أسّست الزعيمات من عدّة فلسطينيّة ذعر ميليشيات, بما في ذلك [مشل] و [رمدن] صلاح من [جيهد] [إيسلميك], في دمشق.

حماس يقول 11 يقتل في معركة مع عشيرة في [غزا] مدينة:
شديدة شارع ثار معركة بين عشيّة وضحاها وداخل يوم الثلاثاء سبتمبر - أيلول 16, بين حماس عضو ميليشيا وأعضاء من المجرمة [دوغموش] عشيرة يثقب فوق في هم غزّة مدينة قلعة, يترك على الأقلّ 11 فلسطينيات ميّتة. Dughmush clan took part in the cross-border raid that kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, and reportedly still holds him two years later.

ICEJ PETITIONS THE UN TO INDICT ARMADINEJAD AND THUS STOP A ‘NUCLEAR IRAN’ :
The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) is delivering a global petition this week to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon signed by over 55,000 Christians from 128 countries worldwide demanding that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad be indicted for incitement to commit genocide against Israel. The petition comes on the eve of the Iranian leader’s planned visit to New York to address the Opening of the UN General Assembly.

MINISTERS OPPOSE RAMON PLAN : by Maayana Miskin
Senior ministers slammed Vice Premier Chaim Ramon’s proposal to convince Jewish families to leave Judea and Samaria, shortly before the plan was to be discussed during the weekly cabinet session on Sunday. Ramon’s plan would give NIS 1.1 million to families that agree to abandon their homes east of the partition fence, and additional money to those willing to move to the Negev in the south or the Galilee in the north.

WALL STREET CRISIS SHAKES ISRAEL : by Hana Levi Julian
The venerated securities firm of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. announced early Monday morning on its website it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, stunning Wall Street and rattling financial markets around the world. Not least among them was the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, which opened with sharp losses as it echoed the news. Lehman was one of the first international investment banks to open its doors in the State of Israel, and businesses across the country are going to be affected by what is taking place on Wall Street. Lehman has invested in numerous institutions in Israel, among them Bank Leumi, Psagot, the Clal group, Menorah and Harel Financial Services. All told, Lehman Brothers Inc. has invested more than NIS 850 million in Israeli institutions.

TUESDAY TALKS ON FATE OF CAPITAL : by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas met Tuesday September 16, to discuss the future of Jerusalem and the PA demand that millions of foreign Arabs move to Israel, Channel Two television reported. The Prime Minister’s Kadima party will vote the following day on a successor to lead the party and try to form the next government. Prime Minister Olmert may step down immediately, if one of the four candidates in the Kadima primaries wins 40 percent of the vote on the first round. However, Olmert is going ahead with a “business as usual” approach. Channel Two said that he, and not Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, is talking with the PA about the future borders of the capital.

MINISTERS OPPOSE RAMON PLAN : by Maayana Miskin
Senior ministers slammed Vice Premier Chaim Ramon’s proposal to convince Jewish families to leave Judea and Samaria, shortly before the plan was to be discussed during the weekly cabinet session on Sunday September 14. . Ramon’s plan would give NIS 1.1 million to families that agree to abandon their homes east of the partition fence, and additional money to those willing to move to the Negev in the south or the Galilee in the north. Ramon claims that 18 percent of those living east of the separation barrier-over 11,000 people-would be willing to accept the offer, making it easier for the government to clear the area of Jews completely in the event of an agreement with the Palestinian Authority.

OLMERT : FORGET “GREATER ISRAEL” : by Ze’ev Ben-Yechiel
“The notion of a Greater Israel no longer exists, and anyone who still believes in it is deluding themselves,” said Ehud Olmert, in what is likely to be his last cabinet meeting as Prime Minister. “Forty years after the Six Day War ended, we keep finding excuses not to act. This isn’t doing Israel any good,” said Olmert to the members of his cabinet. Olmert warned that unless Israel gives up more land, it will face pressure from overseas to grant all PA Arabs citizenship in a single state of two nationalities. “The international community in starting to view Israel as a future binational state.

HIZBULLAH AND PA TERRORISTS TEAM UP : by Hana Levi Julian
Hizbullah and Palestinian Authority terrorists are teaming up in Egypt in an operation to kidnap Israelis who ignore the government’s warnings of an imminent attack, according to Israel’s counterterrorism bureau.
It is the first time the Lebanon-based Hizbullah group has organized an operation on Egyptian territory, according to the source, who added that although it is rare to make such sensitive information public, the immediacy of the threat prompted officials to approve the announcement. Despite repeated calls by the government’s counterterrorism bureau warning Israelis to leave the Sinai Peninsula immediately, the Foreign Ministry estimates that at least 200-300 Israelis are presently in the area.

HIZBULLAH AIMING AT IAF PLANES : by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz \
The powerful Iran-backed terrorist organization in Lebanon, Hizbullah, has a great interest in downing an Israeli aircraft in Lebanese airspace, according to the head of the Research Division for IDF Intelligence. Syria and Iran are making sure they have the tools to do so. Evidence indicates that Hizbullah will try to shoot down Israeli aircraft flying over Lebanon. In late 2006, a Military Intelligence analysis indicated that Hamas was developing weapons to use against Israeli fighter planes and, eventually, against civilian aircraft. Brig.-Gen. Baidatz said at the time that Israel must come up with a solution to protect its planes from the new weapons, or else imperil its entire aviation industry. Such weapons in Judea and Samaria would endanger air traffic at Ben-Gurion International Airport.

PA BECOMING A WELFARE STATE: by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The Palestinian Authority (PA) is growing more dependent on foreign aid, the World Bank reported Wednesday. Since the Oslo Agreements in the 1990s, the international community has granted the PA billions of dollars, on the assumption that a strong economy would reduce the need for foreign aid, stop terrorism and help the PA establish itself as a viable entity. Donors contributed $1.2 billion so far this year to support the PA’s operating budget, including its government payroll. Approximately 160,000 public servants are on the PA payroll, requiring almost $2 billion a year to cover salaries.

THE SECRET WAR WITH IRAN : - Eli Lake (New York Sun)
Israel and America are intensifying a clandestine war against Iran, claims Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman. He suggests that the West has had some successes in the war to stop the Iranian bomb, reporting, for example, that in January 2007 Iran determined that some of its nuclear suppliers in Europe were fronts for Britain’s MI6 intelligence service. Between February 2006 and March 2007, at least three planes “belonging to the Revolutionary Guards crashed in Iran, while carrying personnel connected with the security of the nuclear project.” Specialized pipes for centrifuges sold to Iran have been modified, and specialized computers sold to Iran for its nuclear laboratories contained viruses that sabotaged the code. On January 18, 2007, an Iranian expert on electromagnetics who worked in an Isfahan enrichment facility, Ardeshir Hosseinpour, died in his apartment. The author quotes the deputy director of the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission, Eli Levite, as saying in a closed forum that operations against Iran “gained time for us” and have “doubtless caused significant delays in the project. The process has led to the revealing of large parts of the program in the areas of sources of supply, of the infrastructure, and of the goals.” Bergman reports that Israel first learned of the nuclear facility in Natanz in 1996, six years before the facility was first disclosed to the public. Two Israeli operatives, posing as tourists, arrived at the site and took soil samples, which they brought back to Israel in their shoes and which showed some radiation.

SIX MUSLIMS FOUND GUILTY OF TERRORISM IN AUSTRALIA : - Mick Tsikas (Reuters)
An Australian jury found a Muslim cleric and five of his followers guilty on Monday September 15, of planning to stage a “violent jihad” in Melbourne in 2005 to force Australian troops out of Iraq. Muslim cleric Abdul Benbrika, 48, and his followers planned a bomb attack on an Australian Football League (AFL) grand final in Melbourne, attended by 97,000 fans.

IDF ORDERS ALL SOLDIERS NOT TO VISIT SINAI :
The Israel Defense Forces has issued an order prohibiting soldiers in mandatory service, career soldiers and civilians working for the military from traveling to Sinai, Army Radio reported on Sunday September 15. On Sep. 4, the Counter Terrorism Bureau issued a travel warning on serious terror threats to Israelis in Sinai including suicide bombings at holiday sites and kidnapping Israelis and smuggling them into Gaza. Israel fears that terror cells from Gaza have infiltrated Egypt and are currently searching for Israelis to kidnap or murder.

THE MYTH OF AL-AQSA : THE HOLINESS OF JERUSALEM TO ISLAM HAS ALWAYS BEEN POLITICALLY MOTIVATED : (Ynet News)
Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Koran. After Palestine was occupied by the Muslims, its capital was Ramle, 30 miles to the west of Jerusalem, signifying that Jerusalem meant nothing to them. In 682 C.E., 50 years after Mohammad’s death, Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr rebelled against the Islamic rulers in Damascus, conquered Mecca and prevented pilgrims from reaching Mecca for the Hajj. Abd al-Malik, the Umayyad ruler, needed an alternative site for the pilgrimage and settled on Jerusalem which was then under his control. In order to justify this choice, a verse from the Koran was chosen which states: “Glory to Him who caused His servant to travel by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque.” The meaning ascribed to this verse is that “the farthest mosque” is in Jerusalem and that Mohammad was conveyed there one night (although the journey took three days by camel) on the back of al-Buraq, a magical horse with the head of a woman and wings of an eagle. He tethered the horse to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount and from there ascended to heaven.

ISRAEL ASSESSES DAMAGE FROM LEHMAN COLLAPSE : - Sharon Shpurer (Ha’aretz)
Israel’s Bank Hapoalim said its exposure to the floundering Lehman Brothers investment bank totals about $109 million. Bank Leumi’s risk is estimated at $90-$95 million. Israel’s central bank has about $4 million exposure to Lehman Brothers.

US : AL-QAEDA “IMPLODING” - Pamela Hess (AP)
Al-Qaeda is “imploding because it’s not a message that resonates with a lot of Muslims,” Dell Dailey, the State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism, said Monday September 15 Vastly more Muslims than Westerners are killed by al-Qaeda bombs, particularly in Iraq. Extremist violence claimed more than 9,500 civilian victims in Muslim countries in 2007.

NUCLEAR AGENCY SAYS IRAN HAS IMPROVED ENRICHMENT : - Elaine Sciolino
Iran has substantially improved the efficiency of its centrifuges that produce enriched uranium, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday. Iran is now running about 3,800 centrifuges, the machines that make enriched uranium, an increase of several hundred in the past four months. More significantly, it has increased the efficiency of its centrifuges to about 80% from 50%. That means the machines are processing more material, crashing less and running closer to their stated capacity. That means the machines are processing more material, crashing less and running closer to their stated capacity.

IDF INTELLIGENCE : SYRIA STRENGTHENING TIES TO THE RADICAL AXIS : - Amnon Meranda
“Syria is moving forward along the path of peace and openness toward the West while simultaneously strengthening its ties to the radical axis,” the head of the research division of IDF Military Intelligence, Brig.-Gen. Yossi Baidatz, told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday September 15. (Ynet News)

PA STRENGTHENS CONTROL IN WEST BANK: - Avi Issacharoff
The chaos that once reigned in the West Bank’s cities and villages has vanished, replaced by Palestinian security forces. Armed militias are no longer part of the landscape. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades have been all but disbanded, and most of their members have joined the PA security apparatus.

PALESTINIAN RUNNING FOR JERUSALEM COUNCIL : - Ronny Shaked
Zohir Hamdan, 60, a Palestinian serving as the mukhtar (head) of the eastern Jerusalem village of Tzur Baher, is running for the capital’s city council on an independent list, the first time a Palestinian is taking part in the city’s municipal elections. (Ynet News)

SAUDI CLERICS SLAM RAMADAN TV : - Andrew Hammond
Across the Arab world, the month of Ramadan has become an orgy of food and TV consumption, Saudi clerics say. Television this year has seemingly pushed some clerics to apoplexy with romantic soaps showcasing liberal lifestyles, dramas that fan the flames of ancient tribal hatreds, and slapstick comedies that have captured the public’s heart. The attacks on the Arab entertainment channels have raised eyebrows because the owners of MBC, ART, Orbit, Rotana and LBC are members of the Saudi royal family or business allies. (Reuters)

STUDY EXAMINES AMERICAN PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL : (PRNewswire-MarketWatch)
A report released Wednesday September 17, “Philanthropic Support for Israel’s Nonprofit Organizations by U.S. Donors,” shows that American philanthropic support to nonprofits in Israel continues to rise. The study showed an aggregate average of growth of 64% during the period of 2001-2006.

SHEKEL RISING DESPITE U.S. WOES : by Malkah Fleisher
The shekel is continuing its sharp appreciation against leading currencies, breaking new thresholds despite major losses on Wall Street, the US government bailout of insurance giant American International Group (AIG), the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holding, and the sale of Merrill Lynch to Bank of America. The shekel has depreciated less than the other currencies which have been affected by the US dollar’s downturn in international markets, and it is expected to continue to appreciate against the dollar

MOFAZ CONCEDES AND LIVNI TAKES OVER : by Gil Ronen, Hillel Fendel and Hana Levi Julian
Aides to Transportation and Road Safety Minister Shaul Mofaz announced early Thursday September 18, that he has decided to accept the results of Wednesday’s primary elections for the leadership of the Kadima party, despite the closeness of the count. IDF Army Radio reported he would accept Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni’s leadership as head of the party, and support her in her bid to form a new government, despite advice from his attorneys that he challenge the results based on alleged polling irregularities. With almost all of the votes counted, Livni won by less than 2%, and her margin of victory was a scant 431 votes. Mofaz’s camp initially said he would appeal the results. Prime Minister Olmert had promised to resign after a new leader is chosen, but he can remain in power for several weeks while his replacement tries to form a new government, which is not a certainty. If the new party leader is unable to form a government, President Shimon Peres will ask another party leader to carry out the task or order new elections.

U.S. EMBASSY BOMBED IN YEMEN : by Ze’ev Ben-Yechiel
A car bomb exploded Wednesday September 18 at the front gate of the U.S. embassy in the capital of Yemen, killing at least 16 and injuring a number of others. Among the killed were six terrorists, six embassy guards and four civilians, and so far there have been no reports of casualties among the embassy staff. According to a Yemeni security official, there were two car bombs, confirming a report of two separate explosions from Ryan Gliha, the embassy’s spokesman. In addition, volleys of heavy gunfire were heard for 10 minutes following the blasts.

LIVNI WANTS OLMERT TO RESIGN : by Gil Ronen
The elected leader of the Kadima party, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, said at the faction’s Friday session (September 19) that it was time for Ehud Olmert to resign as Prime Minister. “Olmert said that he intended to retire once the results are in and I expressed my appreciation to him for the way his era ended,” she said. “From this moment on, because we have a country to run, we must act quickly.
Thirty-three months after he dramatically filled in for a stroke-stricken Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert - facing a number of corruption allegations - formally tendered his resignation to President Shimon Peres on Sunday evening September 21.

US CRISIS AND THE MIDDLE EAST : Dr. Yitzhak Klein
An economic crisis in America may leave the next President, whoever he is, with a lot less time and attention to deal with the Middle East Peace Process. It’s an ill wind, they say.

CANADA UPGRADING TO ISRAELI UAV’s : by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
In a decision that caused consternation among Canadian parliamentarians, the Canadian government decided to supply its troops in Afghanistan with two Israeli models of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Heron Skylark drones will be replacing the French Sperwer, currently deployed with Canadian forces in Kandahar. The 350-kilogram (772 lb.) Sperwer served its purpose in other theaters, but has proven to be too sensitive to the Afghani heat, dust and wind; whereas, the Israeli UAVs are designed to operate under such conditions, which are prevalent in the Middle East. Unveiled in March 2007, the Heron was Israel’s first long-range UAV, with a range estimated by foreign analysts to be up to 3,300 kilometers (2,000 miles).

RABBI : WINDOW FOR ALIYA CLOSING : by Ernie Singer
Rabbi Pinchas Winston of www.thirtysix.org says that now is a unique time in history for coming to live in Israel. Interviewed on Israel National Radio’s The Aliyah Revolution, Rabbi Winston said there are two stages to the in bringing of the exiles. The rabbi stated that the first stage happens in advance of the Messiah’s arrival, quoting Jewish sources that it is “totally a function of free will. It’s totally a function of a person’s willingness to give up some measure of materialism for the sake of… being closer to G-d and being in the Holy Land, and walking in those footsteps our great ancestors.” According to those sources, Jews coming in the first stage have benefits during Messianic times that Jews in the Diaspora won’t have until the resurrection of the dead.

SUNNI SHEIKH QARADAWI WARNS OF IRANIAN SHI’ITE THREAT : - Jonathan D. Halevy (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs-Hebrew)
Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the president of the World Union of Muslim Scholars and in the past a candidate to head the Muslim Brotherhood, came out with a harsh attack against Shiite penetration of Sunni Islamic society. In an interview with the newspaper Al-Mitzri Al-Yom (9Sep08), he warned of a religious and cultural invasion of Shiism through the establishment of local groups and the use of networks of veteran preachers whose purpose is to convert Sunni Muslims to Shiism. The confrontation is a further reminder that the true tensions in the Middle East are not connected to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

IRAN AIMS TO SURPASS SAUDI OIL REFINING : (Media Line/Jerusalem Post)
Iran plans to become the most productive oil refiner in the Gulf region by 2012, the director of the Refinery and Oil Products Distribution Company, Aminollah Eskandar, was quoted as saying Thursday September 18, by the Tehran Times. According to the plan, estimated to cost $22 billion, Iran will boost its capacity to 3.3 million barrels per day, while Saudi Arabia would reach 3 million only in 2015.

IRAN DISPLAYS SALMAN RUSHDIE’S COFFIN : - Tom Gross (Mideast Dispatch)
Author Salman Rushdie’s coffin was displayed at the “International Exhibition of the Koran” at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in central Tehran this week. There is a coffin for the State of Israel as well. There is also an exhibit glorifying Palestinian suicide bombers. Visitors have been paying their respects beside large portraits of these murderers while reading prayers for the destruction of Israel.

TERRORIST SHOT ATTACKING YITZHAR : by Gil Ronen
The Israel Defense Forces and Border Police successfully thwarted an attempt by an Arab terrorist to attack the Jewish community of Yitzhar in Samaria, and shot the terrorist dead. An IDF lookout identified the terrorist early Saturday morning September 20, as he made his way from the village of Asira al-Kabaliya toward the town.

HAMAS CEMENTS BUNKERS AND TUNNELS : by Hana Levi Julian
Hamas terrorists in Gaza are reportedly building bunkers with cement that is being shipped into the region for civilian use. The cement, which is being supplied along with other humanitarian aid that is sent into the region several times a week, is being confiscated by the terrorist party as it enters the area, according to a report published over in the Hebrew-language Ma’ariv newspaper. Hamas has built dozens of bunkers with the cement and is now engaged in building a network of tunnels to connect the bunkers with each other in a manner similar to that used by Hizbullah in southern Lebanon.

U.N. TO HOST AHMADINEJAD IN NEW YORK : by Malkah Fleisher
The president of the United Nations General Assembly, Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, will be attending a dinner in New York at which Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is a featured guest. Brockmann, a Catholic priest from Nicaragua who publicly criticizes the United States’s anti-terror war in Iraq and Afghanistan, will attend the dinner on September 25th, an event which was organized by five American Christian organizations and will be co-hosted by the Iranian mission to the U.N.