-
ISRAEL
- IT'S SUMMER MADNESS DURING ISRAEL'S LAST DAYS OR ISRAEL'S
CLOSING OUT SALE
- By Barry Chamish - June 6, 2007 www.thebarrychamishwebsite.com
- It's Israel's closing down sale with thousands of missiles
and rockets about to rub out the state. So we're celebrating
by offering 800 IDF soldiers for a top secret anthrax vaccine
experiment. The soldiers come complete with a wide variety of
ailments, all the way to epilepsy. And for only a few days, we'll
cover up all the damage to the young men and women who foolishly
wanted to defend the state. And for this week only, we'll offer
a spreading mutiny as the reserve soldiers from Sderot join in
the fun and refuse to do their military duty. Hurry, because
this mutiny may not last the summer. For the first 5.8 million
customers, we'll finally offer a great reason not to make Shimon
Peres your President. Besides his super record of serial murder,
he turned in Jonathan Pollard. Now where else can you get such
a bargain? And before we finally drown in an unforgettable barrage
of rockets, let's wipe out the Entebbe myth.
- Yes, our Mossad used the PFLP to arrange the fantastic Entebbe
hijacking and it's yours for the unbelievably low price of our
national sovereignty. But let's not forget the homosexuals in
your family. For this month only, the Ford Foundation is offering
to pay for both sides of a bloody march through Jerusalem. Don't
miss it! It's true folks, for a limited time only, Russia will
take over a major chunk of your capital and at no personal cost
to you. You gotta love those Ruskies, and they really, really
work. You remember how Kach set up Shimshon Cytryn to take the
low, low rap for the Gush Katif massive sellout sale? And how
Judge Edmond Levy offered us the fantabulous Rabin murder coverup.
And how father, Shmuel Cytryn got a once-in-a-lifetime 9 month
in the hole deal for identifying the Shabak star Avishai Raviv?
Well, now they're all altogether again in one easy-to-reach location,
helping you help them destroy your Israel. It won't last much
longer now, so read the notes on how you can gather all the savings
into your new home, wherever that may be. Continued: http://www.cephas-library.com/israels_last_days_or_israels_closing_out_sale.html
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- JEWS "WORST ENEMY" NOW OURS
- By: Henry Makow - "... She replied:" Didn't you
know that a Jew's greatest enemy is another Jew?"
- Story, 68, now a veteran British journalist, believes that
many Nazis who planned and implemented the Holocaust had Jewish
blood. Jews who belonged to the (Masonic) Illuminati conspiracy
"sided with the Luciferian German Nazis to exterminate
millions of their own race in what amounted to an inter-Jewish
civil war and ethnic cleansing operation..." (532)
- The motivation? Prevent Jews from disappearing as a nation
and trick them into becoming Zionists and advancing the New World
Order. He cites the famous article in the Jewish owned "Daily
Express" headlined "Judea Declares War on Germany"
(March 24, 1933). It states that Hitler "has aroused the
whole Jewish people to a national consciousness." (535)
- Before Hitler came to power, less than 3% of Germany's 500,000
Jews belonged to the Zionist movement.
- The account of the Nazi Jews is one of many startling revelations
in Story's new book, "The New Underworld Order"
which at 740 pages is an encyclopedia of the Illuminati conspiracy,
past and present. (The Illuminati is the highest echelon of Freemasonry.)
- The author is a devout Christian who has contacts in intelligence
services. His new book is a must-read for anyone seriously interested
in the NWO. I'm not saying everything is the gospel truth; you'll
have to weigh the information yourself. I question some interpretations
and details but this is natural in a work of this magnitude.
- NAZI JEWS: I emailed Story about his Eichmann claim. He referred
me to Jewish historian David Cesarani's "Eichmann: His Life
and Crimes." The book states that as a child Eichmann was
persecuted because he looked Jewish. Eichmann's stepmother had
Jewish relations and he associated with Jews. Later, as a Gestapo
officer, Eichmann learned Hebrew, visited Palestine and worked
closely with Zionists preparing Jews for emigration. Mr. Story
says Reinhard Heydrich's maternal grandmother was Jewish and
the fact forced Heydrich to commit heinous crimes out of gratitude
for not being exposed. (Wighton, "Heydrich: Hitler's Most
Evil Henchman" 1962).
According to Story, Himmler's grandfather was also Jewish,
as Hitler's was half-Jewish. Hitler wasn't even
an anti-Semite until he was recruited by the Illuminati. It's
possible that some part-Jews became anti-Semitic because they
were persecuted by Jews who didn't accept them.
- We must remember that by the 1930's, 60% of all German
Jewish marriages were interracial. In his book, "Hitler's
Jewish Soldiers" Brian Rigg states that 155,000
Nazi soldiers had Jewish blood, including some generals.
One of these, SS Lieut. General Horst Hoyer submitted a report
in 1952 on the role Nazi Jews played in the Holocaust. Helping
plan the "Final Solution" were Jews named Walter Sonnenschein,
Zuckerhorn, Spitze, Lowenstein, Gregor and Feckler. Organized
Jewry offered Hoyer 30,000 DM to suppress this report but he
refused. He was murdered some years later. (533) Continued:
- http://www.etherzone.com/2007/mako061107.shtml
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- ISRAELI PRESIDENT RESIGNS BUT AVOIDS JAIL TIME
 |
Under plea bargain, Katsav must step down but will not
face rape charges Oleg Popov / Reuters file Israel's President
Moshe Katsav addresses the media during a news conference in
Jerusalem in this Jan. 24, 2007, NBC World Blog
NBC News correspondents and producers around the globe share
their insight on news events. ET June 28, 2007
JERUSALEM - President Moshe Katsav signed a plea bargain Thursday
that will force him to resign but included no rape charges and
entailed no jail time, Attorney General Meni Mazuz said.
- Under the deal, Katsav — who had insisted he was innocent
of
- wrongdoing and the victim of a slur campaign — will
plead guilty to
|
|
Israel's President Moshe Katsav addresses the media during
a news conference in Jerusalem in this Jan. 24, 2007, photograph. |
|
sexual harassment, indecent acts and harassing a witness, Mazuz
said.Katsav will pay damages to complainants, but receive a suspended
sentence, he added. He did not say when Katsav would step aside,
and the president’s office had no details.Mazuz said Katsav
requested the plea bargain, which was finalized shortly before
a news conference began. |
There was no immediate comment from Katsav’s office following
the news conference.
- In the space of a year, Katsav has sunk from being “Israel’s
No. 1 citizen to a convicted sex offender,” Mazuz told the
news conference.
- Four women's accusations
Accusations against Katsav first surfaced a year ago, and eventually
spread to include four women who formerly worked with him in
the president’s office and earlier when he was tourism minister.
- In January, Mazuz announced he planned to indict Katsav on
charges of rape and lesser counts of sexual misconduct. But he
allowed Katsav’s attorneys to appear before him at a hearing
in May to plead their case, as is customary practice with senior
officials. At that two-part hearing, new evidence was presented,
he told the news conference, but did not give further details.
Many of the allegations expired under Israel’s statue of
limitations, Mazuz added. Katsav stepped aside in January to
fight the allegations against him, but did not quit. Lawmaker
Dalia Itzik took over on an acting basis. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19473965/
- -----
 [Ednote: President
Carter gets funding from this resource.]
- CARTER STANDS UP FOR HAMAS
WorldNetDaily.com by Joseph Farah - There's nothing I hate more
than cleaning up after Jimmy Carter's verbal messes. It's really
a full-time job. And I have several already.
- But I couldn't let this one go unanswered.
- During a speech to Ireland's eighth annual Forum on Human
Rights, the 83-year-old former president called for recognition
of one of the most vile, hateful, murderous terrorist groups
in the world Hamas, a strategic ally of both al-Qaida and Hezbollah.
Carter thinks it's unfair the U.S., European Union and Israel
have refused to recognize Hamas' victory in the 2006 Palestinian
Authority elections. The Islamists won 42 percent of the popular
vote and a majority of parliamentary seats. In fact, Carter doesn't
just think it's unfair that those elections results were ignored.
He thinks it is "criminal." Frankly, Carter seems to
be a fan of Hamas. He commended the group's "superior skills
and discipline" in routing Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction.
He commended the group for being "shrewd in selecting candidates"
in last year's election. Once again, the U.S. is the rogue the
criminal. To Carter, Hamas is a victim. Continued: http://support.tjci.org/site/PageServer?pagename=WeeklyarticleinEnews5&JServSessionIdr011=lg48ozvfr4.app8a
-
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- RABBIS ON THEIR WAY HOME TO ZION
by Ezra HaLevi
 (IsraelNN.com) Two American rabbis
featured on Israel National Radio’s Aliyah Revolution show
spoke about the future of American Jewry – in Israel.
- Rabbi Avi Weiss, of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale and
Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, says the question of his having not
yet made Aliyah (immigrated to Israel) is one he asks himself
every day. “I only feel very alive in the Land of Israel.
I don’t feel that alive - in a Jewish and emotional sense
- in the exile.”
- “The only place where we can fully express the mission
of the Nation of Israel is the Land of Israel. For me, Israel
is not only important as the place that guarantees political
refuge, not only as the place where more mitzvot can be performed,
not only the place that, given the high rate of assimilation
and intermarriage in the exile, can guarantee continuity –
it is much deeper than that. The Land of Israel is the only place
where we have the potential to carry out our responsibility as
the chosen people. In the exile we are not in control of our
destiny. It is only in the Jewish state that we have the potential
to be a beacon of light to the larger world.”
- “A Zionist is someone who lives in Israel,” said
Rabbi Weiss. “Who is a talmid chacham? The man or woman
who is versed in Torah. A benefactor of a Torah institution is
very important, but is not a talmid chacham. Similarly, a Zionist
is one who lives in the State of Israel, who lives in the Land
of Israel. I take the position that I am not a Zionist. I am
a strong supporter of Zionism - a doresh Zion – seeker of
Zion.”
- Rabbi Weiss explains that the classification of doresh Zion
is outlined in the Talmud (Tractate Rosh HaShana 30a). “It
is one who recognizes that their life in the Diaspora is incomplete.
It’s the person whose goal is to live in Israel. Who, while
living outside Israel, does tangible acts to connect to the land
- visiting Israel, buying Israeli products, connecting to and
calling friends in Israel, advocating for Israel, supporting
the redemptive mission of the people living in Israel. To quote
Rabbi Nachman of Breslav, ‘Wherever I am going I am going
to Israel.’”
- The veteran pulpit rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva says that there
are effectively two types of synagogues in America. “There
is the gola (exile) synagogue and the synagogue that, albeit
in the exile, is yearning for - is a doresh Zion.”
- “Clearly Aliyah must be made a priority. America has
become very, very comfortable and [Aliyah] has become less of
a priority [to many American Jews]. The history of these difficult
days will be written, the key chapters will be reserved for people
like [Nefesh B’Nefesh co-founder Rabbi] Joshua Fass. Nefesh
B’Nefesh has really lit a spark and instilled a new sense
of priority for yishuv haaretz.
- Asked whether a five-year plan to move his entire congregation
to Israel could work, Rabbi Weiss answered in the affirmative.
- Rabbi Announces Aliyah
Chicago Rabbi Zev Shandalov announced, two weeks ago to his life-long
congregation that he was making Aliyah. He explained his decision
last week in an op-ed on Arutz-7.
- Speaking with Israel National Radio, Rabbi Shandalov explained
why he made the decision, despite the ample reasons available
to him for staying in the US. “I can make many arguments
for why I should stay, but in the grand scheme of things, when
someone has an opportunity to do something that will make an
impact on others he has an obligation to do that.
- “Everything we talk about in prayers and hear in speeches
from rabbis and teachers all point in this direction. There are
58 mitzvot that cannot be performed outside Israel. I want to
not only be able to read the shulchan arukh (Code of Jewish Law),
but to accomplish what is written in it. I cannot be someone
who talks the talk without walking the walk. I believe and hope
that others will follow suit…I told the whole congregation
that anyone who was considering [making Aliyah] or thinking about
[it] to approach me so I could help in any way I could.”
- Plans Upon Arrival
“There is a need for American-style rabbis in Israel,”
Rabbi Shandalov says. “I could have chosen to stay here
until we retire, but I really want to help our fellow Jews in
Israel. I hope I have what to give.”
- “Over the last 7 years, I have had the merit to be in
Israel 15 times. During those trips, I have been able to make
connections and network in a way that would allow me to find
a position that would allow me to give. I don’t have a job
lined up, but I have faith that if we put ourselves out there,
it will work out.”
- Message to American Jews
“My message is as follows,” the rabbi says. “We
are extremely comfortable and safe in the US. Yes, comfort is
important and financial security is also important – but
just as we listen to HaShem to blow the shofar and build a sukkah,
we must listen and move to Israel.”
- Click here to listen to the interviews on Israel National
Radio's Aliyah Revolution show.
- http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/122934
-
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ISRAELI FUTUROLOGIST PREDICTS TERROR HORROR
Run for the hills - By Mark Ballard - published 21st June 2007
GMTMobile computing: Opportunities and risk - Free whitepaper
Western nations have less than 20 years to prepare for the next
generation of terror threats, according to Dr Yair Sharan, director
of Tel Aviv University's Interdisciplinary Centre for Technology
Analysis and Forecasting.
- These could consist of suicide bombers remote-controlled
by brain-chip implants and carrying nano-technology cluster bombs,
or biological compounds for which there is no antidote. It is
hard to imagine how we are supposed to prepare for such a future,
but Sharan, who presented his dire predictions to an audience
of spook industry bigwigs last week, has some idea about what
the US and its allies should do about it.
- "Europe is naive with its love of privacy," he
told The Register. "It's the weak point in the chain."
- The spook industry is already doing its best to prepare for
the worst, and gaining a sense of history about what it is doing.
- Sharan's take on geopolitics can only put wind in their sails:
"Why should we be more worried about death today?"
he said at the Royal United Services Institute conference on
Homeland Security last week.
- We get a better-educated class of terrorists these days,
he told the conference, while sci/tech advances can quickly find
their way into irresponsible hands, or "proliferate"
through the forces of globalisation. Not only that, technology
is always smaller and cheaper, making it inevitable that bad
people are going to get their hands on some bad-ass weaponry.
- Most bizarre of all his predictions is "the recruitment
of huge numbers of suicidal candidates - human bombs - by mind
control techniques".
- Brain chip implants could create a more obedient servant
than conventional techniques like hypnosis: "Imagine that
this suicide bomber is remote controlled and cannot give up,
even if he wants," warned Sharan.
- This might be some way off, though - Sharan estimated it
would be more than 10 years. Within five years, however, we might
be faced with terrorists armed with powerful new explosives delivered
by robot. Even remote controlled toys might be used to deliver
dangerous payloads into crowded places like supermarkets, he
said.
- Some of these payloads, also conceivably within five years,
would be constructed using radical nanotechnology that could
produce something called the MOAB, or Mother of All Bombs. Nanotechnology,
which is made using components one billionth of a metre across,
might also give terrorists the means to release malicious nanobots
into people's bloodstreams.
- Terrorists might also get their hands on new biotechnology
that could give them powerful new weapons. "Imagine anthrax
that would stand against antibiotics," he said. "It's
possible to do that - to build a new kind of anthrax that would
be resistant. It was done by Russia - the knowledge is there
and might fall into the hands of terrorists."
- Sharan said we should also worry about terrorists getting
their hands on cluster bombs. Now where might they have got that
idea? http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/21/future_terror/
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- HAMAS TRIED TO TAKE CONTROL OF TEMPLE MOUNT
by Hana Levi Julian - (IsraelNN.com) The Israel Security Agency
(Shin Bet) and police revealed Monday morning a sting operation
that resulted in the arrest of 11 Hamas officials who led an
effort to take over the Temple Mount from the Jordanian Wakf.
Ten of those arrested possess cards identifying themselves as
Israeli citizens.
- One of the detainees is 39-year-old Nasser Yaakuv Abu S’oud,
who carried out money transfers for Hamas and other activities
for the group on the Temple Mount. Abu S’oud was not directly
involved in weapons-related activities, nor was 47-year-old businessman
Amin S’wini. He was also involved in funds transfers and
other Hamas activity in the capital.
- "Their goal is to gain full control over the Temple
Mount," a security official said, adding that the Hamas
terrorist party has built a bathroom and expanded its library
and prayer rooms at the Temple Mount.
- Hamas, funded by Syria, Iran and other Arab nations, has
invested millions of dollars in the Temple Mount site, where
it has conducted tours and preached Hamas ideology.
- The terrorist organization has provided social services support
to low-income Arabs living in eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods,
thus cementing its support in the population.
- Shin Bet sources reported Hamas terrorists have used the
identity cards to operate throughout Israel, gaining grassroots
support among the Palestinian Authority and Israeli Arab population,
which it uses to recruit new members.
- Covert surveillance by security personnel has revealed that
the terrorist organization, which took over Gaza in a bloody
civil war with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah organization,
is working actively to consolidate its control over the Temple
Mount complex.
- “If it wasn’t for this operation, Israel could
have been dealt a harsh blow,” said a senior Shin Bet official.
- http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/122947
- -----
- BARAK: OLMERT MUST GO
by Hana Levi Julian -  (IsraelNN.com)
Three weeks after winning the Labor Party primaries to become
the party’s new Chairman and wresting the Defense portfolio
from former Labor Party Chairman Amir Peretz, Ehud Barak says
he hopes to become the country’s next Prime Minister.
- At the Labor Central Committee gathering Sunday night, Barak
reiterated his pre-primary pledge to the central committee members
that he would pull the party out of the government coalition
if Kadima Prime Minister Ehud Olmert does not resign following
the publication of the final Winograd Report.
- Barak took control at the Labor Central Committee by securing
his position as the party’s candidate for Prime Minister
in the next elections. The vote by the central committee eliminates
the need for a primary election by the rank and file membership.
- Knesset Member and former primary candidate for the party’s
chairmanship, Ophir Pines-Paz sponsored the motion, who told
reporters, “We chose Barak. Let’s give him a genuine
opportunity to lead the party.”
- The Winograd Commission was tasked with conducting the probe
into the government’s performance during the Second Lebanon
War. The commission's interim report, published three months
ago, harshly criticized Prime Minister Olmert, then-Defense Minister
Amir Peretz, and then-IDF Chief of General Staff, Lt.-Gen. Dan
Halutz. Halutz resigned before the interim report was released
and after an internal army investigation held him responsible
for much of the mismanagement of the war by the IDF top brass.
Peretz lost the Labor Party chairmanship last month to Barak.
- Barak also decided to replace current Deputy Defense Minister
Ephriam Sneh with MK Matan Vilnai, despite the fact that Sneh
served previously as Deputy Defense Minister in the former Barak
government.
- Sneh also served as Deputy Defense Minister to the recently-ousted
Amir Peretz, and the message Sunday night was clear: a new party
leadership – and the future hopes of a new government leadership
-- are in the making.
- -----
- TWO DECLARATIONS, UPDATES ON (POLITICAL) ZIONIST LIES,
- AND BOYCOTTS UPDATES
- A Declaration of Independence from Israel by Chris Hedges
"Middle Eastern policy is shaped in the United States by
those with very close ties to the Israel lobby....The future
is ominous. Not only do Israel?s foreign policy objectives not
coincide with American interests, they actively hurt them. The
growing belligerence in the Middle East, the calls for an attack
against Iran, the collapse of the imperial project in Iraq have
all given an opening, where there was none before, to America?s
rivals. It is not in Israel?s interests to ignite a regional
conflict. It is not in ours. But those who have their hands on
the wheel seem determined, in the name of freedom and democracy,
to keep the American ship of state headed at breakneck speed
into the cliffs before us." http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/06/30/2231/
...... More Boycotts / Divestment successes:
New England Conference of the United Methodist Church issues
recommendations for divestment http://www.neumc.org/divest
Call for boycott of Israel surfaces at University of British
Columbia, Vancouver, Canada http://www.jewsforajustpeace.com/pages/news/boycott01.html
- For a draft compilation of other initiatives and successes,
visit http://www.qumsiyeh.org/boycottsanddivestment/
- More than 50 Palestinians from across the United States gathered
in Chicago June 15-17, 2007, for an organizing meeting to prepare
for the U.S. Popular Palestinian National Conference, a conference
that includes the broadest sectors of the Palestinian community
in the U.S., scheduled to coincide with the 60th Anniversary
of Al Nakba. The organizing focused on realizing the objectives
of establishing a network that will act as an open arena where
Palestinians residing in the U.S., regardless of their organizational
or political affiliation, will come together to:
- "discuss the state of our communities, collaborate in
creating cultural works, create and nurture relationships with
other Palestinian communities globally, compare and refine strategies,
interlink efforts, plan joint actions, inform one another and
the community about work on behalf of Palestinian national and
human rights
- Previous meetings were held in Detroit and Cleveland, however,
the increased energy behind this initiative was signaled by the
high number of new attendees. The meeting participants represented
a wide array of political, organizational, geographic and generational
constituencies and in the face of new tactics to annihilate the
Palestinian national cause and its people in Lebanon, Iraq and
Palestine, the attendees reaffirmed the points of unity upon
which this initiative is based.
- During these challenging times in the history of the Palestinian
struggle, the attendees reminded each other and the world of
the sanctity of Palestinian life and reiterated the commitment
made in Detroit to "revitalizing grassroots activism, speak
confidently for ourselves, and to unleash our potential as the
agents of change in our collective struggle for justice, return
and liberation."
- The decision was made to hold the conference in Chicago the
weekend of 8/8/08. The weekend of 11/2/07 was designated as a
national weekend of mobilization, education and outreach to our
local Palestinian communities regarding this initiative. Practical
steps were undertaken to build the network and the committees
reported on progress and plans for the upcoming year. Specific
goals were developed by consensus and volunteers stepped forward
to take on the tasks. The Outreach Committee agreed to expand
the database of contact information for mixed and Palestinian
organizations and created focused subcommittees for students,
religious community, and media. Work by the students subcommittee
began and the media subcommittee decided to immediately develop
a promotional video, brochures and advertisements. Continued:
http://www.palestineconference.org
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- ABBAS TO BUSH: RESUME PEACE TALKS NOW
Abbas Tells Bush To Resume Mideast Peace Talks; Bush Expresses
Support For Abbas
RAMALLAH, West Bank, Jun. 18, 2007 - (AP) Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas told President Bush in a telephone call Monday
that now is the time to resume Mideast peace talks, a spokesman
said. The call focused on the ongoing situation following the
takeover of the Gaza Strip last week by the Islamic militant
Hamas group, aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh told the official Palestinian
news agency WAFA. "President Abbas told Mr. Bush that this
is the time to resume the political negotiations and to revive
the hope of the Palestinian people," Abu Rdeneh said.
- He said Bush affirmed his support for Abbas' policies and
the measures he's taken. The White House said Bush called Abbas
"to express support for him and the Palestinian moderates."
Bush welcomed Abbas' suggestions and ideas "and said clearly
these are areas for a lot of discussion the rest of this week,"
National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in Washington.
Bush will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday.
"He (Bush) will raise these issues with Prime Minister Olmert
so all parties involved can discuss them and can discuss the
best way forward to what everyone wants, which is a Palestinian
state living side by side in peace with Israel," Johndroe
said.
- Continued: http://www.cephas-library.com/israel_abbas_to_bush_resume_peace_talks_now.html
EGYPT TO HOST OLMERT-ABBAS
SUMMIT MONDAY
- 6/21/2007 - By Aluf Benn, Avi Issacharoff and Barak Ravid,
Haaretz Correspondents - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has
invited Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian Authority Chairman
Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah II to attend a summit
in Egypt early next week, a senior aide to Abbas said Thursday.
The regional summit is scheduled to take place at the Sinai resort
of Sharm el-Sheikh. Prime Minister's Office Spokesman David Baker
on Thursday confirmed there will be a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh
on Monday, saying the purpose of the summit will be to strengthen
moderates and to further the Israeli-Palestinian agenda. http://www.haaretz.com/
- -----
- OLMERT: ASSAD WANTS TALKS, BUT ONLY WITH BUSH
 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. (Bau
Bau)
13/07/2007 - By Aluf Benn, Shmuel Rosner, and Barak Ravid, Haaretz
Correspondents - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met Wednesday in
Tel Aviv with ambassadors of European Union countries to Israel,
a gathering that in great part focused on Syria and the possibility
of a renewal of peace talks.
- Olmert acknowledged that the Syrian talks is an issue that
the ambassadors are very interested to discuss, and stressed
that he did not believe there was a threat of war.
- Olmert said: "Syria does not want war and neither does
Israel, but this does not mean that the situation will turn into
negotiations. Assad says he wants negotiations, but in practice
he means negotiations with the United States and [President George]
Bush and not with Israel," the prime minister noted. One
of the ambassadors told Olmert that while Israel is opposed to
Syrian preconditions to negotiations, it did not hesitate to
do the same with the Palestinians, such as presenting the right
of return of Palestinian refugees as a "red line" for
Israel.
- "There is a difference between preconditions and early
positions," Olmert said. "We say to the Palestinians
what our position is on the issue of the right of return, but
this does not mean that the matter cannot be raised in negotiations.
For their part, the Syrians want entire subjects determined before
the negotiations."
- Also on Wednesday, a United Nations representative, Michael
Williams, told reporters that during his visit to Damascus several
weeks ago, he heard encouraging messages from senior Syrian officials.
- According to Williams, the UN special coordinator for the
Middle East, Syrian officials expressed their willingness to
alter their ties with Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas, if there is
progress in the peace process with Israel.
- Williams said that he related his "impressions"
from his talks in Syria to Olmert and other Israeli officials.
- "The Syrian side has basically said, 'Look the work
is done. It's here in the drawer. The big issues like water,
security, access were all looked at then, were pretty much thrashed
out. So if negotiations were resumed, then maybe we could make
real progress,'" Williams told Reuters. However, the UN
diplomat noted, there are difficulties. "It is difficult.
There's an awkwardness on both sides which stems from the history
of their relationship over 60 years. It's very difficult to remove
the suspicions and antipathies that have resulted from that,"
Williams said. The Prime Minister's Bureau issued a statement
in response to Williams' interview, stating that "President
[Bashar] Assad knows that Israel is offering him direct negotiations,
that we believe it is best done secretly. The prime minister
has said this in an interview this week to Al-Arabiya [news network].
We are still waiting for a response or comment from Syria.
- Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told the French magazine
Le Nouvel Observateur, in an interview that was published on
Wednesday, that "Syria is a country that continues to play
a dangerous game in the region, supports Hezbollah, refuses to
recognize Lebanon's independence and continues to pose a threat."
- Also on Wednesday, it became public that Prime Minister Olmert
made a secret visit to Jordan on Wednesday, where he met with
King Abdullah. The Prime Minister's Bureau refused to comment
on the meeting, news of which was first broken on Channel Two.
- Prior to his trip to Jordan, Olmert told ministers in his
government that the meeting would focus on furthering relations
between the two countries following the transfer of Jordanian
prisoners held in Israel to the Hashemite Kingdom. The prime
minister said he would also discuss with King Abdullah the new
situation that has emerged in the region following the Hamas
takeover in the Gaza Strip. Also on Wednesday, it was announced
that the scheduled visit of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice to the region next week was canceled. American sources said
the last-minute decision to cancel the visit was made because
of the efforts in Congress to pass legislation that will limit
the American presence in Iraq.
- At a lengthy press conference, President George W. Bush,
said that Rice and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates would travel
to the Middle East in early August. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/881449.html
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 U.S.: THOUSANDS RALLY FOR IDF
TROOPS
By MICHAL LANDO - New York - Jul. 16, 2007 One year after the
capture of two IDF reservists that sparked the Second Lebanon
War, about a thousand Americans rallied outside the United Nations
to once again demand that the international body do more to release
Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, as well as Gilad Schalit, kidnapped
on the Gaza border.
- Speaking at the rally, Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel said the
"cowards and criminals" who captured the soldiers a
year ago "must and will realize that their inhuman behavior
has caused international outrage to all civilized people."
- Joining him at the podium were national leaders and dignitaries,
including Karnit and Miki Goldwasser, wife and mother, respectively,
of kidnapped reservist Ehud Goldwasser; Israel's Consul-General
in New York Arye Mekel; national, state and local legislators,
and leaders of the African-American, Korean, Latino, Russian-speaking,
and Turkish-American communities. Organizers included the American
Zionist Movement, the Conference of Presidents of Major American
Jewish Organizations, the Jewish Community Relations Council
of New York, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, UJA-Federation
of New York, and the United Jewish Communities. Following the
rally, a petition with more than 50,000 signatures was delivered
to the UN demanding the unconditional release of the Israeli
soldiers kidnapped by Hamas and Hizbullah.
- The theme of the rally was "We have not forgotten and
we will not forget," a symbol of American Jews' commitment
to actively participate in efforts to return the soldiers, and
pressure the UN, along with other international organizations,
to secure their release. "The release of BBC reporter Alan
Johnston demonstrates that international pressure does work,"
said Conference of Presidents Chairperson June Walker. But several
of the speakers expressed dismay with the UN for failing to abide
by Resolution 1701, which demands the soldiers' release. Continued:
- http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1184613675440&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
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- NAZARETH WANTS WORLD'S LARGEST CROSS
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS - JPost.com Jul. 15, 2007
 |
A computer-generated image of the world's largest cross, set
to be built in Nazareth pending municipal approval. |
The world's largest cross will be built in the Israeli Arab town
of Nazareth in an attempt to draw millions of Christian tourists
to the boyhood town of Jesus, according to an initial private
building plan under consideration, officials said Sunday. The
proposal, which is still in its planning stages, is being floated
by a group of affluent Christian businessmen from Israel and
abroad.
- The massive cross, dubbed "The Nazareth Cross,"
would tower 60 meters high, and would be decorated by some 7.2
million brilliant mosaic tiles made of Nazareth stone, according
to project adviser Ibrahim Boulous. The plans for the cross,
which would be built next to the English Hospital in the ancient
city, are still being worked on, and could be changed in the
coming weeks, Boulous said. Continued:
- http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1184489825284&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
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