Print Page - Israel and Syria - Several news items that look towards Isaiah 17

IDF ups alert level on northern border
yaakov katz and jpost staff , THE JERUSALEM POST Sep. 21, 2007

The IDF has raised the level of alert along Israel's northern border out of concern that Syria will attempt to retaliate for an alleged IAF attack within its borders on September 6.

Meanwhile, the IDF has also declared a closure on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to remain in effect until the end of the Yom Kippur fast.

In Gaza, IDF forces attacked a cell responsible for firing mortar shells at Israel, including a round of five mortars that landed on the Israeli side of the Gaza security fence earlier Friday.

Also Friday, a Kassam rocket hit the western Negev. No wounded or damage were reported as a result of either the rocket or the shelling.

Overnight Thursday, IDF forces arrested a man who security forces believed had masterminded a terror attack planned for Tel Aviv this weekend.

The suspect, a senior commander of Hamas and the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), was captured during an IDF operation in Nablus.

Earlier on Thursday, IDF forces thwarted the suicide bombing by capturing members of the terrorist cell who were expected to carry out the attack.

In Nablus, troops from the Haruv and Paratrooper reconnaissance battalions entered the Ein Bet Ilmeh refugee camp on Tuesday to hunt down the three-man cell - the bomber, the recruiter and the dispatcher. The explosives belt was not found.

The operation, in which 31 fugitives were detained, had been scheduled to end by Friday, security sources said.

IDF ups alert level on northern border (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411456452&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Damascus eager to respond to Israel flyover

Senior Ba'ath official tells Arab-Israeli reporter there is growing consensus among Syrian leadership for need to retaliate to reported Israeli violation of Syrian airspace

Roee Nahmias
Published: 09.20.07, 21:05
Israel News

A senior official in the ruling Syrian Ba'ath party said Thursday there was growing consensus among the Syrian leadership for the need to launch a military response to Israel's reported airstrike in Syria two weeks ago.

The official said the Syrian air force has been placed on high alert.

The official made the remarks to a reporter from the Arab-Israeli newspaper Al-Hadath during a visit to Jordan.

The official said Israel ordered the flyover in Syrian airspace to test air defense systems newly acquired from Russia.

The official reject reports that Israel destroyed nuclear equipment sent to Syria from North Korea who has agreed to dismantle its nuclear facilities in exchange for generous aide packages.

The official accused Israel and the United States of conspiring to ignite a war in the region in Iran and Syria did not bow to Washington's demands.

Washington has accused Syria of smuggling Iranian arms to Hizbullah in Lebanon and of facilitating the flow of insurgents into Iraq. The United States is also pushing for a third round of UN sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program.

"The Syrians are well aware of the Israel threat and are following Israel's military maneuvers in the north and in the Golan Heights and are wary that Israel would seek to salvage itself from the internal crisis by igniting crises abroad," he said.
The official also brushed off reports that Israel had targeted an Iranian weapons shipment to Hizbullah.

"Israel is seeking to impose a certain policy on the Syrian leadership so that it retracts on its national objective to reclaim occupied lands and to punish it for supporting the resistance in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq," the official said.

Damascus eager to respond to Israel flyover (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3451878,00.html)

North Korea, Syria hold talks amid suspicions

Fri Sep 21, 5:34 AM ET

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea and Syria held high-level talks Friday in Pyongyang, the North's state media reported, amid suspicions that the two countries might be cooperating on a nuclear weapons program.

The talks took place between Choe Tae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party, and Saaeed Eleia Dawood, director of the organizational department of Syria's Baath Arab Socialist Party, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

The two sides discussed ways of improving friendship and cooperation and other issues of bilateral interest, KCNA said without elaborating.

Their meeting drew attention because it came amid suspicions that North Korea may be providing nuclear assistance to Syria, a charge that both Pyongyang and Damascus deny.

The allegations arose after an alleged Israeli air raid earlier this month on unknown Syrian targets possibly connected to a weapons program.

Andrew Semmel, acting U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for nuclear nonproliferation policy, said last week that North Koreans were in Syria, and that Syria may have had contacts with "secret suppliers" to obtain nuclear equipment.

Semmel did not identify the suppliers, but said North Koreans were in Syria and that he could not exclude that the network run by the disgraced Pakistan nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan may have been involved.

President Bush, when asked at a news conference Thursday about the suspicions that North Korea is giving nuclear assistance to Syria, said, "We expect them not to."

North Korea, Syria hold talks amid suspicions (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070921/ap_on_re_as/nkorea_syria;_ylt=AtZQiEvydSIcrRisyiUSu2cBxg8F)

Israel wants peace but knows how to fight wars

Defense minister says during commemoration ceremony for fallen paratroopers, 'We want peace even when voices of war arise in Syria and swords are being readied in Iran'

Yonit Atlas
Published: 09.20.07, 20:55
Israel News

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday that Israel was not interested in war but is strong enough to defend itself should its neighbors attack.

"We can win in every situation. We want peace even when voices of war arise in Syria and swords are being readied in Iran," Barak said during a ceremony at the Har Nof air force base to commemorate fallen IDF paratroopers.

"I promise to continue to defend the state of Israel. The threats are now different in nature and are more dangerous. It is now the 60th year since Israel's inception, and are still conspiring to wage war against us, but we are not resting - we are dreaming of peace, building, sowing and fighting," he said.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told those on hand that "many failures were exposed during last summer's war in Lebanon, and we are constantly working to correct them.

"Only a strong, capable and prepared IDF can serve as a true security net for Israel's continued existence," he said.

The army chief also addressed last Tuesday's incident in Nablus in which an IDF soldier was killed, saying "the fighters of the Paratrooper Brigade's reconnaissance unit raided a refugee camp with the aim of apprehending terrorists and thwarting a terror attack in Israel's home front.

"There, in the alleyways of the camp in the heart of the Casba, a battle erupted in which our soldiers once again showed determination, professionalism and courage. We paid a heavy price - Ben-Zion Haim Henman was shot and killed. His comrades were not deterred and continued fighting. They killed the terrorists who shot their friend and are completing the mission, in keeping with the Paratrooper Brigade's tradition and the spirit of the IDF."

Israel wants peace but knows how to fight wars (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3451872,00.html)

Israel to Syria: Use chem weapons & we'll wipe you off map

BY MATTHEW KALMAN in Jerusalem and BILL HUTCHINSON in New York
DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Thursday, September 20th 2007, 4:00 AM

Israeli officials vowed to wipe Syria off the map if it is attacked with chemical weapons like one that reportedly exploded in July at a secret Syrian base staffed with Iranian engineers.

Politicians in Israel said yesterday they were not picking a fight with their neighbor, but pledged to forcefully retaliate if chemical warheads come screaming across its shared border.

"We will not attack them first. But if they ever use these weapons against Israel, then we must be clear — it will be the end of this evil and brutal dictatorship," Yuval Steinitz, a right-wing member of the Israeli parliament, told the Daily News yesterday.

Sparking shock waves across the Middle East was a report in Jane's Defence Weekly about an accidental explosion at a top secret Syrian base in July.

Citing Syrian intelligence sources, the report claimed a team of Iranian and Syrian engineers were killed July 26 while trying to arm a Scud-C missile with a mustard gas warhead.

Syrian official news agency, SANA, reported that least 15 Syrian military personnel had been "martyred" and 50 others injured in the blast near the northern city of Aleppo on the Turkish border. It claimed the early morning explosion was caused by the high temperatures.

The SANA report mentioned nothing of Iranian personnel killed in the mishap.

Jane's said dozens of Iranian workers were among those who died when a fire in the missile's engine triggered the explosion and release of a toxic cloud of lethal chemical agents banned under international law.

U.S. intelligence sources played down the report saying they've seen no credible evidence chemical weapons were involved in the Syrian accident.

Israel to Syria: Use chem weapons & we'll wipe you off map (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/2007/09/19/2007-09-19_israel_to_syria_use_chem_weapons__well_w.html?print=1)

Quote from: Pastor Roger on September 21, 2007, 04:39:51 PM

Amen, brother. We are about to see more of Biblical prophecy in the making.

Amen brother I just checked WND and guess who posted an article....... Hal Lindsey
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Prophesied destruction of Damascus imminent?
Hal Lindsey
Posted: September 21, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

A stunning report published by Jane's Defense Weekly confirms rumors of a July explosion at a Syrian military base at al-Safir, near Aleppo, in which reportedly "dozens" of Iranian engineers were killed along with their Syrian counterparts.

Syria had originally dismissed reports of the explosion by saying the blast was generated by the desert heat causing the accidental detonation of a stockpile of explosives.

Jane's reported that the explosion was actually triggered while the engineers were fitting a chemical warhead onto a Scud-C missile. The explosion and fire released containers of the deadly nerve agents VX and sarin gas, as well as a mustard gas blistering agent.

Israeli Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter told reporters this week, "Iran has entered into strategic cooperation with Syria on conventional and nonconventional weapons development," adding, "The Iranians are very big in Syria."

Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is preparing Syria to cover his flank, should war break out between Israel and Iran over Tehran's nuclear arsenal. Ahmadinejad is evidently gambling on Syria taking out Israel while Iran squares off against the United States. Were Iran and Israel to face each other head-to-head, one or the other would inevitably cease to exist. Israel would have no choice but to annihilate Iran before Iran annihilated Israel.

Israel's "Samson Option" is named after the biblical judge who sacrificed himself in order to take his enemies with him. In the event of its impending destruction, Israel's retaliatory plan involves taking the Middle East along with it.

As the Iraq experience has proved, war with the United States is survivable. The terms of Israel's "Samson Option" mean war with Israel involving first-use weapons of mass destruction is not.

To Ahmadinejad's way of thinking, if somebody has to be martyred to the Mahdi's cause, why not Syria? Twenty-five hundred odd years ago, the Hebrew prophet Isaiah prophesied of the destruction of Damascus. This prophecy is made more fascinating by the fact it remains unfulfilled in history.

Damascus is the oldest continually inhabited city on earth. Although conquered many times, its status as an economic and cultural center of antiquity preserved it intact to this day.

But Isaiah predicted Damascus would one day face utter destruction: "Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city and it will become a fallen ruin," he writes in Isaiah 17:1.

The prophet also predicts Damascus' destruction will come at a time when "the glory of Jacob" had begun to fade (verse 4), at a time when Israel is in great peril of being "shaken like an olive tree," leaving only a few "on the topmost bough."

Isaiah prophesies that, when Damascus' destruction comes, there will be "an uproar of many peoples" and "the rumbling of nations" but that they will flee at God's rebuke.

It seems clear from recent events that Syria is preparing chemical and biological weapons, and possibly some form of nuclear weapon for use in some future war against Israel. Syria and Iran have been outfitting Hezbollah with the latest in offensive weaponry since the war of June 2006.

Israel is unlikely to sit back and wait for a first-use chemical or gas attack from Damascus. Neither is it likely to wait until Ahmadinejad can use Syria to flank them in the event of conflict with Iran. So the number of Israeli raids against Syrian targets is likely to escalate until either Israel has destroyed the threat or Syria responds militarily. If Syria attacks with weapons of mass destruction, it can expect a massive, in-kind Israeli response.

Bible prophecy doesn't make allowances for a full-scale unconventional war of annihilation of Israel by Iran, however. Ezekiel predicts Iran's participation of the Gog-Magog invasion as part of a Russian-led alliance, not a regional alliance with Syria. Both Iran and Israel are listed as participants in that future conflict.

But Syria isn't.

Syria isn't numbered among any of the various protagonists prophesied to participate in the conflicts of the last days.

Isaiah describes the destruction of Damascus in much the same terms that would be used today to describe the effects of all-out, no-holds-barred Israeli retaliatory strike against a Syrian gas attack.

"At evening time, behold, there is terror! Before morning, they are no more" (Isaiah 17:13-14).

Assad had better reconsider his options – while he still has some.
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In the mean time brothers, and sisters...................

KEEP LOOKING UP!!

The demise of Damascus is prophesied in three different places in the Bible. Isaiah 17 is one of them. This prophecy is in the future, awaiting fulfillment, it could happen soon.

Damascus is a central hub of terrorism today. Several of the most prominent terrorist organizations have their headquarters there, and coordinate their operations from there. With the United States and Israel aligning against Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah, it is not hard to see today how circumstances could quickly fall into place.

Isaiah 17:1 THE MOURNFUL, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Damascus [capital of Syria, and Israel's bulwark against Assyria]. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.

Looking at this, I see the prophecy is not only about the destruction of Damascus, but the thorough dissolution of its status as a city. The city will be taken away. After this scripture is fulfilled, there will never be a city called Damascus again. If Isaiah had only said "Damascus will be destroyed", then presumably, it could be rebuilt. But the impact is stronger than that. Damascus will be negated from being a city.

A phrase in verse three also confirms this. The sovereignty, the royal power, the kingdom "will disappear from Damascus." Though it is the seat of government, capital of Syria, that status will be removed, and it will no longer function as such.

So I can see that this prophecy could not have taken place, or else Damascus would not now exist as a city. Yet some folks claim this was historically fulfilled in 732 BC by the Assyrians under Tiglath-Pileser III. However, neither the Bible (which records the incident in 2 Kings 16:9) nor the ancient Assyrian inscriptions found at Ninevah say the city was destroyed, just captured. It certainly did not cease to exist.

Also, it is important to note that the three Biblical prophecies about the doom of Damascus Isaiah 17, Jeremiah 49, Zechariah 9 were written over a span of 200 years. Therefore, even a fulfillment in Isaiah's day would not satisfy the requirements of the other prophecies, written later. Regarding Jeremiah's prophecy about Damascus, the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar did conquer the city in 605 BC, but there is no record of it being destroyed then. Neither did Zechariah's prophecy receive a fulfillment. Alexander the Great did also subsequently take Damascus in 332 BC, but without bloodshed or destruction.

Isaiah 17:2 The cities of Aroer [east of the Jordan] are forsaken; they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

This reference to "Aroer" it is a region on the northern bank of the Arnon River in what is today Jordan. At the time of Moses, it marked the southern boundary of the territory given to the two and a half tribes who received their land inheritance on the east side of the Jordan River. That Aroer was in the territory of Reuben. There was another Aroer in the territory of Gad as well, very near Rabbah. Rabbah is today called Amman, the modern capital of Jordan. So Isaiah may be indicating that the Jordanians will be involved as well. Either by accident, or

Does this mean that the nation of Jordan will be party to whatever conflict causes the destruction of Damascus? The textual proximity of prophecies against Moab and Ammon who resided in today's Jordan in Isaiah 15-16 and Jeremiah 48-49 to the prophecies against Damascus provide circumstantial evidence for this. In fact, Jeremiah 49:1-2 uses similar terminology when describing the fate of Rabbah, Amman as Israel regains possession of its land on the east bank of the Jordan. So it is possible that both Amman and Damascus will be destroyed in the same actions, and the "flocks that will lie down" there in safety are the Jews who will repossess that land.

Isaiah 17:3 His bulwark [Syria] and the fortress shall disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the [departed] glory of the children of Israel [her ally], says the Lord of hosts.

Just as in the previous verse we saw a possible hidden reference to Amman, Jordan, here we see a possible hidden reference to the Palestinian Authority. The territory allocated to the tribe of Ephraim sits at the very heart of the so-called "West Bank". So the "fortifications" described in verse 3 are probably a symbolic reference to the terrorist strongholds that will be eliminated. If Isaiah were writing it today, he might say, "The PLO forces will vanish from the West Bank."

This seems to hint that the Palestinians as well will be involved in whatever events lead to the destruction of Damascus. At the same time the governing authority disappears from Damascus, the military units of the Palestinians disappear from the West Bank.

The final phrase in verse 3, "the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the sons of Israel," is another emphatic statement about the scope of the judgment against Syria. Isaiah was writing in the days when the Assyrians had devastated the northern kingdom (ten tribes) of Israel. So Isaiah is saying that Syria's ultimate fate would be similar.

Isaiah 17:4-6 And in that day the former glory of Jacob [Israel--his might, his population, his prosperity] shall be enfeebled, and the fat of his flesh shall become lean.5 And it shall be as when the reaper gathers the standing grain and his arm harvests the ears; yes, it shall be as when one gathers the ears of grain in the fertile Valley of Rephaim.6 Yet gleanings [of grapes] shall be left in it [the land of Israel], as after the beating of an olive tree [with a stick], two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outermost branches of the fruitful tree, says the Lord, the God of Israel.

In the this section, the focus changes from Damascus to Israel. In fact, Damascus is not even directly mentioned in the rest of the chapter. However, because of the structure of this oracle, we surmise that the effects on Israel described in the remaining verses are in conjunction with the conflict with Damascus.

Isaiah uses several metaphors to describe the consequences on Israel. Some of those consequences are very negative, but they lead to a positive spiritual revolution described in verses 7-8.

But first, the negatives. Verse 4 describes a process of enfeeblement and emaciation for Israel. Then verses 5-6 depict visuals of privation and desolation. This desolation seems to effect Israel's "strong cities", according to verse 9. This would be a reference to Israel's population center on the Mediterranean coast, where the major cities are. Later on in the chapter, Isaiah calls it "a day of grief and incurable pain."

How might we interpret these scenes, given the context?? It seems plausible that the destruction leveled against Damascus is God's response to devastation it has wreaked upon Israel's population center, the "strong cities".

Isaiah 17:7 In that day will men look to their Maker, and their eyes shall regard the Holy One of Israel.

God will use the desperate circumstances to turn the gaze of Israel to Himself. This seems to be the answer to the question "what will it take for the nation of Israel to come back to their God?" It is confirmed in Zechariah 9 as well, one of the other places where doom is declared upon Damascus.

Zechariah 9:1 THE BURDEN or oracle (the thing to be lifted up) of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach [in Syria], and Damascus shall be its resting place, for the Lord has an eye upon mankind as upon all the tribes of Israel,

What happens to Damascus, and the misery for Israel, will be a very effective attention getting world wide.

Israel, U.S. Shared Data On Suspected Nuclear Site
Bush Was Told of North Korean Presence in Syria, Sources Say

By Glenn Kessler and Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, September 21, 2007; Page A01 <--- (You notice how far back in the paper this was printed?)

Israel's decision to attack Syria on Sept. 6, bombing a suspected nuclear site set up in apparent collaboration with North Korea, came after Israel shared intelligence with President Bush this summer indicating that North Korean nuclear personnel were in Syria, U.S. government sources said.

The Bush administration has not commented on the Israeli raid or the underlying intelligence. Although the administration was deeply troubled by Israel's assertion that North Korea was assisting the nuclear ambitions of a country closely linked with Iran, sources said, the White House opted against an immediate response because of concerns it would undermine long-running negotiations aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear program.

Ultimately, however, the United States is believed to have provided Israel with some corroboration of the original intelligence before Israel proceeded with the raid, which hit the Syrian facility in the dead of night to minimize possible casualties, the sources said.

The target of Israel's attack was said to be in northern Syria, near the Turkish border. A Middle East expert who interviewed one of the pilots involved said they operated under such strict operational security that the airmen flying air cover for the attack aircraft did not know the details of the mission. The pilots who conducted the attack were briefed only after they were in the air, he said. Syrian authorities said there were no casualties.

U.S. sources would discuss the Israeli intelligence, which included satellite imagery, only on condition of anonymity, and many details about the North Korean-Syrian connection remain unknown. The quality of the Israeli intelligence, the extent of North Korean assistance and the seriousness of the Syrian effort are uncertain, raising the possibility that North Korea was merely unloading items it no longer needed. Syria has actively pursued chemical weapons in the past but not nuclear arms -- leaving some proliferation experts skeptical of the intelligence that prompted Israel's attack.

Syria and North Korea both denied this week that they were cooperating on a nuclear program. Bush refused to comment yesterday on the attack, but he issued a blunt warning to North Korea that "the exportation of information and/or materials" would affect negotiations under which North Korea would give up its nuclear programs in exchanges for energy aid and diplomatic recognition.

"To the extent that they are proliferating, we expect them to stop that proliferation, if they want the six-party talks to be successful," he said at a news conference, referring to negotiations that also include China, Japan, South Korea and Russia.

Unlike its destruction of an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981, Israel made no announcement of the recent raid and imposed strict censorship on reporting by the Israeli media. Syria made only muted protests, and Arab leaders have remained silent. As a result, a daring and apparently successful attack to eliminate a potential nuclear threat has been shrouded in mystery.

"There is no question it was a major raid. It was an extremely important target," said Bruce Riedel, a former intelligence officer at Brookings Institution's Saban Center for Middle East Policy. "It came at a time the Israelis were very concerned about war with Syria and wanted to dampen down the prospects of war. The decision was taken despite their concerns it could produce a war. That decision reflects how important this target was to Israeli military planners."

Israel has long known about Syria's interest in chemical and even biological weapons, but "if Syria decided to go beyond that, Israel would think that was a real red line," Riedel said.

Edward Djerejian, a former U.S. ambassador to Syria and founding director of Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, said that when he was in Israel this summer he noticed "a great deal of concern in official Israeli circles about the situation in the north," in particular whether Syria's young ruler, Bashar al-Assad, "had the same sensitivity to red lines that his father had." Bashar succeeded his Hafez al-Assad as president of Syria in 2000.

The Israeli attack came just three days after a North Korean ship docked at the Syrian port of Tartus, carrying a cargo that was officially listed as cement.

The ship's role remains obscure. Israeli sources have suggested it carried nuclear equipment. Others have maintained that it contained only missile parts, and some have said the ship's arrival and the attack are merely coincidental. One source suggested that Israel's attack was prompted by a fear of media leaks on the intelligence.

The Bush administration's wariness when presented with the Israeli intelligence contrasts with its reaction in 2002, when U.S. officials believed they had caught North Korea building a clandestine nuclear program in violation of a nuclear-freeze deal arranged by the Clinton administration.

After the Bush administration's accusation, the Clinton deal collapsed and North Korea restarted a nuclear reactor, stockpiled plutonium and eventually conducted a nuclear test. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice convinced Bush this year to accept a deal with North Korea to shut down the reactor, infuriating conservatives inside and outside the administration.

But for years, Bush has also warned North Korea against engaging in nuclear proliferation, specifically making that a red line that could not be crossed after North Korea tested a nuclear device last year. The Israeli intelligence therefore suggested North Korea was both undermining the agreement and crossing that line.

Conservative critics of the administration's recent diplomacy with North Korea have seized on reports of the Israeli intelligence as evidence that the White House is misguided if it thinks it can ever strike a lasting deal with Pyongyang. "However bad it might be for the six-party talks, U.S. security requires taking this sort of thing seriously," said John R. Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who was a top arms control official in Bush's first term.

But advocates of engagement have accused critics of trying to sabotage the talks. China on Monday abruptly postponed a round of six-party talks scheduled to begin this week, but U.S. officials now say the talks should start again Thursday.

Some North Korean experts said they are puzzled why, if the reports are true, Pyongyang would jeopardize the hard-won deal with the United States and the other four countries. "It does not make any sense at all in the context of the last nine months," said Charles "Jack" Pritchard, a former U.S. negotiator with North Korea and now president of the Korea Economic Institute.

Israel, U.S. Shared Data On Suspected Nuclear Site (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/20/AR2007092002701.html?nav=hcmodule)

Bible Prophecy appears to be unfolding, and nothing will stop it.

The irony is that it's difficult to get real news these days. Major Biblical events will probably start happening while news media are obsessing with things like Paris Hilton and O.J. Simpson.

The world is lulled off to sleep with garbage, and the real news is almost ignored. One can put little bits and pieces of news together and see that the entire world is a time bomb, and the fuse is lit. I don't expect the world news media to believe in Bible Prophecy, but those who are left will believe it one day. Christians, I would simply tell you to believe every word of Bible Prophecy. It's GOD'S WORD, and it will happen at HIS Appointed time. There is NOTHING in the Bible to make fun of or ignore. Every word is there for a reason.

Many will rightfully say that the study of Bible Prophecy is difficult, but I would remind everyone that it's there for a reason. GOD wants us to know about it, or it wouldn't be in the Holy Bible. Some Portions of Scripture dealing with Bible Prophecy are difficult, and others simply and bluntly state future events. The Bible Prophecy concerning Damascus is extremely simple and blunt. Damascus will cease to exist, and one can be sure that other events will naturally follow the demise of Damascus. The Bible is fairly plain about many events, and the places are named. Those named places do exist and they can be identified.

So, why do Christians need to pay attention and realize that Bible Prophecy might be about to unfold? Brothers and Sisters, do you have an unfinished business for GOD? Do you have a burden on your heart that you've been putting off? What would you do if you knew that tomorrow is the end of this life for you?

Brothers and Sisters, I'm sure there are more important things for you to do than dwell on Paris Hilton or O.J. Simpson. We could all be face to face with Eternity! For Christians, should this be a time of prayer and sharing the blunt TRUTH? Should this be a time for serious Bible Study? Should Christians be concerned with the great hosts of people who are lost? How much time do we have left to do the Will of GOD?

Brothers and Sisters, horrible things ARE GOING to happen in this world, but this world isn't our home. 75% of the people in this world are going to die, so is it business as usual for Christians? GOD is going to give people their last chance to accept CHRIST soon, and Eternity will be sealed in either Heaven or Hell. So, is it business as usual for Christians?

GOD'S Appointed Time for the Rapture of the CHURCH WHICH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST will also come, and Christians will be caught up to meet the LORD in the air - there forever to remain with HIM - JESUS CHRIST - our LORD and SAVIOUR forever. We will go to our Real Home and enjoy our Eternal Citizenship in Heaven. We really don't know when the Rapture will take place, but couldn't it happen right now? YES! Regardless, it will most certainly happen! This is part of our HOPE and PROMISES from GOD.

SO, let's make things real simple and say there are two possible ETERNAL outcomes. Those who accept JESUS CHRIST as LORD and SAVIOUR will spend an Eternity of Joy in Heaven with JESUS CHRIST. Those who reject JESUS CHRIST as LORD and SAVIOUR will spend an Eternity of punishment in the fires of HELL. Have you made your decision for CHRIST? Quit putting it off and make your decision RIGHT NOW!

Love In Christ,
Tom

KEEP LOOKING UP!!

Israel scrambled jets toward Syria

By LAURIE COPANS, Associated Press Writer Sun Sep 23, 3:55 AM ET

JERUSALEM - Israel dispatched several fighter jets toward its border with Syria after a Syrian aircraft disappeared from Israeli air force radar screens, Israeli military officials said Sunday, reflecting the state of heightened tensions between the two sides over a reported Israeli air strike in Syria earlier this month.
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The Israeli jets, which did not enter Syrian airspace, returned to their bases minutes later when it became clear the Syrian airplane had crashed. The incident took place on Saturday, which was Yom Kippur, the holiest Jewish holiday, when Israel's air force does not send any fighter craft into the air unless absolutely necessary.

The day also marked, according to the Jewish calendar, the 34th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1973 Mideast war, when the armies of Syria and Egypt launched a sneak attack on Israel on the holiday.

The Israeli army did not comment on Saturday's incident. The officials who spoke to The Associated Press did so on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss classified military information with the media.

On Thursday, Israeli fighter jets were dispatched to the northern Golan Heights, along the border with Syria, when "suspicious activity" was reported in the area, the military officials said. Later it was discovered that the objects were migrating birds, the officials said.

Great numbers of migrating birds can look like drones on air force radar screens, the officials said.

Tensions between Israel and Syria heated up this month over reports of an Israeli airstrike in northern Syria on Sept.6. Foreign media say the Israeli target was either arms meant for Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon or a joint Syrian-North Korean nuclear project. Syria has denied both but announced an incursion, but Israel has refused to comment.

Israel considers Syria one of its greatest enemies and accuses Damascus of backing the militant organizations Hamas and Hezbollah, which has bases there. Despite the recent tensions, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last week called for the reopening of peace talks, without conditions, between the two adversaries.

Past negotiations broke down over Syria's demand for the return of the Golan, a strategic plateau Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel offered to go back to the international border, but Syria insisted on also controlling another small strip of territory — the east bank of the Sea of Galilee, which Israel captured during the 1948-49 war that accompanied its creation.

Talks also faltered over the extent of peaceful relations Syria would offer.

Israel scrambled jets toward Syria (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070923/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_syria;_ylt=AuNfG5Di9lUgrK7URgItWQ4LewgF)

'I'm not going to comment,' says resolute Bush on Syria attack
hilary leila krieger, jerusalem post correspondent
THE JERUSALEM POST
Sep. 20, 2007

US President George W. Bush emphatically refused to address reports of an Israeli attack on Syria despite persistent questioning during a White House press conference Thursday.

"Saying I'm not going to comment on the matter means I'm not going to comment on the matter," Bush said after David Gregory of NBC News tried various formulations to get him to discuss the controversial event.

Gregory began by noting Binyamin Netanyahu's recent comments on the subject, which contrast with the unusually tight-lipped stance taken by Israeli and American officials in connection to the incident.

Bush also didn't answer a question on whether he believed the North Koreans are aiding Syria with a nuclear program.

He did say of the North Koreans and the talks aimed at ending the country's nuclear program as well as its international isolation, "We expect them to stop that proliferation, if they want the six-party talks to be successful."

He also said that ending proliferation was as important in the eyes of the United States as getting rid of a nuclear weapons program.

Regarding a potential Iranian nuclear weapons program, Bush made it clear that "the free world is not going to tolerate the development of knowhow in how to build a weapon, or at least gain the ability to make a weapon."

The reason for that, he said, is because of the importance of taking the threats made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seriously. "He's a person that is, you know - constantly talks about the use of force ... on Israel, for example, and Israel is our very firm and strong ally."

He also lent his support to the New York police who determined Ahmadinejad would not be allowed to visit the site where the Twin Towers once stood. "I can understand why they would not want somebody who is running a country who is a state sponsor of terror down there at the site," he said.

Bush began his comments on Iran, made in response to a question if whether the heating up of rhetoric was likely to lead to war between the two countries, by saying, "I'm hopeful that we can convince the Iranian regime to give up any ambitions it has in developing a weapons program, and do so peacefully.

"That ought to be the objective of any diplomacy. And to this end, we are working with allies and friends to send a consistent message to the Iranians that there is a better way forward for them than isolation." During the press conference, Bush also took aim at the possibility of Americans choosing isolation as well.

"You'll find isolationists are those who say it's not our business what happens overseas; it doesn't matter if there's a free society in the heart of the Middle East, as far as our long-term security and peace. I just strongly reject that," he said towards the end of the questioning.

"I think it does matter a lot that the United States is working with other nations to promote liberty and freedom. I believe liberty is a change agent. Liberty can help hostile parts of the world become peaceful parts of the world."

He said the best way to change the conditions that led to September 11 was "to be active with foreign policy." He concluded, "Isolationists would say it's not worth it, doesn't matter to the United States of America. Well, I think it does matter, and I think it matters a lot."

'I'm not going to comment,' says resolute Bush on Syria attack (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411452301&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

The Whispers of War
By Dan Ephron and Mark Hosenball
Newsweek

Oct. 1, 2007 issue - Sam Gardiner plays war for a living. A former Air Force colonel who helped write contingency plans for the U.S. military, Gardiner has spent the 20 years since his retirement staging war-simulation exercises for military and policy wonks within and on the fringes of government (he keeps his client list confidential). Lately, more of his work has focused on Iran and its nuclear program. Gardiner starts by gathering various experts in a room to play the parts of government principals—the CIA director, the secretary of State, leaders of other countries—and presents them with a scenario: Iran, for example, has made a dramatic nuclear advance. Then he sits back and watches the cycle of action and reaction, occasionally lobbing new information at the participants.
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In Gardiner's war games, the conduct of Iran's nemesis, Israel, is often the hardest to predict. Are Israeli intelligence officials exaggerating when they say Iran will have mastered the technology to make nuclear weapons by next year? Will Israel stage its own attack on Iran if Washington does not? Or is it posturing in order to goad America into military action? The simulations have led Gardiner to an ominous conclusion: though the United States is now emphasizing sanctions and diplomacy as the means of compelling Tehran to stop enriching uranium, an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities could end up dragging Washington into a war. "Even if Israel goes it alone, we will be blamed," says Gardiner. "Hence, we would see retaliation against U.S. interests."

How far will Israel go to keep Iran from getting the bomb? The question gained new urgency this month when Israeli warplanes carried out a mysterious raid deep in Syria and then threw up a nearly impenetrable wall of silence around the operation. Last week opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu chipped away at that wall, saying Israel did in fact attack targets in Syrian territory. His top adviser, Mossad veteran Uzi Arad, told NEWSWEEK: "I do know what happened, and when it comes out it will stun everyone."

Official silence has prompted a broad range of speculation as to what exactly took place. One former U.S. official, who like others quoted in this article declined to be identified discussing sensitive matters, says several months ago Israel presented the Bush administration with reconnaissance images and information from secret agents alleging North Korea had begun to supply nuclear-related material to Syria. Some U.S. intelligence reporting, including electronic signal intercepts, appeared to support the Israeli claims. But other U.S. officials remain skeptical about any nuclear link between Syria and North Korea. One European security source told NEWSWEEK the target might have been a North Korean military shipment to Iran that was transiting Syria. But a European intelligence official said it wasn't certain Israel had struck anything at all.

While the Bush administration appears to have given tacit support to the Syria raid, Israel and the United States are not in lockstep on Iran. For Israel, the next three months may be decisive: either Tehran succumbs to sanctions and stops enriching uranium or it must be dealt with militarily. (Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes only.) "Two thousand seven is the year you determine whether diplomatic efforts will stop Iran," says a well-placed Israeli source, who did not want to be named because he is not authorized to speak for the government. "If by the end of the year that's not working, 2008 becomes the year you take action."

In Washington, on the other hand, the consensus against a strike is firmer than most people realize. The Pentagon worries that another war will break America's already overstretched military, while the intelligence community believes Iran is not yet on the verge of a nuclear breakthrough. The latter assessment is expected to appear in a secret National Intelligence Estimate currently nearing completion, according to three intelligence officials who asked for anonymity when discussing nonpublic material. The report is expected to say Iran will not be able to build a nuclear bomb until at least 2010 and possibly 2015. One explanation for the lag: Iran is having trouble with its centrifuge-enrichment technology, according to U.S. and European officials.

Twice in the past year, the United States has won U.N. Security Council sanctions against Tehran. More measures might come up at Security Council discussions later this year, and recently French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner warned that European nations might impose their own sanctions. One U.S. official who preferred not to be identified discussing sensitive policy matters said he took part in a meeting several months ago where intelligence officials discussed a "public diplomacy" strategy to accompany sanctions. The idea was to periodically float the possibility of war in public comments in order to keep Iran off balance. In truth, the official said, no war preparations are underway.

There are still voices pushing for firmer action against Tehran, most notably within Vice President Dick Cheney's office. But the steady departure of administration neocons over the past two years has also helped tilt the balance away from war. One official who pushed a particularly hawkish line on Iran was David Wurmser, who had served since 2003 as Cheney's Middle East adviser. A spokeswoman at Cheney's office confirmed to NEWSWEEK that Wurmser left his position last month to "spend more time with his family." A few months before he quit, according to two knowledgeable sources, Wurmser told a small group of people that Cheney had been mulling the idea of pushing for limited Israeli missile strikes against the Iranian nuclear site at Natanz—and perhaps other sites—in order to provoke Tehran into lashing out. The Iranian reaction would then give Washington a pretext to launch strikes against military and nuclear targets in Iran. (Wurmser's remarks were first reported last week by Washington foreign-policy blogger Steven Clemons and corroborated by NEWSWEEK.) When NEWSWEEK attempted to reach Wurmser for comment, his wife, Meyrav, declined to put him on the phone and said the allegations were untrue. A spokeswoman at Cheney's office said the vice president "supports the president's policy on Iran."

cont'd next post

In Iran, preparations for war are underway. "Crisis committees" have been established in each government ministry to draw up contingency plans, according to an Iranian official who asked for anonymity in order to speak freely. The regime has ordered radio and TV stations to prepare enough prerecorded programming to last for months, in case the studios are sabotaged or employees are unable to get to work. The ministries of electricity and water are working on plans to maintain service under war conditions. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has also sent envoys to reach out to European negotiators recently, in the hopes of heading off further sanctions or military action.

The question may not be whether America is ready to attack, but whether Israel is. The Jewish state has cause for worry. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vows regularly to destroy the country; former president Hashemi Rafsanjani, considered a moderate, warned in 2001 that Tehran could do away with Israel with just one nuclear bomb. In Tel Aviv last week, former deputy Defense minister Ephraim Sneh concurred. Sneh, a dovish member of Israel's Parliament and a retired brigadier general, took a NEWSWEEK reporter to the observation deck atop the 50-story Azrieli Center. "There is Haifa just over the horizon, Ben-Gurion airport over there, the Defense Ministry down below," he said, to show how small the country is. "You can see in this space the majority of our intellectual, economic, political assets are concentrated. One nuclear bomb is enough to wipe out Israel."

But can the Israelis destroy Iran's nuclear program? Gardiner, the war-gamer, says they would not only need to hit a dozen nuclear sites and scores of antiaircraft batteries; to prevent a devastating retaliation, they would have to knock out possibly hundreds of long-range missiles that can carry chemical warheads. Just getting to distant Iran will be tricky for Israel's squadrons of American-made F-15s and F-16s. Danny Yatom, who headed Mossad in the 1990s, says the planes would have to operate over Iran for days or weeks. Giora Eiland, Israel's former national-security adviser, now with Tel Aviv's Institute of National Security Studies, ticked off the drawbacks: "Effectiveness, doubtful. Danger of regional war. Hizbullah will immediately attack [from Lebanon], maybe even Syria." Yet Israelis across the political spectrum, including Eiland and Yatom, believe the risk incurred by inaction is far greater. "The military option is not the worst option," Yatom says. "The worst option is a nuclear Iran."

The idea of a pre-emptive strike also has popular support. When Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered the raid on Syria earlier this month, his approval rating was in the teens. Since then, it has jumped to nearly 30 percent. And though Olmert may not believe Israeli warplanes can get to all the targets, he might be willing to gamble on even a limited success. "No one in their right mind thinks that there's a clinical way to totally destroy the Iranian nuclear facilities," says the well-placed Israeli source. "You strike at some and set the project back. You play for time and hope Ahmadinejad will eventually fall."

Alternatively, Israel might count on Tehran to retaliate against American targets as well, drawing in the superpower. To avoid that outcome, Gardiner believes, Washington must prevent Israel from attacking in the first place. "The United States does not want to turn the possibility of a general war in the Middle East over to the decision making in Israel," he says. Does not want to, certainly—but might not have a choice.

The Whispers of War (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20920341/site/newsweek/page/0/)

First, I plainly want to state that I don't claim any special knowledge of any kind, nor have I been given any kind of revelation from any source.

Second, I also want to plainly state that many conditions and events indicate we could be looking at the unfolding of Bible Prophecy for the end of this AGE OF GRACE! If so, nothing will slow or stop it.

Now - just to some personal feelings and OPINIONS:

Iran must be disarmed at any cost.

There will be war in the Middle East.

Israel will be the target for destruction by many nations.

ONE FACT: Damascus will cease to exist either soon or in the future.
__________________________________

Brothers and Sisters, it should be clear to just about anyone that the world is a powder keg right now, and the fuse is already lit. Common sense would tell most people that big things are going to happen soon, and I think they MOST CERTAINLY will.

The big question is: Is this Bible Prophecy unfolding or just another dangerous time of unrest in the world? If it's Bible Prophecy unfolding, everything will happen according to GOD'S Will, GOD'S Time, and GOD'S Purpose. No power will be able to stop it, and GOD'S Schedule of events will unfold perfectly and according to what's been written in the Holy Bible for thousands of years.

If this isn't Bible Prophecy unfolding, I would frankly be surprised. If not now - it will be soon. The interpretation of "the generation" living in Israel since it became a nation is one of the keys to the timing of Bible Prophecy. I doubt that anyone really knows the specific interpretation, but Israel became a nation again in 1948. Could it refer to the rebirth of a nation and a "generation" in specific reference to this rebirth? YES, but who really knows? However, the rebirth of Israel as a nation is thought to be a key by many Bible Scholars. So, we might put the term "generation" with the year "1948", and that might be one reasonable and possible interpretations for Bible Prophecy. So, how long might a generation be related to Bible Prophecy, and what specific entity does generation refer to:

1 - A generation since the rebirth of Israel?

2 - The generation who established the rebirth of Israel?

3 - The first generation born after the rebirth of Israel?

Could the most Biblical definition for generation be 70 years? I don't know - what do you think?

What was the average age of the people who fought for the rebirth of Israel? I don't know - could we guess 20s? Is it their generation being referred to? I don't know - what do you think? Regardless, can't we say that we are living in the general time period? YES!

No man really knows, but these are the keys for timing in the Holy Bible. It is more than sufficient for us to know that the time is MOST DEFINITELY SOON!

SO, my general opinion: There will be horrible times soon, and the worst of those times will last 7 years. Those 7 years will be called the Tribulation Period!

Love In Christ,
Tom

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i160/tlr10/357/rev21_23.gif)

Quote

So, how long might a generation be related to Bible Prophecy, and what specific entity does generation refer to:

The word generation is used in English for the word genea which is better described as "an age", unlike the Greek word genos which means “kin”, nation, offspring, stock that is used in other places in the New Testament indicating the lifespan of a family group. The closest thing we can get to the length of this age is in the verses prior to where Jesus said that. (Mat 24, Mark 13 and luke 21 ) What indication is that? It is a series of events that most have not yet come into being even though we may be seeing some of these events unfolding as we speak. Why is it so vague? Jesus gave us the answer to that also,

Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

God wants us to remain vigilant at all times, to be watching (aware) of what is happening, to stay strong in Him and ready for that time.

I personally do believe that we will be seeing much more of these events unfolding soon and when they do it will be quite quickly.

Quote

It is more than sufficient for us to know that the time is MOST DEFINITELY SOON!

Amen! And for those that are not ready, now is the time to accept Him as your Saviour. Don't wait another day for that may be to late. He is calling, knocking at the door to your hearts. Answer that door now.

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Salvation, salvation from death under the law by God's perfect grace.

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Rom 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Syria: No chance for peace

In first clear reaction to reported IDF air strike, Syrian officials say Damascus wary of retaliating against Israel given military superiority of Jewish state, lack of Arab support

Reuters
Published: 09.24.07, 15:18 / Israel News

A reported Israeli raid on Syria has all but finished off chances for resuming peace talks between the two foes, Syrian officials said on Monday.

In the first clear reaction to the September 6. Israeli air strike, officials told Reuters Syria was wary of retaliating against Israel given the military superiority of the Jewish state and because of lack of Arab support.

Another reason was Damascus's changing relationship with Russia, an ally during the Communist era.

The officials were dismissive about any new peace talks, which collapsed in 2000 over the scope of an Israeli pullout from the Golan Heights, a 1,750 square kilometers (676 square miles) plateau which the Jewish state captured from Syria in 1967.

"After this raid, you can forget about peace. It is no secret that our forces have been on alert for some time, but Syria will not be the first to start a war," said one of the Syrian officials, who asked not to be named.

"Arab states have not exactly rallied in our support. As for peace, the international picture could start changing late next year with a new administration in Washington," another official said.

Even Moscow, a strong backer of Syria in the days of the Soviet Union, did not directly condemn the Israeli action, in which Syria says planes bombed an empty area after air defence systems confronted them. Israel has not disclosed the target.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Sultanov advised Syrian officials not to go after Israel at the United Nations beyond a protest letter, according to a diplomat familiar with Sultanov's recent meetings in Damascus.

During last year's war between Hizbullah and Israel, Russia told Damascus not to use Russian missiles to target Israel if the war extended to involve Syria.

'Syria does not take Olmert's statements seriously'

Diplomats say at least four Israeli warplanes crossed deep into Syria in this month's operation. They suggest the intended target may have involved missiles supplied by North Korea but played down reports of a nuclear link.

Days after the raid, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert dropped Israel's insistence that Syria abandon support for the Lebanese movement Hizbullah and the Palestinian group Hamas before any peace talks could start.

Western diplomats in Damascus said Syrian officials told them Syria did not take Olmert's statements seriously.

"Peace with Israel is not a priority for Syria when it has Lebanon and the Hariri investigation to deal with," one said.

The diplomat was referring to upcoming Lebanese presidential elections and a United Nations investigation into the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri.

The probe implicated Lebanese and Syrian security officials in the killing.

Another diplomat said the Israeli raid has made it difficult for Syria to use channels it had previously used to relay peace messages to Israel, especially Turkey.

"Syria would appear very weak if it approaches Israel anytime soon. On the other hand Syria knows that any war with Israel would set it back decades," he said.

Syria: No chance for peace (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3453021,00.html)

'Chances of war with Syria still high'
Yaakov Katz , THE JERUSALEM POST Sep. 23, 2007

The IDF continued to maintain a high level of alert along the northern border on Sunday as senior defense officials told The Jerusalem Post that while close to three weeks have passed since Israel's alleged air strike in Syria, there is still a chance war could break out.

Reflecting the escalation in tension, IDF troops were alerted to the northern border fence Sunday morning after the electronic alarm was activated, sparking fears of a possible infiltration from Syria. The army said the alarm went off after the fence was touched, and that tracks were spotted on the Syrian side of the border. Soldiers who arrived on the scene ruled out an infiltration, and the IDF said it was possible that a roving animal had triggered the alarm.

Sunday's incident followed the scrambling of two fighter jets on Saturday to the northern border after a Syrian military jet that was being tracked by Israel disappeared from military radar systems. A short time later, the IAF discovered that the Syrian jet had crashed in Syrian territory.

"The tension is still high and so is the level of alert," a defense official said Sunday. "What is reassuring is that the Syrians have not yet responded to the alleged strike, which hopefully means that they will continue to demonstrate restraint."

IAF chief Maj.-Gen. Elazar Shkedy said Sunday that Israel was currently in a "complex" situation and that the air force was prepared for all developments.

"The IAF has relevance in all types of conflicts - some that are nearby with countries that we share a border with and some that are farther away," he said during a tour of a Jerusalem high school.

"We need to be well prepared and sharp as a razor ahead of anything that might happen."

Speaking at a Yom Kippur War memorial ceremony at Mt. Herzl on Sunday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak also warned that the relative calm and quiet could not be understood at face value.

"If there is one lesson that can be learned from the Yom Kippur War, it's that we should not be mislead by deceptive periods of calm," he said in reference to the tension with Syria as well as diplomatic developments vis-à-vis the Palestinians.

"The spirit of Israel must be prepared at every moment as if the next war is around the corner."

Barak's remarks came hours after Britain's Sunday Times reported that soldiers from the IDF's elite General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal) had seized North Korean nuclear material from a secret Syrian military installation before it was bombed by IAF jets.

Quoting "informed sources in Washington and Jerusalem," the paper claimed that the alleged IAF attack on September 6 was sanctioned by the US after the Americans were given proof that the material was indeed nuclear-related.

The sources confirmed to the paper that the materials were tested after they were taken from Syria and were found to be of North Korean origin, which raised concerns that Syria may have been trying to come into the possession of nuclear arms.

The commandos, according to the report, may have been disguised in Syrian army uniforms. It was also stated that Barak, who used to head the unit, personally oversaw the operation.

Israeli sources admitted that special forces had been accruing intelligence in Syria for several months, the report said, adding that evidence of North Korean activity at the installation was presented to President George Bush during the summer.

According to the Times, North Korea and China believed that North Koreans were among the dead in the subsequent alleged IAF air strike. On Friday, the Washington Post reported that Israel and the United States had collaborated on intelligence ahead of the alleged IAF raid.

According to the Post report, Israel informed the US over the summer that North Korean personnel were in Syria in order to assist the country's nuclear weapons program. The intelligence in question reportedly included satellite imagery.

'Chances of war with Syria still high' (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411468793&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Israel denies seeking Syria conflict

By JOSEF FEDERMAN, Associated Press Writer Mon Sep 24, 10:36 AM ET

JERUSALEM - Israel on Monday welcomed a U.S. announcement that Syria will be invited to an upcoming Mideast peace conference, saying it has "no problem" sitting down with its archenemy.
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The Israeli announcement came as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said his country is not interested in violent conflict with Syria and expressed confidence that recent tensions between the enemy nations will subside.

Olmert has been trying to ease fears of a possible outbreak in fighting after a reported Israeli airstrike in Syria on Sept. 6. Israel has not publicly acknowledged the incursion.

Israel has repeatedly criticized Syria for its support of radical Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as the Hezbollah guerrilla group in Lebanon. Syria also is on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

But on Sunday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that key Arab nations, including Syria, would be invited to President Bush's planned Mideast peace conference this fall. The U.S. hopes the conference will provide the foundation for peace talks meant to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Olmert's spokeswoman, Miri Eisin, said Israel supported the American gesture to Syria. "We have no problem with whomever the United States decides to include at the international meeting," she said.

Syria did not immediately respond to the planned American invitation.

Tensions between Israel and Syria have been heightened since the alleged Israeli airstrike earlier this month.

Speaking to a closed meeting of Israeli lawmakers, Olmert on Monday said Israel has been monitoring Syrian troop movements in recent weeks.

"We're not interested in friction, and I think the Syrians aren't either," Olmert said, according to a meeting participant. "I think the tensions in the area will gradually subside."

The participant spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed.

At the time of the alleged air raid, Syria accused Israel of invading its airspace and dropping unspecified munitions. Israel has imposed a news blackout on the matter.

But Mideast defense officials have told The Associated Press an Israeli airstrike targeted a Syrian "technology installation" in tandem with commando forces on the ground.

Foreign news reports have cited officials and experts as saying the attack targeted either arms meant for Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon or some sort of nonconventional weapon, perhaps a joint Syrian-North Korean nuclear project. Syria has denied both, and North Korea has denied a nuclear link with Damascus.

"Israeli warplanes' intrusion into the territorial airspace of Syria and bomb-dropping are an outright violation of Syria's sovereignty and a grave crime that destroys regional peace and security," South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted the North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper as saying on Monday.

The North also claimed that the United States defended the Israelis' "brazen behavior" in allegedly launching the airstrike, Yonhap said.

Despite the tensions, Olmert last week called for the reopening of peace talks, without conditions, between the two adversaries.

Past negotiations broke down seven years ago over Syria's demand for the return of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.

Israel offered to go back to the international border, but Syria insisted on also controlling another small strip of territory — the east bank of the Sea of Galilee, which Syria captured during the 1948-49 war that accompanied Israel's creation. Talks also faltered over the extent of peaceful relations Syria would offer.

Israel denies seeking Syria conflict (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070924/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_syria;_ylt=AuReUterXmHrFsNq5ifHBTELewgF)

Mid-East summit to include Syria
Monday, 24 September 2007

Condoleezza Rice Arab states including Syria - a bitter opponent of Israel - will be asked to a Middle East peace meeting in November, the US secretary of state has said.

Condoleezza Rice described the Arab nations as "natural invitees" but said they would have to renounce violence.

She was speaking after the four backers of the peace process - the US, EU, Russia and the UN - met in New York and gave support to the proposed summit.

The quartet issued a roadmap in 2003 for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

But the roadmap has been sidelined and no apparent progress has been made towards achieving the declared aim of the process, a two-state solution.

'Peaceful solution'

After Sunday's meeting, the quartet issued a statement expressing support for the proposed conference - which has been heavily promoted by the US.

Quartet aims for momentum

Tony Blair

Ms Rice said it "would be natural" for Syria, Saudi Arabia and 10 other Arab League members to participate, but warned that attending the summit brought "certain responsibilities".

"We hope that those who come are really committed to helping the Israelis and the Palestinians find a way through - and that means renouncing violence, it means working for a peaceful solution."

Syria remains technically at war with Israel - Egypt and Jordan are the only Arab states to have signed a peace treaty with Israel.

BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says the phrase "international meeting" is notable, perhaps indicating something short of a full-scale peace conference.

With the Palestinians divided and with Israel designating the Gaza Strip as hostile territory, the climate is not encouraging, he says.

High stakes

The quartet also called for humanitarian assistance to Gaza to continue without obstruction - a warning to Israel, which has threatened to cut off vital energy supplies.

The quartet noted its grave concern about the continued rocket fire into Israel from the Gaza Strip, as well as what it termed recent efforts by the Hamas leadership there to stifle freedom of speech in the press.

The stakes over the coming weeks are high, our diplomatic correspondent says.

The quartet's envoy, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, said he believed the peace process now had momentum.

He said there was an "ambitious but achievable" plan to create a sense of how a Palestinian state would look by the end of the year.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon chaired Sunday's talks with his quartet partners - Ms Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

Mid-East summit to include Syria (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/middle_east/7009712.stm)

Syria willing to transfer disputed Shaba Farms to UN custody
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent

Syria is willing to transfer the Shaba Farms to the custody of the United Nations as part of an effort to resolve the sovereignty dispute over the area, which is currently under Israel's control.

The new Syrian position was outlined in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon by Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos, who visited Damascus last month.

Israeli political sources said Tuesday that Syria's offer is meant to put pressure on Jerusalem, which opposes any withdrawal from Shaba at this stage.

Moratinos sent the letter to the UN secretary general two weeks ago, after discussing the matter with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus.

In it, Moratinos, who was the European Union's special envoy to the Middle East before becoming Spain's foreign minister, wrote that Syria is willing to transfer the area to UN custody even before the international border between it and Lebanon has been fully demarcated. The UN has been engaged in marking the border for the past year.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said last year that he would also like to see Shaba transferred to UN custody.

The Shaba Farms, situated in the foothills of Har Dov at the point where the borders of Israel, Lebanon and Syria converge, used to be part of the French Mandate in Syria and Lebanon. The border, which followed a 1923 agreement between Britain and France, was never precisely demarcated.

In May 2000, following Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon, the UN ruled that Shaba was part of the Golan Heights, and was therefore Syrian rather than Lebanese. It also said that Shaba's future should be determined in negotiations between Israel and Syria.

However, Lebanon claimed that Shaba was within its sovereign territory, and this provided Hezbollah with a pretext for continuing its military operations against Israel, in order to liberate the "occupied territory."

Following last year's Second Lebanon War, the UN began marking the international border between Syria and Lebanon, mainly in order to resolve the dispute over which country actually owns Shaba. Israel's position has been that there should be no discussion of Shaba's future until the UN makes a final decision on precisely where this border lies.

"There is no change in Israel's stance on the matter," a source in the Prime Minister's Bureau told Haaretz on Tuesday. "First, the demarcation of the border must be completed."

Senior Foreign Ministry officials told a Moratinos aide who visited Israel last week that there should be no discussions on Shaba "at our expense." They also warned that an Israel Defense Forces withdrawal from the area at this time would undermine Israel's interests and constitute a "prize" for Syria's ally, Hezbollah.

Israeli sources expressed dissatisfaction Tuesday at the fact that Spain did not officially inform Israel about the Moratinos letter to Ban Ki-moon. Israeli diplomats learned of its content by chance during talks at the UN.

The letter may contribute to the growing tension between Israel and Spain, initially sparked by a meeting Moratinos held with Hezbollah's deputy secretary general, Naim Qassem. Following that meeting, a Moratinos visit to Israel that had been scheduled for earlier this month was postponed until October.

UN mapping expert Miklos Pinter, who has been busy delineating the border area near Shaba, visited Israel two weeks ago to meet his Israeli counterparts. Next month, the UN is expected to publish a new report on the situation between Israel and Lebanon, and Pinter's findings may be included in the document.

Israeli officials are concerned that this report could spark renewed discussion of which country has sovereignty over Shaba Farms.

Syria willing to transfer disputed Shaba Farms to UN custody (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/907558.html)

Syrians look to IDF site for safety guidance

Yaakov Katz
THE JERUSALEM POST
Sep. 24, 2007

The IDF Home Front Command's newly-launched Web site received some unexpected visitors on Monday after Al Jazeera referred Syrian citizens to the site ahead of a planned emergency drill in their country.

According to the cable news station, Syria was planning to sound air-raid alarms throughout the country on Monday to help prepare for a state of emergency, including the possibility of a war with Israel.

During the news segment, the presenter referred Syrian citizens to the IDF Home Front Command's (HFC) new Web site in Arabic that was launched over the weekend.

HFC's new site (www.oref.org.il) - was developed following the Second Lebanon War by Lt.-Col. Ariella Ben-Avraham, the command's new Chief Information Officer. The site is highly advanced and supports high-quality video features as well in-depth explanations on how to respond during a state of emergency - whether an earthquake or a missile attack.

Along with the Arabic site, the HFC also launched an English version, accessible at the same address. On Monday, 2,135 people visited the site, mostly the English version. Ben-Avraham said that during a war, the Web site will provide real-time updates on cities under missile attack.

"Our job is to provide the public with instructions on how to behave during a state of emergency," Ben-Avraham said Monday.

"The Web site is meant to do just that by reaching every home with internet access and a computer."

Ben-Avraham, who until half a year ago served in the IDF Spokesperson's Office, said that during the war the HFC's old site crashed due to the large number of visitors. The new site's servers are provided by a civilian company and are expected to be able to maintain the heavy traffic expected during a war.

Syrians look to IDF site for safety guidance (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411478050&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

IAF sends fighter jets to Israeli-Syrian border

Syrian aircraft detected flying over Syrian part of border. After determining planes were not engaged in hostile activity, Israeli jets return to their base

Hagai Einav
09.27.07, 16:05
Israel News

The Israel Air Force sent fighter jets to the Israeli-Syrian border Thursday afternoon, after Syrian aircraft were detected on radar screens flying over the area near the Syrian part of the border.

After determining that the Syrian aircraft were not engaged in hostile activity, the IAF warplanes proceeded to return to their base safely. Tens of thousands of hikers visiting the Golan Heights at the time of the incident were not evacuated.

The IDF said in response to the incident that the IAF would not provide details on its operational activities.

Sending IAF jets after abnormal aerial activity over Israel's border is a standard operating procedure in the IDF.

Last Saturday, during the holyday of Yom Kippur, the IDF sent IAF fighter jets after a Syrian aircraft that disappeared from IDF radar. According to IDF sources, the Syrian aircraft was later found on the Syrian side of the border, after it had crashed.

The IAF jets found no evidence of the aircraft attempting an attack and proceeded to return from their mission safely. Sending IAF jets after unidentified aircraft which fall off the radar is a standard method of operation in the IDF, the sources said.

On Sunday, roadblocks were set up in the southern Golan Heights for fear that an unidentified person had infiltrated Israel from Syria.

The nearby communities were informed about the incident, but shortly afterwards it was determined that no infiltration took place. The IDF's Spokesperson's Office said in response that this was not an unusual incident.

The recent incidents were the height of the recent tensions between Israel and Syria, following Israel's reported breach of Syrian airspace a few weeks ago and Syrian President Bashar Assad's statements regarding "the option of war".

IAF sends fighter jets to Israeli-Syrian border (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3454029,00.html)

Livni meets with Syrian FM

Al-Sinara newspaper reports Tzipi Livni meets with Walid Moallem at UN headquarters in New York for over an hour; two discuss tensions between two countries. Report denied by Livni's entourage
Roee Nahmias

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met with her Syrian counterpart Walid Moallem in New York on Wednesday, Arab-Israeli newspaper al-Sinara reported on Thursday. Livni's entourage in New York denied the report.

According to the report, which was based on a senior Arab source, the meeting came after Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani surprised Livni with a proposal that she convene with the Syrian FM at the UN headquarters in New York.

After consluting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Livni agreed to the meeting, which ended up lasting for over an hour.

During thier meeting the two reportedly discussed tensions that have built up between the two countries, and the need to calm things down.

The Arab source said the meeting could be an opening for Qatari mediation between Israel and Syria, especially due to its proximity to the international peace conference set for November.

According to the report, in his previous meeting with Moallem, the Qatari emir brought up the possibility of a meeting with Livni and Moallem agreed.

The report said Moallem demanded clarifications on Israel's real stance, since he claimed that on one hand Israel continues to make calls for peace, while on the other, it infiltrates Syrian airspace.

The Arab source told al-Sinara that Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Gillerman and Syrian Ambassador to the US Mohammed Nassif, who was reportedly involved in setting up previous meetings between Moallem and US and Israeli officials, were also present at the meeting.

Tensions have risen between the two countries in recent weeks after foreign media reported an Israeli airstrike on Syria.

Earlier this week Syrian officials said in response to the reports, "After such a raid, you can forget about peace."

Nonetheless, Olmert has said that Israel and Syria expressed hopes that "the tension is gradually diffused, and the front returns to calm. We are certainly interested in that."

Livni meets with Syrian FM (http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3453997,00.html)

Israel suspected of 'hacking' Syrian air defences
Did algorithms clear path for air raid?
By John Leyden → More by this author
Published Thursday 4th October 2007 15:17 GMT

Questions are mounting over how Israeli planes were able to sneak past Syria's defences and bomb a "strategic target" in the country last month.

Israeli F-15s and F-16s bombed a military construction site on 6 September. Earlier reports of the attack were confirmed this week when Israeli Army radio said Israeli planes had attacked a military target "deep inside Syria", quoting the military censor.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said it reserved the right to retaliate when he took the unusual step of offering interviews to Western media.

Syria and Israel have remained formally at war since the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, during which Israeli forces seized the Golan Heights.

The motives for the strike, much less what was hit and what damage was caused, remain unclear. One theory is that a fledgling nuclear research centre, the fruits of alleged collaboration between Syria and North Korea, may have been hit. Others speculate that a store of arms shipments bound for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah might have been targeted. A test against Syria's air defences has also being suggested in some quarters. None of these theories appear to be much better than educated guesswork.

Bombers carrying out the raid are believed to have entered Syrian airspace from the Mediterranean Sea. Unmarked fuel drop tanks were later found on Turkish soil near the Syrian border, providing evidence of a possible escape route. Witnesses said the Israeli jets were engaged by Syrian air defences in Tall al-Abyad, near the border with Turkey.

This location is deep within Turkey, prompting questions about how the fighters avoided detection until so long into their mission. Neither F-15s nor F-16s used by the Israeli air force in the raids are fitted with stealth technology.

Flying under the radar is a dangerous tactic, no longer favoured since a number of British fighters went down during the first Gulf War over the liberation of Kuwait. That leaves the possibility that jamming techniques, or some even more sophisticated electronic warfare tactic, was brought into play.

Aviation Week reckons the success of the attack might be down to use of the "Suter" airborne network attack system. The technology, was developed by BAE Systems and integrated into US unmanned aircraft by L-3 Communications, according to unnamed US aerospace industry and retired military officials questioned by Aviation Week.

Instead of jamming radar signals, Suter uses a more sophisticated approach of "hacking" into enemy defences.

"The technology allows users to invade communications networks, see what enemy sensors see, and even take over as systems administrator so sensors can be manipulated into positions so that approaching aircraft can't be seen," Aviation Week explains. "The process involves locating enemy emitters with great precision and then directing data streams into them that can include false targets and misleading message algorithms."

Suter is said to have being "tested operationally" in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last year, according to Aviation Week. Syria reportedly recently bought two state-of-the art radar systems from Russia, reckoned to be Tor-M1 launchers that carry a payload of eight missiles, as well as two Pachora-2A systems. Iran recently bought 29 of these Tor launchers from Russia for $750m in order to defend its nuclear sites.

The apparent failure of these systems in detecting and responding to the Israeli raid therefore poses questions for arms manufacturers and armies all the way from Damascus to Moscow and over to Tehran.

Israel suspected of 'hacking' Syrian air defences (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/04/radar_hack_raid/)

Syrian parliament member says ‘Israel operation failed’

In special interview with Israeli-Arab newspaper Mohammad Habash calls IAF raid on Syria ‘failure’, says Israel must change policy, negotiate peace

Roee Nahmias
Published: 10.04.07, 20:38
Israel News

“If Israel doesn’t change its policy, it will find itself going against Hizbullah in the north, Hamas in the south, and the Syrian army, which is allied with Iran,” Syrian parliament member Dr Mohammad Habash told the Israeli-Arab newspaper Kul-Alarab.

In a special interview to be published Friday, Habash confirmed that his country aided Hizbullah during the Second Lebanon War, and warned Israel that the situation had changed, and it could not continue to rely on the United States to protect it.

“When the Americans leave the area, Israel will be in a ridiculous position. That is why it’s trying to start fires here and there, in order to make use of the US military in the region.”

Habash also commented on the IAF’s attack near Dir a-Zour last September. “As you know, Dir a-Zour is close to the Iraqi border, where the American forces are. The point of the operation was to push the Americans into committing more crimes in the area.”

The Syrian parliament member added that his country was prepared for any situation, saying “the enemy will not be the one to decide for Syria the time and place of the confrontation.

“We won’t give the enemy the opportunity to set the date. We have an international obligation to choose peace as a strategic option, but we have other options. All of the options are ours to choose from.”

Habash also told Kul-Alarab that Syrian antiaircraft forces were capable of curbing an IAF attack. “I’m not a military expert, but Syria is in a state of alert and is completely militarily prepared.

“I’m not authorized to discuss the military, but it is clear that we have complete faith in the Syrian army, since our last encounter with the Zionists proved a big success we still take pride in. I’m referring to the October War, and the Israelis know it.”

Speaking of the Israel’s operation in Syria last month, Habash said, “All the signs show that Israel carried out a failed operation. Its planes took off with munitions, targets, and a plan, but were surprised by the Syria’s aerial defense forces, which forced them to drop the munitions over an unsettled area.

“Let me say, so the Israelis can hear: Hafez Assad ruled Syria for 30 years, and the biggest achievement he brought to Syria against Israel was the October War. I believe president Bashar is determined to free the Golan, and that is his strategic goal.

“Therefore, it is in Israel’s best interest to sit down to the negotiation table for peace,” Habash concluded.

Syrian parliament member says ‘Israel operation failed’ (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3456410,00.html)

Syrian guerrilla group 'ready for attacks'
Hezbollah-like cells plan provocations to force war between Damascus, Israel
Posted: October 4, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

A recently formed Syrian guerrilla group modeling itself after the Lebanese Hezbollah militia is preparing for "resistance attacks" against the Jewish state, leaders of the purported group stated during in-person interviews released in a new book.

The information comes as Israel yesterday broke its nearly four-week silence and admitted officially the Jewish state's warplanes struck a "military installation" in Syria last month, prompting some officials in Damascus to call for retaliation, including guerrilla raids against Israel.

In his new book, "Schmoozing with Terrorists: From Hollywood to the Holy Land, Jihadists Reveal their Global Plans – to a Jew!" WND Jerusalem bureau chief obtained access to the leadership of the new purported Syrian group, calling itself the Committees for the Liberation of the Golan.

"If an agreement is not quickly forged between Israel and Syria [for an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan], we will begin attacks," a senior leader of the Committees told Klein, speaking on condition his name be withheld.

The Golan Heights is strategic mountainous territory looking down on Israeli and Syrian population centers captured by Israel after Damascus twice used the territory to attack the Jewish state.

The Committees leader stated Syria watched as Israel "lost" a war against the Lebanese Hezbollah militia in the summer of 2006 and noted the Syrian leadership learned that "fighting" is more effective than peace negotiations with regard to gaining territory.

The leader explained in "Schmoozing" his group will initiate rocket attacks and Hezbollah-like raids against Israeli troop positions and Golan-based Jewish communities in hopes of eventually provoking a conflict or generating domestic Israeli pressure for Israel to vacate the Golan.

Much of the Israeli sections of the Golan look down on Syria, and there are U.N. posts at international buffer areas between the Israeli and Syrian sides of the territory, but the Committees leader explained there are multiple points of vulnerability along the Syria-Israel border that can be exploited, including many Israeli sections of the Golan that are at level with the Syrian sides.

The Committees for the Liberation of the Golan Heights consists of Syrian volunteers, many from the Syrian border with Turkey and from Palestinian refugee camps near Damascus, the Committees leader stated. He said Syria held registration for volunteers to join the Committees last June.

Israel is taking seriously the claims of formation of the Committees.

Amos Yadlin, head of the IDF's intelligence branch, stated Syria is indeed in the early stages of forming a Hezbollah-like group.

Israeli security officials speaking to WND said Syrian President Bashar Assad is under heavy pressure from Iran and from senior elements within his military to retaliate for the Israeli aerial strike, especially since the Israel Defense Forces yesterday officially confirmed a raid in Syria took place.

The security officials said if pressure continues to escalate or if the IDF conducts other operation inside Syria, Assad, realizing his army it not prepared for a direct confrontation with Israel, may respond by launching guerrilla attacks against the Golan Heights.

Yesterday, Mohammad Habbash, a member of the Syrian parliament, told reporters Syria may resort to a guerrilla war:

"If the Israeli side launches attacks, believe me we will be very harsh in our response," stated Habbash. "It will be a guerrilla war. There will be guerrilla warfare coming from Lebanon and Syria, and it will be very harsh."

In an interview with the BBC Monday, Assad said Syria is still considering an "appropriate" response to the Israeli aerial attack. He said it wouldn't have to be "missile-for-missile" but could be a political reaction.

Assad claimed Israeli jets hit an unmanned military facility in the Sept. 6 raid.

The IDF has not announced the exact target of its missile strike except that it was a military installation, but multiple newspapers reports have alleged Israel destroyed a facility at which North Korea was transferring nuclear technology to the Syrians.

'Syria won't hesitate to a start war with Israel to regain Golan'
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST Oct. 6, 2007

Syria will not hesitate to start a war with Israel in order to restore its control over the Golan Heights, A-Baath, the official newspaper of President Bashar Assad's government, warned Saturday.

In an article to mark 34 years since the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, A-Baath said: "Our people and our leadership are determined to liberate our conquered lands using all means, methods and ways."

Meanwhile, ABC News quoted American officials as saying that the IAF raid in Syria during September was planned for several months and was postponed a number of times due to heavy US pressure.

According to the report, Israel presented US officials with satellite imagery which clearly showed North Korean nuclear technology in a Syrian facility. According to a US source, Washington officials were astonished by the imagery and by the fact US intelligence had not picked up on the facility previously.

"Israel tends to be very thorough about its intelligence coverage, particularly when it takes a major military step, so they would not have acted without data from several sources," said ABC News military consultant Tony Cordesman.

A different source told ABC News that Israel had planned the strike as early as July 14, and in confidential meetings with high ranking US officials, debated over the appropriate response. Several officials supported Israel's decision to strike, although others, led by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, firmly opposed it and offered to publicly condemn Syria for operating a nuclear facility instead.

US officials who initially opposed the raid, according to ABC , apparently feared the negative influence it might have over the whole region. Consequently, officials in Washington persuaded Israel to push back the raid, but in September, Israel feared that information about the facility might be leaked to the press, and went ahead with the strike, despite objections by Washington.

'Syria won't hesitate to a start war with Israel to regain Golan' (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1191257234667&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

UN nuclear agency seeks details on Syria

Mon Oct 15, 10:38 AM ET

VIENNA, Austria - The U.N. nuclear watchdog said Monday it has no information to support a recent media report that Syria may be building a nuclear reactor, but said it expects any country that has details to share them with the agency.

"We would obviously investigate any relevant information coming our way," said Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA.

In what appeared to be an indirect rebuke to the U.S., Fleming said in a statement that the nuclear agency "expects any country having information about nuclear-related activities in another country to provide that information to the IAEA."

The New York Times, citing U.S. and foreign officials, reported Sunday that an Israeli airstrike on Syria last month targeted a partially built nuclear reactor that was years away from completion.

It said the nuclear reactor was modeled on one North Korea had used to create its stockpile of nuclear weapons fuel, though the role of any North Korean assistance in building it remained unclear. North Korea has denied involvement in any such activities in Syria.

Satellite photographs detected the partly constructed Syrian reactor earlier this year, the Times said, citing American officials.

The Syrian reactor was years away from being able to produce spent nuclear fuel that could be reprocessed into weapons-grade plutonium, the newspaper said.

Syria's nuclear program has long been considered minimal, and the country is known to have only a small research reactor.

"The IAEA has no information about any undeclared nuclear facility in Syria and no information about recent reports," Fleming said.

She said the agency was in contact with Syrian authorities to verify the authenticity of the report.

UN nuclear agency seeks details on Syria (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071015/ap_on_re_mi_ea/nuclear_agency_syria;_ylt=AtplJ4mNH9HjN.pq_.J624cLewgF)

N.Korean, Syrian officials hold talks

Sat Oct 20, 9:23 PM ET

DAMASCUS, Syria - A high-level North Korean official held talks in Damascus on Saturday with senior officials of Syria's ruling Baath Party on ways to develop relations between the two countries, Syria's official news agency reported.

Neither Choe Thae Bok, the speaker of North Korea's parliament, nor his Syrian hosts made any mention of suspicions in Western media that the two countries might be cooperating on a secret nuclear program. The suspicions grew after an Israeli airstrike on a target in Syria last month.

Choe held separate talks in Damascus with Abdullah al-Ahmar and Mohammed Saeed Bkheitan, both assistant heads of the Baath Party command. His delegation also visited Quneitra, on the Syrian side of Golan Heights and reaffirmed North Korea's support for Syria's efforts to regain the territory Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

In their meeting, Al-Ahmar and Choe discussed how "the policies of aggression, occupation and hegemony" were causing threats to security and stability in the region and world, SANA said.

The news agency said Choe also expressed support for Syria's efforts to "confront the external schemes surrounding the region." The report did not elaborate.

Choe's trip comes amid lingering suspicions that North Korea may be providing nuclear assistance to Syria.

Israeli warplanes struck a target deep in northeastern Syria on Sept. 6. Israel gave no more details, and Syria had said it was an unused military building that was hit.

Since the bombing, however, Western news media have quoted unidentified U.S. officials as saying that the airstrike hit some sort of nuclear facility linked to North Korea, which is now in the process of dismantling its nuclear weapons program.

On Friday, The Washington Post cited American officials as saying the site in Syria's eastern desert near the Euphrates River had characteristics of a small but substantial nuclear reactor similar to North Korea's facility.

North Korea provides missile technology to Syria, but has strongly denied accusations that it has shared its nuclear expertise with other countries. Syria also has denied receiving any North Korean nuclear help or embarking on any nuclear program.

The two countries accused U.S. officials of spreading the allegations for political reasons.

Last month, a high-level Syrian delegation visited Pyongyang, the North Korean capital.

North Korean state media said Choe's current overseas trip will also include a visit to Italy.

N.Korean, Syrian officials hold talks (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071021/ap_on_re_mi_ea/syria_nkorea;_ylt=AtXNi2UlPqjnF1lzqqPEQdsLewgF)

Meridor: We must be ready to preempt threats
Hilary leila krieger, jerusalem post correspondent
THE JERUSALEM POST
Oct. 23, 2007

Israeli Ambassador to the US Sallai Meridor declared Monday that Israel should always be prepared "to preempt, to deter and to defeat if we can" when speaking about the threats facing the country.

Chief among those threats was Iran, said Meridor, who called for a unified international as well as domestic American front to counter the Islamic Republic's nuclear ambitions.

"This will take a united United States on this matter, that they would not have the illusion today that come January '09, they [Teheran] have it their own way," he said, referring to the inauguration of President George W. Bush's successor, who could potentially change US policy on Iran.

Meridor said "very little time" remained to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to avoid the worst-case scenarios, outlined by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, of an Iranian bomb or a war with Iran.

"There may be a third way still, but only if the diplomatic and economic steps could be dramatically - not incrementally - intensified," he said, adding that 33 percent of Iran's trade is with Europe.

Meridor's comments appeared to put Israel at odds with America's approach to UN Security Council sanctions, in which the US is pushing for a gradual increase of pressure on Iran through a series of sanctions resolutions so long as Teheran refuses to halt uranium enrichment. A third such resolution is currently being considered.

Israeli sources said that to their knowledge the administration is also calling for tougher sanctions.

The ambassador said Iran would only stop its quest for nuclear capabilities when "the cost [is at] a level that in their minds will put at risk the accomplishments of the [1979 Islamic] revolution."

Meridor began his remarks at an American Jewish Committee luncheon by saying, "As strong as we are, we should always be prepared to preempt, to deter, to defeat if we can, to protect, and not assume that threats have evaporated. They have not."

The ambassador's comments come two days after outgoing Deputy Chief of General Staff Maj.-Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky, during a visit to Washington, also pointed to preemption as an option for Israel, though he was speaking about Lebanon as opposed to the general strategic picture painted by Meridor.

The talk comes amid growing speculation on how far the US and Israel will go to prevent a nuclear Iran and whether effective preemptive military action is possible. The White House tried Monday to tamp down accusations that the administration was ratcheting up the rhetoric on Iran and paving the way for a strike on its nuclear facilities.

On Sunday, US Vice President Dick Cheney, speaking at the same Washington Institute for Near East Policy conference as Kaplinsky, declared, "We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon." His remarks followed Bush's own warning that a Teheran with nuclear know-how could lead to World War III.

White House spokesman Tony Fratto rejected the depiction of Cheney's comments as "stepping up rhetoric," instead characterizing them as a reiteration of long-standing American policy.

Meridor: We must be ready to preempt threats (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1192380626865&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Syrian general to pilots, Be prepared for war

In a speech at flight school graduation, Syrian chief of staff tells new pilots 'we'll never relinquish our right to return occupied land'

Roee Nahmias
Latest Update: 10.23.07, 13:19
Israel News

"Be prepared to fend off all external aggression that seeks to harm the homeland," General Ali Khabib, the Syrian chief of staff, instructed pilots at a ceremony marking their graduation from flight school Monday.

He also told the pilots to "maintain a high level of readiness and always be ready for the homeland's calling".

"Syria will never relinquish its right to return occupied land," the general continued. "As President Bashar al-Assad emphasized, Syria is interested in gaining back of all of its rights – including the return of all of its territory and sovereignty."

During his speech—a month-and-a-half after an IAF raid deep into Syria—Khabib also attacked the US: "The mask has been removed from the real intentions of the US and her allies in their invasion of Iraq.

"This has allowed Arabs to understand the Zionist plans and plots in the region and has made clear that talks about peace and about a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are not genuine and are merely attempts to market what is being referred to as a 'peace conference," he said.

The general concluded by saying that "they are neglecting the main principle of the conflict in their attempts to solve it—the need to end the Zionist occupation of conquered Arab territory in accordance with international resolutions."

Syrian general to pilots, Be prepared for war (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3463002,00.html)

Israeli media hears Syrian call for war

By Stan Goodenough
Oct 23, 2007

A speech by the Syrian chief of staff was interpreted by Israeli journalists Tuesday as a call for that country's air force to prepare for war with Israel.

The Ynetnews website quoted General Ali Khabib telling graduating pilots they need to "be prepared to fend off all external aggression that seeks to harm the homeland."

"Syria is interested in gaining back of all of its rights – including the return of all of its territory and sovereignty," the general said, referring to the Golan Heights which Israel captured and extended sovereignty over four decades ago after the Syrians used it as a platform from which to attack the Jewish state.

Syria occupied the heights for just 19 years.

Tension between the two countries has ebbed and flowed since earlier this year when Israeli intelligence services first reported that Damascus dictator Bashar el-Assad was looking for a fight.

In the ensuing months, IDF tank units have on the Golan have been bolstered, and Israel has carried out a number of large-scale military exercises under the very noses of the Syrians.

For its part, Syria has reportedly been deploying SCUD surface-to-surface missiles –some reports say with non-conventional warheads - as well as advanced Russian-made anti-aircraft batteries, in readiness for conflict. Documents of state have been moved out of the Syria capital, and areas that for four decades have been virtually no-man's-land - like the town of Kuneitra - have suddenly come back to life.

While some Syrian officials have said that their country is only preparing for a defensive war in the event of an Israeli attack, other voices have been more belligerent, with some threatening to start a war of attrition similar to the Lebanese Hizb'allah in order to drive Israel off the Golan.

Analysts believe Assad may need to make some sort of military move to quell accusations of weak leadership at home.

Israeli media hears Syrian call for war (http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2203)

In a war, Syria can strike anywhere in Israel

By Reuven Pedatzur

The next war with Syria, if there is one, will be different from every other war we have known. Granted, there might be tank battles on the Golan Heights, as in the past, but it is doubtful that the war will take place solely at the front, while the civilian rear stays out of it.

If, as expected, the fighting expands to include the home front, residents of Haifa, Hadera and Tel Aviv will be targets for the Syrian army's rockets and missiles. Anyone who wants to imagine what is liable to happen in the streets of our cities if war breaks out with Syria and degenerates into mutual attacks on the civilian rear need not look far. The 4,000 rockets Hezbollah launched during the Second Lebanon War, which paralyzed the lives of some one million residents of the North, provide an example of an attack on Israel's home front.

The Syrian army has about 1,000 ballistic missiles of the Scud B, C and D models, whose ranges are between 300 and 700 kilometers. These missiles can reach anyplace in Israel (the distance from the southern Golan Heights to Tel Aviv is some 150 kilometers). The Syrian missiles are armed with chemical warheads, and Syria is also thought to have experimented with biological weapons. To these must be added Syria's SS-21 missiles, which have a shorter range (about 80 kilometers), but are much more accurate. The Ramat David airfield, for instance, is within range of these missiles. And, having learned a lesson from the Second Lebanon War, the Syrians have protected their missiles by putting them into concrete bunkers.

Even more problematic, from the Israel Defense Forces' perspective, is the Syrian army's store of rockets. Faced with thousands of rockets, both 220mm (whose range is about 70 kilometers) and 302mm (with a range of 90 kilometers), the IDF has no real answer - just as it had no answer to the thousands of rockets launched by Hezbollah. And to these must be added Hezbollah's approximately 20,000 rockets, which the organization will almost certainly use if war breaks out: Cooperation between Syria and Hezbollah has grown even closer since the war.

The Israel Air Force will try to destroy the ballistic missiles and their launchers (the launchers number no more than a few dozen), but it will be powerless in the face of thousands of rockets.

Over the last decade, the Syrian army has gradually become less armored and less mechanized; it is more and more based on infantry, commando units and antitank weapons. The idea behind this structural change is that Syrian forces will wage a defensive war on the Golan Heights and thereby bleed the IDF. The plan is to let the IDF attack and then engage in "close combat," during which they will wear out the attacking forces via numerous antitank missiles borne by infantry troops, including the advanced Metis and Kornet models.

In addition, the Syrian army has positioned tens of thousands of BM-21 rockets, which have a range of about 20 kilometers, at the front. These are liable to exact an extremely heavy price from the IDF.

In recent years, many villages, containing thousands of houses, have been built on the Syrian heights. If the IDF advances toward Damascus, it will have to fight in a built-up area. The residents will be evacuated as soon as the fighting begins, and they will be replaced by Syrian commandos, who will lie in wait for the IDF's tanks and armored personnel carriers. Numerous irrigation channels, dug in order to water the local fields and orchards, will also constitute a barrier against the IDF's tanks.

Therefore, every possible scenario for a war with Syria indicates that the price paid by the IDF, and almost certainly by the civilian rear as well, will be extremely high. Those who failed in a war against a guerrilla organization numbering only a few hundred fighters ought to be very cautious about going to war against a regular army that has learned the lessons of the Lebanon war and intends to exploit every Israeli weakness that it revealed.

In a war, Syria can strike anywhere in Israel (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/915893.html)

Brothers and Sisters, the below portion of Scripture says it all:
______________________________________

Isaiah 17:1 NASB The oracle concerning Damascus. "Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city And will become a fallen ruin.

Isaiah 17:2 NASB "The cities of Aroer are forsaken; They will be for flocks to lie down in, And there will be no one to frighten them.

Isaiah 17:3 NASB "The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, And sovereignty from Damascus And the remnant of Aram; They will be like the glory of the sons of Israel," Declares the LORD of hosts.

Isaiah 17:4 NASB Now in that day the glory of Jacob will fade, And the fatness of his flesh will become lean.

Isaiah 17:5 NASB It will be even like the reaper gathering the standing grain, As his arm harvests the ears, Or it will be like one gleaning ears of grain In the valley of Rephaim.

Isaiah 17:6 NASB Yet gleanings will be left in it like the shaking of an olive tree, Two or three olives on the topmost bough, Four or five on the branches of a fruitful tree, Declares the LORD, the God of Israel.

Isaiah 17:7 NASB In that day man will have regard for his Maker And his eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 17:8 NASB He will not have regard for the altars, the work of his hands, Nor will he look to that which his fingers have made, Even the Asherim and incense stands.

Isaiah 17:9 NASB In that day their strong cities will be like forsaken places in the forest, Or like branches which they abandoned before the sons of Israel; And the land will be a desolation.

Isaiah 17:10 NASB For you have forgotten the God of your salvation And have not remembered the rock of your refuge. Therefore you plant delightful plants And set them with vine slips of a strange god.

Isaiah 17:11 NASB In the day that you plant it you carefully fence it in, And in the morning you bring your seed to blossom; But the harvest will be a heap In a day of sickliness and incurable pain.

Isaiah 17:12 NASB Alas, the uproar of many peoples Who roar like the roaring of the seas, And the rumbling of nations Who rush on like the rumbling of mighty waters!

Isaiah 17:13 NASB The nations rumble on like the rumbling of many waters, But He will rebuke them and they will flee far away, And be chased like chaff in the mountains before the wind, Or like whirling dust before a gale.

Isaiah 17:14 NASB At evening time, behold, there is terror! Before morning they are no more. Such will be the portion of those who plunder us And the lot of those who pillage us.

More Nuclear Sites in Syria?
10-25-2007 16:32:59

While proof of a Syrian nuclear site is trickling down, including in this Washington Post article, the question now remains: what exactly do we know about the Syrian nuclear program?

Last night, The Croissant ran a story from the Kuwaiti Al Seyassah about potential new secret nuclear sites in Syria. Here is an excerpt:

Western sources think that Syrian intelligence provided some information on the facility bombed on September 6 by the Israeli air force in order to focus the attention just on this particular site while work goes on at other secret sites. Observation satellites have allegedly located in Syria at least 2 other sites similar to the one destroyed last month.

Back in December 2006, I wrote an article for The Examiner on Syria's nuclear program. Here is an excerpt:

Indeed, while world attention is rightly focused on the nuclear capabilities of Iran and North Korea, Syria has been quietly -- but quickly -- advancing its own secret nuclear program.

The first signs appeared in 2003 when the Russian Foreign Ministry inadvertently revealed that a Russian-Syrian agreement for the delivery of a nuclear power plant in an undisclosed Syrian location had been signed.

In 2004, Syrian President Bashar Assad made a point to say that Syria would not dispose of its WMD program until Israel did the same. "Since some of my country is occupied," Assad added, "Syria can legitimately use all the necessary means to liberate its territories."

German magazine Der Spiegel revealed in March 2004 that Swedish authorities and the CIA were investigating a very likely Syrian nuclear program secretly developed in Homs in the northern part of the country. That July, investigators looking into the Pakistani nuclear network of A.Q. Khan pointed out that Syria may have procured centrifuges capable of enriching uranium to produce a bomb.

This fact was confirmed in May 2006 in a declassified report to the U.S. Congress on the acquisition of technology relating to weapons of mass destruction. Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Syria also got help from Saddam Hussein's regime.

Keep in mind that Syria's economy was very dependent on Iraq's trade, especially oil-smuggling revenues. Sunday Telegraph journalist Con Coughlin affirmed in a September 2004 article that 12 Iraqi nuclear scientists -- who were transferred to Syria and given new identities before the war -- were on their way to Iran to assist their counterparts there in building a nuclear weapon. "The results of the research would then be shared with Syria," Coughlin added.

But what really broke the camel's back was a recent report from the well-informed Kuwaiti daily newspaper Al Seyassah. It quoted European intelligence sources as saying that "Syria has an advanced nuclear program" in a secret site located in the province of Al Hassaka, close to the Turkish and Iraqi borders. British sources quoted by the paper believe that "it is President Assad's brother, Colonel Maher Assad and his cousin Rami Makhlouf, who supervise the program."

More Nuclear Sites in Syria? (http://www.aina.org/news/20071025113259.htm)

IAEA chief lashes out over Israeli raid in Syria

Mohamed ElBaradei accuses Jewish state of 'taking the law into its own hands', says 'if countries have information that another country is working on a nuclear-related program, they should come to us'
AFP

Chief UN nuclear watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei Sunday accused Israel of taking "the law into their own hands" with a raid on Syria, and demanded more information about what was hit.

Neither Israel nor the United States has furnished "any evidence at all" to prove that the Syrian site bombed last month was a secret nuclear facility, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency told CNN.

"That, to me, is very distressful because we have a system; if countries have information that the country is working on a nuclear-related program, they should come to us. We have the authority to go out and investigate," he said.

"But to bomb first and then ask questions later, I think it undermines the system and it doesn't lead to any solution to any suspicion, because we are the eyes and ears of the international community."

Israel has said it bombed a military target inside Syria September 6, but has provided no additional details, amid speculation that the target may have been a site storing nuclear materials from North Korea.

ElBaradei said he had been told by Syria that the site was a military facility and "has nothing to do with nuclear."

"I would hope if anybody has information, before they take the law into their own hands, to come and pass the information on," he said.

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has acknowledged for the first time that Israeli warplanes may have violated Turkey's airspace during the incursion into Syria, an official said Sunday.

Olmert apologized to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan when the two men met in London Tuesday, the Israeli official said.

Turkey had demanded an explanation from Israel after it was embarrassed by the discovery of jettisoned fuel tanks on its territory in the aftermath of the raid.

IAEA chief lashes out over Israeli raid in Syria (http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3465032,00.html)

Syrian reactor built in 2001

Experts examining new satellite images from 2003 estimate construction of Syrian complex bombed by Israel began six years ago

Ynet
Published: 10.27.07, 22:02
Israel News

The New York Times reported on Saturday that independent analysts have determined that construction of the alleged nuclear reactor on Syrian soil which was bombed last month by Israel may have begun as early as 2001.

After and Before pictures
http://www.ynetnews.com/PicServer2/04062007/1270294/WASV99_o&91;1&93;_wa.jpg

The analysts cited satellite images of the complex taken by a private commercial company in 2003 as evidence. The new images depict large-scale construction works at the site in question.

Syria accused Israel of conducting a raid in its territory in early September but denied the target was a nuclear reactor. American analysts who have studied the newly released images asserted that the complex posed a credible nuclear threat.

The experts' determination that construction on the site had begun in 2001 may support the claim that North Korea began aiding Syria in the late 1990's.

The paper also quoted an unnamed US security official who said that American intelligence had been aware of the site and had been keeping tabs on the evolving project for years.

Earlier in the week new satellite footage of the region showed the structure had been completely razed after the Israeli raid in an apparent attempt by the Syrians to hide any incriminating evidence.

Analysts said the cleanup will hinder a proposed investigation by international nuclear inspectors. ''It (Syria) took down this facility so quickly it looks like they are trying to hide something,'' said David

Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, which analyzed the images.

Syria is signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and has allowed agency experts to inspect its only known nuclear facility - a small, 27-kilowatt reactor, according to diplomats linked to the IAEA.

Syrian reactor built in 2001 (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3464647,00.html)

Since I was curious as to just who this character was, I thought others might be also:

Mohamed ElBaradei (Arabic: محمد البرادعي, transliteration: Muḥammad al-Barādaʿī) (born June 17, 1942) is an Egyptian diplomat and the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an inter-governmental organization under the auspices of the United Nations. ElBaradei and the IAEA were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.

ElBaradei earned a Bachelor's degree in law from the University of Cairo in 1962, followed by a Ph.D in International Law at the New York University School of Law in 1974. His diplomatic career began in 1964 in the Egyptian Ministry of External affairs, where he served in the Permanent Missions of Egypt to the United Nations in New York and in Geneva, in charge of political, legal, and arms control issues. From 1974 to 1978 he was a special assistant to the Egyptian Foreign Minister. In 1980, he became a senior fellow in charge of the international law program at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. From 1981 to 1987 he was also an Adjunct Professor of International Law at New York University School of Law.

In 1984, ElBaradei became a senior staff member of the IAEA Secretariat, serving as the agency's legal adviser (1984 to 1993) and Assistant Director General for External Relations (1993 to 1997).

ElBaradei is also a member of the International Law Association and the American Society of International Law. He is married to Aida Elkachef, a kindergarten teacher at Vienna International School, and has two children, Laila and Mostafa.

December 1, 1997, and is now well into his third 4-year term. However, a good deal of controversy surrounded his election to a third term, which was opposed primarily by the United States. The stated reason for the U.S. opposition was that it supported a limit of two terms for all heads of international organizations; however, it was reported that the U.S. opposition may have been motivated by other factors. ElBaradei had strongly questioned the U.S. rationale for the 2003 invasion of Iraq from the time of the 2002 Iraq disarmament crisis, when he, along with Hans Blix, led a team of UN weapons inspectors in Iraq, seeking evidence that Saddam Hussein had revived his efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction. ElBaradei and his team of inspectors could not determine the ultimate purpose of Saddam Hussein's regime's purchase of aluminum tubes which some claimed could be used for uranium centrifuges. After the Iraq War, the Iraq Survey Group determined that the best explanation for the tubes use was to produce conventional 81-mm rockets; no evidence was found of a program to design or develop an 81-mm aluminum rotor uranium centrifuge.[1]

ElBaradei had also revealed to the UN Security Council that sales of uranium from Niger to Iraq, which had been touted by numerous intelligence agencies as a key piece of evidence of Iraq's nuclear weapons ambitions may have been based on uncertified documents. The U.S. used several diplomatic channels in an attempt to remove ElBaradei from his position as IAEA director, but however despite months of extensive behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts, the U.S. was not able to identify a sufficient number of other countries willing to support ElBaradei's ouster. In addition, no rival candidate could be found willing to compete against ElBaradei for Director General, although the U.S. tried to convince Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer to run for the job (he declined).

ElBaradei has also been accused by the US of having a lenient approach in dealing with Iran's nuclear program [5] in light of revelations that Iran had covered up substantial aspects of its nuclear program for nearly two decades, and Iran's insistence on continuing to develop uranium enrichment capability. ElBaradei and the IAEA have also been criticized for failing to detect the “nuclear supermarket” run by the Pakistani scientist A. Q. Khan.

This is just some of what I found.
Yvette

Brothers and Sisters,

It's interesting to think about things like this, but it's also very complicated because these might involve issues that usher in the last days of this Age of Grace. Is it possible that ElBaradei is in exactly the right position for GOD'S Purposes? YES - but only GOD knows.

We do know that no power or government can slow or hasten GOD'S Appointed time for the unfolding of Bible Prophecy. Are nuclear weapons part of Bible Prophecy? Maybe - only GOD knows. There are portions of Scripture that indicate this possibility, but it still boils down to "only GOD knows".

GOD tells us that evil will grow worse, and the time will come when the "Great Restrainer" (HOLY SPIRIT) will not restrict the actions of the devil and the powers of darkness. It's quite obvious that evil is growing worse and stronger by the minute, but the "Great Restrainer" is still here and restricting the actions of the devil. When will the devil be given full reign? Only GOD knows. It will be horrible beyond human imagination.

The devil's reign will be ended by the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. JESUS CHRIST came the first time to Sacrifice HIMSELF and provide a means of rescue and Salvation for evil mankind. HIS SECOND COMING will be in GREAT, RIGHTEOUS WRATH, and HE will pour out HIS HOLY WRATH on evil. Evil mankind and the powers of darkness richly deserve HIS WRATH. ALL will know that HE is the LORD of LORDS and KING of KINGS, but it will be too late.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Ezekiel 7:14-20 NASB
'They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but no one is going to the battle, for My wrath is against all their multitude. 'The sword is outside and the plague and the famine are within. He who is in the field will die by the sword; famine and the plague will also consume those in the city. 'Even when their survivors escape, they will be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, each over his own iniquity. 'All hands will hang limp and all knees will become like water. 'They will gird themselves with sackcloth and shuddering will overwhelm them; and shame will be on all faces and baldness on all their heads. 'They will fling their silver into the streets and their gold will become an abhorrent thing; their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their appetite nor can they fill their stomachs, for their iniquity has become an occasion of stumbling. 'They transformed the beauty of His ornaments into pride, and they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things with it; therefore I will make it an abhorrent thing to them.

New missiles threaten Tel Aviv airport
Security officials say Syria, Iran rearming Hezbollah terror group
Posted: November 5, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

TEL AVIV – The Lebanese Hezbollah militia, aided by Iran and Syria, has acquired a small number of missiles capable of targeting Tel Aviv's international airport, according to security sources.

The sources said recent speeches in which Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah repeatedly warned Israel of a "colossal surprise" were references to his group's purported new capability of striking Israel's main airport.

"If you the Zionists are thinking of attacking Lebanon ... I promise great surprises that could alter the fate of the war and the region, G-d willing," said Nasrallah in a September speech.

In a speech two months prior, Nasrallah claimed his group would release a "colossal surprise" that would target Israel by land similar to a surprise attack his group launched during confrontations in the summer of 2006 when Hezbollah successfully used Chinese-made C-802 missiles to strike Israel's navy. The Jewish state had failed to calibrate its sea vessels' anti-missile systems, reportedly unaware Hezbollah possessed the Chinese missiles.

Security officials, who spoke to WND on condition of anonymity, didn't specify the exact missile they said Hezbollah acquired that can target Tel Aviv's airport. They said the missiles were passed to Hezbollah by Iran through the Syria-Lebanese border.

The Lebanese Army and a contingent of several thousand international troops were deployed in South Lebanon to specifically ensure against Hezbollah's rearming, but Israel says neither the international forces nor the Lebanese army are taking concrete measures to stop Hezbollah from rearming. Additionally, no troops have deployed along the Syria-Lebanese border, where most of Hezbollah's rearming reportedly takes place.

A United Nations cease-fire imposed after the 34-days of confrontations in July and August of 2006 banned weapons transfers and called on Hezbollah to disarm.

Israel is not alone in pointing out Hezbollah's rearmament. Last week, the U.N. released a report quoting Israeli officials stating Hezbollah acquired new long-range rockets capable of hitting Tel Aviv and tripled their arsenal of land-to-sea missiles since last summer's war.

The U.N. report did not state Hezbollah acquired missiles that can target Tel Aviv's airport, only rockets, which cannot be calibrated to target a specific area.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called Hezbollah's purported rearming a cause for great concern.

"Israel has stated that the nature and number of weapons in Hezbollah's control constitutes a strategic threat to its security and the safety of its citizens," he said.

The U.N. report said Hezbollah's long-range rocket force is stationed in areas north of the Litani River, above the area at which international forces are deployed, and that most of the new rockets, including hundreds of Zilzal and Fajr rockets, have a range of 155 miles, "enabling them to reach Tel Aviv and points further south," the report said.

"Israel also claims that Hezbollah has tripled its shore-to-sea C-802 missiles and have established an air-defense unit armed with ground-to-air missiles," Ban said.

While Israel did not provided the U.N. with specific intelligence due to the sensitivity of the sources, Ban said last week several speeches by Nasrallah the past few months "seem to confirm these Israeli claims."

US warns Syria ahead of Lebanese elections

Associated Press
THE JERUSALEM POST
Nov. 9, 2007

A senior State Department official told Congress on Thursday that Syria or its supporters might use violence to interfere in neighboring Lebanon's coming presidential elections.

"Interference or intimidation in the electoral process is unacceptable to the United States and to the international community," the diplomat, C. David Welch, said at a hearing of the Senate Middle East subcommittee.

Syria cannot hope to improve relations with the United States or play an influential role in the region unless it heeds that warning, Welch said in a statement and in testimony at the hearing.

Careful about what he was willing to disclose openly, Welch said, "My sense is that there is a high risk of something to signal the parliament" of Syria's interest in the outcome of parliament's election a president, a post held by pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud. His term expires Nov. 24.

As parliament prepares to choose a successor to pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud by Monday, several legislators who say they fear for their lives are housed in a Beirut hotel protected by security guards.

The Bush administration has been expanding its diplomatic contact cautiously with Syria, including meetings between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem last Spring and again at a conference on Iraq Nov. 3 in Turkey.

At the meeting in Istanbul, Rice said she had made "quite clear" that she expected Syria not to interfere in Lebanon's constitutional process.

Syria has pulled its troops from Lebanon under UN pressure but maintains a strong interest in the country through pro-Syrian politicians and, according to US officials, intermittent shipment of Iranian weapons to Hezbollah, which the State Department designates as a terrorist organization.

"This is a government that strives to undermine Lebanon's sovereignty and security through pro-Syrian proxies and partners, a government that continues to harbor and support terrorists and terrorist organizations," Welch said.

"It is time," he said, "for the Syrian government to show it is willing to be a responsible member in the community of nations."

Speaking about Lebanon's projected elections, Welch said: "We are very concerned that in the next few weeks Syria or its supporters will attempt to manipulate the outcome through violence, intimidation or an obstinate refusal to participate in the electoral process. These concerns are not unfounded."

On several occasions, Welch said, Syrian officials promised to act against the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq, to end their interference in Lebanon, to expel from Damascus Palestinian terrorist leaders and to end Syrian state sponsorship of terrorism."

Unfortunately, he said, "the Syrian regime has yet to demonstrate the necessary willingness to reorient its behavior back toward international norms."

In a statement, meanwhile, Republican Sen. Dick Lugar recommended "meaningful and regular discussions" between the United States and Syria.

Continued refusal to do so, he said, "freezes in place a dangerous status quo."

US warns Syria ahead of Lebanese elections (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1192380772497&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Syria displays new security measures in rare organized tour along Iraqi border

The Associated Press
Saturday, November 10, 2007

TANAF, Syria: Syria showed off new security measures on its long and porous border with Iraq during an organized tour for foreign diplomats, military attaches and journalists on Saturday.

Twenty-nine diplomats, including the U.S. military attache, were allowed on the rare inspection of Syria's side of the Tanaf border crossing, about 300 kilometers (187 miles) northeast of the capital, Damascus. They were then driven for some 200 kilometers (miles) along the border marked by police outposts and tall sand barriers.

Authorities have increased the number of outposts to one every 400 meters in some zones along the 570 kilometer (354 miles) border, a Syrian officer said, stating each outpost was staffed with half-dozen soldiers.

"There is no infiltration (into Iraq) here," the officer said, speaking on conditions of anonymity along with Syrian military regulations. However, several Iraqis have been caught smuggling ammunition and tobacco into Syria, he said.

The United States and some Iraqi officials accuse Syria of not doing enough to stop foreign fighters from crossing into Iraq. Syria says it has taken all necessary measures but that it is impossible to fully control the sprawling desert along the border.

Syrian authorities have also complained in the past that their border guards lack sufficient equipment and intelligence. They say Britain has turned down their request for night-vision binoculars.

But the Syrian officer at Tanaf said the situation has improved since guards were provided with "reconnaissance vehicles and developed communication systems." He did not elaborate.

Most diplomats declined to talk to reporters during the trip, but Bahrain's ambassador, Wahid al-Sayar, said it appeared that "Syria is serious in controlling its border with Iraq."

Al-Sayar added that security measures taken by Iraqi border guards were not visible during the tour, and called for "cooperation on both sides" for more effective border patrolling.

The Tanaf border crossing was a major gateway for Iraqis fleeing violence in their country following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and the ousting of Saddam Hussein.

Over 1,5 million Iraqi refugees have fled to Syria, but the numbers seem to have decreased drastically since Damascus began imposing visa restrictions on Iraqis last month.

Mohammed Awad, who heads the immigration department at Tanaf, said only 400 to 500 Iraqis are entering Syria daily, down from almost 15,000 before restrictions were imposed.

And the number of those returning to Iraq have recently increased fivefold to about 2,500 a day, he said. The Iraqi government also says large numbers of refugees are returning to Iraq, encouraged by declining violence in their country.

The U.S. State Department said this week that Syria has agreed to allow U.S. interviewers into the country to screen Iraqi refugees for admission to the United States, clearing a major obstacle to the Bush administration's resettlement program.

Syria had for months refused to issue visas to the interviewers amid deepening tensions between Washington and Damascus.

Syria displays new security measures (http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=8277204)

Israel on alert for Syria airstrike
November 11, 2007
Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv

THE defensive missile shield around Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor was placed on red alert 30 times last week amid fears of an airstrike by Syria.

A battery of American-made Patriot antiaircraft missiles has been moved to Dimona in the Negev desert following intelligence that a strike may be launched in retaliation for Israel’s bombing of a suspected nuclear site in Syria two months ago.

In a highly unusual move, the officers in charge of the missiles were permitted to talk to Israeli state television about their preparations. “We’re ready to launch the missiles in seconds, once we’re on full alert,” said First Lieutenant Adi, a young female officer who is the deputy commander of the battery.

Tension with Damascus has heightened since September 6 when Israeli fighters destroyed the suspected nuclear installation in northern Syria.

“The fact that the Syrians didn’t launch an immediate strike against Israel doesn’t mean that they won’t retaliate in due course,” said an Israeli defence source. “Dimona is on the top of their list.”

Tension is mounting in Israel. “Every civilian aircraft en route from Cairo to Amman, or from Jeddah to Cairo and vice versa, which deviates even slightly from its route, sets off an alarm and risks a missile being fired,” said the female commander of the Patriot battery.

The unit is authorised to shoot down any aircraft which approaches, civilian or combat.

An Israeli Mirage jet that approached Dimona by mistake was shot down during the Six-Day War in 1967, while a Libyan Boeing 727 which lost its way in a storm in 1973 and approached Dimona was also downed. All 113 on board were killed.

Israel on alert for Syria airstrike (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article2848246.ece)

Israel on Alert: Secret Nuclear Plant in the Crosshairs

by Hana Levi Julian

(IsraelNN.com) The missile defense system at Israel's Dimona nuclear reactor is on high alert due to concerns that Syria might target it in an attack. Israeli officials say the Dimona facility is "on the top of [Syria's] list."

According to a report published in the British Sunday Times, the Dimona nuclear reactor was placed on red alert 30 times last week.

Israel's Air Force tracks all aircraft in neighboring Arab states, said the unnamed Israeli sources quoted in the British Sunday Times, and is ready to launch a defensive strike within seconds if an unidentified or enemy aircraft attempts to approach Dimona.

Foreign media first reported the September 6th Israeli attack on Syrian soil hours after Syria filed an official complaint that Israeli aircraft had violated its air space and dropped bombs in an uninhabited area.

It was later reported that Israel had attacked a nuclear facility that showed signs of having been built by North Korean scientists, and that an unnamed U.S. official had said "Israelis obtained many detailed pictures of the facility from the ground."

A report in the New York Times in October claimed the facility was without doubt a nuclear reactor and was at least four years old. The paper published a satellite photo dated from 2003 that clearly showed a structure on the site Israel allegedly bombed that had been taken prior to the attack.

On October 2, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that the Israeli Air Force attacked at least one target deep inside Syrian territory. Information regarding what was hit, exactly when and how remains classified.

Despite a flurry of foreign reports about the affair, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter insisted last week that Syrian leaders are ready to negotiate an agreement with Israel. Foreign media were the first to report that a Syrian nuclear reactor had indeed existed and that Syria eventually admitted the reactor's existence in its complaint about Israel's alleged attack – albeit later retracted. They also emphasized, as did Israeli media by then, Israel's closemouthed response to reports that the Air Force had destroyed the facility.

In a speech at the Saban Forum in Jerusalem, Dichter questioned whether Israel or the United States were as "mentally prepared" for peace as Syria.

Dichter was heavily criticized earlier in the year for suggesting that Israel give up the strategic Golan Heights in exchange for Syrian promises of peace.

Israel on Alert: Secret Nuclear Plant in the Crosshairs (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/124203)

Israel hopes to resume talks with Syria

By LAURIE COPANS, Associated Press Writer Tue Nov 13, 4:14 PM ET

JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has sent messages to Syrian President Bashar Assad that he is interested in reopening peace talks and suggested Israel would return territory it captured 40 years ago, Israeli officials said Tuesday.

Israel hopes a resumption of talks with Syria would moderate the bitter foe and win Damascus over in the regional effort to counter Iran's fundamentalist influence, a Foreign Ministry official said. With a U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference two weeks away, Israel also wants a Syrian option open in case talks with the Palestinians fail, they said.

However, the officials said in the contacts with Olmert's emissaries, Assad indicated he is not interested in renewing negotiations with Olmert, viewing the Israeli leader as too weak politically to implement a peace agreement. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has himself sent Israeli envoys based abroad to meet with Assad, the Israeli officials said.

Olmert's and Barak's offices would not confirm that they have sent messages to Assad.

Olmert has said he wants Syria to participate in the Mideast conference, set for Annapolis, Md., but the United States has not agreed to Syria's demand that the agenda include talks on the possibility of Israel returning the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.

Israel-Syria peace talks broke down in 2000 with an Israeli offer on the table to return the Golan Heights down to the international border. Syria insisted on further territory that would give it control of the east bank of the Sea of Galilee. There were also disagreements over the extent of peaceful relations.

Israel hopes the opening of a Syrian track now could offset a possible breakdown of negotiations with the Palestinians, a Foreign Ministry official said. Israel and the Palestinians have so far been unable to agree on a framework document to precede the Annapolis meeting, and Olmert has been playing down its prospects.

Olmert told parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday that he was "ready for peace with Syria and prepared to conduct negotiations with no preconditions — on condition they (the Syrians) abandon the 'axis of evil' and don't support terror," according to participants in the meeting.

Israel and the United States criticize Syria for hosting the headquarters of radical Palestinian groups and backing the Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas.

When asked by lawmaker Ran Cohen if he was holding talks with Syria, Olmert said "I don't have to tell you about everything that I do."

Cohen said Tuesday that Olmert gave lawmakers the clear impression that contacts with Syria were already under way.

"This is his first hint that he is holding some sort of negotiations with Syria," said Cohen, a member of the dovish Meretz Party. "It was fairly clear to everyone sitting there that he is doing something and not saying anything about it."

Assad hopes through possible negotiations with Israel to win favor with the United States, said Alon Liel, an expert on Syria and former Israeli diplomat. Assad will agree to resume talks with Israel only if the United States agrees to mediate them, Liel said Tuesday.

But the Bush administration has been cool to the idea.

"As long as Syria depends on Iran economically and militarily, it can't hold talks with Israel," Liel said. "Assad needs the Americans. Even if he gets the Golan and even if he signs an agreement with Israel, he loses Iran, he loses the world."

Tensions between Israel and Syria have been high following an Israeli airstrike two months ago against a facility in northern Syria. Commercial satellite images have indicated a site for a future nuclear reactor might have been destroyed, but Syria has denied developing such a reactor.

Chances for war between the longtime enemies have dropped in recent weeks, in part because of calming statements by Olmert and Barak.

Israel hopes to resume talks with Syria (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071113/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_syria;_ylt=AmPC4NyTEg9K1ZzM5O1O3m0LewgF)

Syria May Try To Down Israeli Passenger Plane
International

Fears that Syria may attempt to attack Israeli passenger planes has led to the implimentation of a string of stringent security measures by the Israeli security establishment that includes cancelling flights to Turkey, boosting the number of security guards on specific flights that are considered sensisitive and changing the landing and take off locations in some instances, as well as flight routes.

Possible threats taken into account include firing missiles at stationary planes at airports before they take off, or after they have landed. Assessments by Israel's security establishment point to the possibility that Syria may try to down an Israeli plane in response to the air strike inside Syria in September,according to a report that appeared in the daily Ma'ariv newspaper.

The report said Israeli security officials treat seriously comments made by Syrian President Bashar Assad that Syria will choose the time and the place to respond to the Israeli air strike. Because of these assessments, the entire security detail of Israeli planes has been changed and extra manpower brought in to enhance the safety and security of Israeli passengers.

The newspaper report noted that due to the situation, airport authorities and Israeli airline companies decided to cancel flights to various Turkish destinations until the threat has been lifted.

In 2002, missiles fired at an Israeli Arkia charter plane in Mombassa narrowly missed it as it prepared to take off for Tel Aviv. The same day suicide bombers blew up at the Israeli owned Paradise Hotel near Mombassa, killing 13 people including three Israelis. Al Qaida later claimed responsibility for both attacks.14/11/07

Syria May Try To Down Israeli Passenger Plane (http://www.infolive.tv/en/infolive.tv-14450-israelnews-syria-may-try-down-israeli-passenger-plane)

Syria to attend upcoming Mideast summit
jerusalem post staff
THE JERUSALEM POST
Nov. 15, 2007

Syria will be attending the upcoming US-sponsored Mideast summit in Annapolis, the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Thursday.

Quoting a Palestinian source based in Damascus, the report claimed that Syria came to their decision after they received assurances that the United States would openly extend to them a formal invitation to the parley, rather than using discreet channels through the Arab League.

Meanwhile, opposition from Palestinian leaders to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the "state of the Jews" intensified on Wednesday, threatening to derail the planned post-Annapolis attempt to renew substantive peace negotiations.

Nonetheless, Olmert - who reiterated on Wednesday that there could be no such talks without explicit Palestinian recognition of Israel as the Jewish state - is confident that the Annapolis joint statement of principles, which is still being negotiated between the two sides, will satisfactorily resolve the issue, The Jerusalem Post was told.

Veteran Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat said Wednesday that the Palestinians would never formally recognize Israel as the Jewish state.

"Israel can define itself however it sees fit; and if it wishes to call itself a Jewish state, so be it," he said in an interview with the satellite station Al-Arabiya. "But the Palestinians will never acknowledge Israel's Jewish identity."

In similar vein, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad was quoted by Israel Radio as rejecting Olmert's demand as unacceptable.

On Tuesday, PLO Executive Committee member Yasser Abed Rabbo also dismissed the demand, stating: "It is only a Zionist party that deals with Israel as a Jewish state, and we did not request to be a member of the international Zionism movement."

Olmert has stressed repeatedly in recent days that there can be no negotiations whatsoever between Israel and the Palestinians until they acknowledge that Israel is the state of the Jewish people, and that he has made this clear to both the Palestinians and the Americans in the run-up to the Annapolis summit scheduled for the end of the month.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday, following Olmert's meeting with visiting European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, Olmert "referred to Israel's insistence that the foundation for the post-Annapolis negotiations with the Palestinians be recognition of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people."

Olmert, the statement went on, "made it clear that from Israel's point of view, this issue is not subject to either negotiations or discussion."

Earlier this week, Olmert declared that "Israel is a state of the Jewish people. Whoever does not accept this cannot hold any negotiations with me."

Despite the apparently irreconcilable positions on this issue, the Post was told by well-placed sources on Wednesday night that Olmert believed the Annapolis joint statement would address the matter satisfactorily, enabling negotiations to proceed.

Israel, the sources pointed out, came into being in the wake of the UN General Assembly's approval 60 years ago of the partition of Palestine "into Jewish and Arab states." The entire basis of the two-state solution, they added, revolved around the notion of the Jewish state, Israel, alongside the Arab state sought by the Palestinians, Palestine.

"We are not the Israeli nation," the sources said. "We're the Jewish state."

A lot of negative rhetoric was being heard from Palestinian officials, the sources acknowledged, saying, "They're going to have to resolve some of those contradictions."

Syria to attend upcoming Mideast summit (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1195036610009&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Israel Training With Tactical Nukes
Israel - Middle East
Monday, November 19, 2007
Jack Kinsella - Omega Letter Editor

The government of Israel has let it be known that Israeli Air Force pilots are currently undergoing training for a tactical NUCLEAR strike against Iran's nuclear program to prevent Ahmadinejad from getting the Bomb.

The Israelis intend to use precision laser bombs followed up by low-yield tactical nuclear bunker-buster bombs to hit Iran's hardened underground facilities. The training exercise calls for the use of two Israeli Air Force squadrons to carry out the attack.

The London Sunday Times quoted one of its sources saying, “As soon as the green light is given, it will be one mission, one strike and the Iranian nuclear project will be demolished."

Israeli intelligence assessments conclude that conventional weapons won't be enough to totally annihilate the three main targets, a uranium conversion plant near Isfahan, the heavy water reactor at Arak, and the Natanz facility that Ahmadinejad boasted now has 3,000 centrifuges online.

Israeli officials believe that destroying all three sites would delay Iran's nuclear program for years and prevent the Jewish State from living in fear of sudden nuclear destruction from the east.

Noted Israel Insider, "Dr. Ephraim Sneh, the former deputy Israeli defense minister, said last month: "The time is approaching when Israel and the international community will have to decide whether to take military action against Iran."

But he lamented that; "At the end of the day it is always down to the Jews to deal with the problem."

The Insider also reported that the US "is believed to be backing away from military action in Iran, and the new US defense secretary, Robert Gates, has described a strike against Iranian targets as a "last resort", leading Israelis to believe that it will be left to the IAF to strike."

Moreover, the Insider said Israeli officials do not expect to get a green light from the US to use tactical nukes -- the IAF intends to operate unilaterally as necessary.

If the IAF plans proceed to fruition, Israel will be the first nation to use a nuclear weapon against an enemy since the United States dropped "Fat Man" and "Little Boy" on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945.

A number of US analysts believe that Israel leaked the story to the London Sunday Times deliberately as a message to Iran.

The Israeli Insider quoted one such analyst, who told them;

"In the cold war, we made it clear to the Russians that it was a virtual certainty that nukes would fly and fly early. Israel may be adopting the same tactics: 'You produce a weapon; you die'."

I don't doubt that Israel wants Iran to know that it intends to deploy tactical nuclear weapons. Israel no doubt also wanted the world to know of its intentions in advance in order to gauge global reaction.

It is worth remembering that this story originated with the London Sunday Times, which is Great Britain's answer to the New York Times as that nation's newspaper of record -- (except the London Times still has the international credibility once shared by the Gray Lady in New York).

The point is, this story is NOT some unsourced rumor picked up from an internet blog. It was the featured report in one of Great Britain's oldest and most prestigious newspapers, read in capitals the world over.

And it reported that Israel was preparing for a first-use nuclear strike against Iran's nuclear facilities! The world's reaction was. . . it was . . well, ummm . . . I ran a Google news search on the keywords "Israel" "tactical" and "nuclear" to see.

There were TWO articles -- one from YnetNews and the other from the Israel Insider. Both hyperlinked to the London Times report, but apart from that, there appears to be a deafening silence. No outraged editorials from the Saudis or Egyptians or from al-Jazeera. No protests in the streets.

In 1981, when Saddam was about to flip the switch that would bring his Osirek nuclear processing plant online, Israel began conducting training simulations that telegraphed their intention to destroy it.

The global reaction in 1981 was not unlike the reaction to the Times' report. Even the Arabs remained silent, and in the decades since, there has been an unspoken acknowledgment that Israel did the world a favor.

It would seem the world is prepared to accept another favor from the Jewish State.

Israel Training With Tactical Nukes (http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=6194)

A Mideast nuclear war?
By MARTIN WALKER (UPI Editor Emeritus)
Published: November 21, 2007

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Anthony Cordesman (his report on this) (http://www.csis.org/index.php?option=com_csis_pubs&task=view&id=4172)%20may) may be the most influential man in Washington that most people have never heard of. A former director of intelligence assessment for the secretary of defense and director of policy and planning in the Department of Energy, he is now the top strategic guru at the Center for Strategic & International Studies.

Most serious politicians and journalists have for some years based their analyses of the Iraq war and its aftermath on his universally respected research. Cordesman is a facts man who likes and reveres good data and cool, clinical analysis as the keystones of policymaking.

He has now turned his laser-like research and forensic intelligence skills to studying the real implication of the endless diplomatic minuet at the United Nations over Iran's nuclear ambitions. In the real world, this matters mainly because an Iranian nuclear capability would transform the power balance in the wider Middle East, and leave the region and the rest of us living under the constant prospect of a nuclear exchange between Iran and Israel.

This would mean, Cordesman suggests, some 16 million to 28 million Iranians dead within 21 days, and between 200,000 and 800,000 Israelis dead within the same time frame. The total of deaths beyond 21 days could rise very much higher, depending on civil defense and public health facilities, where Israel has a major advantage.

It is theoretically possible that the Israeli state, economy and organized society might just survive such an almost-mortal blow. Iran would not survive as an organized society. "Iranian recovery is not possible in the normal sense of the term," Cordesman notes.

The difference in the death tolls is largely because Israel is believed to have more nuclear weapons of very much higher yield (some of 1 megaton), and Israel is deploying the Arrow advanced anti-missile system in addition to its Patriot batteries. Fewer Iranian weapons would get through.

The difference in yield matters. The biggest bomb that Iran is expected to have is 100 kilotons, which can inflict third-degree burns on exposed flesh at 8 miles; Israel's 1-megaton bombs can inflict third-degree burns at 24 miles. Moreover, the radiation fallout from an airburst of such a 1-megaton bomb can kill unsheltered people at up to 80 miles within 18 hours as the radiation plume drifts. (Jordan, by the way, would suffer severe radiation damage from an Iranian strike on Tel Aviv.)

Cordesman assumes that Iran, with less than 30 nuclear warheads in the period after 2010, would aim for the main population centers of Tel Aviv and Haifa, while Israel would have more than 200 warheads and far better delivery systems, including cruise missiles launched from its 3 Dolphin-class submarines.

The assumption is that Israel would be going for Iran's nuclear development centers in Tehran, Natanz, Ardekan, Saghand, Gashin, Bushehr, Aral, Isfahan and Lashkar A'bad. Israel would also likely target the main population centers of Tehran, Tabriz, Qazvin, Isfahan, Shiraz, Yazd, Kerman, Qom, Ahwaz and Kermanshah. Cordesman points out that the city of Tehran, with a population of 15 million in its metropolitan area, is "a topographic basin with mountain reflector. Nearly ideal nuclear killing ground."

But it does not end there. Cordesman points out that Israel would need to keep a "reserve strike capability to ensure no other power can capitalize on Iranian strike." This means Israel would have to target "key Arab neighbors" -- in particular Syria and Egypt.

Cordesman notes that Israel would have various options, including a limited nuclear strike on the region mainly inhabited by the Alawite minority from which come the ruling Assad dynasty. A full-scale Israeli attack on Syria would kill up to 18 million people within 21 days; Syrian recovery would not be possible. A Syrian attack with all its reputed chemical and biological warfare assets could kill up to 800,000 Israelis, but Israeli society would recover.

An Israeli attack on Egypt would likely strike at the main population centers of Cairo, Alexandria, Damietta, Port Said, Suez, Luxor and Aswan. Cordesman does not give a death toll here, but it would certainly be in the tens of millions. It would also destroy the Suez Canal and almost certainly destroy the Aswan dam, sending monstrous floods down the Nile to sweep away the glowing rubble. It would mean the end of Egypt as a functioning society.

Cordesman also lists the oil wells, refineries and ports along the Gulf that could also be targets in the event of a mass nuclear response by an Israel convinced that it was being dealt a potentially mortal blow. Being contained within the region, such a nuclear exchange might not be Armageddon for the human race; it would certainly be Armageddon for the global economy.

So in clear, concise and chillingly forensic style, Cordesman spells out that the real stakes in the crisis that is building over Iran's nuclear ambitions would certainly include the end of Persian civilization, quite probably the end of Egyptian civilization, and the end of the Oil Age. This would also mean the end of globalization and the extraordinary accretions in world trade and growth and prosperity that are hauling hundreds of millions of Chinese and Indians and others out of poverty.

Cordesman concludes his chilling but dismayingly logical survey with the warning: "The only way to win is not to play."

A Mideast nuclear war? (http://www.metimes.com/Security/2007/11/21/walkers_world_a_mideast_nuclear_war/1536/)

IAF strike in Syria also targeted radar station

Aviation Week reports Israel's September strike on Syria targeted radar station near Syrian-Turkish border. US supplied strategic information but was not actively involved, says magazine

News agencies
Published: 11.22.07, 15:36
Israel News

The United States provided Israel with strategic information about the Syrian air defense systems prior to the Israeli Air Force strike on a suspected nuclear site in Syria, the US based Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine reported Thursday.

According to aerospace industry officials quoted in the report, the US was monitoring the electronic emissions coming from Syria during the IAF strike.

The strike, said Aviation Week, targeted not only the suspected nuclear reactor being developed at Dayr az-Zawr, but also a Syrian radar station located at Tall al-Abuad, near the Syrian-Turkish border.

The Israeli fighter jets, reported the magazine, flew over Syria without alerting Syrian air defenses.

The radar site was apparently hit with both precision bombs and an electronic signal, which allowed IAF jets to fly through Syrian airspace undetected.

The report stressed that there was "no active US engagement other than consulting on potential target vulnerabilities."

The analysts quoted in the magazine said they didn't believe that any part of Syria's electrical grid was shut down, but did contend that network penetration involved both remote air-to-ground electronic attack as well as penetration through computer-to-computer links.

"Offensive and defensive network warfare is one of the most interesting new areas," said Pinchas Buchris, director-general of the Israeli Defense Ministry. "I can only say we're following this technology closely. I doubted this field five years ago, but we did it. Now everything's changed.

"You need this kind of capability," added Buchris. "You're not being responsible if you're not dealing with it; and if you can have this kind of capability, than the sky's the limit."

IAF strike in Syria also targeted radar station (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3474556,00.html)

NKorea discussed chemical arms technology with Syria
AP
AP - Monday, November 26

TOKYO - North Korean experts discussed how to load chemical weapons onto missiles when they met with officials in Syria during a secret visit to the country earlier this month, a Japanese newspaper said Monday.
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Damascus invited the experts for their advice as part of Syria's drive to develop its short-range "Scud C" missiles, the conservative Sankei newspaper said, citing unidentified individuals familiar with Middle East affairs.

The testing has been halted since July after one of the surface-to-surface missiles exploded at a military complex near the northern city of Aleppo, the Sankei said in its Washington-datelined story.

The explosion took place at the site of a joint Iranian/Syrian project to fit short-range ballistic missiles with chemical warheads, according to Jane's Defense Weekly. Jane's cited Syrian defense sources as saying it happened during a test to fit a Scud C missile with a mustard-gas warhead when fuel caught fire at the production site.

The North Koreans gave the Syrians advice on using chemical weapon warheads during discussions on safety procedures and related matters, the Sankei said.

Western experts believe Syria has a stock of chemical weapons. However, Damascus has never acknowledged it has any weapons of mass destruction and has publicly called for ridding the Middle East of any such weapons.

North Korea, which has provided Syria with missile technology and support since the 1980s, has rebuffed all overtures to sign an international treaty banning chemical weapons.

Earlier this year, Israel launched an airstrike against a Syrian military installation that reportedly was a nuclear facility made with North Korean help.

Damascus denies it has an undeclared nuclear program, and North Korea has said it was not involved in any Syrian nuclear project.

NKorea discussed chemical arms technology with Syria (http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/ap/20071126/tap-as-gen-nkorea-syria-d3b07b8.html)

Syria, Israel peace talks plan

Robin Wright
November 30, 2007

RUSSIA and the US are tentatively planning a second Middle East peace conference, in Moscow in early 2008, with major parties hoping to begin a comprehensive peace effort that would include direct talks between Israel and Syria.

Syria's delegate to this week's talks in Annapolis said that Damascus wanted the Moscow gathering to begin negotiations between Syria and Israel over the Golan Heights, a border region seized by Israel during the 1967 War.

"It is our hope that we can revive the Syrian track in Moscow," Syria's deputy Foreign Minister, Fayssal Mekdad, said.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert indicated that he hoped at some point to resume talks with Syria, but cautioned that the time is not yet ripe. He said Syria must change its behaviour, notably its support for Hezbollah.

But the presence of a Syrian delegation in Annapolis "may be the beginning of a reconsideration" on the part of Damascus, he said.

Mr Olmert said US President George Bush indicated privately that he had no objection to an Israeli dialogue with Syria if Israel determined this was in its own interest. Mr Bush's only admonition to the Israelis, he said, was: "Don't surprise us."

After talks at the White House, Mr Bush promised Mr Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas his full support to overcome deep doubts on whether new peace talks could yield an accord next year.

Mr Abbas and Mr Olmert were to return home to confront sharp scepticism from friends and foes alike over the peace drive.

Mr Bush, who called Middle East peace "something we all want", did not invite Mr Abbas or Mr Olmert to speak at the event in the White House Rose Garden, and the three leaders did not shake hands. The muted moment was in sharp contrast to the ebullient 1993 handshake on the South Lawn between the then US president, Bill Clinton, the late Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, and the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The new peace push won a cautious show of support from the 22-member Arab League, whose chief, Amr Mussa, cited "misgivings" but warily welcomed the agreement to thaw negotiations that have been frozen during President Bush's seven years in office.

Syria, Israel peace talks plan (http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/syria-israel-peace-talks-plan/2007/11/29/1196037074419.html)

Quote from: DreamWeaver on December 01, 2007, 03:07:00 PM

Interesting that Russia wants to host peace talks with Syria and Israel.

It would boost Putin's image a lot with the Muslim world, if (and thats a pretty big if) he can get the Golan Heights back to Syria. The mountains of Israel (Golan Heights) which are never going to leave the hands of Israel again are going to be brought to the negotiating table by the land of Magog (Russia). But this is only my opinion, of whats coming. I can sure see how that could play into prophecy coming to be fulfilled.

Brother,

The pieces are definitely falling together and the major players are in place. It's almost unbelievable that the entire leadership of Israel is blind to what GOD has said will most definitely happen. It's even more amazing that most of Israel's future has been recorded in the Old Testament for thousands of years, and they can't see it. The great scholars of the Torah have missed it entirely, including the Prophecy of the First Coming of CHRIST. This is the "blindness in part" that the Bible also speaks of, but many Jews have accepted JESUS CHRIST as LORD and SAVIOUR.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Revelation 11:1-13 NASB
Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, "Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. "Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months. "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Israelis hit Syrian ‘nuclear bomb plant’
December 2, 2007

Uzi Mahnaimi in Tel Aviv and Michael Sheridan in Seoul

ISRAEL’S top-secret air raid on Syria in September destroyed a bomb factory assembling warheads fuelled by North Korean plutonium, a leading Israeli nuclear expert has told The Sunday Times.

Professor Uzi Even of Tel Aviv University was one of the founders of the Israeli nuclear reactor at Dimona, the source of the Jewish state’s undeclared nuclear arsenal.

“I suspect that it was a plant for processing plutonium, namely, a factory for assembling the bomb,” he said. “I think the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] transferred to Syria weapons-grade plutonium in raw form, that is nuggets of easily transported metal in protective cans. I think the shaping and casting of the plutonium was supposed to be in Syria.”

All governments concerned - even the regime in Damascus - have tried to maintain complete secrecy about the raid.

They apparently fear that forcing a confrontation on the issue could spark a war between Israel and Syria, end the Middle East peace talks and wreck America’s extremely complex negotiations to disarm North Korea of its nuclear weapons.

The political stakes could hardly be higher. Plutonium is the element which fuelled the American atomic bomb that destroyed the Japanese city of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

Critics in the United States say proof that North Korea supplied such nuclear weapons material to Syria, a state technically at war with Israel, would shatter congressional confidence in the Bush administration’s diplomatic policy.

From beneath the veil of military censorship, western commentators have formed a consensus that the target was a nuclear reactor under construction.

But Even said that purely from scientific observation, he had reached a different conclusion - that it was a nuclear bomb factory, posing a more immediate danger to Israel. He said that satellite photos of the site, taken before the Israeli strike on September 6, showed no sign of the cooling towers and chimneys characteristic of nuclear reactors.

Syria’s haste after the attack to bury the site under tons of soil suggested that hundreds of square yards were contaminated and there were fears of radiation, the professor added.

Since then the Syrians have sealed up the location, levelled the site and diverted curious journalists to a place that had not been attacked by Israel.

The professor’s theory fits with authoritative technical evidence about North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme. The North Koreans are able to produce weapons-grade plutonium, which is electro-refined, alloyed and cast into shapes ready to be machined to fit into a warhead, according to a team of distinguished American nuclear weapons scientists who visited the country’s laboratories.

One of those scientists, Siegfried Hecker, was allowed to hold a sample and was told that it was “good bomb grade plutonium”, because it had a very low content of plutonium240, the isotope which reduces the overall quality of the material.

Assembly of a Nagasaki-type bomb involves mating a plutonium core with a uranium wrap and inserting a small quantity of polonium and beryllium to initiate the chain reaction.

“Plutonium is highly dangerous material,” explained the Israeli professor. “It is easily oxidised in air unless protective measures are taken. The oxide is easily dispersed as dust in air when machining plutonium to create the ‘pit’ [a hollow sphere in many nuclear weapons] and thus can be inhaled, causing a fatality in minute quantities.

“Plutonium pellets are handled and machined exclusively in a large array of ‘glove boxes’, to protect the technicians and their environment. That is why you need a relatively large containment building and cannot assemble a nuclear weapon in your garage - unless you are suicidal of course.”

The debris from a destructive raid on a weapons-building facility could therefore contain toxic radioactive waste. But the main danger for Syria would be the telltale exposure of the elements to surveillance and detection by America. This would explain the cover-up at the site.

North Korea, for its part, has more than enough plutonium to sell some of its stock to Syria.

The same team of visiting US scientists estimated that by late 2006 the nation had made 40-50kg (88-100lb) of the material. Between six and eight kilograms are needed for a weapon.

For the US and its allies the Syrian connection raises the deeply worrying possibility that North Korea has succeeded in building what the US scientists called “a sophisticated design with smaller dimensions and mass so as to fit onto a . . . medium-range missile”.

That puzzle was complicated when North Korea announced that it had tested its first nuclear bomb on October 9 last year. The yield of the blast was small - less than a 20th of the Nagasaki bomb - suggesting to some scientists that the device was sophisticated and small while others believed the North Koreans had simply not made a very good bomb.

Professor Even believes the North Koreans have not yet perfected small warheads. “The mechanical dimensioning at this stage is extremely demanding (less than 0.01mm). So is the casting of the explosives around the plutonium core and the initiation of the implosion,” he said.

The question is under urgent study by nations who might one day be targets of a North Korean device sold to Syria or Iran. Iran is known to have financed missile and weapons deals between North Korea and Syria, causing concern to Israel and the US. One day after the Israeli attack, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, sent his nephew with a personal letter to Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian leader.

The professor’s theory of a clear and present danger that Damascus would get the bomb may be the only credible explanation why Israel carried out a military strike against Syria and risked an all-out conflict.

Indeed on September 6 Israel was ready for war with Syria. Israeli sources said its military chiefs assumed Syria would launch a retaliatory attack, but no reprisal came.

Meanwhile, President Bush has authorised his chief negotiator, Christopher Hill, to go on talking to North Korea in the search for a peaceful solution. Hill will visit Pyongyang this week to pursue negotiations after international technicians got to work on disabling the reactor at Yongbyon, the source of North Korea’s plutonium.

The North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il is supposed to make a full declaration of his nuclear programmes by December 31. The US says that must include information on his weapons deals with Syria and Iran.

Israelis hit Syrian ‘nuclear bomb plant’ (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article2983719.ece)

Syrian MP: If we're attacked – we'll hit Dimona

In interview with Israeli-Arab newspaper, Syrian Parliament member says Dimona nuclear reactor within range of Syrian missiles. 'Nothing will stop the Syrian soldier's fervor in this situation,' he says

Roee Nahmias
Published: 12.07.07, 00:55
Israel News

Syrian MP Dr. Muhammad Habash warned Israel not to attack his country in an interview with the Israeli-Arab news paper Ma'a al-Hadat published on Thursday saying Israel's nuclear reactor might be hit in retaliation in such a situation.

The Syrian official said that his nation is considering its response in the case of an Israeli attack.

"The prospect that Israel might take some adventurous steps is reasonable to assume. In the last year, the Israelis decided to carry out some risky maneuvers and they were on the losing side and even today there are those that are pushing for war—even though Israel was on the losing side," the Syrian MP said.

"The possibility that Israel were to infringe upon Syria's sovereignty is a possibility that exists and that we're not ruling out, although at the same time, we are not looking to reach this stage and we do not want to escalate the situation," he said in the interview.

Dr. Habash, one of the more prominent Syrian spokesmen in the media, was asked if Syria would be able to impede Israeli aggression. He answered saying: "The Dimona reactor is located within range of our missiles. Nothing will stop the fervor of the Syrian solder and the Syrian warrior in this situation."

The Syrian MP also discussed issues related to Israeli-Syrian negotiations. According to Dr. Habash, there are no Israeli-Syrian backchannels and Damascus only supports public negotiations in which its demands are very clear—the return of the Golan Heights as well as half a million Palestinian refugees currently residing in Syria to Israel.

"Every time the Israelis say there are secret contacts going on between Israel and Syria but it soon becomes clear that these remarks are made simply for domestic political concerns in Tel Aviv. Syria doesn't need clandestine negotiations. We're ready for public talks. If this is so, why engage in clandestine negotiations?"

"The mediation between Syria and Israel has never ended. The Russians are aiding in the mediation as well as the Turks and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon as well number of other countries that have mutual interests," the Syrian MP told the interviewer.

"If half million Palestinian refugees that are currently living on Syrian land are returned to Israel or their lands in Palestine, and the Golan Heights is reinstated as Syrian, then we would be able to say thank God and enjoy the long-awaited peace," Dr. Habash said.

In the meantime, Dr. Habash is promising that normalization with Israel will not occur as long as negotiations are not completed. "Syria is not thinking about normalization with Israel before peace is achieved because normalization for free is assumed to be bribery."

Syrian MP: If we're attacked – we'll hit Dimona (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3479980,00.html)

Syria blocks Facebook access, citing Israeli 'infiltration'
The Associated Press
Published: December 7, 2007

DAMASCUS, Syria: Syrian authorities have blocked Facebook, the popular Internet hangout, over what seems to be fears of Israeli "infiltration" of Syrian social networks on the Net, according to residents and media reports.

Residents of Damascus said that they have not been able to enter Facebook for more than two weeks. An Associated Press reporter got a blank page when he tried to open Facebook's home page Friday from the Syrian capital.

Syrian officials were not available for comment Friday because of the Muslim weekend, but some reports have suggested that the ban was intended to prevent Israeli users from infiltrating Syrian social networks.

Lebanon's daily As-Safir reported that Facebook was blocked on Nov. 18. It said the authorities took the step because Israelis have been entering Syria-based groups. :o (I wonder why it is called the "World Wide Web." DW)

Human rights groups have regularly criticized Syrian authorities for blocking opposition sites and Internet sites critical of President Bashar Assad's government.

Former President Hafez Assad's death in 2000 after three decades of authoritarian rule raised hopes of a freer society under his British-educated son and successor.

But the younger Assad cracked down on political opponents and human rights activists, putting many of them in jail.

Syria blocks Facebook access, citing Israeli 'infiltration' (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/07/news/Syria-Facebook.php)
~~~~~~~~~~~

So we know mideast Muslims are afraid of pigs, Jews and women over there. Important intel.

Syria plays games with the peace process

by roee nahmias

Like a seasoned poker player, Syrian President Bashar Assad keeps his cards close to his chest.

At the last moment, following “clarifications” from Washington regarding the Golan Heights, Syria decided to get on the bandwagon and attend the recent Annapolis peace conference. All this was expected. However, below the surface, while Israeli officials were busy with the peace conference and the rank of representatives sent to attend it, Syria and Iran were up to their old games.

We are seeing another phase in the mighty struggle between the United States and Iran to influence the Middle East. In Annapolis, the Bush administration attempted to display its power by convening Israel and the Palestinians with the support of the Arab League, including Saudi Arabia, Syria and Lebanon. All the while the Teheran-Damascus axis proves its strength daily: Witness the destabilization of Lebanon, the burning of Iraq, and the chaos of the Gaza Strip.

Time and again, Iran proves the strength of its grip in the Shiite crescent, from Iraq to Syria and Lebanon, all the way to the Palestinian territories. Syria fully admits to it. Its foreign minister traveled to Teheran to coordinate positions. A Syrian parliament member spoke about “strategic ties” that create a “crescent of resistance against the U.S. and the Zionists.” If this is not an admission of the establishment of an anti-American bloc in the Middle East, what is?

The dangerous game taking place in Lebanon these days also has a significant and almost direct influence on Israel. Ever since the last war, Lebanon is facing political paralysis between two main camps: the anti-Syria bloc, supported by the West, and the opposition, headed by Hezbollah with the support of Iran and Syria. At this time the crisis touches upon a dramatic matter: the identity of the next Lebanese president. The players have remained the same.

It was therefore amazing to see representatives of Europe and Russia make pilgrimages to Damascus one after another recently in order to ask Assad for assistance on the Lebanese front. Even Jordanian King Abdullah II ended a lengthy rift and came for a historic visit bearing a tempting package: Help us on the Lebanese front, come to Annapolis and get an immediate improvement of relations with Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, who all turned their backs on Syria in the last war and after it.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy also acceded and called after he realized, along with the Americans, that there is no choice: In order to make Annapolis a success and prevent chaos in Lebanon, Assad must be enlisted.

With its breached Iraqi border, support for Palestinian terror groups, and in Lebanon as well, Damascus proves again that its hand (along with Iran’s

hand) is firmly on the faucet. If it wants to, it will put out the fire. Otherwise, it can make any temporary order in Beirut go up in flames. And this is exactly what Syria wanted: to prove to George Bush and to the entire world that it went to Annapolis on its own terms, not out of weakness.

“There is no doubt that Syria still has great control in Lebanon,” Lebanese sources told me. “Syria is playing the double game, in accordance with its interests. It lost the Golan Heights, and later it lost Lebanon, and now it attempts, through the Lebanese card, to get back in the game.”

Just like a seasoned poker player, Assad, who recently was humiliated by the Israeli Air Force’s attack in his territory, is keeping his cards close to his chest.

And so, Syria continues with its double game: It accepted Washington’s invitation but clings to the alliance with Iran; it attended Annapolis but sent a lower-ranked representative than other Arab states; it doesn’t believe Israel but seeks a similar conference with the Jewish state, maybe in Moscow; it continues to support terror groups but cancelled a special convention it organized with Hamas’ leadership.

What will this dangerous game lead to? More of the same: talk of peace, on the one hand; power games along the Shiite crescent, on the other hand. The bottom line is that no peace conference will change the Syrian and Iranian influence in Beirut — and also in Jerusalem — in the near future.

Syria plays games with the peace process (http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/34172/format/html/displaystory.html)

Syria pressed to end impasse in Lebanon

By Ferry Biedermann in Beirut

December 22 2007 02:00

The US and France are increasing pressure on Syria to resolve Lebanon's political crisis and facilitate the long-delayed election of a new president, amid growing frustration with Damascus' alleged meddling.

The election, scheduled for today, was delayed for the tenth time yesterday, until next Saturday.

The postponement came in spite of Nicolas Sarkozy, French president, earlier in the day warning his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, that he expected parliament in Beirut to elect a new head of state today.

His telephone conversation with the Syrian leader followed remarks by George W. Bush, US president, on Thursday that he had "lost patience" with Mr Assad long ago.

The US and France support the anti-Syrian government in Beirut against the opposition, which is led by the pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian Hizbollah movement. Crisis-prone Lebanon has become a stage where western powers are actively competing for influence against the Syrian-Iranian alliance.

The country, however, has been without a head of state since the term of the previous president ended on November 24.

Both the pro-western parliamentary majority and the opposition have, in theory, agreed on Michel Suleiman, the army commander, as a compromise candidate. However, his election has been held up by further political wrangling.

The opposition and its Syrian backers claim that US, rather than Syrian, interference is blocking a solution. Walid Muallem, Syrian foreign minister, said a visit to Beirut by David Welch, US assistant secretary of state, this week was aimed at "obstructing" a solution.

"The American role in Lebanon should be sidelined because it is not balanced," he told reporters.

Mr Muallem also claimed that the US was blocking an understanding on Lebanon between Syria and France - a statement that French officials, however, denied.

But he reiterated that meeting the opposition's demands for a decisive say in a new cabinet was crucial to ending the presidential impasse. Hizbollah and its allies have been insisting on a one-third, blocking minority in the government for over a year, holding a prolonged sit-in in downtown Beirut to back up their demands.

According to the London- based pan-Arab daily Al Hayat, Mr Muallem said that a solution could lie in giving the opposition 11 ministers and the majority 14 ministers, while the new president of the republic could name the remaining five members of the cabinet.

His remarks, however, elicited a furious response from Beirut. Ghattas Khoury, one of the leaders of the pro-government March 14 bloc, described them as an "overt intervention in the internal affairs of Lebanon".

Meanwhile, the opposition Hizbollah movement responded angrily to remarks by Mr Bush in which he urged the government to elect a president using its narrow majority if no consensus was reached.

Such a course would, "threaten stability in Lebanon, strike at national unity and spread chaos as happened in Iraq", Hassan Fadlallah, Hizbollah MP, told Reuters news agency.

Syria pressed to end impasse in Lebanon (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6fb7aeac-b030-11dc-b874-0000779fd2ac.html)

Syrian MP threatens to hit Dimona
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST Dec. 22, 2007

"If Syria feels threatened by Israel, it will be hard to stop our missile operators from responding to the Israeli aggression by attacking the Dimona nuclear reactor," Syrian legislator Muhammad Habash was quoted as saying Saturday.

In an interview with Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Habash emphasized that the Dimona reactor is "within range" of the Syrian missiles.

Habash told the London-based newspaper that Syria did not rule out a violation of its sovereignty by Israel and said Damascus was "prepared" for this eventuality.

However, the Syrian legislator stressed that Damascus did not want to escalate the situation in the region.

Habash, who coordinates with the Presidential Palace in Damascus, also claimed that international mediators were constantly making efforts to renew ties between Israel and Syria but underlined that at the moment, there was no contact between the two countries.

Despite Habash's threat, Amos Gilad, head of the Defense Ministry Diplomatic-Security Branch, dismissed any notion of high tension between Israel and Syria.

He told Israel Radio that he chose to see Habash's words in a different, more positive light.

"Since Israel is not threatening Syria, and the Syrians are well aware of this, there is no war on the agenda between Israel and Syria," said Gilad. "Put simply," he continued, "Israel does not intend to attack Syria, Syria doesn't intend to attack Israel and, therefore, no real tension is expected between the two countries on the military front."

Gilad claimed that the current period was actually one of "relative calm" between the two sides.

Syrian MP threatens to hit Dimona (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1196847402624&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Syria awaiting next US president
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST Dec. 25, 2007

Syria is interested in a peace agreement with Israel but is waiting for the next US administration in order to initiate talks, a new intelligence assessment by the Foreign Ministry states.

The yearly assessment was presented to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday by Nimrod Barkan, director of the ministry's Center for Policy Research.

According to the report, the Syrians do not believe that negotiations will be able to advance as long as US President George W. Bush is in office, and therefore prefer to wait until the end of his term, hoping that the next administration will be willing to renew talks with Damascus and will give its blessing to Syrian-Israeli negotiations.

"Syria is the odd one out among Israel's enemies, in that it is a secular nation which acknowledges Israel and eyes the West. It is aware of its weakness in the face of Israel and of future financial problems, and it therefore wishes to reach a settlement," Barkan said.

Barkan stated that Israel had increased its deterrent capabilities against Hizbullah and Syria in 2007. However, he added, both Syria and Hizbullah were continuing to build up their power "and so we must closely follow developments."

Barkan further stated that the US had made two attempts in 2007 to "open a door for Syria," but that these were unsuccessful as Syria did not fulfill Washington's demands that it reduce its influence in Lebanon.

On the Iranian front, the ministry's assessment was that the nation was facing serious financial problems, adding that some cracks had begun to appear in the regime, although it was not clear how deep they ran.

Syria awaiting next US president (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1198517200778&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Efforts to Convene Damascus Summit of Warring PA Terror Groups

by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

(IsraelNN.com) Terrorist factions based in Damascus are working to convene a summit of all Palestinian Authority terrorist groups early next year. The meeting, in Syria, would also include the participation of several Arab states.

The intention of the multi-party meeting is to promote unity among the various PA factions. The most critical split has developed between Hamas and Fatah, following the armed takeover of Gaza by Hamas in July of this year and the PA's Fatah leadership using political manipulation to freeze out Hamas officials since January 2006. Fatah, led by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, currently maintains power in Judea and Samaria, while Hamas controls Gaza.

The initiative for the meeting came from two terrorist factions active in the PA but with headquarters in Syria, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). Maher A-Taher, a spokesman for the PFLP said that their recent efforts are focused on ending the Hamas-Fatah clash, because it has been damaging to the Arab cause. A-Taher claimed that negotiations between Hamas and Fatah are already underway, but that Abbas needs to show greater receptivity.

In November, DFLP head Nayef Hawatmeh announced that he and the PFLP had developed a plan to mediate the conflict between Hamas and Fatah. Including ten points, the plan calls on Hamas to give up exclusive control in Gaza, for each party to end media incitement against its rival, for an end to political arrests, and for new presidential and parliamentary elections.

In the context of efforts to promote unity among PA terrorist groups, senior Palestinian Authority negotiator, Fatah's Ahmed Qurei, met with terrorist mastermind Hawatmeh during a recent visit to Syria.

A spokesman for Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, said earlier this month that the DFLP and the PFLP "were not qualified to act as mediators between Hamas and Fatah." He called the two organizations "biased" in favor of Fatah because of their inaction over “Fatah's crimes against Hamas in the West Bank.”

Efforts to Convene Damascus Summit of Warring PA Terror Groups (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/124704)

Jordan, Syria sign trade agreements to boost ties
Associated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST Dec. 30, 2007

Jordan and Syria signed several trade and water agreements here Sunday in an attempt to strengthen cooperation and boost trade ties.

Jordanian Prime Minister Nader al-Dahabi and his Syrian counterpart, Naji al-Otari signed a total of 12 accords and also agreed to enforce an end to customs restrictions between the two countries.

Jordan is one of the world's most water impoverished countries and has experienced low rainfall recently, sparking concern of a looming water crisis.

Syria also promised to provide Jordan with 50,000 tons of wheat - part of the agreements that capped off two days of meetings between the two countries.

"The volume of trade exchange is now around $50 million (€34 million)," al-Otari told reporters after the signing ceremony in the Jordanian capital of Amman.

"I hope through our continuous meetings that this figure could reach $1 billion (€680 million) because there are vast horizons to enhance this cooperation," he said.

The thaw after years of frosty relations between Jordan and Syria began with a landmark summit last month by Jordan's King Abdullah II to Damascus where he discussed Syrian participation in a US-sponsored Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland with President Bashar Assad.

The previously unannounced visit by Abdullah was his first to the Syrian capital in nearly four years and is seen as having paved the way for Sunday's boosting of bilateral ties.

Jordan, Syria sign trade agreements to boost ties (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1198517245935&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Israel wants Syria out of radical axis
Herb Keinon , THE JERUSALEM POST Dec. 30, 2007

Formulating a strategy for separating Syria from the "radical axis" is one of the Foreign Ministry's highest priorities for 2008, according to a list complied by Foreign Ministry director-general Aharon Abramovitch and circulated to the ministry's staff last week.

The top goal, according to this list, was "promoting diplomatic processes in the Middle East with the goal of achieving comprehensive peace in the region and protecting Israel's security."

Under this heading were listed a number of secondary objectives, including "formulating a policy for separating Syria from the radical axis."

Another objective listed in this category was increasing international support for isolating extremists in the Gaza Strip and the region, and increasing cooperation with the moderate Palestinian leadership.

The second objective listed in the document was providing a "diplomatic response to strategic threats," with the first objective being "intensive diplomatic efforts to thwart Iranian efforts to achieve nuclear capabilities."

This category also included as one of its aims "leading the international campaign to prevent the participation of terrorist elements in democratic processes."

The Foreign Ministry's other aims, in descending order, were listed as: upgrading Israel's standing in the international arena; widening Israel's economic and trade ties abroad; improving Israel's image in the world and struggling against the deligitimization of Israel; strengthening cooperation with the Diaspora and fighting anti-Semitism; integration in international efforts to deal with global challenges; and providing quality service and support to Israeli citizens both in Israel and abroad both during normal times and at times of crisis.

Israel wants Syria out of radical axis (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1198517240079&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Assad ready for peace with Israel
Associated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST Dec. 30, 2007

President Bashar Assad is ready for peace with Israel, an influential US senator said Sunday after talks with the Syrian leader.

Senator Arlen Specter said the political atmosphere in both Syria and Israel was different now and that the time was "positive" for resuming peace talks between the two countries, halted since 2000.

"We had a very productive meeting with Assad," Specter, a Republican from Pennsylvania, told The Associated Press after talks with the Syrian leader in Damascus.

He added that he got the impression after the meeting with Assad that the time was very "positive for productive talks between Israel and Syria."

"There is a sense that he [Assad] is ready and the Syrian public opinion is ready [for peace]," Specter said. The meeting with Assad that was also attended by Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a Rhode Island Democrat.

Specter said the United States has the potential to "bridge the gap" between Israel and Syria. He added that the atmosphere is "very different in Damascus today and is very different in Jerusalem today" in part because of last month's US-sponsored Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, which Syria attended.

In 2000, formal US-sponsored Israel-Syria talks neared agreement but broke down over final border and peace arrangements. Syria demands the full return of the Golan Heights, the territory seized by Israel in the Six-Day War.

The two Congressmen arrived here Saturday on a two-day visit for talks on the stalled Middle East peace process and strained US-Syrian relations.

Specter, who held talks Saturday with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, declined to confirm reports that he would convey a message to Assad from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on resuming peace talks between the two countries.

Relations between Syria and the US appeared to warm briefly following Syria's attendance at the Annapolis conference, which was widely seen as an attempt to gain favor with Washington.

But both sides have since lashed out at one another, each accusing the other of meddling in Lebanon, where the Western-backed government is locked in a political standoff with the pro-Syrian opposition. The US also disapproves of Damascus' support for anti-Israel militant groups and its alliance with Iran.

Last week, US President George W. Bush rejected dialogue with the Syrian leader, saying his "patience ran out on President Assad a long time ago."

A Syrian government newspaper on Sunday urged the United States to work seriously for peace in the region.

"What is the problem of the US Administration with Syria so long as US delegations, Republicans and Democrats, have not stopped visiting Damascus and confirming the importance of its role in solving the region's problems?" Baath, the ruling party newspaper, said in an editorial.

"Where is the courage and daring that Bush urged all parties to display to achieve peace in the Middle East?" it added.

Assad ready for peace with Israel (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1198517246734&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Bush Privately Lauds Israeli Attack on Syria
Posted 01/14/08 16:02
By BARBARA OPALL-ROME

And VAGO MURADIAN

TEL AVIV and WASHINGTON — In one of the most extensive, face-to-face security discussions since an Israel Air Force attack on a Syrian nuclear reactor last autumn, U.S. President George W. Bush privately commended his Israeli host on what was described as an important preventive action, according to an Israeli official briefed on the high-level exchange.

Bush’s private endorsement of the Sept. 6 attack — offered in the context of Jan. 9 discussions in Jerusalem on the Iranian threat and Israel’s cardinal opposition to nuclear weapon development programs in the region — was disputed by Olmert spokesman Mark Regev. “I don’t know that to be true,” Regev said.

Nevertheless, the Israeli official briefed on the Bush-Olmert talks said he understood the U.S. president’s comments as endorsement of the pre-emptive necessity of the Syrian strike. If true, such a reference to the Syrian operation during talks devoted to denial options vis a vis Iran appears to support contentions that the Syrian reactor was very close to becoming operational prior to its destruction.

In a late December interview, a participant in Israeli security cabinet discussions in the months leading up to the Sept. 6 attack said information gathered on the Syrian facility was unequivocal. “There was no doubt about the time-critical need to act as we did,” he said.

Israeli intelligence agencies concluded that Iran had no connection to the Syrian nuclear program and probably was not even aware of the clandestine site in eastern Syria along the Euphrates River, the official said.

According to U.S. officials and analysts, the challenge in attacking nuclear facilities is to attack them before they are fueled to minimize the chance of radioactive contamination that could be released in the strike. Achieving that level of precision, they said, requires pinpoint intelligence through external persistent aerial surveillance and human intelligence inside the facilities themselves.

Despite intense efforts by Tel Aviv to determine linkage between the Iranian and Syrian nuclear drives, “multiple examinations by various means” determined just the opposite, the official said. He added that Israeli political officials had hoped to use incriminating evidence of Iranian proliferation to ratchet up international pressure to halt Tehran’s enrichment program.

“It was certainly disappointing to discover no connection between the two programs,” the official said. “Apparently, this was an independent, high-priority Syrian-funded national project sustained and supported through bilateral ties with the North Korean regime.”

That Israeli determination coincided with a U.S. National Intelligence Estimate in which American intelligence agencies concluded that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 while continuing to seek a civilian nuclear capability.
Bush, at a Jan. 9 joint news conference with Olmert, sought to clarify misperceptions stemming from the NIE.

“Iran is a threat towards peace. There was a recent intelligence report that came out that I think sent the signal to some that said perhaps the United States does not view an Iran with a nuclear weapon as serious problem,” Bush said. “Now I want to remind people … that Iran was a threat. Iran is a threat, and Iran will be a threat, if the international community does not come together and prevent that nation from the development of the know-how to build a nuclear weapon.

“A country which once had a secret program can easily restart a secret program; a country which can enrich for civilian purposes can easily transfer that knowledge to a military program; a country which has made statements that it has made about the security of our friend Israel is a country that needs to be taken seriously, and the international community must understand with clarity the threat that Iran provides to world peace. And we will continue to work with European countries, Russia and China, as well as nations in this neighborhood, to make it abundantly clear the threat that Iran poses for world peace.”

But with the Israeli government intent on using the occasion of the first American presidential visit here in more than a decade to showcase the Iranian threat, that findings absolving Iranian involvement in the Syrian program were presented to Bush or his considerable entourage.

According to the Israeli official present at most of the Olmert-Bush events, the two sides were adhering to a coordinated policy of discretion regarding the disabled Syrian nuclear program, in large part as a means of maintaining regional and international focus on the Iranian nuclear threat.

The official refused all additional comment on the Syrian nuclear program and its connection — or lack thereof — to Iran.

“That problem appears to be solved for the time being,” the official said of the Syrian nuclear threat. “Now more than ever, we need to keep focused on the problem of Iran.”

Indeed, neither leader mentioned the Syrian nuclear threat during a Jan. 9 joint news conference or in multiple public addresses offered during the first day of Bush’s three-day visit here.

In contrast, both leaders repeatedly aired their respective concerns and grievances regarding Iran, including the prospective threat that a nuclear-capable Islamic Republic would pose to Israel and others throughout the region.
“It seems [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad distrusted A.Q. Khan and his agents in Dubai,” the official added. “He suspected they may be agents of the West preparing for him a trap.”

In a Dec. 19 interview with the Austrian newspaper Die Press, Assad was quoted as saying Syria rejected overtures thought to have come from Khan back in 2001. “Someone brought us a letter from a certain Khan. We did not know if the letter was genuine or a forgery by Israel to lure us into a trap. In any case ... we never met Khan,” Assad was quoted as saying.

In the Austrian report, Assad acknowledged that the site bombed by the Israel Air Force was “a military facility under construction,” but insisted, “That does not mean this was a nuclear facility.”

John Bolton, a former U.S. State Department official and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was one of the first to publicly shed light on the target of Israel’s Sept. 6 air operation, all details of which remain heavily classified by Israel’s military censor.

In a Dec. 25 interview with political analyst Kenneth Timmerman, Bolton restated contentions that the site was a North Korean-supplied nuclear reactor and went further by suggesting the Syrian project provided a convenient vehicle through which Pyongyang could renege on international inspection and verification agreements.

“I think this facility [in Syria] that the Israelis bombed on Sept. 6 is an indication of yet another alternative [for cheating on international commitments]. … How better to hide your North Korean program than to build it in Syria where nobody is looking!” Bolton was quoted as saying in an interview published by Newsmax.com.

Prior to conclusions from the Israeli investigations clearing Iran of proliferation links with Syria, Tehran was widely presumed to have provided funding, or at the very least indirect support, for the reactor project.

A strategic update by analyst Emily Landau, published in November by Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies, reflected prevailing conventional wisdom: “Considering the nature of relations between the two countries, it is hard to believe that Iran had no involvement in the decision [to pursue an elevated regional standing through nuclear capabilities].”

She wrote that Iran was the likely source of funding for the project and that “It’s possible that Iran and North Korea hoped to use Syria as a ‘shelter’ for their respective technologies and nuclear components at a time when they would be subject to more intrusive international inspections.”

Bush Privately Lauds Israeli Attack on Syria (http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=3298844&C=mideast)

'Syria, Iran trying to overthrow Abbas'
Khaled Abu Toameh , THE JERUSALEM POST Jan. 15, 2008

Syria and Iran have stepped up their efforts to overthrow Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his ruling Fatah party, PA officials in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post Monday.

The officials accused the Syrians and Iranians of "encouraging" Hamas and other radical Palestinian groups to establish a new organization that would replace the PLO.

They also accused the two countries of continuing to provide Hamas and its allies in the Gaza Strip with millions of dollars and weapons.

The officials pointed out that in the context of their efforts to overthrow Abbas's regime in the West Bank, Damascus and Teheran have encouraged Hamas and 10 other radical groups to meet in the Syrian capital on January 23 to discuss forming a new PLO and increasing their terror attacks on Israel.

"Syria and Iran are working toward undermining the PLO and President Abbas," a senior Palestinian official in Ramallah told the Post. "They want to help Hamas extend its control to the West Bank. They are pouring millions of dollars into Hamas and its friends."

Another official told the Post that Abbas has appealed to some Arab countries to use their good offices with Syrian President Bashar Assad to ban the conference.

The decision to hold the conference was apparently taken in response to US President George W. Bush's visit to the region last week.

The conference, according to Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders, will discuss ways of "developing and reactivating" the PLO. The two Islamist groups have never been part of the PLO, which is dominated by Fatah.

Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad have in recent years openly challenged the PLO's claim to be the "sole and legitimate" representative of all Palestinians. Hamas is hoping to name its leader, Khaled Mashaal, as chairman of the new PLO.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad have invited several Palestinian groups to attend the conference, including Fatah. However, Fatah officials have turned down the invitation, accusing Damascus and Teheran of using their Palestinian allies to topple Abbas.

The two groups have also invited representatives of other groups such as the Popular Resistance Committees, the Popular Front - General Command headed by Ahmed Jibril and Fatah's armed wing, the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, two groups that are members of the PLO, announced that they would boycott the conference.

The two groups said the decision to stay away from the conference was taken to avoid the possibility of being part of a scheme aimed at creating an alternative PLO.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials said the conference was also being held "to stress the importance of maintaining the option of armed struggle [against Israel] and the right of return for all Palestinian refugees."

Islamic Jihad leader Khaled Al-Batsh said the conference's goal was to "thwart American and Zionist schemes" in the aftermath of Bush's visit. "This conference is not aimed at overthrowing anyone," he said. "It's only aimed at foiling the schemes of the Americans and Zionists."

A similar conference was due to be held in Damascus to coincide with last November's peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland. But the Syrians, under pressure from the US and some Arab countries, called off the meeting.

The planned conference comes amid reports that the PA is considering dissolving the Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council and calling new elections in the PA territories.

At a meeting of PLO and Fatah leaders in Ramallah Sunday night, Abbas said he did not rule out the possibility of holding new parliamentary elections. He also strongly condemned Hamas, dubbing Khaled Mashaal a "liar."

In response, Hamas legislator Yahya Musa condemned Abbas as an "evil liar," adding that the PA president no longer cared about the interests of his people. He also denied Abbas's claim that Hamas had tried to assassinate him.

'Syria, Iran trying to overthrow Abbas' (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1200308086914&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Lebanon presidential frontrunner phones Assad: Syria
30/01/2008

Lebanon's presidential frontrunner, Michel Sleiman, has contacted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose country remains a key player in Beirut's crisis-hit politics, a minister said Wednesday.

General Sleiman, who is army chief, "recently telephoned President Assad," Information Minister Mohsen Bilal told a press conference.

"He has also called the defence minister (Hassan Turkmani) and the chief of staff (Ali Habib). We welcome these calls," said the minister, whose country withdrew troops from Lebanon in 2005 after an almost three-decade deployment.

Bilal said Sleiman's ties with the Syrian leadership were "very longstanding" and "brotherly".

In Beirut's political crisis, Sleiman has emerged as the consensus candidate for the post of president left vacant since the pro-Syrian incumbent Emile Lahoud stepped down in November at the end of his term.

The Arab League has proposed a three-point plan calling for electing Sleiman as president, forming a national unity government in which no one party has veto power and adopting a new electoral law.

The Western-backed parliamentary majority in Beirut has accepted the bid but the opposition, led by the pro-Syrian Hezbollah, demands it be granted a third of the seats in a new government so the opposition can have veto power.

Bilal said Damascus welcomed the statement issued on Sunday after a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo that called for Sleiman to be elected by MPs at their next scheduled parliamentary session on February 11.

"Syria wants Lebanon to make progress towards an overall settlement," said the minister.

The minister also condemned the riots on Sunday in the Shiite southern suburbs of Beirut in which seven people were killed and dozens wounded as protests degenerated into clashes with the army.

"What happened in Beirut was painful and sad," said Bilal, blasting the "snipers and assassins ... of young people who were demonstrating against power cuts".

In a verbal attack on Washington, Syria's information minister charged that the US administration was spreading "chaos" around the Middle East, from Lebanon to Gaza and Iraq.

Washington was "blocking ... France's initiative and Syrian action aimed at reaching an understanding in Lebanon" on breaking the deadlock in parliament on electing a president, the minister charged.

The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which Damascus opposed, had sparked "destruction and disorder in Iraq whose consequences are being felt throughout the region", said Bilal.

The United States, in turn, accuses Syria of meddling in the affairs of its neighbours by stirring insecurity in Lebanon and allowing insurgents to cross its borders into Iraq.

In Kuwait, meanwhile, visiting Arab League chief Amr Mussa on Wednesday warned Lebanon's feuding factions that any further delay in electing a new president will damage the country's stability.

"It is essential that a new president is elected as soon as possible. Any delay in electing a president is a blow to Lebanon's stability," Mussa told a news conference after talks with Kuwaiti leaders.

Lebanon presidential frontrunner phones Assad: Syria (http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=mideast&item=080130153341.lh8cjitj.php)

Iran helps Syria develop missile that can target Israeli installations
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
February 09, 2008 Adar1 3, 5768

Syria has successfully developed a new surface-to-surface missile that would enable it to target Israeli installations such as airports, ports and factories with greater accuracy, according to briefings recently presented to senior ministers.

According to the information, Syria developed the new missile with Iranian support, which is a further indication of the tight strategic bonds between the two countries. Much of these strategic ties revolve around military and intelligence cooperation.

Israeli defense officials said they thought Damascus and Tehran shared technical know-how that has allowed Syria to upgrade the Iranian-made Zelzal surface-to-surface missile. The missile has an operational range of approximately 250 kilometers and is capable of carrying an especially large warhead. It is believed that the missile is more accurate than other similar surface-to-surface weapons in the Syrian arsenal.

This comes at a time when Israeli defense sources have expressed growing concern at the rearmament program of the Syrian armed forces, which is mostly being supplied by arms transfers from Russia.

Among other weapons, Syria has recently acquired the Pantsyr air defense missile system, a self-propelled system that is capable of firing between eight and 12 missiles and can pose a substantial threat to Israeli air force aircraft.

Damascus has also procured modern anti-tank missiles with alleged capabilities of neutralizing the most advanced main battle tank of the IDF, the Merkava Mark IV.

However, Mossad chief Meir Dagen told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that at this stage the Syrian defense acquisitions appear to be defensive and that there are no indications that Damascus has any plans to initiate a military action against Israel.

Meanwhile, a political source noted Thursday that there is a discernible effort on the part of Syria to improve its missile arsenal - both in terms of range and accuracy.

"The problem is that their missiles are being transformed from less-effective weapons into precision weapons that will enable their use against military bases, airports and military depots, which is a very worrying development," the source said.

There is growing concern in Israel that the missile arsenal of Syria will be transformed from being a "blind" strategic weapon, into a precision-strike weapon.

Syria has a significant missile arsenal. During the Second Lebanon War Hezbollah fired many volleys of 220mm rockets of Syrian make against Israel, causing significant casualties in Israel.

According to Israeli estimates, Syria has tens of thousands of rockets of this type, as well as smaller-caliber and shorter-range missiles. In addition, they have Scud-C and Scud-D ballistic missiles with ranges of 500-800 kilometers, which can effectively strike every part of Israeli territory.

Iran helps Syria develop missile that can target Israeli installations (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/952358.html)

Damascus is the capital of culture and resistance: Assad

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syrian President Bashar Assad marked UNESCO's choice of Damascus as the 2008 Capital of Arab Culture by describing the city as a centre of culture as well as resistance.

In a celebration attended by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani and Arab League Chief Amr Moussa, Assad hailed the ancient city's historical role as a cultural centre while asserting its steadfastness against all enemies.

"Damascus is the capital of resistance culture by symbolizing Arab culture - the culture of freedom and defending freedom," Assad said.

UNESCO's Cultural Capitals Program, which in the Arab world began in 1998, aims to promote the cultural aspects of development and increased international cooperation, according to the organization.

The Syrian president also said the tradition of Damascus was to strive for peace, but "with dignity and pride."

Moussa, for his part, said in his speech that Damascus will lead "a dialogue among civilizations at time Arab and Islamic culture faces unprecedented challenges."

The year-long festival has provided impetus to freshen up Damascus, one of oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and the city has turned into a big workshop as its medieval buildings are renovated and streets repaired.

Activities to mark the occasion will include conferences, symposiums, concerts, plays, dance performances, and movies to be held across the country.

Festivities began last week with a public carnival in Damascus' old city's central square featuring acrobats and a light show, as well as a fireworks from the mountain overlooking the city.

Damascus is the capital of culture and resistance: Assad (http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iEtJ_ZzU3FGlgtBqjiSd5VnzyxSQ)

Iran Says Israel Fears Hizbullah Missiles on Dimona

(IsraelNN.com) The Tehran Times quoted Press TV that General Yossi Beiditz told European Union (EU) envoys that Hizbullah has long-range missiles that can reach the Dimona nuclear center. "Former intelligence reports released by the Zionist regime had reckoned the maximum range of missiles in [Hizbullah's] arsenal at 250 kilometers," the newspaper reported.

It added that IDF planning department head Ido Nehushtan said last week that Hizbullah is armed with weapons with which several world armies are not equipped.

Iran Says Israel Fears Hizbullah Missiles on Dimona (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/143016)
~~~~~~~~~~~

Hezbollah missiles could target Dimona: Israel
March 10, 2008

TEHRAN (Press TV) -- Israel has announced that Hezbollah is equipped with long-range missiles which are capable of reaching Dimona nuclear reactor from Beirut.

According to Press TV Beirut Bureau, Brigadier General Yossi Beiditz, head of the Israeli army research department told European Union ambassadors in a briefing that Hezbollah is equipped with the long-range missiles which have a maximum range of 300 kilometers and are capable of targeting the Dimona nuclear reactor in southern occupied territories.

Former intelligence reports released by the Zionist regime had reckoned the maximum range of missiles in Hezbollah's arsenal at 250 kilometers.

Last week, Ido Nehushtan, head of Israeli army planning department, said that Hezbollah is armed with weapons that several world armies are not equipped with.

The southern town of Dimona is home to a reactor that is the centerpiece of Israel's illegal nuclear weapons program.

The Zionist regime is reportedly the only nuclear-armed country in the Middle East which has refused to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Hezbollah missiles could target Dimona: Israel (http://62.193.18.228/index_View.asp?code=164718)

Egypt: Syria may be thwarting cease-fire'
Mar 9, 2008 9:35

Efforts by Egypt to put together a package deal that would include a cease-fire in Gaza and a new border arrangement between Gaza and Egypt was put on hold following Thursday's terrorist attack at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

Government officials in Jerusalem said Saturday night it was now unlikely that Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman would come here in the next few days for discussions on the matter. This would be the second time in a week that Suleiman has postponed a visit to Israel to discuss the situation in the South. Suleiman held talks in Egypt before Thursday's attack with Hamas and Islamic Jihad representatives, although no headway was reported on a cease-fire, with Hamas and Islamic Jihad demanding that Israel stop pursuing its members in the West Bank, something Israel has said it would not agree to do.

According to the officials, Egypt is waiting to see whether Hamas was responsible for the attack, because if it turns out that it was, it will be a sign that they are determined to continue their attacks, something that would render talks of a case-fire useless.

Meanwhile, the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat reported Saturday that Syria may be attempting to deflect international scrutiny of its actions in Lebanon by thwarting Egyptian attempts to moderate a cease-fire.

According to the report, a senior Egyptian official told the paper that "Syria may be interested in focusing international attention on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, instead of the situation in Lebanon."

"The current escalation on the Palestinian front is in the interest of the Syrians," the official added. "Indeed the continuation of this situation may embarrass leaders in the Arab world, and force them to go back on their decision to send low-level officials to the Arab summit, which is set to take place in Damascus."

The official then went on to insinuate that Syria may have had a hand in the attack.

"Senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders who are able to decide on a cease-fire were in Syria [at the time], and we won't forget that when we hear who was behind the terror attack," he said.

At the same time, government officials in Jerusalem said it was likely that diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians, which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas suspended last Sunday, would begin again this week.

Israel has made clear that despite Thursday's attack, it wants to continue with the talks. Abbas said Saturday that "despite all the circumstances we're living through and all the attacks we're experiencing, we insist on peace. There is no other path."

He also reiterated his support for Egypt's cease-fire efforts.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said peace talks were expected to resume on Thursday with the arrival of US Lt.-Gen. William Fraser for a joint meeting with Israelis and Palestinians. Fraser is supposed to monitor the sides' compliance with the road map.

Israeli officials Saturday night, however, would not confirm that meeting.

The cabinet will discuss the attack at its weekly cabinet meeting Sunday.

Since the attack, both Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni have spoken to numerous world leaders, including a conversation Olmert had with US President George W. Bush Thursday evening, shortly after the shooting took place.

Bush, according to a statement issued by the White House, told Olmert the US "stands firmly with Israel in the face of this terrible attack," and that "this barbaric and vicious attack on innocent civilians deserves the condemnation of every nation."

Since the attack, the Foreign Ministry has been engaged in a public diplomacy offensive, with various officials, led by spokesman Aryeh Mekel, appearing in the media with the underlying message that the attack in Jerusalem was the same as the rocket attacks in the western Negev, in that the aim is to indiscriminately kill Jews to set back the peace process.

In addition, the ministry was also in contact over the weekend with the US, French and Ethiopian embassies because three of the eight murdered students held dual citizenship: Segev Peniel Avihail had French citizenship; Avraham David Moses had US citizenship; and Doron Meherete had Ethiopian citizenship.

In addition, ministry officials said that one of those still in the hospital holds Canadian and British citizenship, and another holds US citizenship.

Egypt: Syria may be thwarting cease-fire' (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1204546429586)

Israel jets strike northern Gaza

Israeli aircraft have attacked the northern Gaza Strip after Palestinian militants fired rockets into Israel.

The violence follows several days of relative calm in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Israeli air force said it was targeting a rocket-firing team. There is no word on casualties.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned Israel's attacks on Palestinian civilians, calling them inappropriate and disproportionate.

Speaking to a summit of Muslim leaders in Senegal, he called for an immediate ceasefire by both sides.

The Palestinian rocket attacks came several hours after Israeli undercover forces in the West Bank town of Bethlehem shot dead four Palestinian militants.

Those killed included a prominent local leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group.

An Israeli army spokesman said the air strikes were a response to the firing of 12 rockets from Gaza into southern Israel.

Two of those rockets, he added, exploded in the town of Sderot, causing damage to a building but no injuries.

"The Israeli air force raid targeted a rocket launcher that was ready to fire in the Beit Hanoun area in the northern Gaza Strip," he told reporters.

Islamic Jihad said it had fired 15 rockets and 10 mortars.

In Bethlehem, witnesses said a team of Israeli commandos disguised as Palestinians and driving a car with Palestinian number plates had sprayed a car with bullets.

Those killed included Muhammad Shahada, 48, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad, and Ahmed al-Balbul, also 48, a leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Two other members of the Islamic Jihad group also died.

Israeli officials confirmed the raid, saying they had intended to make arrests but opened fire when they saw that three of the militants were armed with assault rifles.

Palestinian officials from Islamic Jihad and Hamas denounced the operation.

"Islamic Jihad and the other resistance groups have the right to respond in any place to this crime of assassination and all options are open," said Dawud Shihab, an Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza.

"What the enemy has done undermines any talk of a ceasefire."

There had been a lull in the violence in Gaza over the last few days, with the Israeli military reducing operations on Monday, following a sharp drop in rocket fire from Palestinian militants.

Egypt has been working to broker an agreement between the two sides.

On Wednesday, the Palestinian militant group Hamas set out its conditions for a truce, calling for an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza and the re-opening of its borders, in return for halting rocket attacks.

________________________________________

Insatiable extremism

Roni Yihye, 47, a father of four, was murdered on Wednesday in the latest rocket assault from the Gaza Strip.

His death came a day after the 80th birthday of Ariel Sharon, the general and politician who ended a long career of outmaneuvering hostile Arab forces by withdrawing completely from the Gaza Strip. And it followed the latest anti-Israel broadside from the UN's Human Rights Council, whose rapporteur John Dugard wrote earlier this week that "a distinction must be drawn between acts of mindless terror, such as acts committed by al-Qaida, and acts committed in the course of a war of national liberation against colonialism, apartheid or military occupation... As long as there is occupation, there will be terrorism."

The combination of Yihye's murder, Sharon's birthday and Dugard's misguided report brings the current untenable reality apropos Gaza into sharp focus.

Led by Sharon, more than two years ago, Israel wrenched its settlers and withdrew its soldiers from the Gaza Strip. It left behind an unprecedented opportunity for Palestinian state-building and an international commitment to create a Singapore in the impoverished Strip, not to mention millions of dollars in farming equipment, including a world-famous complex of greenhouses. All these were wasted.

No other national liberation movement has ever garnered so much support and so much hard cash, nor been offered the opportunity to take major steps toward full independence by the unilateral withdrawal of the loathed "occupier" from a sizable proportion of its claimed territory. No other national liberation movement has ever spurned such opportunity with so determined an insistence on the terrorizing of neighboring civilians.

Israel is gone from Gaza. Yet Hamas has intensified its attacks on Israel. Palestinian refugees remain in their blighted camps. The notion of progress toward viable institutions of democratic governance is a bad joke.

The ruthless rocket attacks from civilian areas in Israel-free Gaza that have traumatized southern Israel and that claimed the life yesterday of Roni Yihye cannot be honestly construed as "acts committed in the course of a war of national liberation against colonialism, apartheid or military occupation." It is long past time for the learned diplomats of the UN, and all too many other international statespeople, to stop excusing the Islamist supremacists and ignoring their avowed and insatiable ambitions.

This newspaper recognizes that for Israel to remain at once Jewish in character and democratic, it must relinquish territory to which it claims a biblical and historic right and separate from the Palestinians. It looks forward to the day when the Palestinians will live peacefully, and independently, alongside Israel.

But Sharon's "disengagement" did not advance that day. And the failure is that of the Palestinians. A mindset that loathes Israel more than it seeks its own freedom will not be remade by Israeli withdrawal or endless international funding and sympathy. A leadership inciting against Israel in its media, mosques and school system will not be rejected by the Palestinian public so long as much of that population is mired in a bigotry that inculcates permanent victimhood, refuses to recognize any shred of justice to Israel's sovereign claims and extols the virtues of violence and death.

Perceived legitimization for such violence, furthermore, can only exacerbate the tendency. What the international community must do is show its abhorrence of the rocket attacks and other violence and incitement, eschew the Palestinian leadership that encourages them, and energetically support the faint voices of moderation and educational programs that offer the prospect of a changed Palestinian mindset.

The Islamists' strategy, updating enemy efforts to destroy this state, has been to so dishearten and bleed us that we dismantle the country and the instruments of our self-reliance, and go quietly into a Hamas or Hizbullah caliphate, or (as the Iranian version has it) get on a boat for Poland.

But Israelis are not packing their bags. Under Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon and now Ehud Olmert, we have sought somehow to separate from the Palestinians. What the Hamas-inspired murderous rocket fire across the Gaza border should long since have made plain to all, however, is that even territory cleared of every last vestige of Israeli presence does not sate the appetite of the Islamists - who, terribly, happen to constitute the parliamentary leadership freely elected by the Palestinian public, and the murderous sole rulers of Gaza.

______________________________________________

Here's why

"I've read countless books on the subject, and no one has been able to explain the persistence of anti-Semitism," Supreme Court Justice Elyakim Rubinstein said this week, at the Foreign Ministry-hosted Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism.

It is, indeed, difficult to explain the phenomenon, which seems to persist among vastly different ideologies and political movements. The racist Nazis had a mystical vision of the Jews as poisoners of Western purity and civilization while the egalitarian communists saw them as "ideological immigrants."

The Jews don't have a monopoly in suffering others' bigotry, but they may be the most experienced at it. Why?

The Jewish people is uniquely strange. They are defined at once through biology - one is Jewish merely by being born of a Jewish mother, regardless of belief - and ideology - one joins the people by adopting a specific faith. They call themselves a slew of disconnected words, from "culture" and "faith" to "tribe" and "nation."

A typical American Jew may believe his Jewish identity is a religious one while supporting passionately the Israeli project of a Jewish ethnic nation-state. An important Jewish leader could (though not without criticism) be a Buddhist, and one cannot stop being Jewish (according to Jewish law, at least) merely by choosing to become something else.

To say they can be described but not defined is to ignore the fact that most Jews - those not engaged in modernity's "Who is a Jew?" controversies - do not feel Judaism is incoherent. They know what they are, but do not have the word - perhaps because it does not exist - for their idea-based (but not wholly ideological) ethnic identity. They are "Am Yisrael," the people of Israel, whatever that may be. Their identity, with all its confusions, is a product of ancient experience. The inner life, the Jewish bookshelf, which defines this people is vast and profound. Their strangeness is part and parcel of their inheritance.

And so, in every generation, in almost every society in which they are a minority, the Jews are quintessentially and permanently different.

Perhaps this is the reason that anti-Semitism has become what the Canadian jurist and MP Irwin Cotler has called "the canary in the coal mine of evil," always heralding a more pluralistic hatred. A nation's treatment of the Jews - a group that is not slightly different, but almost always deeply so - is the barometer of its capacity for accepting real difference.

The Global Forum ended on Monday after two days of discussions and meetings that produced dramatic announcements for worldwide efforts to combat "the longest hatred."

These included the establishment of an international coalition of activists, parliamentarians and NGOs to combat anti-Semitism worldwide - a coordinating force that has been markedly missing - and an association for scholars of anti-Semitism to be based at Yale University.

These efforts are important and welcome, particularly when the world experiences a rise of street violence against Jews from Paris to Vladivostok which forces them to trade their kippot for baseball caps when walking down the street, and when government-sponsored anti-Semitic media and even official Holocaust denial are heard all too often in Teheran, Kiev, Caracas and in many Arab countries.

But these initiatives are not likely to dramatically increase activism against or awareness of anti-Semitism in the near future. Announced in Israel at an event put on by the Jewish state's Foreign Ministry, they will generally be regarded, like most efforts to eradicate anti-Semitism, as Jewish efforts to deal with a Jewish problem.

In that context, a "tentative" invitation issued at the summit of activists, scholars and parliamentarians is highly appropriate. British MP John Mann offered to have next year's Forum hosted in London. Such a move, received with approval by Israeli officials, could mark the beginning of a more international campaign.

From London, a demand to the Kremlin to take Iran to task over its nuclear plans and Holocaust denial may resonate more widely. In London, the bitter experiences of one minority may be seen more readily as an international symbol for the oppression experienced by all minorities, and acted against with more alacrity.

A world stage, in short, is the place to fight bigotry in all forms, starting with the oldest and most destructive of prejudices.

_______________________________________________

Israel makes another bid for F-22 jets
By YAAKOV KATZ

In the face of Iran's race to obtain nuclear weapons, defense officials who will visit the US next week plan to ask the Pentagon to reconsider its decision not to sell Israel the F-22 fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Defense Ministry Director-General Pinhas Buhris will visit the US for several days next week to discuss a wide range of security and defense issues, including the continued funding of the Arrow missile defense system as well as the possibility that Israel will receive the F-22.

Israel had asked for the stealth jet - manufactured by Lockheed Martin - last year in an effort to retain its qualitative edge in the region in the face of American plans to sell Saudi Arabia advanced JDAM smart bombs. The Israeli request was turned down.

The IAF did not give up hopes of acquiring the aircraft, particularly since Israel is only expected to begin receiving the stealth Joint Strike Fighter - also known as the F-35 - in 2013 at the earliest. This could be too late to be used if Israel decides to attack Iranian nuclear facilities.

The F-22 formally entered operational service in the US Air Force in December 2005, but has not been sold outside America due to a federal law barring export sale of the aircraft.

In recent talks with the US, Israel again expressed interest in the jets, and defense officials told the Post this week that "things were looking positive."

"This would be a major boost for Israel and its image of deterrence," an official said.

Israel is particularly encouraged by remarks made last month by US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates during a visit to Australia. Gates said he would look into lifting the congressional ban on the sale of the F-22 to foreign nations. Australia and Japan have also expressed interest in buying the stealth aircraft.

Buhris will also use his US trip to try to secure funding for the continued development of the Arrow missile defense system.

Israel currently operates the Arrow 2, and in a recent meeting at the Defense Ministry, Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved plans to begin developing the Arrow 3, an upgraded version that is slated to have a longer range and be capable of reaching higher altitudes.

Israel is also holding high-level talks with the Pentagon concerning a future Israeli acquisition in a time of war of the Lockheed Martin-built Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system.

A delegation of officials from Israel's Homa Missile Defense Agency were in Hawaii recently to view a successful test of the system. The US Congress recently allocated $200 million subsidy for Israel's use if it decides to purchase the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.

__________________________________________

March sees rise in motivation to serve in combat units
By YAAKOV KATZ

Amid growing efforts to curb the rising number of draft dodgers, the IDF noted on Wednesday a slight increase in motivation among youth who will be drafted into service next week to serve in combat units.

A total of 70.1 percent of the youths requested to serve in a combat unit ahead of the March draft that will begin on Sunday and continue until the end of the month in comparison to 66% who asked for combat units in the last draft in November.

A senior officer from the IDF's Human Resources Department noted that public pressure, including an unprecedented ad campaign throughout the country, was responsible for the shift in sentiments among youth enlisting this month into the IDF.

"This is the first draft of people who began the enlistment process after the Second Lebanon War," the officer said. "The increase in motivation is a demonstration of the public's support for the IDF."

Despite the rise in motivation, the IDF is still concerned with last year's sharp increase in the number of youth evading military service, which today stands at 27%, including 11% who are haredi.

The officer said that the IDF was working to increase the number of haredi youth who serve in the army and had been holding talks with a number of key haredi officials for this purpose. The officer expressed hope that the 11% would drop to 5% over the next decade.

In the upcoming draft, the IDF is also noting the enlistment of 800 hesder yeshiva students, 270 of whom will be drafted into seven mixed secular-religious units.

The IDF started drafting hesder students, who serve for 16 months, into mixed units three years ago with the ultimate goal that all of the units will be mixed. Due to resistance from certain yeshivot, in the upcoming draft only seven out of the 16 platoons will be mixed. The rest will consist of strictly religious soldiers.

The Golani Brigade continues to lead with 3.5 draftees competing for every spot in comparison to the Nahal Brigade which had 2.5 per spot. There was also a slight increase in the number of draftees who requested to serve in the Artillery and Armored Corps.

_______________________________________

Israel threatened to target Syria if Hizbullah attacks
03.14.08

Israel reportedly warned Syria in February that it would hold it accountable for Hizbullah attacks
Reuters

Israel recently conveyed a warning to Syria through a third party that it would hold Damascus accountable if Hizbullah launched attacks on the Jewish state, Israeli and European sources said on Friday.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the warning stemmed largely from Israeli concerns that Hizbullah would launch salvoes of cross-border rockets to coincide with any major Israeli offensive in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

The sources said the message was conveyed in February through at least one European intermediary following the assassination of a top Hizbullah commander and before this month's five-day Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.

After the group's senior commander, Imad Mugniyah, was killed in a bombing in Damascus, Hizbullah leader Nasrallah threatened Israel with "open war."

'This is sound strategy'

A European source familiar with the matter noted that the message conveyed to Damascus said Syria could be targeted by Israel even if Hizbullah's attack emanated from Lebanese soil.

An Israeli source with knowledge of government affairs said: "The message was passed around late February, before the last round of fighting in Gaza."

"It has become clear to us Syria has to understand there is a price for its use of proxy terrorism, especially as Damascus is itself a proxy - the long-arm of Iran," the source said.

Another senior Israeli government official with knowledge of defence affairs declined comment on whether a message was sent to Damascus, but told Reuters: "This is sound strategy. Syria has significantly deepened its involvement with Hizbullah in southern Lebanon since the war."

Asked about the risk of an Israeli attack on Syria in response to a Hizbullah attack, a British official said: "There is always a danger that a turn of events here could prompt something on the northern border, which would be a disaster."

Israel threatened to target Syria if Hizbullah attacks (http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3519172,00.html)

Syrian FM: War with Israel possible
JPost.com Staff
THE JERUSALEM POST
Mar. 16, 2008

A war between Syria and Israel is certainly a possibility, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem was quoted as saying Sunday.

In an interview with the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Anba, Moallem was asked if he believed that Israel was preparing for war against Lebanon or Syria in order to avoid addressing internal issues. "Everything is possible", he answered, adding that "every rational person should prepare for every eventuality in the wake of the crazy policies advocated by the US, whose goals are certainly not achieving stability and security in the region."

Moallem went on to call Hizbullah a friend of Syria. "Hizbullah is not a proxy of Syria but a friend. Hizbullah is a part of Lebanon and the difficulties Lebanon faces."

Regarding Israel's possible involvement in the assassination of Hizbullah terror chief Imad Mughniyeh, the Syrian foreign minister stated, "The investigation is ongoing. I do not wish to jump to the concluding part of the investigation." However, he said that every time a great crime is committed, the question of who stands to benefit from it must be asked, adding that "Israel holds a top spot on that list."

Moallem denied reports that Syria was itself involved in the assassination. "Whoever makes this assertion is not familiar with the details of the investigation."

He also rejected the claim that the assassination constituted a security breach. "Crimes such as this take place in many capital cities around the world and I cannot classify it as a security breach. Furthermore, Mughniyeh habitually entered Damascus under aliases and he lived in a community in which the neighbors believed he worked as a driver. He did not have bodyguards and did not take security precautions," said Moallem.

The Syrian foreign minister noted that the country's security services were entrusted with the investigation into Mughniyeh's assassination. "We are undertaking significant efforts in order to complete the investigation. We will announce the results at its conclusion," he added.

Syrian FM: War with Israel possible (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1205420698432&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Syria views Gaza violence as miracle that would revive upcoming Damascus summit

Smadar Peri
Published: 03.13.08, 18:35

Let’s try to get into the head of Syrian President Bashar Assad: In two weeks, he will put on his finest suit and travel to Damascus’ international airport in order to welcome the participants of the Arab League summit.

One cannot but be impressed with the preparations: Just like the president’s suit, Damascus is preparing around the clock while nervously looking at the mirror, like a girl before a fateful date. Fresh posters of the presidential couple are being hung at every corner. Syria spent tens of millions of dollars it doesn’t have in order to renovate hotels, set up a media center, inaugurate restaurants, recruit battalions of spokespersons and PR people, flatter the media, and pamper journalists.

New signs, in Arabic only, announce that Damascus is the mother of all Muslim culture. Those who attempted to argue with this puzzling claim were sent to prison. Democracy? Not around here. Assad won’t let anyone ruin his party.

Yet the way it looks at this time, until the last moment nobody will know who will come out of the landing planes: Rulers and heads of state, or lowly officials who were “punished” with the duty of showing their presence.

Foreign Minister Muallem, who handed out personal invitations at the 22 palaces of Arab world rulers, has counted a meager number of positive responses: Only Algerian President Bouteflika (I have nothing to lose,) Jordan’s King Abdullah (I have no choice,) Qatar’s Sheikh Hamed (al-Jazeera will have a wild time) and Mahmoud Abbas (annoying the Syrians is dangerous.)

For those who will be coming nonetheless, Assad is preparing a bagful of surprises: The summit’s observation gallery includes seats reserved for the Hizbullah delegation, for Hamas’ Khaled Mashaal and for Islamic Jihad representatives, and of course, we must have Iranian ally Ahmadinejad.

For two days they will sit at the luxurious banquet hall, engage in talks at the corridors, and smile to the cameras. What will they really be talking about? This is not a simple problem for those who are currently occupied with, as is customary with Arab summits, drafting the concluding statements.

Will Saudi peace plan be recycled?

On the one hand, it is worthwhile for Assad to see the Damascus summit recycle (for the third time) the Saudi peace plan, which offers Israel “full Arab peace” in exchange for “Israeli withdrawal from all occupied territories.” What’s wrong with that? Syria will be portrayed as a tireless peace lover, and Israel may finally be convinced to address the Syrian channel seriously. In any case, the Saudi initiative was aimed at bestowing great rewards upon Syria: Removal from the axis of evil, the return of the Golan Heights, and the reinforcement of Syria’s hold (“Only we can control Nasrallah”) on Lebanon’s neck.

On the other hand, the Damascus summit will be convened at a time of tense restraint. The USS Cole, which unexpectedly appeared near the shores of Lebanon, bothers the Syrians. Assad and his intelligence chiefs already know who really killed Imad Mugniyah, but they decided to postpone the publication of the list of accused (a partial list only) to the post-summit period. It would be interesting to see who the Syrians will decide to charge with infiltrating the sealed intelligence-controlled area and killing the Hizbullah military commander.

If it wasn’t for events in Gaza, the Damascus summit would have been thrown to the garbage bin of conflicts among Arab leaders. Assad is not only despised in Jerusalem and in Washington – Mubarak and the Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah, who Assad referred to as “half men” (as punishment for their deafening silence during the Lebanon war) are allergic to him. Yet Assad had a miracle: Because of Hamas and Gaza and the mediation efforts there, there is finally an issue that can be dealt with in Damascus.

And so, in the best tradition of Arab summits, Israel will again play a starring role. Propaganda outlets will produce impassioned declarations and threats, and demand that Abbas join forces with Mashaal. Syria will make a great effort to inflame passions just to make sure that there is no lull in the Gaza violence. Otherwise, what will they be talking about during the summit?

Syria views Gaza violence as miracle that would revive upcoming Damascus summit (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3518763,00.html)

Slain Jihad operative's son: My entire family has turned Hezbollah
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent
18/03/2008

Instead of a Britney Spears ring tone, Shehadeh Shehadeh's cell phone emits a recording of a speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. "Our entire family has turned Shi'ite," he boasts.

Last week, Israeli security forces operating in the West Bank town of Bethlehem killed his father, Mohammed Shehadeh, who was a senior commander in Islamic Jihad.

"My father decided to become a Shi'ite after he was deported to Marj Al-Juhur in Lebanon in 1992," the son recounted. "He met there with all sorts of Shi'ite people and he saw that the oppression the Shi'ites have had to endure is very much like the oppression that the Palestinians have suffered."
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According to the 19-year-old Shehadeh, his father eventually came to "respect the Shi'ite commentary on the Koran." He equates his father's actions with those of Imam Hussein, whom Shi'ites believe to be Prophet Mohammed's true follower.

"My father decided not to surrender and chose a martyr's death, just like Imam Hussein, who fought at Karbala," he said, referring to the 680 C.E. clash in what is now Iraq, which proved to be one of the most significant battles in Muslim history. In it, Hussein ibn Ali, Mohammed's grandson and one of the founding fathers of the Shi'ite sect, was slain by Yazid I, the Umayyad caliph.

Sitting in his house in Bethlehem's Wadi Maali neighborhood, the young man entertained a group of friends, all devout Muslims filled with extremist zeal. They were there to mourn his father's loss with him.

The son is outspoken about his disdain for Israelis. "The Jews killed the prophets," he reiterated several times in his conversation with Haaretz.

"Some Jews are all right and my father valued them, like Neturei Karta," he conceded, referring to a fringe ultra-Orthodox sect that is rabidly anti-Zionist. "But most Jews are the enemy."

"Even in your soccer matches, you scream that you want war," he added, prompting knowing nods from his friends.

They are all dressed like Israeli youths their age. Yet throughout the eight years of the intifada, they have not seen a single Jewish Israeli. The Jewish neighborhood of Har Homa in East Jerusalem, just a few kilometers away across the separation fence, might as well be on another planet.

The son said that his father was not a member of Hezbollah, but did identify with the organization. He did not deny that his family received a telephone call from Nasrallah's office in which Hezbollah offered it financial assistance.

One of Shehadeh's friends said that many Palestinian opinion leaders are now joining the ranks of the Shi'a. He named Issa Batat, one of the Islamic Jihad's senior commanders in the Bethlehem area, who is serving a sentence inside an Israeli prison, and Mohammed Kawamleh, a Jihad member who is still wanted by Israel's security services.

Turning to the political implications of his father's assassination, Shehadeh Shehadeh said: "What have you achieved by killing my father? You made a mockery, as always, of the Palestinian Authority."

Mohammed Shehadeh, 45, was a former member of Fatah who later became a senior officer in the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad. He was killed last Wednesday night along with Imad al-Kamel, Issa Marzouk and Ahmad al-Balboul, also from Bethlehem. They were ambushed in one of the town's suburbs by Israeli troops dressed in civilian clothes and driving a civilian car.

The Israeli raid came at a delicate time for the PA and its president, Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah. Egyptian mediators were trying to broker a truce that would calm the hostilities between Israel and Hamas in and around Gaza, a truce that Abbas had called for after violence spiraled there earlier this month.

"Our prime minister, Salam Fayyad, went to meet your Defense Minister Ehud Barak. And whom did they send? Amos Gilad [a lower-level official]. Barak won't even see Fayyad," the younger Shehadeh said, referring to last week's meeting of a trilateral monitoring committee on the peace process. "So you killed one Mohammed Shehadeh. But as former Hezbollah leader Abbas Mussawi said, each time a drop of blood falls to the ground from the body of a ubgone19 [martyr], Allah knows how to use that drop. Now all of Bethlehem will become Mohammed Shehadeh."

Outside the Shehadeh household, pessimism, frustration and desperation are everywhere. It seems that the people of this relatively peaceful West Bank city have given up all hope of seeing results from the attempt to revive the peace process that the United States, Israel and the PA began at last year's Annapolis Summit. They view the process as dying rapidly, making way for another round of violence with Israel.

Shehadeh's funeral, which he shared with the other three assassinated militants, was one of the largest the city has seen in recent years. Palestinian security forces estimate that it was attended by no less of 250,000 people.

"Me and my friends, we led this current intifada," said Abu Dib, who is serving in one of the PA security forces and says he is wanted by Israel for his role in the violence. "We are tired already. But these boys, they were 10 years old when the clashes began. Now they're 18, and they know nothing but war and violence with Israel."

Abu Dib speaks of "a whole new generation that grew up in the territories" and is more violent and radical. "They will be the ones who will lead the next confrontation," he predicted.

Slain Jihad operative's son: My entire family has turned Hezbollah (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/965303.html)

Syria is ready to face any Israeli attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon
Tuesday, 18 March, 2008 @ 7:35 PM

Beirut- Lebanese sources have revealed that the Syrian army is reinforcing its military presence along the Lebanese-Syrian borders point from the western Bekaa valley area to Deir Al Ashaer.

The sources linked the military reinforcement to increased speculation inside and outside Lebanon about the possibility that Lebanon will be lured into a war with Israel, which could be triggered by Hezbollah in retaliation for the assassination of its commander Imad Mughniyeh.

The sources said Damascus action is aimed at preventing Israel from attacking the Syrian territory .

According to war analysts, any action by Israel will be in response to Hezbollah's attack on it or any place in the world. Israeli response the analysts say will have specific objectives in quality and quantity ... stressing that such operations will target all Hezbollah bases in the Western Bekaa, which have been strengthened after the war of July 2006.

The analysts said that the western Bekaa contains the main operations of the party, which were established with Iranian funds and include educational and medical institutions and service facilities , all of which will be the targeted by Israeli .

According to Lebanese sources, Hezbollah chief sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is reviewing carefully all the security an military organs of the party after the assassination of Mughniyeh , in preparation for the next battle with Israel . All of this is preparation is being done in coordination with Iran communication with Iran.

Lebanese experts believe that the options of war and peace are equal. Tipped one over another depends on the type of retaliation by Hezbollah for the assassination of Mughniyeh . The experts noted that the citizens of the south of Lebanon are now living in a state of panic and many have renewed their passports to flee if a new war breaks out.

According to Israeli intelligence sources Hezbollah has completed its military preparations in order to execute its retaliatory action against Israel and the countdown for such an operation has already started .

This is why the Israeli sources have pointed out is the reason why Tel Aviv has issued a warning to Damascus in which it holds the Syrian leadership responsible if Hezbollah launched any attacks on its territory or its interests around the world. The sources stresses this warning is a direct threat that Syria will be attacked if Israel is attacked from the Lebanese territory.

A British government source responded to a question about the possibility of an Israeli attack on Syria if Hezbollah attacked Israel, saying: "There is always a big danger of such a development if Israeli northern borders are attacked noting that this will be a catastrophe," . The source added " Hezbollah retaliation for the assassination of Mugniyeh could lead to a much wider regional conflict.

Syria's role in Assassinating Mughniyeh

Mughniyeh's widow, an Iranian national, who was in Damascus at the time her husband was assassinated accused the Syrian regime of involvement in the murder.

"The Syrian traitors assisted in my husband's murder," said Mughniyeh's widow.

She added "This is why the Syrian regime has refused the help of Iran and Hezbollah in the investigation of the murder."

Syria's Foreign Minister stated after the assassination that "only Syria will investigate the murder and it will be a very simple and straight forward investigation and we will find the perpetrators within days."

The General Secretariat of the Damascus Declaration also accused Monday the Syrian regime of involvement in the assassination of Mughniyeh

A statement issued by the Damascus Declaration headed by former MP Maamun al-Homsi stated: "It is our duty to expose the crimes of the Syrian regime and specifically the killing of Imad Mughniyeh and the deception that accompanied this crime."

The statement added the "Syrian intelligence removed the car in which Mughniyeh was assassinated and cleaned completely the scene of the murder to remove all the evidence."

According to intelligence reports Assef Shawkat, Syria's top intelligence chief and the brother-in-law of Syrian president Bashar al Assad is behind the assassination. Shawkat is married to Basha's sister Bushra. Bushra has left Syria and is now living in Paris.

The intelligence reports claim that Hezbollah has not retaliated earlier for Mughniyeh 's assassination , because it is currently investigating Syria 's role in the murder .

Hezbollah according to these reports has been questioning many Syrians in Lebanon who knew the whereabouts of Mughnieh before he left for Damascus where he was assassinated on February 12.

Syria is ready to face any Israeli attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon (http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/03/syria_is_ready.php)

Nasrallah Reassures Followers that Israel Would Cease to Exist
24 Mar 08, 17:56

Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Monday pledged that Israel is heading towards "more defeats", reiterating that the Jewish state would be "punished" and would cease to exist.

He also stressed that it is the right of Imad Mughniyeh's followers to avenge the death of their leader, who was killed by a Feb. 12 bomb blast in Damascus that Nasrallah has blamed on Israel.

"whoever killed "our martyr (Mughniyeh) should be punished, and would be punished. We would set the time, method and place for the punishment," Nasrallah said addressing a rally in south Beirut's Rweiss district.

He predicted that the Israeli Army "wouldn't dare launch an overland attack" against Hizbullah in Lebanon, noting that "they did not even dare launch a major incursion into Gaza."

"The Israelis would discover during any confrontation what a stupid act they committed by killing Mughniyeh," Nasrallah vowed.

A war by Israel, according to Nasrallah, "would not be a picnic because 85% of the Lebanese support efforts to topple the Zionist Entity."

He said it is "not a simple option for the United States to attack Iran or for Israel to attack Syria."

He addressed concerns among his supporters following a declaration of "open War" against Israel during Mughniyeh's funeral on Feb. 14.

"It is normal for the people to worry … but the Israelis are worried too," Nasrallah said.

The Israeli People, he said, "couldn't stand living in shelters for 33 day." Nasrallah was referring to the Hizbullah-Israel war in the summer of 2006.

Nasrallah said the Hizbullah-led opposition that groups supporters of Syria and Iran "wants the best for Lebanon … We want partnership."

Despite the Mughniyeh assassination, Hizbullah "did not interrupt negotiations" to swap prisoners with Israel "it is the Martyr's wish to see his brethren free," Nasrallah said.

Nasrallah told his followers: "you are the generation that would witness the final victory of our nation."

Nasrallah Reassures Followers that Israel Would Cease to Exist (http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/Lebanon/F0BEBE4930B9A6A7C225741600572991?OpenDocument)

Jordan's Opposition Submits Bill to Scrap Treaty With Israel

By Massoud A. Derhally

March 27 (Bloomberg) -- Ten opposition members of Jordan's Parliament, including six Islamists, introduced a bill calling for the dissolution of the 1994 peace treaty with Israel.

The treaty ``is unfair and hurts Jordanian, Palestinian and Arab interests,'' lawmaker Hamza Mansur said in an interview today in the capital, Amman. Mansur, among the Islamist legislators who presented the proposal yesterday in the lower house, heads the Islamic Action Front, a six-member bloc from the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing.

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordan's King Hussein signed the treaty on Oct. 26, 1994. Jordan became the second Arab country to have a treaty with the Jewish state. Egypt and Israel signed a peace accord in 1979.

Israel ``proves every day that it is a source of evil in the region and it threatens the security of the Middle East and it commits crimes against the Palestinian people and, contrary to this, the United States continues to support it unconditionally and becomes a partner in the crimes of the Zionist entity,'' Mansur said.

There was no specific comment on the bill from Israel's government.

``Our relations with Jordan are conducted with the king and the government and we know they appreciate being at peace with us,'' Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said in a telephone interview from Jerusalem, when asked about the Jordanian opposition's proposal.

The Islamic Action Front, the largest opposition group in Jordan, won six of Parliament's 110 seats in elections in November, down from 17 in the 2003 vote. Most of the remaining seats went to supporters of King Abdullah, a close U.S. ally.

Jordan's Opposition Submits Bill to Scrap Treaty With Israel (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=aXJkF_7OVN5k&refer=africa)

Abbas meets Jordan's king, opposes withdrawal of Arab peace plan

Mar 27, 2008, 13:55 GMT

Amman- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas conferred Thursday with Jordan's King Abdullah II on the upcoming Arab summit conference in Damascus, and said he was opposed to the proposed withdrawal of the pan-Arab peace plan with Israel.

'There is no room for changing or amending the Arab initiative,' Abbas told reporters after the meeting.

'Our attitude has always been that this plan should remain as it is and that we should defend it and fight for it because it is an expensive initiative and the other side (Israel) should accept it,' he said.

The Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa recently raised the possibility of withdrawing the Arab peace blueprint at the Damascus summit if Israel continued to ignore it.

An Amman-based coalition of 130 Arab political parties earlier Thursday sent a memorandum to the Damascus summit urging Arab leaders to 'withdraw' the peace initiative which envisaged extending recognition to Israel by all Arab states if it pulled out from all Arab lands it occupied in 1967 Six-day war, including East Jerusalem.

Abbas said that his talks with King Abdullah focused on 'the Arab summit and what is going to be after the summit', a reference to the impact on inter-Arab ties as a result of declaration by some Arab states that they were going to be represented at low levels.

Abbas said earlier that he intended to lead the Palestinian delegation to the summit, but Jordan so far refrained from saying whether King Abdullah would head the Jordanian team.

Responding to a question about the outcome of negotiations so far between the Palestinians and Israel, Abbas said 'the talks are going on but there have been no agreements until now'.

During Thursday's talks, King Abdullah expressed support for the Palestinian Authority in its talks with Israel with the avowed aim of reaching a solution to all core issues in the run-up for the setting up of an independent Palestinian state, according to a royal court statement.

'The king at the same time underscored the necessity for halting all unilateral policies (by Israel) that seek to impose new realities on the ground, particularly the expansion in building settlements,' the statement added.

Abbas meets Jordan's king, opposes withdrawal of Arab peace plan (http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1397140.php/Abbas_meets_Jordans_king_opposes_withdrawal_of_Arab_peace_plan)

Full text of king's message to Arab Summit
Rabat, Mar. 29 - King Mohammed VI addressed on Saturday a message to the 20th Arab Summit taking place in Damascus.

Here follows the text of the message.

During the two-day summit, the kingdom is represented by Prince Moulay Rachid, younger brother of king Mohammed VI, and Foreign Minister, Taieb Fassi Fihri.

Praise be to God Peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, His Kith and Kin

My Dear Brother Dr. Bashar Al-Assad, Chairman of the Arab Summit,
My Dear Brothers, Your Majesties, Your Excellencies, Your Highnesses,
Mr. Secretary-General of the League of Arab States,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I should like, first, to offer my sincere thanks and appreciation to His Excellency President Bashar Al-Assad for the good preparatory work done for the Twentieth Arab Summit, which is being hosted by the sister nation, the Syrian Arab Republic.

Morocco, its King, Government and people wish to say how much they value the sincere, close brotherly bonds and solidarity between our two nations as well as the endeavours our countries are making to uphold the just causes of our Ummah and to defend Arab countries’ sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity. We remember, with deep reverence, the sacrifices of the Moroccan contingent and its heroic struggle, alongside the valiant Syrian forces, to defend the unity of the Syrian nation and to recover the occupied Golan Heights.

I am particularly pleased to express deep gratitude to my revered brother King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for the tireless efforts he made as Chairman of the Arab Summit hosted by the sister nation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in order to implement the important resolutions adopted by our Conference.

This Summit Meeting is a good opportunity to take stock of joint Arab action and to pinpoint the obstacles impeding our work in order to forge ahead with the achievement of our objectives, in keeping with the commitment we made before our peoples to turn those objectives into reality. We need, to that end, to exert utmost efforts and bring about suitable conditions to overcome inter-Arab disputes, and to promote trust without which we cannot achieve our goals or fulfil the aspirations of our peoples for unity, concord and life in freedom and dignity.

Arab peoples are currently facing crucial challenges, both as an Ummah and as a regional grouping that are targeted by several parties. We need to join forces and muster all our resources to rise to these challenges; we also need to enhance our unity and to adopt a future-oriented approach. Allowing inter-Arab artificial disputes to worsen and narrow-minded calculations to have the upper hand over the supreme interests of our Ummah would only confirm our state of weakness and play into the hands of our enemies. Such an attitude would also be detrimental to our development efforts and impede the proper training of our youth and block their access to knowledge in a world in which qualified human resources are now the foremost asset.

More than ever before, we have to come up with realistic answers and objectives solutions to current challenges, adopting a bold albeit carefully tought-out approach.

Yet, such an objective cannot be achieved unless we protect our countries against the perils of division, dismemberment and weakness. At the same time, we need to adjust to global changes and the constraints brought about by the growing interdependence of international issues which call for collective action so that they may be properly addressed in a fast changing world. Whether at regional or international level, the world today is governed by forces which are neither balanced nor stable. Unless we adjust to the constraints around us, the conditions of our Ummah will remain unchanged. Worse still, the absence of decisive, clear-sighted and practical reforms could, God forbid, entail dreadful consequences for us.
To overcome this regrettable situation and stop the downward spiral, the first, urgently-needed step is to cleanse the inter-Arab environment. What this means is that we have to commit in good faith to constructive dialogue, avoid measures which impede joint Arab action, and stop using false excuses and pretexts to undermine all meaningful attempts to foster concord, solidarity and complementarity, whether these attempts are made through coherent regional groupings, or via a strong Arab bloc capable of fulfilling the true aspirations of our peoples for mutual progress and carefully planned integration. Needless to say, integration is an absolute necessity in today’s world of strong blocs and coalitions in which isolated countries are inevitably perceive as fragile entities, let alone fragmented countries.

In view of the above, I wish to reiterate Morocco’s commitment to continue to work with all sister nations and neighbouring countries in order to strengthen brotherly relations and to build a common future. My country highly values the excellent political relations it has with sister countries that are just as committed to defending our vital causes. This is a characteristic trait of our policy, be it at bilateral, regional or international levels.

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Morocco is seeking to bolster this approach with concrete measures and realistic policies in which the economy is the central element. Not only is the economy the driving force of change and the gateway to fulfilling the aspirations of our peoples, but it contributes directly to the development of our societies and has a direct bearing on the daily lives of our citizens.

Without the contribution of the economy, our shared history would remain a mere chapter in the collective memory of our peoples; a distant recollection and a lamentation over past glory; an impassioned but nonetheless empty slogan.

Now is the time to join forces, adopt unified stances and work resolutely and in good faith to rise to the real challenges confronting the Ummah by pledging to preserve our countries’ sovereignty, territorial integrity and distinctive national values. We need to coordinate our action in order to defend our collective security and our stability in the face of the terrorist threat looming not only over our countries but the entire world. We also need to join forces to achieve sustainable development through effective mechanisms and concrete projects.

This is precisely the approach used by Morocco, both domestically and in its foreign policy. It has launched constructive initiatives through Arab joint ventures and local human development efforts. I wish, in this respect, to praise the co-operation relations my country has with sister Arab nations, especially with the fast developing Gulf States. I am also keen to ensure the promising Agadir Free Trade Agreement, which is open to Arab Mediterranean countries, is effectively and properly implemented.

Morocco will do its utmost to foster regional integration for this is the very basis of the much-desired Arab unity. Hence, building on the justness of its cause and the legitimacy of its rights, my country will continue to work in good faith for the revitalization of the great Arab Maghreb Union, regardless of current obstacles and arguments which do not tally with the desired unity and solidarity. Not only is our commitment dictated by the time-honoured bonds of brotherhood, but it also constitutes today - as it will in the future - an indispensable strategic approach and the bedrock for the consolidation of this Western part of our Ummah. It is a commitment which is fully in line with the letter and the spirit of the Union’s Marrakech founding treaty, a covenant which is based on respecting Member States’ national unity and territorial integrity, and on preserving their characteristic principles and distinctive national features. I should like, in this regard, to commend the fruitful example of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as the close, multi-faceted partnership and the effective, brotherly relations of solidarity Morocco has with its member countries.

Consistent with its innovative approach to boost the mechanisms of joint Arab action, Morocco’s endeavours are not restricted to inter-governmental action only, no matter how important that is. Its action also includes various political, representative, economic, social, cultural and associative stakeholders.

Excellency, Mr. President,
Your Majesties,
Your Excellencies,
Your Highnesses,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Palestinian question remains one of our foremost concerns. Morocco wishes to reiterate its unwavering support for the legitimate Palestinian National Authority, under the leadership of our militant brother, His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas, especially in the current difficult circumstances the Palestinian people are experiencing, and which make it incumbent upon them to close their ranks.

We strongly condemn the aggressive practices of the Israeli occupation forces, especially the unjust blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip. We also condemn the acts of aggression against innocent civilians, particularly children and women, which are a blatant violation of international agreements and of international humanitarian law.

We call on the Israeli government to stop the policy of occupation and collective punishment against the Palestinian people. This policy is a threat to all constructive peaceful initiatives, particularly the Arab Peace Initiative, which constitutes a balanced, realistic approach that opens up prospects for a just, comprehensive and lasting solution in the Middle East; a solution which guarantees the establishment of a viable Palestinian State, with al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital; a solution based on full Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese territories. Morocco wishes to reaffirm its readiness to exert efforts and support all peaceful initiatives in order to put an end to the occupation.
We also call on all parties to make the most of the environment created by the Annapolis Conference, lest despair replace the flicker of hope brought about by that conference concerning the reinvigoration of the peace process in the Middle East. This means all parties should avoid any unilateral action which might constitute a violation of their obligations under the relevant agreements, the Road Map or any other related instrument.

Similarly, we hope states and international financial institutions and organizations will step up the pace of providing financial resources to the Palestinian National Authority, in keeping with the decisions of the Paris Donors’ Conference. This would rekindle hope among Palestinians and encourage them to become actively involved in the peace process we are all yearning for.

As Chairman of the Al Quds Committee, I call upon all influential international powers to adopt a firm stance towards Israel in order to preserve the legal status of this holy city, and to force Israel to give up its plans to alter the city’s religious and cultural features.

While it welcomes all measures designed to bring peace in the region, Morocco believes it is high time Arabs showed initiative, not only to assert their sincere quest for peace, but also to put an end to this dark episode and to stop waiting for solutions which might or might not come. This, however, cannot be achieved unless we close ranks, adopt unified stances and seek to address - collectively - the real problems of our Ummah, instead of wasting our energies on artificial disputes and desperate radical stances. Our peoples have grown particularly weary of these attitudes which are, in fact, used by our enemies to undermine our cultural values and to distort the essence of the pristine Islamic faith.

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Consistent with the same spirit designed to foster concord, close ranks and encourage unified positions in tackling the real problems of the Ummah, and having been one of the foremost players in the formulation of the Taef Agreement, Morocco will continue to exert all the efforts needed to help achieve a consensual agreement based on the plan adopted by the Council of the Arab League; an agreement which preserves the interests of Lebanon and protects that country’s national unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty, stability and security, while ensuring the prosperity of neighbouring countries and of the entire region.

The tragic, extremely painful situation in Iraq is also a matter of deep concern for us. This country ought to be able to recover its full sovereignty and preserve its territorial integrity. I therefore call upon all political and religious factions to opt for wisdom and to make sincere efforts to put an end to the crisis and to the deadly cycle of violence, destruction and terrorism. The supreme interests of the Iraqi people and their aspirations for unity, concord, peace and security should trump all other considerations.

In the same spirit of unity and concord, Morocco wishes to reiterate its support for all goodwill initiatives to promote peace, understanding and harmony in the Sudan, Somalia and the Comoros. Whatever the circumstances, our guiding principle is to ensure respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Arab countries and to overcome current disputes and disagreements.

Excellency, Mr. President,
Your Majesties,
Your Excellencies,
Your Highnesses,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Kingdom of Morocco will continue to work in good faith, launch constructive initiatives and contribute to all meaningful efforts to lay the groundwork for integrated Arab partnership, and to develop a collective system designed to improve the mechanisms of joint Arab action. Such an innovative, efficient system should provide for conditions conducive to inter-Arab co-operation, promotion of investments, better economic performance and more qualified human resources. It should also be able to help us rise to the challenge of globalization, and allow us to be effectively involved in the knowledge and communication-based society, and to uphold the principles of democracy and human rights, taking into account the specificities of each country and people, as well as their own free will and development pace.

I pray that Almighty God guide our steps, grant us wisdom and help us achieve the success of this Summit Conference in Damascus, the stronghold of Arabism. Not only would this enable us to fulfil the aspirations of our peoples and to strengthen time-honoured brotherly bonds between us – thanks to effective solidarity, sincere unity, sound integration and comprehensive development - but it would also allow us to overcome the obstacles impeding our action, and to play a regional and global role commensurate with our Ummah’s potentialities.

Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh. ???

Full text of king's message to Arab Summit (http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/royal_activities/full_text_of_king_s1498/view)

Syria and Palestine first
By Akiva Eldar
28/03/2008

Once every few months the reports about the negotiations with the Palestinians are replaced by news about the Syrian channel. The news this week was that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told foreign correspondents he is willing to make peace with Syria and expressed hope that circumstances will be ripe for renewed talks with Damascus.

This was preceded by leaks about secret contacts mediated by Turkey and open messages via Russia. Again the politicians are repeating the argument that it is easier and safer to do business with Syrian President Bashar Assad's sovereign regime than with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' weak government. Again the pundits are writing that Jerusalem's rapprochement with Damascus will keep Syria away from Tehran, undermine Hezbollah's strength and restrain Hamas. Four birds with one set of negotiations.

And again, before we discover whether this time we are talking about genuine developments, the call "Syria first" is being heard. Until next time.
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Thus the Syrian option is hovering in the political atmosphere and conveying the sweet illusion that if the Palestinian channel is blocked, Israel will not be bereft.

Around the corner awaits a more attractive Syrian bride. First we will sign a peace treaty with Syria, and eventually, when the Palestinians turn into Finns, as Dov Weissglas said (as though the Syrians are Swedes), we will talk to them about what remains of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

It would be irresponsible to repeat the strategic mistake of Ehud Barak, who put then-PA chief Yasser Arafat on ice until the treaty with Hafez Assad ripened.

With Syria, Israel has a border conflict (until proven otherwise). On the other hand, the conflict with the Palestinians touches on the roots of the state's ethnic national identity and its symbols.

Jerusalem is sacred to the Arabs, including the Palestinians, unlike Majdal Shams. A peace treaty with the Palestinians, which would offer a consensual solution to the dispute over the Temple Mount, would bring about a significant change in Israel's relations with the Arab and Muslim world.

It is difficult to assume that such a change would take place in the wake of peace with Syria, at a time when the bloody conflict with the Palestinians continues, centering on the question of Jerusalem and the refugee problem.

Let's assume Barak had not gotten cold feet at the last moment and had returned home in January 2000 from the Shepherdstown talks with a peace treaty with Syria. The central item then-president Bill Clinton submitted to the parties in the draft agreement was a full withdrawal form the Golan.

After Syria had received the Golan Heights, to the last meter more or less, Arafat would have been pushed into toughening his stance on the territorial issue in general and Jerusalem in particular.

At present the confrontation with Hamas limits the margins of Abbas' concessions even further.

On the other hand, boycotting Syria does not promote progress in the Palestinian channel, to put it mildly. The threads from Damascus (and Tehran) lead to the bastions of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. From there they infiltrate the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and here and there they also reach the Arab community in Israel.

The question is therefore not whether Israel is interested in renewing diplomatic negotiations with Syria and opening the way to an agreement with Lebanon. It is hard to exaggerate the value of a peace treaty with an Arab country on the Israeli border that is stockpiling long-range missiles.

Even if Syria does not hurry to part from Iran and sever its connections with Hezbollah and Hamas, an end to the conflict between it and the Jewish state would be an achievement for the pragmatic axis (Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan) in its difficult struggle with the extremist Sunni-Shi'ite axis.

It may turn out Assad is interested only in negotiations and not their outcome. But Olmert must put the seriousness of the Syrian president's intentions to a real test.

We should talk to everyone, about everything, all the time. After all, Olmert claims he accepts the principles of the Arab peace initiative. It says there: a full peace in exchange for all the territories. Without exceptions. To receive concessions we need negotiations.

Syria and Palestine first (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/969441.html)

Arab summit divided by no-shows

By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Writer Fri Mar 28, 4:08 PM ET

DAMASCUS, Syria - Top Arab leaders are boycotting this weekend's Arab summit in Damascus to protest Syria's hard-line stances in nearly every crisis in the Mideast.

The gathering has deepened the rift between the region's pro-U.S. camp and Iran's ally Damascus.

The no-shows by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon are an embarrassment to Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose government had hoped the summit on Saturday and Sunday — billed as "the summit of joint Arab action" — would boost its prestige.

By staying away, the countries aimed to show Damascus the diplomatic cost of its hard line on Lebanon and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But it is likely instead to strengthen Damascus' alliance with Iran and the Hamas and Hezbollah militant groups.

"There are now two axes — Iran, Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah are on one side and the rest are on the another," said Wahid Abdel-Meguid of the Cairo-based Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

Arab summits are all about protocol and symbolism, and in that language, the show of disdain from top U.S.-allies Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan could not be more clear.

In an unprecedented move, they are sending minor officials rather than their heads of state — or even their prime ministers or foreign ministers. Egypt's delegation will be headed by its parliamentary affairs minister. Saudi Arabia and Jordan are sending their Arab League ambassadors.

Lebanon is boycotting the summit completely, the first time an Arab country has refused to send a delegation since Arab leaders began holding annual summits in 2000. The Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora accuses Syria of blocking attempts to elect a new Lebanese president.

Even Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh decided Friday not to come, sending his vice president in his place — perhaps to curry favor with its powerful neighbor Saudi Arabia or because the summit appeared unlikely to endorse a Yemeni proposal for reconciliation between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas.

"Syria is losing friends, one after the other," said Mansour Hayal, a Yemeni political analyst.

America's Arab allies are angry at Syria in particular over Lebanon, where they demand Damascus open the way to the election of a president. The two camps are in a yearlong struggle for control of Lebanon — the United States, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are strong supporters of Saniora's government, while Syria backs Hezbollah, the militant group that leads the Lebanese opposition.

The opposition has been boycotting Lebanon's parliament for months, preventing it from electing a president, a post that has been empty since pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud's term ended in November.

Arab countries, which are mostly Sunni-led, are also nervous about Syria's controversial alliance with Shiite Iran.

In all, nine heads of state from the Arab League's 22 members are not attending the Damascus gathering.

The annual summit is frequently plagued by no-shows, often because of personal disputes among leaders. But this year, the differences are sharper and the snubs even more pointed.

With the no-shows, the headliners at this year's summit are Assad, Libya's leader Moammar Gadhafi and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who were arriving with other delegations Friday.

But Damascus may benefit from the absences, which ensure the summit will not pressure it to change its stances toward Lebanon or the Palestinians. Also, Syria showed it won't be forced to exchange its strong alliance with Iran for approval from Arabs.

"The Syrian axis is coherent and they have a clear objective and they are working in an organized way," said Abdel-Meguid, the analyst in Cairo.

Arab summit divided by no-shows (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080328/ap_on_re_mi_ea/arab_summit)

Syria Deploys Troops to Border
CBNNews.com
April 2, 2008

CBNNews.com - According to the London-based Arabic newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi, Syrian troops are on high alert against an Israeli invasion.

Three Syrian armored divisions, nine infantry brigades and Special Forces have been deployed along the border with Lebanon's Bekaa valley.

According to the paper, Syrian officials believe remarks by senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials and statements in the Israeli media indicate that Israel is preparing for war.

In response, Syria is conducting military maneuvers at the border, calling up reservists and warning its citizens to prepare for war.

This weekend, Syria's interior ministry will announce the results of an investigation into the assassination of arch-terrorist Imad Mugniyeh, killed by a car bomb in an upscale neighborhood of Beirut, on February 12.

The report is expected to concur with accusations by Hezbollah spiritual leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, claiming Mossad (Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations) agents targeted Mugniyeh.

The article stated that Hezbollah has refrained from revenge attacks to avoid giving Israel an excuse to attack them, but others believe the pinpoint assassination frightened them.

The same fear prompted leaders of Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip and West Bank (Judea and Samaria) to exercise caution in their day-to-day activities.

"If Israel managed to get to Mughniyeh, leaders of Islamic Jihad, Hamas and others will be an easy target," one official said.

Meanwhile, in a briefing Tuesday to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Israeli intelligence officials said Hezbollah may engage a third-party to strike Israel.

"We clearly identify a great deal of activity among Hezbollah. It is growing stronger on all levels, improving its systems, its units and is receiving a great deal of weapons and missiles for medium and long distances," intelligence officials told committee members.

"Hezbollah is readying itself for an escalation that may break out in the north as a result of an operation against Israel. We are not discounting any possibility. There are assessments that they may carry out an operation in the north through another organization," the officials said.

"Hezbollah is operating in southern Lebanon, mostly in villages, in secret and in civilian garb," said the officials.

On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Harel and GOC Northern Commander Major General Gadi Eisenkut toured the northern border.

"We are looking at this calm and quiet view, but we know that underground there is a great deal of activity," Barak said.

"Hezbollah is growing more powerful, but so are we, and we are following developments," the defense minister said.

"Meanwhile, Hezbollah is deterred, but we are on guard. There is daily activity of combat troops, and we are learning the lessons of the last war. Israel is the strongest country in the region, and I would not recommend that any one from the other side of the border test us," Barak said.

Check out this post I made back on Mar. 16, 2008 Syrian FM: War with Israel possible (http://forums.christiansunite.com/index.php?topic=19727.msg241063#msg241063) At the same time remember Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened or troubled, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.

Syria Deploys Troops to Border (http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/349824.aspx)

Syria bracing for Israeli attack
04.14.08

Qatari newspaper al-Watan reports of Syrian preparations against Israeli strike during coming summer; says Israel looking to May, June as possible window for attack
Roee Nahmias

VIDEO - Is Syria preparing for war? Qatar's al-Watan newspaper reported Monday that political and media sources in Damascus expressed concerns that war may breakout between Israel and Syria before long.

According to the report, the nationwide emergency drill held by Damascus in response to a similar drill held by Israel last week, is one of the preemptive steps taken by Syria, which is supposedly responding to reports of Israel holding strategy meeting with the US in an attempt to devise an attack on both Syria and Iran.

Israel, claimed the report, is eyeing the period between the end of May to mid June as a possible window of attack; and the proof, as a senior Syrian official told al-Watan, is in the fact that the Israeli drill covering the Golan Heights was closely monitored by a high-ranking American general.

This close cooperation, added the source is evident that the two wish to send a message to the "resistance" in the area, namely Syria, Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas, that any the US is aware of the fact that any American strike against Iran may entail the latter bombing Israel and launching two new fronts against Syria and Lebanon.

Though titled a readiness drill against natural disasters, the Syria-crossing drill, added the report, has raised public concerns of a Mideast war pending in the summer.

Syria bracing for Israeli attack (http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3531622,00.html)

Quote from: DreamWeaver on April 30, 2008, 02:41:37 AM

Syrian official: We won't cut ties with Hizbullah and Iran for peace
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST Apr. 30, 2008

A source close to Syrian President Bashar Assad claimed Syria will not sever its ties with Hizbullah and Iran, even in the framework of a peace agreement with Israel, reported Army Radio Wednesday.

In an interview on Hizbullah's Al-Manar satellite television station Tuesday night, Dr. Samir Al-Taki said that "it would be naïve to think we'd neglect our strategic alliances."

Referring the concept of Israeli withdrawal from the Golan, he said that "no one can rule in Damascus without holding the release of the [Golan Heights] as a priority."

According to Army Radio, Dr. Taki, is the Syrian representative in indirect contact with Israel.

Syrian official: We won't cut ties with Hizbullah and Iran for peace (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1208870526543&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Good Morning DreamWeaver,

Christians should quickly note the Promise of GOD that Damascus will be reduced to ruin, so this should infer that Syria will have a role in the WRATH that is to come. GOD'S WORD proclaims it, so it WILL BE DONE! Realistically, we shouldn't expect anything good from the nations that will come against Israel. If there is something good, it will be to deceive for another purpose and advantage for another time to strike Israel. It really is just this simple. Bible Prophecy should not be "spiritualized" or otherwise dismissed. They are the promises of GOD that will most certainly happen. No power in the universe can slow, hasten, or stop GOD'S Perfect Time. GOD'S WILL BE DONE, AND IT WILL BE! As Christians, we should be praying for Israel every day and always remember that JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF is the anointed KING of Israel, and HE will TAKE HIS Rightful Throne - The Throne of David in Jerusalem. No Power will be able to stop HIM, and HE Will subject ALL things under HIS FEET!

Love In Christ,
Tom

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i160/tlr10/mine/mine040.jpg)

'Peace isn't the only way to get Golan'
Jun. 14, 2008
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Several weeks after Jerusalem announced the renewal of indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria, one senior member of the foreign ministry suggested that if Israel did not willingly give up the Golan, then Syria would take it by force.

During a press conference to Jordanian reporters on Saturday, Syrian deputy Foreign Minister Faysal Mekdad said that Syria has "other options" to "liberate" the Golan, adding that should hostilities erupt, his country would be able to "protect its land within minutes."

Speaking directly to Israeli residents of the Golan - whom he labeled "settlers" - the foreign minister warned that they should not "raise their sons in the Golan, for this is not their place."

He addressed Israel with a question: Would it be better to return the heights to Syria "peacefully and without blood," or would a war be necessary?

Mekdad's message to the Golan's residents implied that in case of war, the civilian population there would be a Syrian target.

Also during the press conference the foreign minister offered a glimpse into the status of the indirect talks, saying that they were based on "Rabin's pledge." According to the Syrians, after negotiations between the two countries began in the early 1990s, former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin promised then-Syrian president Hafeez Assad that any agreement would include the transfer of territory to Syria.

Israeli media reported recently that the said "pledge" had been relayed to Assad without Rabin's explicit consent.

'Peace isn't the only way to get Golan' (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1212659731205&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)
~~~~~~~~

Sounds like Syria is trying to fulfill prophecy, and negotiations are getting a little testy......... (http://www.rr-bb.com/images/smilies/Nukes.gif)

Quote from: DreamWeaver on July 16, 2008, 12:25:31 AM

Kuwaiti Paper: Hizbullah Arming Rockets With Gas

(IsraelNN.com) The Kuwaiti daily al-Siyasa reported today that Hizbullah has acquired the chemicals needed to make chemical weapons such as nerve gas or mustard gas from North Korean suppliers and is allegedly preparing to arm its Katyusha rockets with chemical warheads. The Kuwaiti paper also declared that the assistance of Syria and Iran was crucial for Hizbullah’s efforts. The reports were based on information provided to al-Siyasa by Syrian opposition figures in the United States.

Kuwaiti Paper: Hizbullah Arming Rockets With Gas (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/149880)
~~~~~~~~~~~

Israel has vowed any Chem/Bio/Nuclear weapon will be treated the same. Israel knows Syria controls Hizbullah with financial backing from Iran

There is a city starting with the letter "D" that might be worth watching, if the first chemical rocket lands in Israel.

Hello DreamWeaver,

This would be a very stupid thing to do, but Bible Prophecy has already told us many stupid things will be done. Regardless, GOD has already told us that Damascus will be completely destroyed. This is so sure that we can consider it already done, and it will be. We don't know the time, but the time-table has already been set by GOD. It appears that time might be soon. This is simply a Bible fact that will be reality soon, and nothing can be done to prevent it. Christians should know that GOD keeps all of HIS Promises! AND, THERE IS MUCH MORE!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Favorite Bible Quotes 191 - Isaiah 13:9-13 Behold, the day of the LORD
cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land
desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10 For
the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give
their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the
moon shall not cause her light to shine. 11 And I will punish the
world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will
cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the
haughtiness of the terrible. 12 I will make a man more precious than
fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. 13 Therefore I
will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place,
in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

Hizbullah moves into 'every town'
Jul. 17, 2008
Yaakov Katz
THE JERUSALEM POST

Hizbullah is bolstering its presence in south Lebanon villages with non-Shi'ite majorities by buying land and using it to build military positions and store missiles and launchers, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

The decision to build infrastructure in non-Shi'ite villages - where Hizbullah has less support - is part of the group's post-war strategy under which it has mostly abandoned the "nature reserves," forested areas in southern Lebanon where it kept most of its Katyusha rocket launchers before the Second Lebanon War.

Behind the change is the mandate given to UNIFIL by the United Nations after the war in 2006. According to the mandate, the peacekeeping force can patrol freely throughout southern Lebanon but cannot enter villages or cities without being accompanied by soldiers from the Lebanese Armed Forces, which regularly tips off Hizbullah ahead of the raids.

News of the change in Hizbullah strategy came as Israel is trying to persuade the UN to strengthen UNIFIL's mandate to give it the right to patrol the villages freely.

"Hizbullah is moving into every town that it can," a senior defense official told the Post. "This is in order to evade UNIFIL detection."

On Thursday, Lebanese complained they were receiving recorded phone messages from Israel promising "harsh retaliation" for any future Hizbullah attack. The automated messages also warn against allowing Hizbullah to form "a state within a state" in the country.

The phone messages end with the words: "The State of Israel."

There was no immediate confirmation from Israel, though similar reports surfaced of Israeli phone campaigns during the 2006 war trying to persuade Lebanese not to support Hizbullah.

Lebanon's official National News Agency said residents in the country's south and east, as well as in Beirut reporting receiving the calls. It said Telecommunications Minister Jibran Bassil contacted the United Nations to complain, calling it a "flagrant aggression against Lebanese sovereignty."

Also Thursday, defense officials warned that with the prisoner swap completed, Hizbullah would no longer need to restrain itself and might decide to avenge the assassination of the group's operations chief, Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed by a car bomb in Damascus last February.

As a result, the IDF has slightly increased its level of alert along the border, based on the assessment that even if a retaliatory attack took place abroad the violence would spread to the Israeli-Lebanese border.

Hizbullah moves into 'every town' (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215331011969&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

It would appear there is determination for another war against Israel. Any future aggression against Israel could easily escalate into Bible Prophecy and the End Days of this Age of Grace. Regardless, we should know that the time is short. It obviously won't take much to get most of the world involved. When the Prophetic Clock starts, the world will have NO control over it. What most of the world doesn't understand is that NOTHING can be done to stop, slow, or hasten what GOD said would happen. Bluntly, all will happen at GOD'S Appointed Time that was set before the foundation of the world. The time table and sequence of events will be GOD'S, including the loosing of the devil.

Sadly, most of the world doesn't believe this, laughs at it, and still laughs at GOD. Christians are made fun of and persecuted for trying to share the TRUTH and GOD'S GOSPEL. In fact, Christians are already being persecuted and killed in record numbers around the world. Nothing has been able to stop the preaching of the GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD around the world, regardless of the increasing number of Christians being killed. Bible Prophecy clearly states that the GOSPEL will be preached to the world, and it is. Great numbers of people are still accepting JESUS CHRIST as LORD and SAVIOUR! Through it all - THE TIME GROWS SHORT! Christians must believe this. This has been said many times in the distant past, but the Prophetic Signs were NOT present. As an example, many thought that Hitler might be the anti-Christ, but Israel WAS NOT in place. Israel IS in place now, and the requirements for starting the Prophetic Clock of the End Days of this Age of Grace have been met. The TIME is most definitely and clearly NEAR!

One doesn't need to be a Bible Scholar to see that things are near. One simply needs to read the Holy Bible and BELIEVE GOD 100%. Only a Christian would BELIEVE GOD 100%, so this is a key to knowing what's about to happen. We don't have to understand everything about the devil and evil - we just have to BELIEVE GOD!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Christian Quotes 110 -
Beware of wasted moments!
The marvels and triumphs of the printing-press have
now made accessible to peasant and laborer, the
wondrous blessing of Christian literature! Neither
Croesus nor Plato - the two old-world representatives
of wealth and thought - had a library to compare with
what is readily available to us.
Let the young especially prize this splendid inheritance,
making it alike a privilege and obligation to devote some
hours to reading and garnering mental stores. Let them
beware of wasted moments - golden ingots - too often
mortgaged to . . .
sloth,
frivolity,
idleness,
voluptuous ease and
degrading passion.
"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:16
-- John MacDuff 1895

Syria Chooses: Assad to Visit Iran; Israel Continues Talks

by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

(IsraelNN.com) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is to visit Iran this weekend, even as Syrian and Israeli negotiators are slated to continue talks in mid-August. Al-Assad's visit answers the Israeli demand that Syria choose between Iran and peace.

In meetings with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Assad will be discussing bilateral, regional and global matters. Among the issues on the agenda will be Iran's nuclear aspirations and its confrontation with the West, Syrian talks with Israel, and the situations in Lebanon and Iraq. Official Iranian sources said Ahmadinejad is looking forward to meeting Assad and furthering relations with Syria. He will greet the Syrian dictator in Tehran upon the the latter's arrival on Saturday.

In addition to Ahmadinejad, Assad is scheduled to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and other senior officials of the Islamic Republic during the two-day visit. The talks come on the heels of Tehran hosting a gathering of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), at which Ahmadinejad received support for Iran's nuclear program, and ahead of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's September visit to Damascus. The London-based al-Hayat newspaper reported that Assad and Ahmadinejad will be coordinating the message Assad will convey to Sarkozy on Iran.

Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Iranian Legislative Council, the Majlis, told Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mualem on Tuesday that Iran and Syria both play important roles in thwarting ongoing threats to the Muslim world. Therefore, he called for expanding bilateral cooperation and coordination in light of current regional and global conditions.

The Syrian Foreign Minister, who was in Tehran for the NAM meeting, concurred and added that such an alliance, expressed in international organizations and conferences, will serve the wider interests of the rest of the Middle East. Laying the groundwork for al-Assad's visit, Mualem met with Ahmadinejad, Mottaki and Larijani over the past few days.

Syria Chooses Iran
Assad's upcoming visit to Iran may be seen as a direct reply to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's statement this week that Syria must choose between maintaining its relationship with Iran and peaceful international relations.

Speaking at the National Defense College graduation ceremony in Jerusalem on Tuesday, Olmert said, "The peace negotiations depend on Syria. There is no place solely for overtures, but there must also be action. Syria must decide between Iran, the axis of evil and international isolation, and between peace and prosperity."

However, he confimed, Israel "is continuing with the negotiations in good faith, with the intent of giving Syria a genuine alternative, so that it may make the right decision."

In a statement, al-Assad said that Israel's ultimatum is "as if Syria asked Israel to break off relations with the United States."

Since May, Israeli and Syrian negotiators have been conducting indirect talks, brokered by Turkey. The latest of four such meetings concluded in Istanbul on Wednesday, with a fifth session scheduled for mid-August. Neither al-Assad's upcoming visit to Iran, nor the recent mutual Syrian and Iranian declarations of coordination have, as yet, changed those plans. In fact, a sixth round of Israel-Syria indirect talks is slated for September.

Syria Chooses: Assad to Visit Iran; Israel Continues Talks (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127027)

Syria's grand mufti invites pope to Syria
ASSOCIATED PRESS

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Syria's grand mufti, the country's top Sunni Muslim religious authority, says he would like to meet Pope Benedict XVI and persuade him to visit Syria.

The mufti, Sheik Ahmad Badereddine Hassoun, made the comments in Damascus, according to the Italian news agency Apcom and other reports Friday.

"I would like to invite the Holy Father to visit our country, following in the footsteps of St. Paul," Hassoun was quoted by Apcom as saying. "I am available for a meeting at the Vatican. I would like to see him one on one to plan the visit together."

Benedict's predecessor, Pope John Paul II, made a groundbreaking visit to the Ummayad Mosque in Damascus in May 2001.

Benedict has been vacationing in the Italian Alps.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the invitation attests to the current "serene climate" in Syria and "good relations" with the country.

Benedict has been trying to improve ties with Islam since giving a speech in Germany in 2006 that angered many in the Muslim world.

In the Regensburg University speech, Benedict cited a medieval text that characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."

The pope later said he was "deeply sorry" about the reactions his remarks sparked and stressed that they did not reflect his own opinion.

Hassoun, a moderate cleric, said the case was closed.

"There is a dialogue, and between religions and intellectuals there are always discussions," he said, according to Apcom. "One can fight with one's wife, but then the love grows."

Hassoun is among a group of 138 Muslim scholars that has called for greater dialogue between Christians and Muslims.

Benedict XVI met with Syria's vice president in September to discuss the situation of Christians in Syria and the role Damascus should play in bringing peace to the Middle East.

The pope has urged Syria to use its influence in the region to help resolve conflicts and counter terrorism.

Syria's grand mufti invites pope to Syria (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/01/syrias-grand-mufti-invites-pope-to-syria/)

Syria turned away IAEA

By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer Sat Aug 9, 5:17 AM ET

VIENNA, Austria - Syria has blocked a new visit by International Atomic Energy Agency experts seeking to follow up on intelligence that Damascus built a secret nuclear program built with the help of North Korea, diplomats told The Associated Press on Saturday.

The diplomats also said Washington was circulating a note among members of the IAEA board opposing a Syrian push for a seat on the 35-nation board. The board normally works by consensus and a seat held by Damascus could thus hamper any investigation into its alleged nuclear activities.

Syria fears a massive atomic agency investigation similar to the probe Iran has been subjected to more than five years.

"Syria's election to the board while under investigation for secretly ... building an undeclared nuclear reactor not suited for peaceful purposes would make a mockery" of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, said the note, as read to the AP.

The diplomats said that the U.S. was pushing to encourage Kazakhstan to challenge Damascus for the seat, but the Kazakhs apparently are reluctant to do so, fearing lack of support.

Syria rejected the IAEA request for a visit late last month, the diplomats said. The visit would have been a follow up to an initial trip by IAEA inspectors in June.

"The Syrians said that a visit at this time was inopportune," said a senior diplomat, who, like two others agreeing to discuss the issue, demanded anonymity because their information was confidential.

That appeared to leave open the possibility of a later visit. But one of the other diplomats said members of the Syrian mission to the IAEA were spreading the word among other missions that further trips beyond the one in June were unlikely.

If so, that could cripple international efforts to probe U.S. allegations that a site in a remote part of the Syrian desert, which Israel destroyed last year, was a near-finished plutonium-producing reactor built with North Korean help, and that Damascus continues to hide linked facilities.

IAEA experts came back June 25 from a four-day visit, carrying environmental samples from the Al Kibar site hit by Israel in September. Those are now being evaluated.

But the results might fall short of providing a conclusive results.

A traditional method at suspected nuclear sites — taking swipes in the search for radioactive traces — was unlikely to have been of use at Al Kibar. That's because none had been introduced into the alleged reactor before it was struck by Israel, according to intelligence given to the agency by the U.S., Israel and a third country the diplomats declined to identify.

So, the inspectors also looked for minute quantities of graphite, which is used as a cooling element in the type of North Korean prototype that was allegedly being built with help from Pyongyang. Such a reactor contains hundreds of tons of graphite, and any major explosion would have sent dust over the immediate area.

But — if the Syrians were interested in a cover-up — they would have scoured the region to bury, wash away and otherwise remove any such traces. And although U.S. intelligence says the reactor was close to completion, it is possible that graphite elements were not yet installed at the time of the Sept. 6 bombing.

If so, the initial probe might be inconclusive, making further trips necessary. The agency also is interested in going to three other locations suspected of possibly harboring other secret nuclear activities — sites the Syrians insist are off limits.

More broadly, IAEA experts had hoped to use a follow-up visit to put questions to Syrian officials based on the intelligence available to them outlining years of extensive cooperation between the Syrians and teams of visiting North Korean nuclear officials.

North Korea exploded a nuclear device in 2006. The North is believed by experts to have produced enough weapons-grade plutonium to make as many as 10 nuclear bombs before agreeing to dismantle its weapons program early last year.

But the diplomats said Syria was strenuously denying any concerted North Korean presence in the country — despite U.S. intelligence alleging that the building bombed was reactor of the type only built by the communist state.

They said Syrian officials described meetings between nuclear officials from Pyongyang and their Syrian counterparts occasional and informal, despite intelligence information to the contrary.

Syria turned away IAEA (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080809/ap_on_re_mi_ea/nuclear_syria;_ylt=AjidwPg42cm_5DM3AS7Bmm4LewgF)

Syria may host Russian missiles

Aug. 20, 2008
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Syrian President Bashar Assad has pledged to support Russia in its conflict with Georgia and said that Damascus was ready to consider deploying Russian Iskander missile systems in its territory, in response to the US missile shield in Europe.

In an interview with the Russian paper Kommersant, cited by the Interfax News Agency, Assad said regarding the option to install Rusian missiles on Syrian ground "In principle, yes. We have not thought of it yet. No such proposal has been received. In any case, all similar projects must be first studied by military experts. And when everything is decided, we will
make an open and public announcement," Assad said in the interview, published on Wednesday, the day before his visit to Russia was scheduled to begin.

The Iskander missile (NATO reporting name SS-26 Stone) is a short range, solid fuel propelled, theater quasi-ballistic missile system.

The system is intended to use conventional warheads for the engagement of small and area targets, such as hostile fire weapons (missile systems, multiple launch rocket systems, long-range artillery pieces), air and antimissile defence weapons, especially those located in relatively fixed sites, command posts and communications nodes, critical civilian infrastructure facilities and other vital small and area targets.

During his visit, Assad will meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Assad's visit to Moscow is primarily meant as an introduction between him and Russia's recently appointed Medvedev, but the visit follows on the heels of Russia's attack on Georgia and a top Russian general's remarks that Israel was one of Georgia's key arms suppliers.

Syria was a client state of Russia during the Soviet era and the Syrian military is equipped mostly with Soviet-made weapons.

The Qatari-based Al Wattan quoted Syrian sources as saying the meeting would deal with the crisis in Georgia and with the importance of the strategic alliance between Damascus and Moscow, which, the sources said, "has always been a stabilizing factor in the Middle East."

Syria kept its strategic ties with Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union, and is still a buyer of Russian arms.

Al Wattan analysts assessed that during Assad's present visit, as in the past, Russia and Syria would sign deals for the sale of advanced weapons. The sources quoted by the paper said Syria's interest in the Russian-Georgian conflict grew "following the surprising discoveries of the dangerous role Israel played in transferring weapons to Georgia and the involvement of Israeli Mossad in carrying out terror attacks against Russian citizens in South Ossetia and Abkhazia."

Besides the military cooperation, the two countries also have economic interests. Tatneft, one of Russia's 10 top oil producers, is conducting geological surveys in Syria and plans to drill exploratory wells in Syria under a 2005 contract.

Despite speculation that this visit could up the ante in the region, from Syria's perspective, bolstering defense ties with Russia is entirely defensive, Dr. Samir A-Taqi, director of the Damascus-based Orient Center for Studies said.

"It's mainly repelling dangers more than anything else," he told The Media Line. "The balance of force in the region is broken and a restoration of balance would be positive to allow and convince different belligerents to come to the table. The Syrians are fighting to negotiate," he said.

Syria may host Russian missiles (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1219218598194&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Fear of new Mid East 'Cold War' as Syria strengthens military alliance with Russia
August 21, 2008

Kevin O’Flynn in Moscow and James Hider, Middle East Correspondent

Syria raised the prospect yesterday of having Russian missiles on its soil, sparking fears of a new Cold War in the Middle East. President Assad said as he arrived in Moscow to clinch a series of military agreements: “We are ready to co-operate with Russia in any project that can strengthen its security.”

The Syrian leader told Russian newspapers: “I think Russia really has to think of the response it will make when it finds itself closed in a circle.”

Mr Assad said that he would be discussing the deployment of Russian missiles on his territory. The Syrians are also interested in buying Russian weapons.

In return Moscow is expected to propose a revival of its Cold War era naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus, which would give the Russian Navy its first foothold in the Mediterranean for two decades. Damascus and Moscow were close allies during the Cold War but the Kremlin’s influence in the region waned after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Yesterday’s rapprochement raised the possibility that Moscow intends to re-create a global anti-Western alliance with former Soviet bloc allies.

Many in Israel fear that the Middle East could once again become a theatre for the two great powers to exert their spheres of influence, militarily and politically. And with Israel and the US providing military backing to Georgia, Russia appears set to respond in kind by supporting Syria.

Already, Israeli observers worry that the chaos in the Caucasus may disrupt gas supplies to Europe and Turkey from the Caspian Sea region, creating a greater energy reliance on Iran and its vast reserves. The crisis could in turn allow Tehran to exploit splits in the international community and use Russia as a backer to advance its nuclear programme. Russia has wooed Syria in recent years, as it has tried to increase its influence in the Middle East and increase arms sales.

Syria and Israel recently confirmed they had been holding indirect talks to reach a peace deal after decades of hostility. Part of Syria’s motivation was to break the international isolation it has suffered for its strategic alliance with Tehran. A closer alliance with a resurgent Russia could afford Mr Assad a way out of any binding commitment. Some Israeli analysts even fear that it could encourage Syria to try to take back the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in 1967, by force.

The Georgia conflict sparked a mocking speech with Cold War rhetoric by Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, over the performance of Israeli-trained Georgian troops. One of the Israeli military advisers there was reserve Brigadier-General Gal Hirsch, who commanded a division in Israel’s inconclusive war with Hezbollah in 2006, and who resigned his commission afterwards.

“Gal Hirsch, who was defeated in Lebanon, went to Georgia and they too lost because of him,” the Shia leader taunted. “Relying on Israeli experts and weapons, Georgia learnt why the Israeli generals failed.

“What happened in Georgia is a message to all those the Americans are seeking to entangle in dangerous adventures.”

Fear of new Mid East 'Cold War' as Syria strengthens military alliance with Russia (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article4573599.ece)

U.S. to Syria: Do not meddle in Russia-Georgia conflict
By The Associated Press and Haaretz Service
22/08/2008

Senior U.S. officials severely criticized Syria on Thursday after Syrian President Bashar Assad voiced his country's support of Russia in its military conflict with Georgia, saying that Syria should keep out of issues that don't pertain to them.

The officials suggested that Syria refrain from meddling in the affairs of other nations, "such as Georgia," Channel 10 reported Thursday. They added that Syria should remain focused on its own problems in the Middle East and keep trying to achieve peace in the region.

Earlier Thursday, Assad backed Russia's military action against Georgia at talks with President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday.

Syria, a foe of Israel in the Middle East which stands accused by the United States of supporting international terrorism, is only the second country after Belarus to voice public support for Russia's military operation in Georgia.

"We understand the essence of the Russian position and its military response," Assad told Medvedev at the start of their meeting in the Kremlin leader's Black Sea residence, Bocharov Ruchei.

"We believe Russia was responding to the Georgian provocation," the Syrian president said.

Russia drew Western condemnation, led by the United States, when it mounted a crushing military offensive in response to Georgia's attempt two weeks ago to recapture the rebel, pro-Russian province of South Ossetia.

Moscow says it was forced to act to avert bloodshed in South Ossetia and defend Russian nationals and peacekeepers from the Georgian attack, though Tbilisi says Moscow engineered the conflict.

"I want to express my support for the Russian position in [the breakaway regions of] Abkhazia and South Ossetia....We oppose attempts to tarnish Russia's position," Assad said.

Meanwhile Thursday, Russian media on Thursday quoted Assad as saying ahead of a two day visit to Moscow that Syria was ready to negotiate hosting Russian surface-to-surface Iskander missiles on its soil, which Moscow says are capable of penetrating any missile defense.

Syria is interested in purchasing Russia's Pantsyr-S1 air defense missile system, the BUK-M1 surface-to-air medium-range missile system, military aircraft and other hardware, the Russian news agency Interfax quoted a diplomatic source as saying.

According to Russian media, Assad offered to host the Russian missiles as a response to a deal signed by Washington and Warsaw this week to deploy elements of a U.S. missile defense system in Poland, which has aggravated Moscow's relations with the West.

Assad's visit is likely to become an additional irritant for Washington. In the past, the United States has more than once warned Moscow against selling arms to its longstanding ally Syria.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, asked by reporters about plans to sell Iskander missiles and other modern weapons to Syria, said: "We are ready to consider requests from the Syrian side on buying more arms.

"We are indeed prepared to sell only defensive weapons which are not breaking the regional balance of powers," he said.

Lavrov said arms sales were part of Thursday's talks, but did not elaborate.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni tried to dissuade Moscow from closing arms deals with Syria, telling reporters in Jerusalem "it is a mutual interest of Russia, of Israel and of the pragmatic leaders and states in the region not to send long-range missiles to Syria."

Livni cited Syria's links with Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, as reasons to avoid signing any number of rumored arms deals, including deals involving anti-aircraft and anti-tank missile systems.

U.S. to Syria: Do not meddle in Russia-Georgia conflict (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1014074.html)

Lebanese Cabinet endorses ties with Syria

Fri Aug 22, 3:40 PM ET

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanon's Cabinet has approved the establishment of diplomatic ties with Syria and the opening of a Lebanese embassy in Damascus.

Syria, which controlled its smaller neighbor for nearly 30 years until 2005, agreed earlier this month to open relations and demarcate the border for the first time since both countries gained independence from France in the 1940s. The moves met a long-standing Lebanese demand for Syria to recognize Lebanese independence.

Syria long resisted the ties and only agreed after a political compromise between Lebanon's feuding factions created a unity government where Syrian ally Hezbollah has considerable weight. Its assent also came after a figure seen as relatively friendly to Syria — Michel Suleiman — was installed as Lebanon's president.

Information Minister Tarek Mitri said after a Cabinet meeting late Thursday that Lebanon's foreign minister has been tasked with making arrangements for the embassy. He did not name a date for it to open.

On Friday, Prime Minister Fuad Saniora sent a letter of protest to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about what Lebanon perceived as recent Israeli threats. He urged Ban to inform the U.N. Security Council's member nations of the "seriousness of the Israeli threats," according to Saniora's office.

Lebanon's protest apparently refers to comments this week by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warning that if Hezbollah guerrillas attacked Israel again, it would hit back harder than in the 2006 war.

Olmert said Israel did not use all means to respond then, but "if Lebanon becomes a Hezbollah state, then we won't have any restrictions in this regard."

Saniora told Thursday's Cabinet meeting that "to hear what Israeli officials say, one would think Israel was showering Lebanon with roses during its last aggression."

More than 1,200 Lebanese — most of them civilians — were killed in the 2006 war, which began after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers and killed three others in a cross-border raid.

Lebanese Cabinet endorses ties with Syria (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080822/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_syria;_ylt=AmW3vKOkk3X9ZxQYtf0LeJsLewgF)

'We'll soon avenge Mughniyeh's death'
Aug. 22, 2008
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Hizbullah has warned that revenge for the murder in February of its security chief, Imad Mughniyeh, was not far off, and would be "shocking."

"Hizbullah will soon avenge the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh," said Sheikh Ahmad Morad, a member of the Hizbullah leadership in southern Lebanon.

"The revenge will be shocking and huge surprises are in store," he added. "We will not allow Israel and its generals to enjoy stability."

Morad was speaking at a Hizbullah rally in southern Lebanon.

Mughniyeh was killed on February 12 by a car bomb in the heart of Damascus. Israel, which Hizbullah blamed for the assassination, has denied any involvement.

US Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell suggested that Syria or internal Hizbullah factions may have been behind the murder.

The Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai, recently quoted Hizbullah sources as saying they would retaliate for Mughniyeh's death by assassinating Israeli leaders.

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister's Office issued a renewed warning to Israelis abroad regarding Hizbullah's intent to attack and possibly abduct Israeli citizens around the world.

As part of its recommendations for Israelis, the PMO urged them to be wary of "unusual events," to turn down any tempting offers relating to business or pleasure, to avoid letting suspicious people or unknown visitors into their hotel rooms or apartments, to avoid staying in remote locations - especially after dark, to be accompanied by reliable companions during business meetings and recreational activities, and to avoid a regular pattern of activity during lengthy stays.

Nevertheless, Sheikh Na'im Kassem, Hizbullah's deputy secretary-general, gave a speech in Beirut at the start of August during a conference attended by Lebanese emigrants, in which he called on Hizbullah supporters living abroad to respect the laws of their host countries and not to fight Israel on their soil.

'We'll soon avenge Mughniyeh's death' (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1219218617708&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull)

Assad: Next round of Syria-Israel talks will be 'decisive'
By Yoav Stern and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents
24/08/2008

The next round of indirect negotiations between Damacus and Jerusalem will be "decisive," Syrian President Bashar Assad told reporters over the weekend.

Responding to a query as to whether progress had been made during the talks, Assad told reporters: "As of now, we have not reached anything tangible."

The Turkish-mediated negotiations, which were meant to resume this week in Istanbul, have been postponed till next week.

Assad told an Arabic-language television station based in Russia that Syria was not sure Israel was even interested in peace. "I can't say at all that we have confidence [in Israel]."

Syria and Israel have kept secret the details of the indirect talks, which have until now seen several rounds.

While Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had said he sees a chance for direct negotiations in the near future, Damascus has played down these estimations as "too early," given the conditions at hand.

Syria seeks full return of the Golan Heights and Israel has linked a peace agreement to Syria distancing itself from Iran and severing ties with Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Palestinian group Hamas.

Meanwhile, Syria denied on Friday that it was considering hosting an advanced Russian missile system, a day after President Bashar Assad held talks with Russian officials about upgrading his country's military.

Syria's state news agency said deployment of Iskander missiles, which Moscow says are capable of defying any missile defense, was not on the agenda of talks between Assad and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at a Black Sea resort on Thursday.

Russian media had quoted Assad as saying that Syria was ready to negotiate deployment of the surface-to-surface mid-range missiles, which can also reach Israel.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that Russia was prepared to sell Syria "defensive weapons which are not breaking the regional balance of power."

Syria is interested in Russia's Pantsyr-S1 air defense missile system, the BUK-M1 surface-to-air medium-range missile system and aircraft, Russian agency Interfax quoted a diplomat as saying.

Commentators say they believe the rapprochement between Syria and Russia was aimed mainly at pressuring Israel vis-a-vis its indirect talks with Syria.

In an article posted Saturday on the Asia Times Web site, Syrian political analyst Sami Moubayed, wrote that the concern in Jerusalem is "playing nicely into the hands of Syria, which is using it to strengthen its ties with an old and resurrected friend, send messages to a traditional foe [Israel], and pressure the United States into changing course over Damascus."

U.S. Syria expert Joshua Landis wrote in his blog Syriacomment.com that "Syria's bad negotiating position is leading it to look for more weapons and to try to grow more teeth before returning to the table with Israel," adding, "Both Assad and Hezbollah are hoping to get new weapons systems from Russia and greater diplomatic backing." But despite the preoccupation with weapons, he asserts that all eyes are on the peace process.

Assad: Next round of Syria-Israel talks will be 'decisive' (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1014714.html)

Hizbullah-Iran-Syria-Lebanon Axis Tightens

Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned this week that his terrorist army is much stronger than before the Second Lebanon War and can destroy Israel. He issued the threat at a Boy Scout ceremony as a response to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's remark last week that "if Lebanon becomes a Hizbullah state, then we won't have any restrictions" in striking the country.

The Prime Minister claimed that during the last war, Israel did not use all of its firepower because the enemy was Hizbullah and not its host country Lebanon.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora has sent United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon a letter protesting Olmert's remarks. Siniora, at a meeting with his Cabinet, accused Israel of "once again… threatening to launch a new attack on Lebanon, forgetting that the [Israeli] occupation was the core of the problem for Lebanon and the region."

The flurry of threats and warnings came two days after a report in the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera that three Hizbullah leaders visited Russia in July to clinch a deal involving the purchase of anti-tank missiles and air-defense systems. Israel disclosed evidence during the Second Lebanon War that Hizbullah used advanced Russian anti-tank missiles smuggled from Syria, in violation of previous international agreements.

Nasrallah said, in a speech televised by the Hizbullah-backed Al Manar satellite network, that his arsenal of weapons is so great that "the Zionists will think not one thousand times but tens of thousands of times before they attack Lebanon."

The prospect of an Israeli attack on Iran's growing nuclear threat also played a hand in Hizbullah's latest threats. Mohammed Raad, the head of the terrorist party's political bloc in the Lebanese government, warned, "The first shot fired from the Zionist entity toward Iran will be met by a response of 11,000 rockets in the direction of the Zionist entity. This is what military leaders in the Islamic Republic of Iran have confirmed."

Hizbullah has become a stronger political force in Lebanon since the end of the war two summers ago, winning enough representation in the Cabinet to veto any major decisions.

Syria, which aided Hizbullah in the Second Lebanon War, last week established diplomatic relations with Lebanon for the first time in history, providing Syrian President Bashar Assad with a stronger political base in Beirut's affairs after having withdrawn its military from Lebanon before the 2006 war.

Syria has dominated Lebanese affairs for 30 years, and the West has joined Lebanese opponents of Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs in accusing Damascus of being behind the the 2005 assassination of anti-Syrian former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The new Lebanese government that gives Hizbullah more power assures Syria that it still can influence affairs in Lebanon, with the naming of Michel Suleiman as president. He is close to Syria and was the Lebanese army chief for 10 years during the Syrian army's control of the country.

"It's a win-win situation," said Patrick Seale, a British expert on Syria told the Associated Press. "The Lebanese get diplomatic recognition and the Syrians get recognition of vital interests in Lebanon."

Jordan signs uranium agreement
28 August 2008

An agreement on uranium exploration and mining signed by the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) and French nuclear company Areva has been welcomed by King Abdullah II of Jordan and French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

The memorandum of understanding, signed by the two companies during King Abdullah's state visit to France, provides for the establishment of a joint venture to explore for uranium in the Middle Eastern country. A mining convention is to be drawn up to cover the exploration and exploitation stages of the project. The two country's leaders voiced their approval in a joint declaration released at the end of the visit, as well as welcoming the memorandum of understanding between the two countries on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

The Jordanian government has previously estimated its conventional uranium reserves at 140,000 tonnes, plus a further 59,000 tonnes in phosphate deposits. A study into the possible extraction of uranium as a by-product of phosphoric acid production was commissioned by the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company according to reports in July.

Jordan, an energy resource-poor country that currently imports about 95% of its needs, is working towards introducing nuclear power for both energy and water desalination with plans for its first nuclear plant to start up in 2015. Earlier this month it signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with China, adding to similar agreements with the USA, France and UK. Additionally, JAEC recently signed an agreement with Canadian reactor vendor AECL and SNC-Lavalin to look into the feasibility of setting up a nuclear power program based on the Canadian-designed Candu reactor. It is also reported to be discussing the possibility of buying a reactor from Areva.

Jordan joined the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), the US-led initiative to expand nuclear energy use worldwide while reducing the threat of nuclear weapons proliferation, in 2007.

Jordan signs uranium agreement (http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/ENF-Jordan_signs_uranium_agreement-280807.html)

Jordan King Warns Israel against War with Iran
2008-08-30

TEHRAN (FNA)- Jordan warned against a possible Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, saying Tel Aviv is not capable of defeating Tehran.

"An attack against Iran would provoke reprisals and Israel doesn't have the capability to destroy Iran's nuclear sites", King Abdullah II said

"Iranians assert that their nuclear program has no military nature and an American report, which was published recently, apparently recognizes their claim," said King Abdullah II in an interview with French magazine L'Express.

King Abdullah hinted at Iran's increasing power and influence in the Middle East and said, "What Tehran wants to tell us, I think, is that Iran is an important player in the region and that we should note it well".

The King of Jordan said his country hopes that there would be no military intervention against Iran as such a move would bear dire consequences for the whole region.

"All the countries in the region will pay the price for such a situation," he concluded.

Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative document to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

Despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under three rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning down West's illegitimate calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment.

Tehran has dismissed West's demands as politically tainted and illogical, stressing that sanctions and pressures merely consolidate Iranians' national resolve to continue the path.

Iran insists that it should continue enriching uranium because it needs to provide fuel to a 300-megawatt light-water reactor it is building in the southwestern town of Darkhoveyn as well as its first nuclear power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr.

Iran currently suffers from an electricity shortage that has forced the country into adopting a rationing program by scheduling power outages - of up to two hours a day - across both urban and rural areas.

Iran plans to construct additional nuclear power plants to provide for the electricity needs of its growing population.

The Islamic Republic says that it considers its nuclear case closed as it has come clean of IAEA's questions and suspicions about its past nuclear activities.

Yet, the United States has remained at loggerheads with Iran over the independent and home-grown nature of Tehran's nuclear technology, which gives the Islamic Republic the potential to turn into a world power and a role model for other third-world countries. Washington has laid much pressure on Iran to make it give up the most sensitive and advanced part of the technology, which is uranium enrichment, a process used for producing nuclear fuel for power plants.

Washington's push for additional UN penalties contradicts the report by 16 US intelligence bodies that endorsed the civilian nature of Iran's programs. Following the US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) and similar reports by the IAEA head - one in November and the other one in February - which praised Iran's truthfulness about key aspects of its past nuclear activities and announced settlement of outstanding issues with Tehran, any effort to impose further sanctions on Iran seems to be completely irrational.

The February report by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, praised Iran's cooperation in clearing up all of the past questions over its nuclear program, vindicating Iran's nuclear program and leaving no justification for any new UN sanctions.

The UN nuclear watchdog has also carried out at least 14 surprise inspections of Iran's nuclear sites so far, but found nothing to support West's allegations.

The Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog continues snap inspections of Iranian nuclear sites and has reported that all "declared nuclear material in Iran has been accounted for, and therefore such material is not diverted to prohibited activities."

Observers believe that the shift of policy by the White House to send William Burns - the third highest-ranking diplomat in the US - to the latest round of Iran-West talks happened after Bush's attempt to rally international pressure against Iran lost steam due to the growing international vigilance.

US President George W. Bush finished a tour of the Middle East in winter to gain the consensus of his Arab allies to unite against Iran.

But hosting officials of the regional nations dismissed Bush's allegations, describing Tehran as a good friend of their countries.

Many world nations have called the UN Security Council pressure against Iran unjustified, especially in the wake of recent IAEA reports, stressing that Tehran's case should be normalized and returned to the UN nuclear watchdog due to the Islamic Republic's increased cooperation with the agency.

Jordan King Warns Israel against War with Iran (http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8706090967)

Syria makes peace proposal to Israel

By ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press Writer Thu Sep 4, 5:04 PM ET

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria's leader said Thursday he offered a proposal for peace with Israel but also refused to break off ties with Hezbollah and militant Palestinians — a key Israeli demand.

President Bashar Assad also said indirect negotiations with Israel were on hold until that country chooses a new prime minister and that direct talks would have to wait until a new U.S. president takes office.

Assad's comments came after meetings with France's leader and regional mediators in talks focusing on Mideast peace and Iran's nuclear program. France hopes that warmer relations with Syria, Iran's ally, could help the West in its efforts to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear program.

Assad said his proposal for Israel was intended to serve as a basis for direct talks. He said he would wait for a similar document laying out Israel's positions before any face-to-face talks. So far, negotiations between the two foes have been held indirectly through Turkish mediators.

Although Assad didn't divulge details of his proposal, the move reflected a desire to break with Syria's past policies. The quest was given a boost by France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, who visited Damascus on Wednesday and Thursday, becoming the first Western leader in several years to come to Syria.

Sarkozy has encouraged face-to-face Syria-Israel negotiations and offered to sponsor such talks in the future. The French president has been trying to forge better relations with both Syria and Libya, a longtime international pariah that has significantly improved ties with the West.

Assad and Sarkozy were joined Thursday in a four-way summit by Turkey's prime minister and the leader of Qatar, a key broker in inter-Arab disputes, to discuss Mideast stability and peace.

Washington made clear it expects more from Syria before any warming of ties. "Overall what we'd like to see out of Syria is for it to play a much more productive role in the region. It hasn't until now. We'd like to see it not meddle in the affairs of the sovereign government of Lebanon," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said. He said the U.S. "would like to see" Syria reach a peace with Israel and establish diplomatic relations.

In an interview with French television, Assad ruled out any recognition of Israel before a peace deal. But "when there is a peace accord, of course there will be reciprocal recognition. This is natural," he said.

Syria and Israel have held four rounds of indirect talks through Turkish mediation in the last year.

Assad said at the summit that in the peace proposal, given to Turkish mediators, Syria outlined six points on the issue of the "withdrawal line" — a reference to the extent of an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights.

This has been a major sticking point in the previous talks, causing the collapse of U.S.-brokered direct negotiations in 2000. Syria has long demanded the complete return of the heights, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel has sought to keep a strip of land around the Sea of Galilee.

Assad did not say whether the six points changed the demand for a full withdrawal.

Assad said a fifth planned round of indirect talks with Israel had been postponed until after Israeli leadership elections and that the future of negotiations rested on whether a new prime minister in Israel will be committed to pursuing peace with Syria.

Any direct talks would also have to wait until a new American administration is in place, Assad added, acknowledging the importance of strong U.S. backing for such an effort.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the target of several corruption investigations, has announced he will step down after his party chooses a new leader this month. That has left peace prospects with both Syria and the Palestinians uncertain.

"We want the support of all states, basically France, Qatar and Turkey in order to be assured that the next (Israeli) prime minister will follow the same direction Olmert had followed through his readiness for complete withdrawal from the occupied territories in order for peace to be achieved," he said.

In Israel, an official said contacts were already being made to set up more talks. He said Israel has a "genuine intention to reach an agreement." The official declined to be identified because the diplomatic efforts are ongoing.

Israeli officials have insisted that Syria also must end its support for militant groups opposed to Israel, namely Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestinian Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.

But Assad on Thursday sought to reassure the groups that he would continue to back what he described as the "resistance" against Israeli occupation.

"We don't see any interest in abandoning the resistance," he told Hezbollah's Al-Manar television. "Our position has always been clear. Our position toward the resistance against any occupation in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine is firm and has not changed."

Syria makes peace proposal to Israel (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_re_mi_ea/syria_mideast;_ylt=ApmEpekU0eQ91tXhNppolQELewgF)

Russia seeks stronger ties with Syria
Sep. 13, 2008
Associated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST

Russia announced Friday it was renovating a Syrian port for use by the Russian fleet in what signals an effort for a better foothold in the Mediterranean amid the rift with the United States over Georgia.

Syria was Moscow's strongest Middle East ally during the Cold War. The alliance largely waned after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, though Russia has continued some weapons sales to Damascus. Syrian President Bashar Assad has increasingly reached out to Russia recently, including seeking weapons and offering broader military cooperation.

Friday's announcement was the first tangible sign of any new cooperation. The Itar-Tass news agency said Friday that a vessel from Russia's Black Sea fleet had begun restoring facilities at Syria's Mediterranean port of Tartus for use by the Russian military.

The two countries' naval chiefs also met in Moscow on Friday and discussed "further strengthening mutual trust and mutual understanding between the two states' fleets," a Russian naval official, Igor Dygalo, told Itar-Tass.

The Tartus renovations could signal an intention to have a long-term Russian naval presence there. In late August, Russia's ambassador to Damascus, Igor Belyev, said that Russian ships already patrol the area, but "a new development is that the Russian presence in the Mediterranean will become permanent."

The Russian navy's closest access to the Mediterranean is through the Black Sea, where they have strong naval presence. But that area has seen an increase in NATO naval activity after the Georgia conflict, prompting Russian complaints that NATO has exceeded ship numbers permitted there under international agreements.

The move comes amid heightened tensions between the US and Russia after last month's brief war in Georgia. The rift has raised concerns Moscow might start reaching out to US rivals around the world to beef up military alliances. Russian bombers this month arrived in Venezuela for training exercises and the two countries are to hold joint exercises in the Caribbean in November.

Syrian media made no mention of the Russian announcement Friday, and Syrian officials could not be reached for comment. In Syria, military activities are rarely discussed or divulged by authorities who keep a tight lid on state security matters.

Russian military experts said Tartus would be a considerable boost for operations in the Mediterranean.

"It is much more advantageous to have such a facility than to return ships patrolling the Mediterranean to their home bases," former Black Sea Fleet commander Adm. Eduard Baltin said, according to the Russian Interfax-AVN service.

The former first deputy commander the Russian Navy, Adm. Igor Kasatonov, said Tartus "is of great geopolitical significance considering that it is the only such Russian facility abroad."

The former Soviet Union had a maintenance and supply facility in Tartus under a 1971 agreement with Damascus, but the deal ended with the fall of the Communist regime in Moscow. Currently the facility at Tartus consists of three floating piers, one of which is currently operational, one floating repair shop, warehouses, barracks and other facilities, according to Russian press reports.

Security expert David Hartwell cautioned against reading too much into a connection between the Russia-Syria ties and the Georgia crisis.

"Talks about naval cooperation have been ongoing for several years. It would wrong to suggest this is a reaction to NATO's action in Georgia," said Hartwell, Middle East and North Africa editor for Jane's Country Risk in London.

The Tartus move may be as much aimed at placating Syria's appeals for greater cooperation. he said from London.

Assad made a visit to Moscow last month, and before the trip told the Russian business daily Kommersant that Syria was "ready to cooperate with Russia in any way," including discussing deploying missile defense systems on Syrian territory.

Assad also said Syria was ready to help Moscow respond to the planned US missile defense shield in Europe, although the Russians have not asked for such help, the newspaper said.

Syria's government later denied that Assad had made such an offer to host Russian missiles on Syrian land, or even discussed it with Russia - apparently wary of overly antagonizing the United States.

Russia seeks stronger ties with Syria (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1221142460251&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)
~~~~~~~~~~~

The stage keeps getting set, ever closer.....

IDF plans to use disproportionate force in next war
By Amos Harel
05/10/2008

What will the next war look like? Recent statements from several senior Israeli military officials offer a surprising answer: Perhaps much like the last one.

Following on the Israel Defense Forces' failure in the 2006 Second Lebanon War, the army is likely to resume fortifying its maneuvering capability, represented by the Armored and Infantry Corps, at the expense of its firepower, particularly that of the Air Force.

However, a recent interview with GOC Northern Command Gadi Eisenkot, and articles written by two senior reserve officers, indicate that the IDF will continue to give first priority to firepower, even if the targets it chooses are different than those chosen in previous conflicts.

This is not merely a theoretical matter. Though neither Israel nor Hezbollah seems particularly interested in another round of fighting, another conflagration is certainly possible. This could come as a result of a revenge attack for the February killing of senior Hezbollah operative Imad Mughniyeh, for which the group blames Israel, or as an Israeli response to the group's smuggling of anti-aircraft weapons into Lebanon.

In an interview Friday with the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Eisenkot presented his "Dahiyah Doctrine," under which the IDF would expand its destructive power beyond what it demonstrated two years ago against the Beirut suburb of Dahiyah, considered a Hezbollah stronghold.

"We will wield disproportionate power against every village from which shots are fired on Israel, and cause immense damage and destruction. From our perspective, these are military bases," he said. "This isn't a suggestion. This is a plan that has already been authorized."

Colonel (Res.) Gabriel Siboni recently authored a report through Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies backing Eisenkot's statements.

The answer to rocket and missile threats from Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, he believes, is "a disproportionate strike at the heart of the enemy's weak spot, in which efforts to hurt launch capability are secondary. As soon as the conflict breaks out, the IDF will have to operate in a rapid, determined, powerful and disproportionate way against the enemy's actions."

"This strike has to be carried out as quickly as possible, through prioritizing strikes at its assets, rather than chasing after launch sites. Such a response is likely to be remembered by decision makers in Syria and Lebanon for many years, thus deepening deterrence," he said.

Major General (Res.) Giora Eiland, formerly head of the National Security Council, belongs to a similar school of thought, and even goes a step further.

He believes Israel failed in the Second Lebanon War and is liable to fail in a third such war, because it is fighting the wrong enemy: Hezbollah, instead of the state of Lebanon itself.

Writing for an INSS publication set to come out this week, Eiland states it is impossible to beat an efficient guerrilla army supported by a state immune from retribution. The fact that Hezbollah has rebuilt its strongholds beneath the Shi'ite villages in southern Lebanon will make any IDF maneuvering efforts difficult, he writes, adding that targeted strikes against rocket launch sites will not decrease the number of rockets fired at Israel.

"Hezbollah operates under optimal conditions from our perspective. A legitimate government runs Lebanon, supported by the West, but it is in fact entirely subordinate to the will of the Shi'ite organization," he writes.

Eiland recommends preemptive action: that Israel pass a clear message to the Lebanese government, as soon as possible, stating that in the next war, the Lebanese army will be destroyed, as will the civilian infrastructure.

"People won't be going to the beach in Beirut while Haifa residents are in shelters," he writes.

While Eisenkot and Siboni deal primarily with striking Shi'ite strongholds, Eiland sees Lebanon's infrastructure as a primary target, in a plan highly reminiscent of the one proposed by then-IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz, which was eventually shot down by U.S. opposition.

Eisenkot's "Dahiyah Doctrine" also raises a number of questions about a possible international backlash, which could end the conflict under conditions favorable to the enemy.

What the three officials have in common, surprisingly, is their emphasis on air power. Anyone who thinks the Air Force will step aside given the results of the last Lebanon war will likely be proven wrong.

IDF plans to use disproportionate force in next war (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1026539.html)

Syria Massing Troops Along Border with Lebanon
By Edward Yeranian
Beirut
07 October 2008

Eyewitness reports say that Syria is continuing to mass troops along its border with Lebanon, prompting the warning from the United States not to meddle or to intervene militarily. For VOA, Edward Yeranian reports from Beirut.

Fresh reports of a Syrian troop buildup along Lebanon's eastern Beka'a Valley are ringing alarm bells in Beirut and Washington.

Quoting Lebanese security sources, the Arab daily al-Hayat, reports the Syrian army has deployed tanks to the Beka'a Valley border town of al-Qa'a. Eyewitnesses also report that the Syrian Army has dug trenches and erected earthen barriers.

Two weeks ago, Lebanon's LBC TV broadcast images of Syrian troops camped along Lebanon's northern border, sparking initial fears of an invasion.

The latest Syrian troop buildup follows a series of defense protocols signed Monday by U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Mary Beth Long and Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr.

The three agreements include a one-time U.S. gift of $63 million in military equipment to the Lebanese army. The Israeli Web site Debka File claims the gift includes a number of Cobra helicopters now stationed in Jordan.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Hale told a Lebanese radio station the United States has "no intention of changing its policy towards either Lebanon or Syria," and it is "committed to Lebanese sovereignty."

Monday, State Department Spokesman Robert Wood said the United States told Syria any "intervention" in Lebanon is "unacceptable."

Syrian officials have repeatedly insisted the troop build-up along the border is merely intended to "combat smuggling."

The head of the Political Science Department at the American University of Beirut, Professor Hilal Kashan, thinks Syria is preparing the ground for an eventual Lebanon incursion by using the Fatah al-Islam guerrilla group, which Syria created, as a pretext.

"If terrorist attacks against the Lebanese Army in the north continue to go ahead, and it is my understanding that Fatah al-Islam is engaged in these activities against the army, and we all know that Fatah al Islam is a [Syrian] intelligence creation, and reports from Syria say that the Syrians have arrested their leader, Chaker al Abssi, and that they aborted, last month, a terrorist attack against a packed stadium in Damascus. So, all that is designed to show that there is a wedge between Fatah al Islam and Syria," said Kashan.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said last week that Islamic militants inside Lebanon "pose a threat to Syrian stability."

Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader Sa'ad Hariri responded to Mr. Assad, asserting that "Syria represents a threat to Lebanese stability."

Syria Massing Troops Along Border with Lebanon (http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-10-07-voa26.cfm)

Israel Threatens to Decimate Lebanon
By CHERRIE HEYWOOD (Middle East Times)
Published: October 07, 2008

JERUSALEM -- Three senior Israeli military commanders have threatened to decimate Lebanon's infrastructure with disproportionate firepower, wipe out villages in the south from where they believe attacks on Israel originate and to treat both the Lebanese government and the entire country as the enemy not just Hezbollah, in the next war.

In an interview Friday with the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot, GOC Northern Command Gadi Eisenkot presented his "Dahiyeh Doctrine." This doctrine would allow the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to expand its destructive power beyond what it demonstrated two years ago against the Beirut suburb or, dahiyeh in Arabic, a Hezbollah stronghold, during the Second Lebanon War.

"We will wield disproportionate power against every village from which shots are fired on Israel, and cause immense damage and destruction. From our perspective, these are military bases," he said. "This isn't a suggestion. This is a plan that has already been authorized," he added.

During the 2006 war, well over 1,000 Lebanese, the vast majority of them civilian, were killed by Israeli firepower. Simultaneously, over 100 Israelis were killed, the majority of them military personnel, by Hezbollah missile fire into northern Israel.

Human Rights Watch in New York accused Israel of using disproportionate force against civilians and deliberately targeting Lebanese villages in the south, and disputed Israeli claims that Hezbollah fighters had used the villages as bases, stating that in the majority of cases the group had launched attacks from areas outside of the villages.

Currently, Israel believes it is just a matter of time before another war between Hezbollah and the Jewish state breaks out. This assumption is based on Hezbollah threats to take revenge for the assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Imad Mughnieh, who was killed in a car bombing in Damascus earlier this year.

While Tel Aviv denies being involved, the Lebanese Shiite group is adamant that the Jewish state was behind the killing and has threatened to target either Israel directly or Israeli targets abroad.

However, Israel itself might launch an attack to stop Hezbollah's smuggling of weapons into Lebanon. Syria has allowed this smuggling to continue despite it being in violation of U.N. Resolution 1701 which brought the Second Lebanon War to a halt.

The Israelis have long complained about the smuggling and the inability of U.N. peacekeepers to prevent this.

Following the fallout from the Second Lebanon War, Israel's political echelon did a lot of soul searching in the wake of the critical conclusions drawn by Israel's Winograd Commission which investigated the war.

The IDF too, has been analyzing where it went wrong in a bid to avoid future heavy military casualties. And the military's conclusion is that not only will the IDF resort to massive firepower from the air but it will also concentrate on fortifying its maneuvering capabilities represented by the Armored and Infantry Corps.

And while Eisenkot has threatened a Middle Eastern version of the London blitz, Major General (Res.) Giora Eiland, a former head of Israel's National Security Council, has voiced similar opinions but taken it one step further.

Eiland believes that Israel should not only be fighting Hezbollah but it should target the Lebanese army as well as Lebanon's infrastructure. He believes Israel failed during the 2006 war and will fail in the next military encounter if it doesn't adopt this approach.

"People won't be going to the beach in Beirut while Haifa residents are in shelters," he added.

Colonel (Res.) Gabriel Siboni is on the same page as his two colleagues. He argues that the answer to rocket and missile threats from Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, is "a disproportionate strike at the heart of the enemy's weak spot, in which efforts to hurt launch capability are secondary.

"As soon as the conflict breaks out, the IDF will have to operate in a rapid, determined, powerful and disproportionate way against the enemy's actions.

"This strike has to be carried out as quickly as possible, through prioritizing strikes at its assets, rather than chasing after launch sites. Such a response is likely to be remembered by decision makers in Syria and Lebanon for many years, thus deepening deterrence," added the colonel.

The rationale behind the thinking of the three men is that it is basically impossible to beat an efficient guerilla army supported by a state immune from retribution. The IDF also believes that Hezbollah has built fortified strongholds beneath the Shiite villages in the south so that even targeted strikes against rocket launchers will not diminish the ability of the guerilla movement to launch missiles into northern Israel.

However, there is some concern that such a ferocious attack on the Lebanese state could provoke a massive international backlash as the Lebanese government is recognized as legitimate and supported by the West, while a large element of this government is in fact pro-Western.

As could be predicted Hezbollah responded to Israel's threats with bellicose rhetoric of its own, stating that not only was it ready for another stoush but that Israel was a "cardboard state and would be destroyed" in any future confrontation.

And while it appears that neither side wants a battle just yet, the mutual animosity and desire for more bloodshed hasn't abated either.

Israel Threatens to Decimate Lebanon (http://www.metimes.com/International/2008/10/07/israel_threatens_to_decimate_lebanon/5531/)

Iran nukes take Damascus road
Channel seen as way to bypass United Nations sanctions
Posted: October 06, 2008
3:12 pm Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

Those worried about Iran's nuclear capabilities and intentions perhaps should be watching Syria more closely, as that nation may be acting as a covert channel for Iran's program, and it may be getting help from North Korea and elements of Paksitan's A.Q. Khan nuclear network, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

Syria also is being eyed as a storage area for North Korea's nuclear weapons development program as the government there tries to bypass requirements that its components are dismantled in order to qualify for increased U.S. economic aid.

Until now, security experts thought Syria was developing its own nuclear weapons program with North Korea's help.

In fact, Israel in September 2007 launched an air raid on what was thought to be the beginning of construction of a nuclear reactor at al-Kibar in the northeast part of Syria to extract uranium from phosphates.

Israeli intelligence has suggested North Korean technicians were at the facility. In addition, the U.S. claims that it had intelligence and photographic evidence that the site was a nuclear facility built with North Korean help and due to become operational in the near future.

The bombing also was the subject of criticism by Mohamed El-Baradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA. He said that the IAEA should have been notified of the attack and given information on the al-Kibar facility beforehand.

Syria, which like Iran is a member of the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, denies that it has a covert nuclear weapons development program.

As a member of the NPT, a country such as Iran and Syria can develop a nuclear program so long as it is under IAEA supervision.

While Iran has allowed IAEA inspections over some facilities, it has barred IAEA from other sites. In turn, this refusal to visit all nuclear sites scattered around Iran has prompted concerns that Iran is embarked on a nuclear weapons development program.

Despite severe criticism, a recent U.S. National Intelligence Estimate claimed that Iran had halted such a program three years earlier. Yet, Israel as well as policymakers in Washington insist that Iran has not given up on such a program.

This has prompted fears that Iran's nuclear facilities could be subject to similar attacks in the near future.

Quote from: DreamWeaver on October 10, 2008, 02:36:48 AM

If Obama wins, and takes us out of Iraq, then we would no longer be in Iran's way to get to Israel. If the rapture happens, we would be out of their way as well due to military men and women disappearing.

This only strengthens Isaiah 17 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2017&version=9;), Syria shall see its beloved city gone. If this is true, we could be seeing some interesting stuff soon.

I expect to see interesting things very soon. Probably shortly after our election. I pray that Obamah doesn't win the election, but do not see him not winning. All the news channels that I could watch last night after the debates only had Obama supporters talking, and they thought he was great.

I believe that we are watching the beginning of the end for this nation, at least from the way it has been. I watched the debates and Obama's answers sound good, but his tax increases won't begin to cover what they will cost, and the bail out is a failure. America is done as a great nation even if our leaders don't know it yet.

AMEN BROTHER BOB!

GOD'S WILL BE DONE!

Brother, we can read about GOD'S WILL and GOD'S Promises for the END DAYS. As Christians, we should be very sad about what we KNOW is going to happen to the lost. We can pray, and we can also yield to GOD'S Will for our own lives. However, it ultimately boils down to an individual decision that each person must make. SADLY, great hosts of people have rejected CHRIST. In fact, many have done nothing except to speed their descent down into the evil darkness.

GOD has given us 2,000 years of HIS Patience, and this was AFTER JESUS CHRIST - VERY GOD! - died on the CROSS for us in the ULTIMATE ACT OF LOVE! Those who reject HIM are without excuse! GOD told us what was in the darkness, and great hosts are determined to experience the darkness for themselves for ETERNITY! We have a limited amount of time to pray for them, and we should keep trying to share the GOSPEL with them for the remainder of our short lives here. Ultimately, they will be responsible for their own decisions and any consequences associated with their decisions. The decision for or against CHRIST has ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES, and there is much more than just this short life. PHYSICAL DEATH IS NOT THE END!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Favorite Bible Quotes 439 - Revelation 6:15-16 And the kings of the
earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains,
and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid
themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said
to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of
him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

Palestinian president arrives in Syria
The Associated Press
Published: October 11, 2008

DAMASCUS, Syria: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Damascus on Saturday to hold talks with Syrian officials on the Middle East peace process and ways to end Palestinian infighting.

Abbas is not expected to meet officials from the rival Hamas group, which is based in Syria. Abbas' Fatah group and Hamas have been at odds since the latter's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007.

Abbas told reporters upon his arrival that his two-day visit was aimed at coordinating with Syria on the peace process.

"The Syrian track is important for us, and the Palestinian track is important for the Syrians," said Abbas. "There must be coordination and consultation."

Syria has recently held four rounds of indirect peace talks with Israel through Turkish mediation. Both sides have said they were satisfied with the talks.

Israel and the Palestinians resumed talks last November at an international conference hosted by U.S. President George W. Bush. They expressed hope of completing a peace deal by the time Bush leaves office in January. But both sides have since cast doubt on meeting that target.

Abbas is scheduled to meet Syrian president Bashar Assad Sunday and is expected to brief him on recent meetings between Fatah and Hamas in Egypt. Syria has significant influence with Hamas and hosts several other Palestinian groups opposed to Abbas.

When asked about the reconciliation efforts, Abbas said Egyptian mediation had reached an advanced stage. He said there will be a declaration in Cairo followed by a meeting with all Palestinian factions, but did not give details.

Cairo has called for a meeting at the beginning of next month between senior Fatah and Hamas officials.

On Wednesday, a high-level Hamas delegation, including members from Syria and Gaza, met with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman to discuss Egyptian proposals to resolve the split between Fatah and Hamas, especially over the issue of the timing of new presidential and parliamentary elections.

Egypt has proposed the two elections be held simultaneously, an idea backed by Fatah but not Hamas.

Abbas' term ends Jan. 8, but the Hamas-controlled parliament is scheduled to remain in power until January 2010.

Palestinian president arrives in Syria (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/11/news/ML-Syria-Palestinians.php)

Bush to Assad: Sever Ties with Iran and Take the Golan Heights
10/17/08
by Hana Levi Julian

(IsraelNN.com) U.S. President George W. Bush offered Syrian President Bashar Assad a secret deal to pull Israel out of the Golan Heights in exchange for Damascus breaking off ties with Tehran, according to a report published Friday in the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jarida.

A Palestinian Authority (PA) source quoted in the report said Bush reportedly proposed "a quick and satisfactory solution" to Syria's dispute with Israel over the Golan Heights. The "solution" was to be finalized "within several weeks, before the U.S. presidential elections, in order to push the Middle East peace process, an achievement the president will be able to proudly present before leaving the White House in January," according to Cairo-based journalist Abdel-Wahab Al-Nasser.

The offer allegedly came in a letter sent via PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived in Damascus for meetings with Assad and other Syrian officials beginning last Saturday.

Abbas's visit was billed at the time as an attempt by Abbas to shore up his political position within the PA due to the fact that his current term in office ends on January 9, 2009, and as part of his effort to reconcile his Fatah faction with the rival Hamas terrorist organization that took over complete control of Gaza in June 2007.

According to the PA source, the real purpose of Abbas's visit, however, was to deliver the secret letter, the knowledge of which was kept secret from the American Ambassador in Damascus and the members of Abbas's entourage. It was delivered personally by Abbas to Assad, said the source, who added that "the United States stressed the importance of this confidential letter outside the usual official channels."

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman David Baker said in response to a call from Israel National News, "We have nothing to comment regarding that report."

Bush to Assad: Sever Ties with Iran and Take the Golan Heights (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127994)

Syria-Hizbullah ties growing stronger
Oct. 26, 2008
Herb Keinon
THE JERUSALEM POST

If Israel's indirect talks with Syria were aimed at testing whether it might be possible to pull Damascus out of Iran and Hizbullah's orbits, then so far the test has failed, Military Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin indicated in the cabinet Sunday.

Despite the talks, not only has Damascus not lessened its cooperation with Hizbullah, it has actually stepped up its relationship with the organization.

"[Syrian President Bashar] Assad currently trusts Hizbullah more than his own army," Yadlin said during a briefing. "Hizbullah operatives are working from within Syria. The Syrians are loosening all restraints, and [are irresponsibly giving] Hizbullah access to almost all of their strategic capabilities."

Assad "is continuing to open up his warehouses to Hizbullah," Yadlin continued, adding that Syria was "turning into the arms granary" for Hizbullah.

He also said that Iranian and Syrian involvement in Lebanon was a means of taking control of the country.

"Syria and Iran are buying the regime in Lebanon and are pouring substantial money into buying parliamentary representatives and into conducting dubious business deals," the MI chief said. "The Iranian offer to assist in the building of the Lebanese Army is a ruse to take control of Lebanon."

Yadlin discussed the terror attack last month in Damascus that killed 17 people, saying it was a result of Syria's involvement in world terrorism.

"Whoever sleeps with dogs should not be surprised to wake up with fleas," he said. Yadlin attributed the attack to World Jihad terrorists, saying that Damascus had in the past given them a free hand to pass into Iraq and Lebanon as long as they didn't attack the Syrian government. That unwritten agreement, Yadlin said, has now been violated.

Regarding the diplomatic process with Syria, Yadlin said Assad was interested in an agreement with Israel on Syria's terms, but wanted to wait until after the US elections and the establishment of a new administration before moving anything forward.

Yadlin said Hizbullah was still trying to avenge the assassination of its commander Imad Mughniyeh, but was concerned about a harsh Israeli response. As such, he said, Hizbullah was working through indirect channels, including attempts to carry out attacks through Gaza.

Yadlin said this was creating some tension between Hizbullah and Hamas, since Hamas had an interest in preserving the current calm in the Gaza Strip. He said Hamas had, in fact, recently arrested Hizbullah terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Regarding the Iranian nuclear program, Yadlin said Teheran was exploiting the transition period and current political uncertainty both in Israel and the US to advance its nuclear program.

"The changing of the governments in the US and Israel, and the world economic crisis, are being exploited by the radical axis in order to improve its situation," Yadlin said. "Iran is exploiting the weakness in the international theater, in anticipation of the new government in the US, in order to move forward on its nuclear program and to soften the network of international opposition."

Syria-Hizbullah ties growing stronger (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1225017762030&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Thousands more Syrian troops deployed on Lebanon border
Nov. 2, 2008
Yaakov Lappin , THE JERUSALEM POST

Syria has mobilized some 3,000 troops and heavy equipment near its border with eastern Lebanon, Beirut's As-Safir newspaper reported over the weekend.

The troop movement is being carried out under the banner of a bid to stop illegal smuggling and cross-border criminal movement, but Middle East analysts are viewing it as a signal from Syria that it intends to return Lebanon to its sphere of influence.

The troop movement could also form part of a response by Syria to the threat posed by Lebanon-based jihadis, although this seems less likely in light of the widespread view that Syria has backed a number of jihadi groups in Lebanon.

In September, Damascus sent 10,000 additional troops and tanks to its border with northern Lebanon, and Syrian President Bashar Assad took part in a border drill held by the Syrian army.

As in the current deployment, the Syrian regime justified the September troop buildup as a response to drug dealing and criminal movements.

The Syrian troops were stationed near Lebanon's second-largest city, Tripoli, where al-Qaida has made a major effort to consolidate a base of support. Days later, a car bomb killed 17 people in Damascus, on the road to the country's international airport.

The Assad regime subsequently accused Islamic extremists and said Lebanon was making insufficient efforts to crack down on al-Qaida members in its territory.

Salafi (Sunni Islamist) groups tied to al-Qaida have sprung up in Palestinian refugee camps in northern Lebanon in recent years, leading to a prolonged clash between Lebanese troops and the Fatah al-Islam group in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon last year.

The US has expressed growing concern over Syria's troop buildup around Lebanon, fearing that Damascus could exploit a perceived terrorist threat from Lebanon to reestablish the control over the country it lost when its troops withdrew in 2005. On October 8, the US promised to provide Lebanon with helicopters, military vehicles and other equipment worth millions of dollars, in addition to the estimated $400 million in American assistance provided to the Lebanese army since 2006.

But that aid is insufficient to keep Lebanon from falling under the influence of the Hizbullah-Syria-Iran axis, Syria expert Dr. Barry Rubin said on Sunday. Rubin dismissed the idea that Syria was responding to jihadis in Lebanon, "since Syria is sponsoring most of the jihadi groups" there.

The troop deployment "is, however, an escalation of Syrian pressure on Lebanon to ensure that the country moves steadily back under Syrian control. As a result of insufficient backing by the US and France, the [pro-Western] March 14 movement government had to make huge concessions to Syria and its Hizbullah client group.

"This is to ensure that this trend continues and that the rules for the next elections are to the liking of Syria and Hizbullah, [and Iran of course,] to ensure their victory. It is letting the Lebanese know that Syria is back," Rubin said, adding that he did not believe Syria was planning an invasion of Lebanon at this time.

In the meantime, unconfirmed reports by the private Syrian Satellite TV channel Dunia claimed that Damascus had ordered troops away from Syria's border with Iraq, in direct contradiction of the US's request to Syria to secure the border against al-Qaida fighters entering Iraq.

The alleged withdrawal is part of Syria's remonstration following the American special forces raid on the Syrian town of Sukkariya last week aimed at killing a senior al-Qaida member overseeing the smuggling of foreign gunmen into Iraq, Dunia TV said. But Syria has denied the reports, telling Al-Jazeera that no soldiers had been withdrawn from its border with Iraq.

Thousands more Syrian troops deployed on Lebanon border (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1225199631693&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Quote from: DreamWeaver on November 03, 2008, 11:48:22 PM

Syria FM: US may face 'painful' response
Nov. 2, 2008
Associated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said that his country may resort to more "painful" measures if the United States doesn't give an official explanation for a deadly cross-border raid.

Syria retaliated to the October 26 US raid that it says killed eight people by ordering the closure of an American school and cultural center in Damascus, but Moallem said that those measures were "introductory."

Speaking on Sunday in a TV interview with the Lebanese ANB satellite station, he warned Syria could escalate its response in the future, but did not elaborate.

Last Thursday, tens of thousands of Syrians poured out onto a Damascus square in a government-orchestrated rally to denounce the US raid.

A high ranking government official also challenged Washington to prove that US helicopters had targeted a top al-Qaida terrorist in the attack which Damascus says killed eight civilians.

Syria FM: US may face 'painful' response (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1225199632077&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

WOW! Christians who read the Bible should know what is definitely going to happen to Damascus. Damascus will cease to be anything but a smoldering heap of ruins one day soon. Those who want to know many other things that are going to happen soon can read all about it in the 100% ACCURATE WORD OF GOD! I'm not saying anything bad about Christians who feel led to serve GOD in Syria or anywhere else in the world. If GOD calls us, we are supposed to go - even to our deaths - AND MANY HAVE! The times are getting worse and worse for the persecution, beating, imprisonment, and killing of Christians around the world. Those times will eventually come to our part of the world. If we haven't been taken HOME yet, our part is simply to pray and obey GOD'S Will.

Hizbullah: We don't have to accept the Blue Line
Nov. 4, 2008
Brenda Gazzar
THE JERUSALEM POST

A Hizbullah official rejected the UN-demarcated Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel this week and laid claim to seven villages in northern Israel and "millions of square meters" that it says belongs to Lebanon.

Hizbullah's international relations official Nawaf Moussawi said Monday that "we don't have to accept the Blue Line" as the border, claiming that it only symbolized the "line of withdrawal" by the Israeli army from south Lebanon in 2000.

The senior Hizbullah official also warned against considering the Blue Line valid as "Lebanon would lose millions of square meters of her national soil."

The UN published the border demarcation known as the Blue Line in June 2000 to determine whether Israel had fully withdrawn from Lebanon.

Moussawi made the comments as he was receiving foreign ambassadors in Lebanon, according to the NOW Lebanon news site.

While similar claims have been made by senior Hizbullah officials in the past, experts say it's interesting the statements were made in an international rather than domestic context. In addition, Moussawi also said that "Zionist terrorist organizations moved the border line from the 1920 line to a new line in 1923, and Lebanon lost its seven villages and 20 farms."

Moussawi is referring to seven Shi'ite villages in the area of the Upper Galilee that were included within Mandatory Palestine in a border demarcation treaty signed by France and Britain in 1923. While the first stage of demarcation included the seven villages in Lebanon, the final agreement between the two colonial powers shifted the boundary and excluded these seven Shi'ite villages, as well as about 20 others.

In 1948, the inhabitants of these seven villages were deported and became refugees in Lebanon. In 1994, following pressure from Hizbullah, they received Lebanese citizenship.

The international community recognizes these villages as a part of Israel.

"What is interesting for me, is that it's an international audience and [Mussawi] may have wanted to get some message across to this sort of audience," says Asher Kaufman, an Israeli scholar and a history professor at the University of Notre Dame. "It needs to be seen within the context as the exchange of inflammatory statements between Israel and Hizbullah, which has been going on now for some time."

Hizbullah's comments demonstrate its desire to find new avenues and modes of confrontation to replenish its bargaining power and its political relevance inside Lebanon, other experts say.

"They are playing with petty issues that no one in mainstream Lebanon cares about," said Magnus Ranstorp, a Hizbullah expert at the Swedish National Defense College. "They are creating an issue that is relatively insignificant, even if Israel withdrew from the Shaba Farms area, there would be the seven villages... There is always something else that they would manufacture."

Hizbullah: We don't have to accept the Blue Line (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1225715341282&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Same old story...give them an inch and they take a mile. I pray Israel would take a long hard look at their historical maps, and realize giving land now, means they'll want more later.

Quote from: DreamWeaver on November 05, 2008, 10:10:27 PM

GOD HIMSELF drew the lines in eternity past, and HIS Lines will be the only ones that matter. HE will take what is HIS soon, and that makes me happy. We are also HIS Possessions!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

IAEA finds uranium traces at Syrian site
Tue Nov 11, 2008 12:42am IST

By Mark Heinrich

VIENNA (Reuters) - U.N. investigators have found traces of uranium at a Syrian site Washington says was a secret nuclear reactor almost built before Israel bombed the target last year, diplomats said on Monday.

They said the minute uranium particles turned up in some environmental swipe samples U.N. inspectors took at the site in a visit last June. They said the finding was not enough to draw conclusions but raised concerns requiring further clarification.

The International Atomic Energy Agency and Syria had no immediate comment. However, word of the finding leaked hours after IAEA officials confirmed Director Mohamed ElBaradei was preparing a formal written report on Syria for the first time.

Moreover, Syria has been made an official agenda item at the year-end Nov. 27-28 meeting of the U.N. watchdog's 35-nation board of governors, unlike previously when IAEA officials said initial inquiries were inconclusive.

Syria denies U.S. intelligence alleging it was building a reactor with North Korean expertise meant to make plutonium, the main atomic bomb ingredient reprocessed from spent uranium fuel. If proven this would violate the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Damascus says the unverified intelligence was fabricated and Washington has no credibility in the field after using bogus evidence of an Iraqi doomsday arms programme to justify the 2003 invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein and devastated the country.

ElBaradei told an IAEA board meeting in September that preliminary findings from test samples taken by inspectors granted a visit in June to the desert location hit by Israel bore no traces of atomic activity.

Diplomats accredited to the Vienna-based nuclear watchdog said a wider range of samples had now been analyzed and some showed contamination with minute amounts of a uranium compound.

"It isn't enough to conclude or prove what the Syrians were doing but the IAEA has concluded this requires further investigation," said one diplomat accredited to the IAEA.

"It was a man-made component, not natural (ore). There is no sign there was already nuclear fuel or (production) activity there," another diplomat told Reuters.

This diplomat noted that such traces could have been carried to the site inadvertently on the clothes of scientists or workers or on equipment brought in from elsewhere.

SYRIA BALKS AT WIDER IAEA CHECKS

Diplomats close to the IAEA have said Syria has ignored agency requests to check three military sites for equipment or other evidence possibly linked to the alleged reactor site.

"The agency clearly thinks it has something significant enough to report to put Syria on the (nuclear safeguards) agenda right after North Korea and Iran," said a senior diplomat with ties to the Vienna-based U.N. watchdog.

"It's been made clear to us that the samples raise further questions," said a fourth diplomat who like others asked for anonymity in exchange for discussing confidential information.

Syria's only declared nuclear site is a research reactor. It is an ally of Iran, whose secretive uranium enrichment programme is subject of a long-running investigation now stalled over IAEA demands for wider access. Iran says it is refining uranium only for electricity, not nuclear weapons as Western leaders suspect.

ElBaradei's Syria report, as well as his latest one on Iran, are expected to be issued next week ahead of the board meeting.

Given the allegations against Syria, the United States, Britain and France raised questions to IAEA officials last week about a Syrian bid for an IAEA "technical feasibility and site selection study" for a nuclear power plant, diplomats added.

"It is ludicrous that Syria is asking for such technical assistance at the same time it is under investigation for covert nuclear work," said the senior diplomat, suggesting the project would not win the required consensus approval by the board.

The IAEA has been probing Syria since May, shortly after Washington handed over intelligence about the site -- but months after Israel flattened it and Syria swept it clean.

ElBaradei criticised the delay in intelligence-sharing and a U.S. failure to alert the IAEA before the bombing, saying this would make it very difficult for the world's NPT guardian agency to establish the facts "because the corpse is gone".

Syria says all that was at the al-Kibar site was a disused military building. It told an IAEA assembly in September it was cooperating fully with the probe but would not go as far as opening up military sites as this would undermine its security.

IAEA finds uranium traces at Syrian site (http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-36431620081110)

Obama's adviser favors Syria & Egypt over Israel

By John Perazzo
November 11, 2008

History will record that Barack Obama’s first act of diplomacy as America’s president-elect took place two days after his election victory, when he dispatched his senior foreign-policy adviser, Robert Malley, to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad—to outline for them the forthcoming administration’s Mideast policy vis-à-vis those nations. An aide to Malley reports, “The tenor of the messages was that the Obama administration would take into greater account Egyptian and Syrian interests” than has President Bush. The Bush administration, it should be noted, has rightly recognized Syria to be not only a chief supporter of the al Qaeda insurgency in Iraq, but also the headquarters of the terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the longtime sponsor of Hamas—the terrorist army whose founding charter is irrevocably committed to the annihilation of Israel. Yet unlike President Bush, Obama and Malley have called for Israel to engage in peace negotiations with Syria.

A Harvard-trained lawyer and Rhodes Scholar, Robert Malley is no newcomer to the Obama team. In 2007, Obama selected him as a foreign policy adviser to his campaign. At the time, Malley was (and still is today) the Middle East and North Africa Program Director for the International Crisis Group (ICG), which receives funding from the Open Society Institute of George Soros (who, incidentally, serves on the ICG Executive Committee).

In his capacity with ICG, Malley directs a number of analysts who focus their attention most heavily on the Arab-Israeli conflict, the political and military developments in Iraq, and Islamist movements across the Middle East. Prior to joining ICG, Malley served as President Bill Clinton’s Special Assistant for Arab-Israeli Affairs (1998-2001), and as National Security Adviser Sandy Berger’s Executive Assistant (1996-1998).

Robert Malley was raised in France. His lineage is noteworthy. His father, Simon Malley (1923-2006), was a key figure in the Egyptian Communist Party. A passionate hater of Israel, the elder Malley was a close friend and confidante of the late PLO terrorist Yasser Arafat; an inveterate critic of “Western imperialism”; a supporter of various revolutionary “liberation movements,” particularly the Palestinian cause; a beneficiary of Soviet funding; and a supporter of the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. According to American Thinker news editor Ed Lasky, Simon Malley “participated in the wave of anti-imperialist and nationalist ideology that was sweeping the Third World [and] … wrote thousands of words in support of struggle against Western nations.”

In a July 2001 op-ed which Malley penned for the New York Times, he alleged that Israeli—not Palestinian—inflexibility had caused the previous year’s Camp David peace talks (brokered by Bill Clinton) to fall apart. This was one of several controversial articles Malley has written—some he co-authored with Hussein Agha, a former adviser to Arafat—blaming Israel and exonerating Arafat (the most prolific Jew-killer since Adolph Hitler) for the failure of the peace process.

Malley’s identification of Israel as the cause of the Camp David impasse has been widely embraced by Palestinian and Arab activists around the world, by Holocaust deniers like Norman Finkelstein, and by anti-Israel publications such as Counterpunch. It should be noted that Malley’s account of the Camp David negotiations is entirely inconsistent with the recollections of the key figures who participated in those talks—specifically, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, then-U.S. President Bill Clinton, and then-U.S. Ambassador Dennis Ross (Clinton’s Middle East envoy).

Malley also has written numerous op-eds urging the U.S. to disengage from Israel to some degree, and recommending that America reach out to negotiate with its traditional Arab enemies such as Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah (a creature of Iran dedicated to the extermination of the Jews and death to America), and Muqtada al-Sadr (the Shiite terrorist leader in Iraq).

In addition, Malley has advised nations around the world to establish relationships with, and to send financial aid to, the Hamas-led Palestinian government in Gaza. In Malley’s calculus, the electoral victory that swept Hamas into power in January 2006 was a manifestation of legitimate Palestinian “anger at years of humiliation and loss of self-respect because of Israeli settlement expansion, Arafat’s imprisonment, Israel’s incursions, [and] Western lecturing …”

Moreover, Malley contends that it is both unreasonable and unrealistic for Israel or Western nations to demand that Syria sever its ties with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or Iran. Rather, he suggests that if Israel were to return the Golan Heights (which it captured in the 1967 Six Day War, and again in the 1973 Yom Kippur War—two conflicts sparked by Arab aggression which sought so permanently wipe the Jewish state off the face of the earth) to Syrian control, Damascus would be inclined to pursue peace with Israel.

Malley has criticized the U.S. for allegedly remaining “on the sidelines” and being a “no-show” in the overall effort to bring peace to the nations of the Middle East. Exhorting the Bush administration to change its policy of refusing to engage diplomatically with terrorists and their sponsoring states, Malley wrote in July 2006: “Today the U.S. does not talk to Iran, Syria, Hamas, the elected Palestinian government or Hezbollah…. The result has been a policy with all the appeal of a moral principle and all the effectiveness of a tired harangue.”

This inclination to negotiate with any and all enemies of the U.S. and Israel—an impulse which Malley has outlined clearly and consistently—has had a powerful influence on Barack Obama.

It is notable that six months ago the Obama campaign and Malley hastily severed ties with one another after the Times of London reported that Malley had been meeting privately with Hamas leaders on a regular basis—something Obama had publicly pledged never to do. At the time, Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt minimized the significance of this monumentally embarrassing revelation, saying: “Rob Malley has, like hundreds of other experts, provided informal advice to the campaign in the past. He has no formal role in the campaign and he will not play any role in the future.”

But indeed, within hours after Obama’s election victory, Malley was back as a key player in the president-elect’s team of advisors—on his way to Syria. Mr. Obama, meanwhile, received a most friendly communication from Hamas, congratulating him on his “historic victory.”

Obama's adviser favors Syria & Egypt over Israel (http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=376A8A3B-62DD-407F-8D48-F38B2A63B96E)

Israeli PM 'attends Jordan talks'
2008/11/20

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defence Minister Ehud Barak paid a secret visit to Jordan on Tuesday to discuss Gaza, officials have said.

During the meeting, King Abdullah reportedly asked the Israeli leaders to refrain from any large-scale military incursions into the coastal territory.

Mr Olmert is said to have declined to give a guarantee. Jordanian officials have so far not commented on the talks.

Recent cross-border violence has risked the five-month-old ceasefire in Gaza.

Earlier, the Palestinian Islamist movement, Hamas, said one of its members had been killed in an explosion east of Gaza City.

The group said he had been on a "jihad mission" at the time. Correspondents say this suggests the blast was an accident.

Ease tensions

Mr Olmert's office has not commented on the report about Thursday's clandestine meeting in Jordan.

However, Israeli radio cited a senior Israeli official a saying that King Abdullah had told Mr Olmert and Mr Barak that Israel "cannot enjoy peace... unless the Palestinians obtain security and their own state".

"King Abdullah II asked Olmert to deal seriously with the Palestinians in the negotiations in order to achieve a two-state solution," he added.

Jordan is home to many Palestinians and correspondents say the king is keen to avoid a confrontation in Gaza that might also cause unrest in his country.

Renewed cross-border fighting broke out two weeks ago when the Israeli military launched in incursion into Gaza to destroy what it said was a tunnel intended to help abduct its soldiers.

Palestinian militants have responded by firing rockets across the border, triggering a tightening of the Israeli government's blockade.

Israeli PM 'attends Jordan talks' (http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7739789.stm?ad=1)

IAEA report strengthens fears Syria engaged in covert nuke program
22/11/2008

Syria's nuclear energy chief on Friday said a UN watchdog report on the alleged secret Syrian nuclear site bombed by Israel proved nothing and the investigation should be closed.

The Syrian official said Damascus would stick by a deal with UN inspectors that permitted only one visit to the Al-Kibar site - which took place last June - and "we will not allow another visit."

An International Atomic Energy Agency report issued on Wednesday said a Syrian complex destroyed in a 2007 Israeli air strike bore a number of characteristics resembling those of a nuclear reactor and UN inspectors had found a significant number of uranium traces in desert sands there.

The findings, based on satellite pictures and soil and water samples taken by UN investigators, were not enough to conclude a reactor was there but the findings were serious and warranted more investigation and Syrian transparency, the IAEA said.

Othman, speaking after a closed IAEA briefing to members of its 35-nation board of governors, repeated Syria's position that Israel's target was only a conventional military building.

"What they are now saying about uranium particles - collecting three particles from the desert is not enough to say there was a reactor there at all," Othman told reporters, speaking English in Syria's first public reaction to the report.

"Now, I think to follow up there should be a good reason to say there is something there. In our opinion this file should be closed," said Othman, head of Syria's atomic energy commission.

Syria has one declared atomic facility, an old research reactor.

The IAEA report said Syria had not heeded requests for documentation to back up denials of secret nuclear activity or repeated IAEA requests to visit three other military sites seen as harboring possible evidence linked to Al-Kibar.

"The report reinforces the assessment of my government that Syria was secretly building a nuclear reactor in its eastern desert and thereby violating its IAEA (non-proliferation) safeguards obligations," said Gregory Schulte, U.S. ambassador to the IAEA.

Pressed on whether Syria was slamming the door to further contact with the IAEA over the probe, Othman said, "No, no. If the information required belongs to the accusation, then we will supply it," suggesting there could be more discussions.

But he poured cold water on the prospect of intrusive inspections of more sites he said were military installations Syria could not afford to expose given its official state of war with Israel, which has an undeclared nuclear arsenal.

"If our authorities find it is possible to visit, it's not myself who will decide. But I'm pointing out these are military positions, buildings, activities, and remind you all we are still in a war in the Middle East," Othman said.

He said Syria would continue cooperation with the IAEA but according to its agreement with the agency, which provides for inspections only at declared atomic sites.

The United States said earlier on Friday the first independent monitoring report on the alleged Syrian nuclear site had hardened suspicions that Syria was building a covert reactor and would raise pressure on it to come clean.

"The report sharply contradicts a number of Syria's claims and catalogues Syria's repeated refusal to answer IAEA questions," Schulte said.

Syria, an ally of Iran whose disputed uranium enrichment program has been under IAEA investigation for years, says the site destroyed was a conventional military building and the uranium traces must have come from munitions used to bomb it.

Senior UN officials familiar with the report said the traces were not from depleted uranium, a hardening agent in some ordnance, putting the onus on Syria for an explanation.

"The IAEA needs to understand what Syria was building in secret then buried under meters of earth and a new building," Schulte said. "Syria is not Iran and we do not seek to make Syria into Iran. But this requires Syria to cooperate with the IAEA."

"We hope that it will not adopt the tactics of hindrance and unhelpfulness that Tehran has so finely honed and that remain so evident in the (IAEA's) latest report," he said.

A separate agency report on Wednesday said Iran was still stonewalling an IAEA probe into alleged atomic bomb research by Tehran. UN officials said a standoff had reigned since September with no communication between the sides.

Iran says it is enriching uranium solely to generate electricity. The West suspects a clandestine effort to develop the ability to fuel atomic bombs.

Schulte said members of the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors would press Iran and Syria to cooperate at the body's end-of-year meeting on Nov. 27-28.

IAEA report strengthens fears Syria engaged in covert nuke program (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1039832.html)

Syria all but rules out more UN nuclear inspection
By George Jahn, Associated Press Writer
Nov 21, 2:30 pm ET

VIENNA, Austria – A senior Syrian official on Friday all but ruled out new visits by U.N. inspectors probing allegations that his country had a covert program that could be used to make nuclear weapons.

Syrian refusal to allow inspections could doom the International Atomic Energy Agency's efforts to follow up U.S. assertions that a site bombed by Israel last year was a nearly finished reactor that could have produced plutonium.

Syria allowed the IAEA to visit the site near the desert town of Al Kibar in June but has since turned down requests for more inspections.

"We will not allow another visit," said Ibrahim Othman, the head of Syria's atomic agency.

He said the IAEA had agreed with Syria that there would be only be one visit. The IAEA has said it agreed to make one initial visit, but has requested others.

The IAEA has said it suspects three other sites may have been nuclear-related and linked to the bombed location.

Othman described the three sites as (non-nuclear) "military bases" that could not be visited by outsiders, although higher Syrian authorities could decide otherwise.

An IAEA report this week heightened concerns about Al Kibar, saying that satellite imagery and other evidence showed it had the characteristics of a nuclear reactor. It also said that soil samples taken from the bombed site had a "significant number" of chemically processed natural uranium particles.

A senior U.N official, who demanded anonymity because the information was restricted, said the findings were unusual for a facility that Syria alleges had no nuclear purpose. But Othman dismissed the findings.

"Collecting three (uranium) particles from the desert doesn't mean there is a reactor there," he told reporters on the sidelines of an IAEA meeting on Syria and Iran.

Gregory L. Schulte, the chief U.S. delegate to the IAEA, said the IAEA report reinforced suspicions "that Syria was secretly building a nuclear reactor." The U.S. has said it believes Syria was working on the reactor with North Korean help.

Iran, meanwhile, heaped scorn on U.S. allegations that Tehran's advances in uranium enrichment was moving it closer to nuclear arms capability, saying U.S. President George W. Bush was "dreaming" of any excuse to give Washington an excuse to provoke confrontation. The U.S. has not ruled out military action unless Iran stops enrichment and heeds other U.N. Security Council demands.

For years, Iran has been the focus of international concerns that it might seek to develop nuclear arms. It has been under IAEA investigation since 2002 — and U.N sanctions since 2006 — due to revelations of covert atomic activities, allegations that it had past plans to develop such weapons and its refusal to stop enrichment, which can produce both reactor fuel and fissile warhead material.

Schulte said Iran's defiance of the U.N Security Council ban on enrichment is "deeply troubling because it is only a small step from the low enriched uranium that Iran is now stockpiling to the highly enriched uranium that Iran would need to build a bomb."

Ali Ashgar Soltanieh, its chief IAEA delegate, dismissed Schulte's allegations.

"Bush many times was dreaming I am sure" that Tehran would kick out IAEA inspectors and break out of the Nonproliferation Treaty as an excuse for confrontation, said Soltanieh — adding that was something his country would not do.

Syria all but rules out more UN nuclear inspection (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081121/ap_on_re_eu/eu_nuclear_iran_syria/print;_ylt=AuCYTP_dSwBCbBfztfrvgHNbbBAF)

Hizbullah holds exercises south of Litani

Al-Arabiya reports Shiite terror group conducted military maneuvers in southern Lebanon on Saturday despite UN Resolution 1701, which has determined region will be demilitarized

Roee Nahmias
Published: 11.22.08
Israel News

Hizbullah troops conducted a series of military maneuvers in southern Lebanon on Saturday, the al-Arabiya television network reported.

The exercises were carried out in defiance of UN Resolution 1701, which determined that the region south of the Litani River would be demilitarized.

The maneuvers were held in conjunction with a celebratory parade in Beirut by the Lebanese army to mark 65 years of Lebanese independence.

Hizbullah has not commented on the reports thus far.

Several months ago Israel’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations complained that Resolution 1701 was not being implemented, that Hizbullah has not disarmed and that the new policies set by the Lebanese government awards the group a dangerous legitimacy.

MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud), former chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said on Saturday that the military maneuvers conducted by Hizbullah “show UN Resolution 1701, which Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was so proud of at the time, for what it really is.”

Steinitz said “today it has become apparent that the decisions and failures of (Prime Minister) Olmert and Livni only led to the strengthening of Hizbullah, and the increase of the rocket and terror threat against Israel.”

Current estimates put Hizbullah’s projectile stockpile at around 40,000 missiles and rockets on both sides of the Litani. The long-range missiles, which is only believed to be in the hundreds, has warheads
weighing hundreds of kilograms and a range of 250km – these are situated north of the Litani on land purchased by Hizbullah.

In southern Lebanon the organization has constructed a fortified underground system, from the safety of which Hizbullah is to combat Israel’s armor and infantry corps should they advance on the missiles north of the Litani.

Hizbullah holds exercises south of Litani (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3626791,00.html)

Syria: Clinton nomination proves Obama wants Mideast peace

Syrian source tells Qatari al-Watan that Hillary Clinton's appointment to office of secretary of state will 'render US a power for positive change' in world; peace talks with Israel expected to flourish
Roee Nahmias

Syria commended US president elect Barack Obama's appointment of Hillary Clinton to the office of secretary of state, and an official Syrian source told the Qatari al-Watan daily that the appointment highlights the new administration's commitment to achieving peace in the Middle East.

In the report published Wednesday, the source stressed the importance of Clinton's nomination to the resuscitation of the Israeli-Syrian peace talks, stressing that former US President Bill Clinton had invested a great deal of effort in the process.

The Syrian official also commended Hillary Clinton for her commitment to "render the US a power for positive change" in the world by cooperating with the international community to solve global crises. He stressed that dialogue between Damascus and Washington was the only way to achieve positive change in the Middle East.

According to the source, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al- Moalem has determined that two major issues would guide his country in its dialogue with the US: The removal of its name from the blacklist of countries that support terrorism, and the rescinding of the Syria Accountability Act, passed by the Bush Administration.

The daily also reported that Syrian President Bashar Assad stated recently that Washington has begun to send "clear signals" to Damascus, by which it plans to return a US ambassador to Syria in the beginning of 2009.

Syria: Clinton nomination proves Obama wants Mideast peace (http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3632634,00.html)

Syria offers Israel map of potential Golan borders
By Haaretz Service and Reuters
16/12/2008

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Tuesday said peace with Syria would have to involve more than mere culinary tourism, speaking in response to reports of Syria's demands in indirect negotiations with Israel.

"What is important to us is not a peace of opening embassies and eating Humus in Damascus, but the halting of arms smuggling through Syria to Hezbollah, their strong ties to Iran and their endless support of terrorist organizations such as Hamas," said the foreign minister.

Livni, the chairwoman of the leading Kadima party and a prime ministerial hopeful, made the comments at a conference in the northern Galilee.

She added: "I don't know of negotiations that end before they have begun."

Earlier Tuesday it emerged that sources familiar with the peace talks said this week that Syria has drafted a document defining potential boundaries for the Golan Heights and is waiting for an Israeli reply through Turkish mediators.

President Bashar al-Assad recently told Western officials that Damascus wants Israel to take a clear position on the territorial problem between the two countries before agreeing to push stalled peace talks forward.

The Syrian document sets the boundaries with reference to six geographical points, the sources told Reuters.

"The president was clear that Syria wants to know the Israeli view about what constitutes occupied Syrian territory before progress could be made," one of the sources said.

"According to Syrian thinking, Israeli agreement on the six [geographical] points could help seal a peace deal next year. But Israel may not be able to provide a response any time soon, when it is in such political turmoil," a second source said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Majali Wahhabe responded to the announcement by saying Syria must first cut off all contact with Iran before making any demands of Israel.

Indirect talks between Syria and Israel, which were suspended about three months ago after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided to resign over a corruption scandal, center on the fate of the Golan Heights.

Israel captured the plateau in the 1967 Six Day War and annexed it more than a decade later - a move unanimously rejected by the United Nations Security Council.

The two countries held almost 10 years of direct talks under U.S. supervision that collapsed in 2000 over the scope of a proposed Israeli withdrawal from the Golan.

Bashar's late father, President Hafez al-Assad, refused to sign a deal that did not include the northeastern shore of the Lake Kinneret, a main water reservoir.

The late Assad regarded the northeastern shore as an integral part of the Golan and said that Syria was in control of it before the war broke out on June 4, 1967.

Israel captured the whole eastern shore along with the surrounding plateau in the war. The shoreline has been receding for decades. Under the Israeli proposal, Syria would have been only metres short of the northeastern shore.

Bashar, meanwhile, has stuck to his father's line on the Golan.

A Syrian official said that the paper sent to Turkey includes reference to geographical points on the present northeastern shore of the lake. "The document puts us on the water," the official said.

Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Shara said last month that "the Syrian definition of the June 4 line means the restoration of the northeastern shore of the lake to Syria" and described Israeli arguments about the shoreline receding as invalid.

Diplomats in the Syrian capital said that even if the two sides make progress on the territorial question a deal might not follow easily because Israel now wants Syria to reduce its alliance with Iran and cut support for the Lebanese Shi'ite movement Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamist groups.

"The situation is more complicated than in 2000 with Syria's external ties coming into play. Syria also wants agreement on the six points without direct negotiations, which might be difficult," one of the diplomats said.

Syrian officials have said Israel has no right to set conditions regarding its foreign policy but acknowledged that the political map of the region would change if Damascus and Israel sign a deal.

Assad told his visitors that Syria had received a document from Israel through Turkey with queries about Syrian relations with neighbouring states after a possible peace, according to the sources. "The president said Syria has responded, but he did not say how," one said.

Olmert, who is still caretaker prime minister, has said he wants to renew the talks. Turkey also wants the talks to move to
direct mode from the four indirect rounds that have been held since April, the diplomats said.

A foreign official who has met Assad said the Syrian leader was not enthusiastic about holding a fifth round before the Israeli parliamentary elections in February, although European leaders have urged him to agree to one before then.

Syria offers Israel map of potential Golan borders (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1047188.html)

Syria's Assad seeks Israeli stance on Golan
Tue Dec 16, 2008 2:57pm EST

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syria has drafted a document defining the boundaries of the occupied Golan Heights and was waiting for an Israeli reply through Turkish mediators, sources familiar with the talks said this week.

President Bashar al-Assad recently told Western officials that Damascus wants Israel to take a clear position on the territorial problem between the two countries before agreeing to push stalled peace talks forward.

The Syrian document sets the boundaries with reference to six geographical points, the sources told Reuters.

"The president was clear that Syria wants to know the Israeli view about what constitutes occupied Syrian territory before progress could be made," one of the sources said.

"According to Syrian thinking, Israeli agreement on the six (geographical) points could help seal a peace deal next year. But Israel may not be able to provide a response any time soon, when it is in such political turmoil," a second source said.

Indirect talks between Syria and Israel, which were suspended about three months ago after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided to resign over a corruption scandal, center on the fate of the Golan Heights.

Israel captured the plateau in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it more than a decade later -- a move unanimously rejected by the United Nations Security Council.

The two countries held almost 10 years of direct talks under U.S. supervision that collapsed in 2000 over the scope of a proposed Israeli withdrawal from the Golan.

Bashar's late father, President Hafez al-Assad, refused to sign a deal that did not include the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, a main water reservoir.

The late Assad regarded the northeastern shore as an integral part of the Golan and said that Syria was in control of it before the war broke out on June 4, 1967.

Israel captured the whole eastern shore along with the surrounding plateau in the war. The shoreline has been receding for decades. Under the Israeli proposal, Syria would have been only meters short of the northeastern shore.

FATHER'S LEGACY

Bashar has stuck to his father's line on the Golan.

A Syrian official said that the paper sent to Turkey includes reference to geographical points on the present northeastern shore of the lake. "The document puts us on the water," the official said.

Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Shara said last month that "the Syrian definition of the June 4 line means the restoration of the northeastern shore of the lake to Syria" and described Israeli arguments about the shoreline receding as invalid.

Diplomats in the Syrian capital said that even if the two sides make progress on the territorial question a deal might not follow easily because Israel now wants Syria to reduce its alliance with Iran and cut support for the Lebanese Shi'ite movement Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamist groups.

"The situation is more complicated than in 2000 with Syria's external ties coming into play. Syria also wants agreement on the six points without direct negotiations, which might be difficult," one of the diplomats said.

Syrian officials have said Israel has no right to set conditions regarding its foreign policy but acknowledged that the political map of the region would change if Damascus and Israel sign a deal.

Assad told his visitors that Syria had received a document from Israel through Turkey with queries about Syrian relations with neighboring states after a possible peace, according to the sources. "The president said Syria has responded, but he did not say how," one said.

Olmert, who is still caretaker prime minister, has said he wants to renew the talks. Turkey also wants the talks to move to a direct mode from the four indirect rounds that have been held since April, the diplomats said.

A foreign official who has met Assad said the Syrian leader was not enthusiastic about holding a fifth round before the Israeli parliamentary elections in February, although European leaders have urged him to agree to one before then.

Syria's Assad seeks Israeli stance on Golan (http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSLG16004120081216?sp=true)

Hello DreamWeaver,

Brother Bob, it does appear that the Giant Bible Prophecy puzzle is beginning to fall into place. In fact, it's amazing how many pieces of the puzzle are ready to fall into place at any time. I thought that now would be a good time to share again the portion of Scripture this thread refers to. If we want to know about what WILL happen in the near future, we can read about it in GOD'S WORD.

Isaiah 17:1-14 ASV The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. 2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken; they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid. 3 And the fortress shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria; they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith Jehovah of hosts. 4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean. 5 And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the standing grain, and his arm reapeth the ears; yea, it shall be as when one gleaneth ears in the valley of Rephaim. 6 Yet there shall be left therein gleanings, as the shaking of an olive-tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost branches of a fruitful tree, saith Jehovah, the God of Israel. 7 In that day shall men look unto their Maker, and their eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. 8 And they shall not look to the altars, the work of their hands; neither shall they have respect to that which their fingers have made, either the Asherim, or the sun-images. 9 In that day shall their strong cities be as the forsaken places in the wood and on the mountain top, which were forsaken from before the children of Israel; and it shall be a desolation. 10 For thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength; therefore thou plantest pleasant plants, and settest it with strange slips. 11 In the day of thy planting thou hedgest it in, and in the morning thou makest thy seed to blossom; but the harvest fleeth away in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow. 12 Ah, the uproar of many peoples, that roar like the roaring of the seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters! 13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but he shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like the whirling dust before the storm. 14 At eventide, behold, terror; and before the morning they are not. This is the portion of them that despoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.

Jordan, Russia sign nuclear deal

Thursday, February 26 08:02 pm

Russia, which is helping Iran build its first nuclear plant, inked a preliminary cooperation deal with Jordan on Thursday to pave the way for producing nuclear power in the energy-poor kingdom.

Under the agreement, Russia will help Jordan, which imports around 95 percent of its energy needs, build power and desalination plants as well as research centres, Jordan Atomic Energy Commission head Khaled Tukan said.

"A final agreement will be signed in Moscow by the end March," Tukan told state news agency Petra after signing the deal with Nikolai Spassky, deputy director of the Russian Federal Agency for Nuclear Energy.

"It's key to boost Jordan's peaceful nuclear programme."

Jordan's 1.2 billion tonnes of phosphate reserves are estimated to contain 130,000 tonnes of uranium, whose enriched form provides fuel for nuclear plants. The government wants the first such plant to be ready by 2015.

The kingdom is the latest Arab country, including Egypt and pro-Western Gulf states, to announce plans for nuclear power programmes in the face of Shiite Iran's controversial atomic drive.

The United States, Israel and other countries suspect Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons but Tehran insists its atomic programme is purely for peaceful purposes.

Russia has been involved in building a power station in the Iranian Gulf port of Bushehr for the past 14 years. Tehran began testing the 1,000-megawatt plant on Wednesday, saying it could go on line within months.

Jordan, Russia sign nuclear deal (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090226/twl-jordan-russia-sign-nuclear-deal-3cd7efd.html?printer=1)
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Now you wonder why, I put this here.......................

Isaiah 17:2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

And now another chess piece has moved.

Syria's demand to get munitions from seized ship 'insolent'

Officials in Jerusalem say Damascus' demand that Cyprus transfer part of cargo of ship suspected of transporting explosives from Iran to Hamas proves Syria, Tehran breaching Security Council resolution

Ron Ben-Yishai and AP
Published: 03.05.09, 11:42 / Israel News

Israeli officials in Jerusalem called Syria's demand to receive at least part of the cargo of an intercepted ship suspected of transporting explosives from Iran to Palestinian terrorists in Gaza "insolent."

European diplomats said the EU and Syria are engaged in a tug-of-war over the ship. Cyprus is caught in the middle, they said, because the vessel docked there after the US military boarded it.

According to the Israeli officials, the affair serves as unequivocal proof that both Syria and Iran were breaching UN Security Council Resolution 1747 from March 2007, which states that "Iran shall not supply, sell or transfer directly or indirectly from its territory or by its nationals or using its flag vessels or aircraft any arms or related materiel, and that all states shall prohibit the procurement of such items from Iran by their nationals, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, and whether or not originating in the territory of Iran."

Two diplomats recently told The Associated Press that Syria, described by the US as the port of destination for the vessel, is pressuring Cyprus over what it should do with the ship's cargo.

Syrian Justice Minister Mohammed al-Ghufari visited Cyprus late last month on a little-publicized visit weeks after the US Navy boarded the Cypriot-flagged Monchegorsk off the island nation and found what Washington suspects were weapons from Iran meant for Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

The US military said it could not legally detain the ship, which it said was headed for Syria.

The vessel continued on to Port Said, Egypt, and then on Jan. 29 docked in Cyprus, where its cargo — described by Cypriot officials as material that could be used to manufacture munitions — was offloaded.

Among the weapons found in the 98 containers that were offloaded were hundreds of 125-milimeter shells for Syria's T-72 tanks.

The Cypriot government says the ship breached the UN ban on Iranian arms exports.

Israel and the United States accuse Iran and Syria of supplying Hamas with weapons, something both Mideast nations deny. Israel launched a 22-day offensive on Hamas-controlled Gaza in late December to halt terrorists' rocket fire on Israelis and the smuggling of arms that turned Hamas into a threat to much of southern Israel.

Syria's demand to get munitions from seized ship 'insolent' (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3681644,00.html)

UN demands answers on Iran arms ship
Mar. 10, 2009
ALLISON HOFFMAN
Jerusalem Post

Iran and Syria have until next week to explain to a United Nations sanctions committee how they were involved with a ship detained off Cyprus in January found to be loaded with explosives believed to be bound for Gaza.

The ambassadors of France and Britain described the episode at a Security Council meeting held Tuesday in New York as a "gross violation" of existing resolutions banning Iranian arms exports.

"The United Kingdom looks forward to the committee receiving explanations from Iran and Syria as to why the shipment was permitted by Iran as the reported state of origin and as to the involvement of Syria as the reported state of destination," said British envoy John Sawers.

Both countries are required to respond within ten working days, according to a statement from Japanese ambassador Yukio Takasu, who chairs the Security Council committee set up in 2006 to oversee Iran sanctions. The committee determined February 6 that Iran was in violation of existing sanctions but has not taken any punitive action.

Both French ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert and US envoy Susan Rice invited Iran to use the opportunity to engage in diplomatic negotiations on its nuclear and other arms programs.

"The United States will not waver in its determination to ensure that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons but the United States also sees an opportunity - a chance for the Iranian government to demonstrate that it is willing to unclench its fist and begin a serious, responsible discussion about a range of issues," Rice said in her formal remarks.

She added that President Obama, who had his first formal meeting Tuesday in Washington with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, was engaged in a comprehensive review of US policy on Iran.

Neither Iran nor Syria sent representatives to speak at Tuesday's meeting. Both have denied allegations from Washington that the munitions were intended for delivery to Hamas.

Syria sent a delegation to Cyprus in late February to pressure officials there into handing over the cargo from the ship, according to an Associated Press report that cited unnamed government officials from an undisclosed Middle Eastern country. The AP said Cypriot officials denied any formal negotiations with the Syrians over the cargo.

Diplomats in New York have told The Jerusalem Post that Cyprus has been eager to cooperate with its European Union allies on the issue, but the island nation has not yet taken any steps to destroy the cargo offloaded from the Cypriot-flagged ship Monchegorsk. The ship docked Jan 29 in Cyprus after being turned away from an Egyptian port.

The British have offered help to dispose of the munitions "in whatever way we can."

Tuesday's Security Council session was overseen by Libyan charge d'affaires Ibrahim Dabbashi, who currently holds the month-long presidency of the Security Council.

Speaking for Libya, he noted that he and other Arab diplomats found it "frustrating" that the Security Council was not equally concerned with Israeli nuclear programs as with Iran's suspected efforts to build an atomic bomb.

Officials at the Israeli mission told the Post they would not respond to Dabbashi's comments.

UN demands answers on Iran arms ship (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1236676911098&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

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Theology => Prophecy - Current Events => Topic started by: Shammu on September 21, 2007, 04:14:54 PM