Biblical countries, in the news.

[Shammu]

The United Nations and the Violence in the Middle East
Thursday, July 27, 2006
By Bill O'Reilly

On September 2, 2004, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1559, which stated in part, all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias must be disbanded and disarmed.

In order to monitor that, the U.N. continued to support a force of about 2,000 in Southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah was a target of that action, of course. And how did Hezbollah respond? Well, it brought in thousands of long range missiles and aimed them at Israel. — Doesn't sound like disarming to me.

So once again, the U.N. failed in its mission, as it failed in Iraq, Rwanda, Somalia, the Balkans, and just about everywhere else it has attempted to keep the peace.

But undaunted by that failure, U.N. boss Kofi Annan continues to peddle influence. His solution to the outbreak of fighting after Hezbollah attacked Israel is to urge a ceasefire. That, of course, would mean that Hezbollah's rockets stay right where they are, because the U.N. can't or won't disarm the group. If you were Israel, would you make that deal?

There's no question the Bush administration wants Israel to hurt Hezbollah as much as it can. Now that's because the president believes there's a "World War" going on, and all these Islamic terror groups are linked. They might not have the same goals, but they are bent on killing Jews and Americans.

(Story continues below)

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Remember this scene in the West Bank immediately after 9/11? There were plenty of Muslims all over the world, who were very happy to see 3,000 Americans murdered by Al Qaeda. Scenes like these are a grim reminder of what the USA is facing around the world.

The far left in America says it's our fault. The Bush policies created terrorism and feed it. If only we had a progressive outlook, the terror war would vanish.

Kofi Annan doesn't go that far, but he did condemn Israel last night for a bombing that killed four U.N. soldiers in Lebanon. First Annan said the Israelis did it on purpose. Today, he backed away from that.

But it is obvious that the U.N. is not part of the solution to the War on Terror. The organization simply cannot enforce anything. So it is left to us, America, to take the lead against the Islamic fascists bent on creating havoc in the world.

Unfortunately, some Americans are not on board with that for a variety of reasons.

Meantime, death and destruction continues in the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan, with no end in sight.

And that's "The Memo."

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

As we have been reporting, professional standards have broken down at many newspaper operations and we spotlight them occasionally for you.

At The Oregonian newspaper in Portland, far-left TV writer Peter Ames Carlin is rarely fair. His latest Valentine to me says "O'Reilly is an expert employer of personal attacks, questioning his targets' sanity and morals as aggressively as he picks apart their positions".

As usual, Carlin fails to provide any examples to back up his attack, but that's par for the cause for this guy.

At The Guardian newspaper in London, it's even worse. That socialist operation continues to spout incredible nonsense: "O'Reilly is famous for his right-wing tirades, calling for Al Qaeda to attack liberal San Francisco."

Sure. Ridiculous off the chart but it happens every single day.

The United Nations and the Violence in the Middle East

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Sharon's Relatives Rushed to His Bedside
00:52 Jul 27, '06 / 2 Av 5766

(IsraelNN.com) Relatives of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon were called by doctors to his bedside late Wednesday night amid fears that his condition is rapidly declining. Also present is his personal advisor, Lior Horev.

He was rushed on Wednesday to the intensive care unit of the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv after his kidneys were failing and doctors noticed a change in his brain membrane.

He has been in a coma since January 4 after suffering a second stroke, which left second-in-command Ehud Olmert to replace him as Prime Minister.

Sharon's Relatives Rushed to His Bedside

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Abbas: Lebanon and PA are on verge of annihilation
JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST    Jul. 27, 2006

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday night that Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority were on the verge of total annihilation, since there was no cease-fire agreement that both Arab countries and Europe supported.

Abbas added that the Palestinians would not accept any accord that did not include an independent Palestinian state whose capital was Jerusalem and a "fair outcome" with regards to Palestinian refugees and Jewish settlements.

The PA chairman made the comments in Algiers where he is expected to meet with top Algerian officials including Algerian President Abdulaziz Bouteflika.

Abbas: Lebanon and PA are on verge of annihilation

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Israel says UN can't be part of probe of deadly attack on post

Israel's UN ambassador on Thursday ruled out major UN involvement in any potential international force in Lebanon, saying more professional and better-trained troops were needed for such a volatile situation.

Dan Gillerman also said Israel would not allow the United Nations to join in an investigation of an Israeli air strike that demolished a post belonging to the current U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. Four UN observers were killed in the Tuesday strike.

"Israel has never agreed to a joint investigation, and I don't think that if anything happened in this country, or in Britain or in Italy or in France, the government of that country would agree to a joint investigation," Gillerman said.

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Gillerman, who spoke at an event hosted by The Israel Project advocacy group and later inside the United Nations, gave a heated defense of Israel's two-week campaign against Hezbollah militants. He said some diplomats from the Middle East had told him that Israel was doing the right thing in going after Hezbollah.

His refusal to conduct a joint investigation will be a slap to UN officials, who have specifically sought to partner with Israel to investigate the bombing.

Gillerman was highly critical of the current UN peacekeeping force, deployed in a buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon since 1978, saying its facilities had sometimes been used for cover by Hezbollah militants and that it had not done its job.

"It has never been able to prevent any shelling of Israel, any terrorist attack, any kidnappings," he said. "They either didn't see or didn't know or didn't want to see, but they have been hopeless."

Gillerman even mocked the name of the force - the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.

"Interim in UN jargon is 28 years," he said.

The flaws with the U.N. force make it imperative that any UN force come from somewhere else, though it could have a mandate from the United Nations, he said.

"So obviously it cannot be a United Nations force," Gillerman said. "It will have to be an international force, a professional one, with soldiers from countries who have the training and capabilities to be effective."

Any such force must have two main objectives. It must disarm completely and make sure Hezbollah has lost all its capacity as a terror organization; and it should monitor the border between Syria and Lebanon "to make sure that no additional shipments of arms, rockets, illegal weapons, enter Lebanon," he said.

Despite his refusal for a UN force, he said Israel was not "excluding anybody," and that "the makeup, the composition and the countries which would supply the soldiers to that force still has to be decided."
Gillerman apologized for the strike that killed the four UN observers, but said the conflict was a war and that accidents happen.

"This is a war which is going on," he told reporters. "War is an ugly thing and during war, mistakes and tragedies do happen."

Gillerman said Israel would welcome any information from the UN as it conducts its investigation, and will consider any UN requests for information.

UN Council expresses 'shock' over IAF attack on UN post
The UN Security Council adopted a statement on Thursday expressing shock and distress at Israel's bombing of a UN outpost in Lebanon that killed four unarmed UN peacekeepers.

The policy statement, which carries less weight than a resolution, was weaker than one proposed by China and other nations, after more than a day of negotiations and objections from the United States, which wanted to make sure Israel was not directly blamed for the attack.

China, expressing frustration at the delay, earlier warned the United States that its opposition to the statement could could jeopardize UN negotiations on a resolution ordering Iran to stop its nuclear enrichment. One of the peacekeepers killed on Tuesday was Chinese. The other three came from Austria, Canada and Finland.

The final draft adopted by the 15-member council eliminated wording "condemning any deliberate attack against UN personnel" as well as a call for a joint Israeli-UN investigation, which UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had asked for.

Instead, it called on Israel "to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into this incident, taking into account any relevant material from United Nations authorities."

It said the Security Council "is deeply shocked an distressed by the firing by the Israel Defense Forces on a United Nations Observer post in southern Lebanon on 25 July, 2006, which caused the death of four U.N. military observers."

Israel has apologized and called the incident a mistake.

UN officials said they asked Israel a dozen times to stop bombing near the post in the hours before it was destroyed.

Jane Lute, an American and an assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping, briefed the Security Council that the outpost came under Israeli fire 21 times, including four direct hits.

After the statement was adopted, China's UN Ambassador Wang Guangya said he was relieved action was taken even if the final draft was watered-down. He had previous said he was frustrated by the U.S. position.

EU official: Israel misinterpreted our declaration at Rome summit
Israel has drawn the wrong conclusions from statements made at the summit held in Rome this week on the Middle East crisis, a European Union official said Thursday.

Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tumioja, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, said the Israeli government's interpretation of the summit's declaration as permission to continue its offensive is "their own and wrong interpretation."
cont'd next post

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The summit's final statement called for a United Nations force to be deployed in southern Lebanon to aid the country in implementing UN decisions on disarming Hezbollah. The statement also called for increased humanitarian aid to Lebanon.

China demanded Thursday morning that Israel apologize for the death of a Chinese UN observer in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. Three other observers - an Austrian, a Canadian, and a Finn - died in the air strike.

"We are completely shocked by the incident and strongly condemn it," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said that Yehuda Haim, Israel's ambassador to Beijing, was summoned to the foreign ministry office Wednesday and asked to apologize both to China and to the victim's family.

An Israeli embassy official said the ambassador expressed his "profound regret" at the incident and promised it would be investigated.

"Israel does not target UN observers," the official said. "Many things can happen in this kind of situation, some of them sad," he added.

U.S. working on own plan for Lebanon after Rome summit fails
The United States, which fiercely opposed the calls for an immediate cease-fire during the Rome conference Wednesday, has been working on its own proposal for solving the conflict in Lebanon.

Its initiative calls for Israel's withdrawal from the Shaba Farms and a deployment of NATO forces to guarantee Hezbollah's disarmament.

Israel launched a massive attack on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon following a July 12 cross-border incursion by the militant organization in which two Israeli troops were abducted and eight others killed.

Meanwhile, U.S. envoys to the Middle East David Welsh and Elliott Abrams are due to arrive in Israel on Thursday for further talks on finding a resolution to the ongoing fighting.

They were also set to formulate an agreement for stationing an international force in southern Lebanon and a new United Nations resolution that would determine the force's mandate.

Welsh and Abrams both participated in the Rome summit, along with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat quoted Lebanese sources Wednesday as saying that Rice presented this proposal to officials in Beirut earlier this week.

While the U.S. initiative calls for transferring control of Shaba Farms to Lebanon, it stipulates that the permanent international border will not be determined if Syria continues to refuse to agree on the boundaries of this area. The UN is to be in charge of handing Shaba Farms over to Lebanon.

Beirut claims that the international border in this area would extend Lebanon's territory a few dozen kilometers into the Golan Heights. Syria has been keeping mum on its territorial demands in this area.

The American proposal also calls for a 20-kilometer-wide strip of southern Lebanon, starting at the Israeli border, which would be declared a no-go zone for Hezbollah.

An international force headed by NATO commanders, with authority to use both deterrent and offensive force, would be deployed in this strip to monitor and stabilize the situation.

Ninety days after being deployed, this force would become a part of the UN-sponsored force, with the option of incorporating the UNIFIL troops currently serving in southern Lebanon.

The delegation set to arrive in Israel on Thursday also includes the EU troika members - Finland's Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, European Commissioner for external relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and the EU envoy to the Middle East, Mark Otte.

They will meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

The Rome summit on the situation in Lebanon ended with no clear results Wednesday, after the U.S. shot down a joint European-Arab demand for an immediate cease-fire.

The 18 participants, including the U.S., Russia and European and Arab states, issued a joint statement expressing their "determination to work immediately to reach with the utmost urgency a cease-fire that puts an end to the current violence and hostilities."

The statement, which was being hashed out until the last minute, also called for an international force to be deployed in South Lebanon under a UN mandate in order to help the Beirut government implement Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for disarming Hezbollah and deploying the Lebanese army in the south. The statement also called for humanitarian aid to Lebanon.

One of the international force's most difficult assignments will be to ensure that the Lebanese army controls all the weapons in the country. This would involve making the international force responsible for disarming Hezbollah and the Palestinian militias operating in Lebanon. The force would also monitor the Lebanese-Syrian border, an Israeli demand whose aim is to prevent Syria from continuing to supply Hezbollah with weapons.

According to Lebanese sources, Rice added Israel's withdrawal from Shaba Farms to the initiative under pressure from Lebanese officials, including Prime Minister Fuad Siniora. However, neither Rice nor Lebanese leaders made statements to the media following her visit Monday, the atmosphere of which was described as "tense."

Syria, meanwhile, Wednesday reiterated its willingness to contribute to an arrangement in Lebanon. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica: "We are ready to intervene and take a positive role. We ask the U.S. to pressure Israel to agree to a cease-fire and prisoner release."

Israel says UN can't be part of probe of deadly attack on post

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'Those who cannot protect their freedom do not deserve it'
By Yair Ettinger

Shortly before midnight, the soldiers of the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion, Company A gathered a few meters from the Lebanese border. In a few minutes, they were due to cross the border and join the battle, like their comrades in 51st Battalion, who fought in Bint Jbail on Wednesday and sustained fatalities.

"It's our turn now," said Captain Ori Lavie. "It's our turn to protect the border. And we'll carry out any mission we need to, against any force, in the best way possible. If we don't, we have no right to exist."

Excited and armed from head to toe, the young soldiers listened, hanging onto every word he uttered.

"We will not lose this war," said Lavie. "We did not start it, but it's our duty to protect the Jewish nation and see to it that the residents of Metula and Haifa can live in peace. If we don't do it, no one will. We waited 2,000 years for our own state, and we won't fold because a group of terrorists think that they can scare us."

"Someone who cannot protect his freedom does not deserve it," he continued. "When missiles and rockets land on all the northern cities and reach Haifa, and when two of our soldiers have been kidnapped and ten have been killed and dozens have been wounded - this is no time to talk, it's time to fight. From the moment we cross the border, you must be super alert, super sharp. We are threatened from every side. Each of you is responsible for his comrades."

The soldiers have spent most of the day attending briefings on tactics and the rules of engagement, cleaning weapons, tightening bulletproof vests, adjusting straps, checking radios and bandages. Finally, they smeared camouflage paint on each other's faces.

These activities helped blunt their emotions. But a moment before entering Lebanon, they must boost their fighting spirit. Before the commander's briefing, military rabbis distributed volumes of Psalms and offered a prayer before battle.

"Everyone here must be alert and do everything possible to spot the terrorist first," Lavie told them. "We must be the ones to open fire first, we must surprise them, not the other way around. Everyone is responsible for his own life, the life of his comrade and all our lives. We're all in the same boat."

The soldiers joined the army only eight months ago. Most of them are 19 years old, and under the war paint, they still look like boys. Their combat experience consists of brief activity in the Gaza Strip at the beginning of the month. Some of them admit that they are afraid. But most say that they have dreamed about fighting in Lebanon since they joined the army.

"I've been in the army for six years, and have never had as much confidence as I have in this company," said Lavie. "You've proved yourselves more than once, not only in fighting. We did well in training, we did well in Gaza, we'll do well now. There is no better company than this one. You are lions. No one will kill terrorists like this company."

After the talk, the soldiers had time for another quick call home and another text message on their cell phone. Some did not tell their parents where they were.

Company medic Yossi Werker admitted that he is a little afraid. "I think of my friend who was killed two weeks ago in Gaza and of my responsibility to look after the wounded. There is an 80 percent chance that there will be casualties. I have faith in the platoon medics. I also want to have time to say the prayer before going into battle myself. Not many are religious in Golani, but most of the guys believe," he said.

Werker activated his cell phone to read a message from his girlfriend of two months, Mor. "Sweetie, look after yourself, you're the most adorable man in the world," she wrote. But he was disappointed. Earlier in the day, he told her for the first time that he loved her. "She's the best girl I've ever met in my life," he said. "If you print that, it will help the war effort."

'Those who cannot protect their freedom do not deserve it'

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Venezuelan president due in Tehran tomorrow
Tehran, July 27, IRNA

Iran-Venezuela-Visit
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, heading a high-ranking delegation, is to arrive in Tehran Friday evening on a three-day official visit.

According to a report released by the presidential press bureau, President Chavez is to meet his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his stay in Tehran.

The two presidents, in their upcoming meeting, will discuss bilateral cooperation and issues of mutual interest, as well as the latest regional and international developments.

Several memoranda of understanding will be inked by the two countries officials, the report said adding that the two presidents will also attend a joint press conference.

The Venezuelan president is also to attend Iran's Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines to address the Iranian traders and businessmen.

Venezuelan president due in Tehran tomorrow

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Muhammad 'Abd Al-Sattar Calls for Jihad

Following are excerpts from an interview with Dr. Muhammad 'Abd Al-Sattar, Syrian deputy minister of religious endowment, which aired on Syrian TV on July 21, 2006.

Muhammad 'Abd Al-Sattar: Jihad is now incumbent upon each and every Muslim, Arab, and Christian. The time has come for the duty of Jihad.

[...]

Who occupied the Al-Aqsa Mosque? Who attacked the prophets? Who killed the prophets? Even the Koran depicts the people of Israel in a very sinister and dark way. Allah did not curse any people, not even the polytheists, not even the idol worshippers. The Koran did not curse any of these. The only ones who were cursed are those murderous criminals.

[...]

The Koran used terms that are closer to animals than to humans only with regard to those people. Look at the bestiality they demonstrate in the destruction of the Arab, Lebanese, and Palestinian people. This is why the people who were given the Torah were likened to a donkey carrying books. They were also likened to apes and pigs, and they are, indeed, the descendents of apes and pigs, as the Koran teaches us.

Muhammad 'Abd Al-Sattar Calls for Jihad

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Mohsen Rezai, Secretary of Iranian Expediency Council and Former Commander of Revolutionary Guards Corps: NATO Deployment in South Lebanon - Occupation; No One Would Dare to Disarm Hizbullah; Secretary Rice Should Be Brought to Trial as First Female War Criminal

Following are excerpts from an interview with Mohsen Rezai, Secretary of the Iranian Expediency Council, which aired on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN) on July 25, 2006.

Mohsen Rezai: Israel and America want NATO to be deployed [in South Lebanon]. NATO is, in fact, a military force. Deploying NATO means the occupation of Lebanon, this time not by Israel, but by Israel's partner. If NATO is deployed in South Lebanon, it will be an explicit and clear occupation, albeit with a diplomatic tone and language, and a peaceful appearance. In fact, it is a type of occupation. After all, NATO is not a peacekeeping force. NATO is an army. It is the kind of army that attacks and conquers. It is an interested party in this matter. It faces Syria, and it has problems with China and the Islamic world. Therefore, NATO is different from the UN forces and the Lebanese army.

[...]

Can they drive Hizbullah north, beyond the Litani River, deploy NATO forces there, and then ask... Disarm Hizbullah? Who would dare? Who has the power to disarm Hizbullah? Today Lebanon is in the hands of Hizbullah. The security of Lebanon - even the security of the streets and alleys in Lebanon - is run by Hizbullah. The border and the sea are in the hands of Hizbullah.

[...]

If the patience of Hizbullah runs out, and it enters a new phase, the war will change dramatically. First of all, there will be chaos in Tel Aviv, as well as in many cities between Haifa and Tel Aviv. There are atomic and chemical arsenals right between Haifa and Tel Aviv, and there might be problems there. An unexpected situation might develop. So far, Hizbullah has demonstrated manliness, restraint, and humanitarianism. But as of yesterday, they began attacking the towns and villages south of the Litani like madmen, and I don't know what will happen in the days to come.

[...]

Interviewer: So if they push Hizbullah to the Litani, Haifa may still get hit?

Mohsen Rezai: Haifa goes without saying...

Interviewer: Tel Aviv as well?

sMohsen Rezai: Hizbullah has trump cards, but Israel has exploited Hizbullah's humanitarianism. The Israelis think that since the Hizbullah men have not carried out their initial threats, they have nothing up their sleeves. This has made these [Israeli] gentlemen somewhat audacious.

[...]

In my opinion, it would be best if the legal experts of the Islamic world prepare some kind of legal action against Ms. Rice. I think this lady is the first ever female war criminal, and she should be brought to trial. She has explicitly declared - and I think this was a political mistake by her - that she is giving Israel a free hand to attack Lebanon. This in itself is enough to prepare a case against her as a war criminal.

Mohsen Rezai, Secretary Rice Should Be Brought to Trial as First Female War Criminal

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Lebanese Shiite Leader Muhammad Hussein Fadhlallah: The International Forces Only on the Israeli Side of the Border

Following are excerpts from an interview with Lebanese Shiite leader Muhammad Hussein Fadhlallah, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on July 26, 2006.

Muhammad Hussein Fadhlallah: We are opposed to international forces on the Lebanese side, because the Lebanese side is not aggressive. But if international forces are deployed on the Israeli side, in any event of aggression coming from Lebanon, they could defend [Israel], just like Israel is defending its settlements, as it claims. Let the international forces join the Israeli forces in defending Israel. When it comes to [international forces], there is no difference between Islamic and non-Islamic countries. We are saying that international forces are not required on the Lebanese side. They are required on the Israeli side, in order to defend Israel. Therefore, they should join the Israeli army in this matter. Why are international forces always imposed on us, on the Lebanese side?

All the Lebanese rifles, even those that are privately owned, should be pointed at Israel and its aggression.

The International Forces Only on the Israeli Side of the Border

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UN Security Council "shocked, distressed" by Israeli attack on UN position: statement


The United Nations Security Council issued a presidential statement Thursday, saying it is "deeply shocked and distressed" by the firing by Israel on a UN observer post in southern Lebanon, which killed four UN military observers.

"The Security Council calls on the Israeli government to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into this incident, taking into account any relevant material from the UN authorities, and make the results public as soon as possible," said the statement.

The Security Council extends its deepest condolence to the families of those victims and expresses its sympathies to the governments of Austria, Canada, China and Finland, said the statement.

Deeply concerned about the safety and security of UN personnel, the Security Council stresses that Israel and all concerned parties must fully comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law related to the protection of UN and its associated personnel and ensure that UN personnel are not the object of attack, the statement added.

The statement expressed the Council's deep concern for Lebanese and Israeli civilian casualties and sufferings, the destruction of civilian infrastructures and the rising number of internally displaced people in Lebanon.

The statement came after days of repeated consultations among the Council members. Wang Guangya, China's ambassador to the UN noted that although the text has been watered down, what the Council members agreed is the minimum of what the Security Council can do under the circumstance.

"I'm glad that the Security Council has adopted this presidential statement. I believe that by adopting this statement, the Security Council is not only doing justice to the victims and their families, but also, and more important, the Council is doing justice to this organization and to tens of thousands of women and men who are working for this organization all over the world," he said.

UN Security Council "shocked, distressed" by Israeli attack on UN position: statement

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Israel rules out major U-N involvement in possible Lebanon peacekeeping force

UNITED NATIONS Israel's U-N ambassador says the situation in southern Lebanon is too volatile for an international U-N force to become involved.
Dan Gillerman says more professional and better-trained troops are needed in the area.

Gillerman also says his country is opposed to any U-N involvement in an investigation of an Israeli airstrike that demolished a U-N observation post in Lebanon. Four U-N observers were killed in the strike on Tuesday. His refusal to conduct a joint investigation will be a slap to U-N. officials, who have specifically sought to partner with Israel to investigate the bombing.

Gillerman told two events in New York that he's heard from some Middle East diplomats that Israel is doing the right thing by trying to clear Hezbollah insurgents out of southern Lebanon.

Israel rules out major U-N involvement in possible Lebanon peacekeeping force

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 Terrorist Open Up 3rd Front, Murder Yesha Resident
06:29 Jul 28, '06 / 3 Av 5766
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Arabs in Israel opened up a third front in the terrorist war Thursday, kidnapping and murdering a resident of Samaria and shooting two Border Policemen at a checkpoint at an entrance to Jerusalem.


Hamas and Hizbullah terrorists in Gaza and Lebanon have urged Arabs in Judea and Samaria to open up the third front. Arab citizens in Israel also have called for an all-out war on all fronts against Israel.

The burnt corpse of the resident of the Samarian community of Yakir was discovered in the trunk of the car Thursday evening, several hours after he was reported missing. The burnt vehicle was found by reserve soldiers near the village of Abus, east of Kalkilya, and near the Jewish communities of Karnei Shomron and Kedumim. Yakir is located several miles further east.

Police have concluded he was kidnapped and then murdered. Another resident of Samaria, Eliyahu Asheri of Itamar, was kidnapped and murdered last month. Nearby areas were placed on high alert Thursday night in case the terrorist infiltrated toward urban areas in Israel.

Earlier Thursday, Arab terrorists approached a checkpoint near the Armon HaNatziv neighborhood of Jerusalem and shot two Border Policemen, injuring one moderately and the other lightly. The terrorist had surveyed the checkpoint for several days before attacking. One of the wounded officers managed to fire back and killed the attacker.

The number of warnings of planned terrorist attack has risen sharply since the start of the Hizbullah terrorist war more than two weeks ago. Security officers recently prevented a suicide bomber from attacking in downtown Jerusalem, and another terrorist moderately injured a yeshiva student.

Police have announced they are prohibiting entrance of Arabs under the age of 45 to the Temple Mount site Friday because of the warnings. Only those over that age and who are carrying Israeli identity cards will be allowed to enter.

Terrorist Open Up 3rd Front, Murder Yesha Resident

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Local Jewish community rallies around Israel

Local Jewish leaders are taking a passionate stand in support of Israeli action in the Middle East.

"The world seems not to care about the Jews," Joel Kreiss, past president of the Jewish Center of Venice, said. "This situation (Hezbollah bombings) is analogous to the Holocaust."

Kreiss was one of about 20 local Jews who attended a July 20 "Community-Wide Rally for Israel" in Sarasota.

Venice businessman C.J. Fishman was unable to attend the rally, but supports the Israeli action.

"They made every effort to find peace; they were attacked without provocation and they are responding," Fishman said. "If somebody didn't respond, it would get even worse."

Bennett Gross, the JCV communications director, did attend the rally.

"The Israeli soldiers are like our young men in Iraq," Gross said, "fighting for their country and dying."

Gross has a practical view of the hostilities.

"Despite the rockets raining down," Gross said, "life goes on."

Little country that could

Kreiss was in Israel earlier this year. It was his first trip there.

"Israel's a little country trying to live in peace after 2,000 years of being persecuted," Kreiss said. "The Israelis have taken a little piece of land grudgingly given to them, basically a wasteland, and turned it into one of the most robust economies in the Western world."

Kreiss also feels strongly that the Arab world, namely Hezbollah and Hamas, have another agenda besides the destruction of Israel.

"They are doing this to keep attention away from their own shortcomings," Kreiss said. "(Israel) is a convenient scapegoat."

Hamas, an Islamic Resistance Movement and outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, is a U.S. designated terrorist organization.

Hezbollah (Party of God -- with worldwide cells) is a radical Shi'ite group that plans the creation of an Iranian-style Islamic republic.

Both groups are dedicated to the annihilation of Israel.

Weather no match for beliefs

It was a dark and stormy night for the Sarasota rally.

Nonetheless, approximately 700 people braved the elements to speak as one.

"The speakers were children and young adults who just returned from Israel, and local leaders," Kreiss said.

The rally was just one component of the Federation's Israel Emergency Campaign (IEC), which is raising much-needed funds to move children from communities along the confrontation line to overnight camps in safer areas of the country.

After just five days, the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Federation has raised approximately $260,000 for the IEC; more than $50,000 of that total was raised during the rally.

'Similar to the Blitz'

Gross compared the current Israeli plight to a momentous historical event that took place in the 1940s.

"The purpose (of the rally) was to raise money to move the children in the northern part of Israel," Gross said. "In one respect, it's similar to the Blitz, moving kids to the English countryside."

(The Blitz, which began in September 1940, was a 57-day period of intense German bombing of London in preparation for invasion of the island.

Fires consumed many portions of the city. Residents sought shelter wherever they could find it. Thousands went to the countryside.

The Blitz would ultimately fail.)

Perspectives

Kreiss said his own visit to Israel changed his perspectives.

"I came back from Israel a different person," Kreiss said. "How little a country it is, how vulnerable it is."

He said the premise on which the terrorist agencies base the hostilities is flawed.

"It's ridiculous," Kreiss said. "Let us do our thing, leave us in peace."

Local Jewish community rallies around Israel

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Chavez, Putin and Tehran

July 28, 2006

In May, the State Department placed Venezuela on a list of countries that were not fully cooperating with U.S. efforts against terrorism, banning all arms sales to President Hugo Chavez's regime. Mr. Chavez was in Russia this week to work out an agreement for a large arms purchase, and in turn to flout the arms embargo against his country. Included in the $3 billion deal with Russia are 24 fighter jets, 30 military helicopters and 100,000 assault rifles, according to reports. The U.S. arms embargo prevents Venezuela from importing parts needed to maintain its U.S.-made fighter jets, rendering Venezuela's F-16s inoperable. The deal doesn't threaten the United States militarily, but it may have a negative impact on the region, particularly since, as the State Department has observed, the weapons exceed Venezuela's defensive needs.

    The deal also underscores the status of the U.S.-Russia relationship. Although it may be worth noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin felt compelled to claim that the deal "was not directed against third countries," his willingness to disregard Washington's request -- that he not agree to the arms deal -- should only serve to remind Washington of Russia's increasingly self-assertive foreign policy.

    Signing a large arms deal with Russia is only one of Mr. Chavez's primary objectives during this trip. He is also interested in creating an anti-American network with himself as the nexus. The self-proclaimed American nemesis has spread his country's oil money throughout South America in an effort to fund such an alliance, and to date he has only managed to rope in Evo Morales in Bolivia and Fidel Castro in Cuba, both ideological brethren of the Venezuelan president. With regard to one of Venezuela's alliances, Washington can be fairly circumspect: That Mr. Chavez made a new friend in Alexander Lukashenko means only that the isolated Belarussian dictator may now count his friends with two fingers instead of one.

    Mr. Chavez's relationship with Tehran, which he will also visit during his travels, is more threatening. The two regimes have previously discussed joint military exercises. Mr. Chavez has been vocal in his support of the Iranian nuclear program, and the two countries have reached several agreements, including one that would allow Iran access to known Venezuelan uranium deposits.

    The majority of Mr. Chavez's antics are innocuous. For as much as the populist president lambastes America, his regional influence, as well as domestic power, ultimately derives from oil, and the United States is Venezuela's largest export market. Washington is right not to let him become the focus of policy in South America, but the worrisome nature of his dealings requires continued scrutiny.

Chavez, Putin and Tehran