Israel news from within Israel

[Shammu]

US - Israel on Collision Course

With the election of Barack Obama, the United States has moved dramatically to the left in its foreign policy at just the time that Israel, which seems likely to return Bibi Netanyahu to office in early February, is moving to the right. A collision is almost inevitable.

Most of Israel was happy, when Obama was running for president. I think they are starting to see their follies, of Obama.

Caroline Glick, the highly astute conservative columnist for the Jerusalem Post, writes that the “international community” believes that Obama “will move quickly to place massive pressure on the next Israeli government to withdraw from Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights in the interests of advancing a ‘peace process’ with the Palestinians and the Syrians.” She notes that “people who have been in close contact with Obama’s foreign policy transition team have privately acknowledged that the widespread belief that Obama will move swiftly to put the screws on Israel is fully justified. According to one source who has spent a great deal of time with the transition team since last month’s U.S. elections, Obama’s people are ‘scope-locked’ on Israel.”

It is possible for Obama to set the stage for the anti-christ. These are only my thoughts, I'm saying out loud. If it happens, it will happen, if not, it won't. As I said, this is only my thoughts.

We must remember that God is in control, not man. God's time is different from man's time.

The difference between the U.S. and Israel also extends to the realm of how strongly they oppose Iranian development of nuclear weapons. While Iran moves closer and closer to a bomb that could and will be used against Israel, Obama speaks of extending the American “nuclear umbrella” to cover Israel.

Israel can only trust Israel, no other nation can protect Israel as the Lord. I hate to say it but, the United States have been falling from God's Grace by it's follies. These last 10 years have really been bad, and I think are/will get worse for America.

If Netanyahu wins the election, he will bring with him a determination to stop Iranian nuclear weapons, no matter what, and a refusal to concede more territory in the name of the peace process. But Obama’s foreign policy team will be focusing on pushing Israel in just the opposite direction.

I know if I was a voting Israeli, I'd be voting for Netanyahu. We as Christians MUST PRAY, that Obama doesn't push Israel to concede territory!!

But Israel probably has the military capacity to bomb Iran and to win the Middle East war against Syria, Hamas, Iran and Hezbollah that is likely to result. Unlike Olmert, Netanyahu will use ground troops right off the bat and will fight such a war to win and to win big. But they may have to do it without their strongest ally: the United States.

I think we need to be praying for a strong leader for Israel. As I've said earlier, I'd vote for Netanyahu. Netanyahu is the type of leader needed now in Israel.

I also think Israel will go it alone, without the United States. But this is in God's hands, not man's hands.

Everyone needs to remember to pray for Israel.

Romans 10:1,3 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

[Soldier4Christ]

6,700 reservists called up by Israel 

The Israeli cabinet has decided to call up some 6,700 reserve troops to buildup backup forces along the border with the Gaza Strip.

The decision was made on Sunday upon a request by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak who demanded to operate a national economy emergency system in the Gaza vicinity communities and call up the reserve forces, the Israeli daily I>Yediot Aharonot reported.

Israel's emergency economic system organization is tasked to estimate the army's requirements and manage the economic crisis which is caused by a conflict or when the military recruits a large number of reservists.

The main objective of the National Emergency Economic System (MELACH) is to "provide essential public services", including food medicine and fuel during a war.

The development comes amid speculations that the Israeli military might extend its operation in the Gaza Strip and launch a ground incursion into the region.

"Ahead of the continuance of planned operational activity, we need to draft some 7,000 reserve soldiers with emergency orders," Barak said.

The army has recruited some 2,000 reservists so far and has deployed its tanks and reinforcement troops to a region near the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had earlier said that the war would be "a long and difficult" one which will be "very painful."

Israel launched its bombing campaign against the populated costal region on Saturday. So far, hundreds of people have been killed or injured in the attacks.

[Soldier4Christ]

News media falsely portraying Gaza attack
Claiming Israeli strike on weapons lab targeted 'woman's wing'

The U.S. and international news media are falsely portraying an Israeli air strike against a Hamas-run university in the Gaza Strip, claiming a "woman's wing" was targeted, when, according to the Israeli military, the target was a weapons lab at the school's chemistry department.

Known senior Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, speaking on the record, previously explained to WND how the Islamic University's chemistry department was used to manufacture explosives for use against Israel.

Palestinian raids of the targeted building previously yielded illicit Hamas rockets.

In a series of air Israeli raids yesterday, one precision strike hit a building of Gaza's Islamic University.

A widely circulated Associated Press report claimed, "One strike destroyed a five-story building in the women's wing at Islamic University, one of the most prominent Hamas symbols in Gaza." The report did not cite the source of the information.

CNN also reported a "women's wing" was targeted, as did London's Independent newspaper and China's Xinhua news agency.

The BBC Online described the building as a "science center" and painted the university as "a center of support for the Islamist militant group that controls the narrow coastal strip."

Reuters claimed the university was a "significant Hamas cultural symbol."

Avital Lebovich, a spokeswoman for the Israel Defense Forces, told WND Israel only targeted one chemical laboratory at Islamic University, which she said was used for the manufacture of Hamas explosives.

"This is the first university in world that gives out bachelor's degrees in rocket manufacture," she said.

Lebovich affirmed the targeted building did not house any women's wing.

Islamic University was founded by Hamas spiritual leader Ahmed Yassin, who was assassinated by Israel in 2004. Previous Israeli raids of the main university campus in Gaza yielded mass quantities of weaponry and Hamas incitement material.

Officials from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party claimed in February 2007 they captured seven Iranian military trainers – including a general of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards – inside Gaza City's Islamic University, which they said was being utilized as a Hamas military training ground.

The Fatah officials said at the time they also found about 1,000 Qassam rockets and equipment to manufacture the rockets inside the university. They previously suspected kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was being held for a time on the university grounds.

Terrorists admit university a jihad stronghold

In a 2007 interview, Muhammad Abel-Al, a leader and spokesman of the Popular Resistance Committees, a Hamas-affilated terror group, told WND Islamic University is "extremely important" for recruitment of militants.

Abdel-Al, who also goes by the name Abu Abir, said several members of his group study chemistry at the university to aid in the manufacture of explosives and suicide belts. The Committees is responsible for hundreds of rocket attacks from Gaza aimed at nearby Jewish cities.

Abu Abdullah, considered one of the most important operational members of Hamas' so-called military wing, told WND in 2007 that Islamic University is regularly used by Hamas to support "resistance activities."

"It is no secret that we utilize all tools at our disposal, including our fighters at Islamic University in preparations to fight the Zionists," said Abu Abdullah of Hamas' Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades, Hamas' declared "resistance" department.

Reuven Erlich, director of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center and Israel's Center for Special Studies, told WND his organization analyzed material captured in previous Israeli raids of Islamic University, which yielded mass quantities of weaponry and Hamas incitement material supporting terrorist attacks.

[Soldier4Christ]

Huge natural gas find off Israel coast
Official hails 'historic moment' that could change nation

A huge deep-water natural gas find off the coast of Israel promises to be a boon to the Jewish state's economy as well as a stimulus to other developers searching for offshore oil and natural gas in the Mediterranean.

Noble Energy, a New York Stock Exchange-listed company, has discovered an estimated more than 3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in three high-quality reservoirs drilled in the company's Tamar No. 1 well in the Mediterranean Sea, about 56 miles off the Israeli northern port of Haifa.

Noble Energy drilled the Tamar No. 1 well to a depth of about three miles, beneath 5,500 feet of water.

The find is significant for those who believe the Bible indicates Israel is sitting on a massive oil reserve that would reshape the geopolitical structure of the Middle East.

The find also lends support to the abiotic theory of the origin of oil that holds oil is created naturally within the mantle of the earth, not by biological origins.

"We are the only company producing natural gas off the Israeli shore," Noble Energy spokesman Brad Whitmarsh told WND. "We also drill for gas in the Mari-B field, offshore closer to southern tip of Israel in shallower water."

The Tomar site is estimated to be three times as large as the Mari-B natural gas field off Israel's southern shore that analysts estimate may reach depletion within five years, according to a report published by Israel12c.org.

"We have built a considerable acreage position offshore Israel and have been working this area for years," he said. "The area around the Tomar has been largely undrilled and unexplored. Tamar was the first we have drilled, and when we started, we estimated we only had about a 35 percent chance of success."

"Tamar represents our first exploratory well offshore Israel in more than five years, and we are extremely excited by the results," Charles D. Davidson, Noble Energy's chairman, president and CEO said in a press release published on the company's website.

"This is one of the most significant prospects that we have ever tested and appears to be the largest discovery in the company's history," he continued.

"We are witnessing an historic moment in Israel's energy market," Israel's National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer told Reuters. "If it turns out in a few weeks that the indicators received in recent days are true, then we are talking about the biggest find in Israel's history."

Israel's Petroleum Commissioner Yaakov Mimran told Reuters that if early finds are validated the site would meet Israel's demand for 15 years.

"If the Tamar site opposite the Haifa coast succeeds in producing the significant quantities of natural gas predicted, we are talking about a revolution which will have an impact on the Israeli economy for the coming generations," Dan Halman, CEO of Halman-Aldubi Group told the Jerusalem Post.

"The vast reservoir is poised to bring down electricity prices, reduce the country's dependence on gas from foreign countries, in particular from Egypt, and thereby turn Israel from a gas importer into a gas exporter," Halman said.

Analysts told Reuters the natural gas find at Tamar No. 1 was worth an estimated $26 billion and would be available for market starting in 2013.

Nobel Energy holds a 36 percent working interest in the Tamar No. 1, with other owners including the following: Isramco Negev 2 with 28.75 percent; Delek Drilling with 15.625 percent; Avner Oil Exploration with 15.625 percent; and Dor Gas Exploration with the remaining 4 percent.

The Tamar No. 1 site was named after the granddaughter of Israeli geologist Yossi Langotsky, who played a key role in locating the site.

Noble Energy stock closed Thursday at 48.03, down 1.63.

The 52-week range for the stock, according to Yahoo! Finance, is 30.89 to 105.11.

[Soldier4Christ]

I'm placing this article here as it is in connection to the one above.


Lebanon to claim gas deposit found off Israel?
Beirut official plans to lobby for drill site's registration with U.N. authorities

The Lebanese Ministry for Energy and Water has expressed an interest in reports of a natural gas deposit found off the Haifa coast.

Noble Energy said on Sunday that it discovered more than three trillion cubic feet of natural gas off Israel's northern shores, at the Tamar-1 drill site located 56 miles west of the Haifa Port.

Tuesday's meeting of the ministry's water and energy committee, which was attended by Energy and Water Minister Alain Tabourian, saw committee head Mohammad Qabbani say Lebanon intends on lobbying for the drill site to be registered with the proper UN authorities, since there is a possibility that some of it is actually in Lebanese territorial water.

Qabbani urged the parliament to "take whatever legal measures needed to insure that Lebanon's territorial water rights are preserved," and recommended Tabourian send US-based Noble Energy an official warning informing it that "it is working for the Israeli enemy and must be wary not to infringe on Lebanon's rights, should the gas deposit prove mutual."

Qabbani explained his concerns by saying that Israel was the only country in the region "not bound by marine agreements."

Lebanon's energy market is depleted, forcing Beirut to import natural gas from Egypt.

[Barbara]

World Net Daily
Koenig
International News

January 30,2009

Benjamin Netanyahu: Iran is the terrorist 'mother regime'

Israel's would-be prime minister says he was mocked for warning of the Gaza rocket threat

(Note: Bret Stephens was the former associate editor of the Jerusalem Post. He now works for The Wall Street Journal. He writes "Global View," the Journal's foreign affairs column.

This is an excerpt from his interview of Benjamin Netanyahu Sumday in Jerusalem at the King David Hotel.

Stephens also included Netanyahu's own prescriptions for a settlement with the Palestinians - what he calls a "workable Peace" - which differ markedly from the approaches of the 1990's...)

When the interview finally happens, in the grand reception hall of the old King David Hotel, it's close to one o'clock in the morning on Monday.

Mr. Netanyahu has come from a long dinner with visiting European leaders - French President Nicholas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel among them - and he is plainly exhausted, jokingg that he can't be held responsible for anything he might say.

The Stephens excerpt continued:

Mr. Netanyahu's gaze is intently fixed on Iran, a subject that consumes at least half of the interview.

Iran is the 'mother regime' both of Hamas, against which Israel has just fought a war, as well as of Hezbollah, against which it fought its last war in 2006. Together he says they are more than simply fingers of Tehran's influence on the shores of the Mediterranean.

"The arming of Iran with nuclear weapons may portend an irreversible process, because these regimes assume a kind of immortality," he says, arguing that the threat of a nuclear Iran poses a much graver danger to the world than the current econoic crisis, "will pose an existential threat to Israel directly, but also could give a nuclear umbrella to these terrorist bases."

How to stop that from happening? Mr. Netanyahu mentions that he has met with Barack Obama both in Israel and Washington, and that the question of Iran "loomed large in both conversations."

I ask: Did Mr. Obama seem to him appropriately sober-minded about the subject? "Very much so, very much so," Mr. Netanyahu stresses. "He spoke of his plans to engage Iran in order to impress upon them that they have to stop the nuclear program. What I said to him was, what counts is not the method but the goal."

It's easy to believe that Mr. Netanyahu, of all people, must be wishing Presiden Obama well: If diplomacy with Iran fails and the US doe not resort to military force, it would almost certainly fall to Mr. Netanyahu to decide whether Israel will go it alone in a strike.

(In a separate interview earlier that day, a senior military official assured me that a successful strike on Iran's nuclear facilities is well within Israel's capabilities.)

Koenig's perspective: Who is going to deal wit Iran - the US or Israel? This will be the million-dollar question of 2009.

Furthermore, moving 300,000 people out of their homes is inconceivable. Look at the chaos that ensues when a few Israelis are evicted from their homes in Hebron.

At this point it looks like Netanyahu will be the next prime minister.

Polls on Wednesday gave Likud a 30 seat range in the next Knesset. Kadima is in the low 20s. Well behind is Barak's left-leaning Labor Party at around 15 seats. (These numbers settled after his Gaza War bump had them higher, with Avigdor Lieberman's right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu in the same 15 range.)

The Shas Party endorsed Netanyahu this week. That could be another 10 to 12 Knesset members in his coalition.

We know that both Livni and Barak have a deep-seated dislike for the settlers. Livni showed it in her "60 Minutes" interview when Bob Simon said it appears certain that the Israelis settlers aren't leaving their homes. Livni responded firmly and angrily that "we have police and military forces to use against the settlers."

Additionally, Hamas can't contain themselves, so that will keep thins in tumult. Plus ... will Abbbas remain the Palestinians' point man, or will it be someone else?

[Shammu]

Study: Israel did not violate war laws
Feb. 6, 2009
Etgar Lefkovits , THE JERUSALEM POST

Israel did not violate the laws of war and made marked improvements in its fighting capability during the recent military operation against Hamas in Gaza, yet the gains from the conflict in the long term remain uncertain, a US study concludes.

The analysis of the 22-day conflict in Gaza by Anthony H. Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies finds "impressive improvements in the readiness and capability" of the Israeli Defense Forces since the war against Hizbullah in Lebanon in 2006, and unequivocally states that Israel did not violate the laws of war despite the large number of civilian casualties among the Palestinians.

"[Israel] did deliberately use decisive force to enhance regional deterrence and demonstrate that it had restored its military edge," the report states. "These, however, are legitimate military objectives in spite of their very real humanitarian costs."

Nearly 1,300 Palestinians were killed in the operation, including hundreds of civilians, according to Palestinian officials in Gaza.

The analysis finds that the IDF did not succeed in deterring Hamas from new rocket strikes on Israel or make "definitive changes in the political and military situation in Gaza," noting that the post-conflict situation looks strikingly like the situation before the fighting began.

Sporadic Palestinian rockets attacks against Israel have continued since the January 18 unilateral cease-fire declaration.

The report finds that while the success of the IDF military operation may have enhanced some aspects of Israel's military edge and ability to deter further attacks, it also did much to provoke reactions built on the anger caused by both the steadily deteriorating situation of the Palestinians and the impact of civilian casualties and collateral damage.

"The end result is that it is far from certain that Israel's tactical successes achieved significant strategic and grand strategic benefits," the report concludes.

Study: Israel did not violate war laws

[Barbara]

Here's an excerpt from a recent article by Gary Kah I thought was interesting:

...We just heard from friends of ours - Messianic Jews - whose son is in the Israeli military. They had not been able to communicate with him for many days (after the ceasefire). When he finally was able to call his parents he told them Israeli forces were preparing for an extended battle.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas, and possibly soon Hezbollah, could turn into a much more dangerous regional war - if Syria or Iran become directly involved. This week Al Qaeda called on all Muslims to unite against Israel. Things could get quite tense over the next few months. Only time will tell.

Here at home preparations are now underway for a mass exodus of Jews from the US back to Israel. In November, I attended a meeting in the Northeast with other Christians who work regularly with, and pray for, the Jewish people. They are positively convinced that in the not-too-distant future, persecution will come against America's Jews. So serious is the perceived threat that they are in the process of establishing hubs in various cities in order to help Jews flee our country quickly under difficult circumstances in the days ahead.

One of the individuals connected with this effort - a Messianic Jew - is a long-time personal friend of mine. In 1982 he said that there would soon be a mass exodus of Jews out of Russia back to Israel. Everything he told me happened exactly as he said it would. By the late 80s and early 90s, Jews began flowing back to their homeland at a steady rate. To date more than a million Russian Jews have returned to Israel.

Many Christians believe that Jews will never leave the US because they have it so good here and will never need to be fearful of persecution. But how short are our memories? Germany's Christians - and Jews- thought the same thing.

We live in a rapidly changing world where anything is possible. If I have learned anything during my years as a Christian in ministry, it is that humans haven't lost the ability to hate - and to focus their hatred quickly at others if their own situation suddenly changes for the worse. All of us must constantly guard our hearts and prevent hatred and resentment from taking hold. This can only be accomplished if we abide in the Lord and walk in His Spirit. - Galatians 5

(Note from me: Once in awhile here in Florida, we visit a Messianic synagogue. It's been a few months since we have but I was interested in this article because so many of the young people there did go back to Israel, even knowing there would be wars in the future. These are treacherous times, but even the young people seem to be feeling the same thing. Though they didn't experience the holocaust they seem to have learned from their elders and know their history very well!)

[Shammu]

Likud's Sa'ar cites 'personal' reasons for Livni's refusal to join gov't
Feb. 27, 2009
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Following Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu's failed attempt to persuade Tzipi Livni to join a unity government, chief Likud negotiator MK Gideon Sa'ar said that the Kadima head had "stubbornly held onto her refusal" to join such a coalition, and claimed that her motives were personal.

"She didn't even agree to setting up special negotiating teams," he said. "For unity, compromise is required, but Livni's motives to sabotage unity are personal."

Likud's Sa'ar cites 'personal' reasons for Livni's refusal to join gov't
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Livni Rejects Netanyahu's Final Offer
 
by Maayana Miskin

(IsraelNN.com) Likud Party Chairman Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu met with Kadima party head Tzipi Livni on Friday morning to make a final effort to convince her to join a Likud-led coalition. Livni rejected his offer, leaving Likud with no option but to turn to the nationalist parties and attempt to form a more narrow coalition.

Livni had rejected previous coalition offers, including an offer that would have given Kadima veto power over goverment decisions and several senior ministries.

A senior Likud official explained Friday prior to the meeting that Netanyahu believes the parties share common ground and could work together. “Netanyahu thinks there's still room to negotiate... They already agree on the main issues: Iran, Hamas and Hizbullah, and the financial crisis,” he explained.

Despite the general agreement between Likud and Kadima, Netanyahu does not expect Livni to join him, the source added.

Netanyahu hoped to convince Livni that he and she hold the same opinions regarding the creation of a Palestinian Authority state in Judea and Samaria as well. Netanyahu told Livni that he hopes to advance negotiations with the PA that were begun after the Annapolis Conference in 2007, his spokesman said.

However, another party source said the questions of negotiations with the PA and continuation of the Annapolis policy were one of the central sources of conflict between Likud and Kadima.

Netanyahu's expected coalition partner Avigdor Lieberman, the head of Yisrael Beiteinu, clarified this week that he also supports the creation of a PA state.

Livni expressed interest in joining with Likud only if Kadima would lead the coalition, or if the two parties would share power equally, with her and Netanyahu alternating as Prime Minister. Netanyahu rejected both ideas.

Some Kadima members are unhappy at Livni's refusal to sit in a government led by Netanyahu. Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, who is widely considered a frontrunner for the position of Defense Minister if the parties were to unite, has publicly criticized Livni's refusal to join the coalition, as has MK Ronit Tirosh. Several other Kadima MKs have expressed anonymous criticism in various media outlets.

Nationalist parties have expressed satisfaction over Likud's failure to join with Kadima, saying the next government will be more Jewish and Zionist than the last. However, the heavily religious coalition that Netanyahu was expected to build following Kadima's rejection could be in danger, as a recent ruling by Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv could leave United Torah Judaism unable to sit with Yisrael Beiteinu.

Rabbi Elyashiv, a leading figure in the Ashkenazi hareidi-religious world, ruled that it is forbidden to compromise in any way regarding civil marriage. Civil marriage must not be allowed even between non-Jews, he said.

Yisrael Beiteinu has made civil marriage a central component of its demands. Almost 300,000 non-Jewish immigrants, most from the former Soviet Union, are unhappy with Israel's current marriage laws, which approve of marriages only under the auspices of a recognized religion. Many secular Israelis support civil marriage as well.

Livni Rejects Netanyahu's Final Offer

[Shammu]

If I remember correctly, she said right at the beginning that she could not possibly work with Likud party because they don't believe like her. So she refused to reach across party lines and wanted to be in charge.

I saw another article that her party is planning to vote her out of their leadership. She isn't even going to have that soon. I imagine that her party now sees her as a hindrance to success rather than leading them anywhere.

I don't have links to those statements, but I read the articles not long after the election in INN, JPost, or YNET.

[Shammu]

Seeing the world through the Iranian prism
Mar. 11, 2009
Herb Keinon
THE JERUSALEM POST

As Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu makes his rounds of meetings with the security establishment - he met Defense Minister Ehud Barak for security briefings, not coalition talks, on Monday and Tuesday - one thing that is emerging is that Netanyahu very much sees the world, or at least the region, through the Iranian prism.

Like the Book of Esther read on Purim, where the reader is left with the sense that the main characters' strings in ancient Persia were being pulled from behind the scenes, that there was a marionette on the other side of the curtain, so too does Netanyahu firmly believe that modern-day Iran is currently pulling the strings in our region - from Syria to Lebanon to Gaza.

What this means is that in drawing up his policy toward Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas, he is believed to be concentrating on how that policy will impact Teheran.

For instance, if Hamas is viewed as an auxiliary of Iran, as a tentacle of Iran, then it may be necessary to chop it off, not merely seal the border or find a way to temporarily keep the rockets from falling on the south.

What is emerging from Netanyahu's conversations with the country's security elite - in addition to meeting Barak he is also in the process of meeting the heads of the IDF, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Mossad - is that he does not have the same baggage on certain issues that Olmert and Kadima's leadership have demonstrated.

For instance, he doesn't have the same psychological Rubicon regarding the disengagement from Gaza as did Olmert, and that may give the prime minister-designate a freer hand to look at different polices regarding the Gaza Strip.

Olmert - like Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni - has never done anything like President Shimon Peres did when he admitted the disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005 might not have been the wisest of moves. And an unwillingness to admit that disengagement was a mistake, has, to a certain degree, tied the government's hands.

For instance, neither Olmert or Livni, who backed and have taken credit for disengagement, could entertain the idea of having to go back into Gaza for any extended period of time to "decapitate" Hamas, because that would be tantamount to saying that the decision to leave the Gaza Strip a few years earlier was a bad mistake.

Netanyahu, who opposed disengagement, and at the very last minute left the government because of it, is not burdened by the same legacy. If he feels Iran is pulling Hamas's strings, he may very well conclude that there is no choice but to go back into Gaza. Even if it means staying in the Strip for a period of time in order to defeat an "Iranian proxy."

The security meetings Netanyahu is currently conducting are not believed to be focused on the Iranian nuclear menace, but rather on the mischief Iran is currently stirring up in Gaza and Lebanon.

Netanyahu's diplomatic/ security team will conduct a comprehensive review of a number of key issues - Iran's nuclear development will require such a review.

But the Iranian nuclear issue does not need an immediate response the day after Netanyahu takes office, widely expected to be some time next week.

The rockets from Gaza, by contrast, will demand an immediate response, and it is on that issue - as well as the likelihood that Hizbullah will try to test him from Lebanon - that Netanyahu's current security briefings are believed to be focused.

Netanyahu's advisers say it is highly unlikely the policies in place up until now regarding the rockets from Gaza will continue under a Netanyahu government.

It is "inconceivable" to imagine that he would allow the current drizzle of rockets to continue for weeks, months and years to come, said his advisers.

Netanyahu has made it clear that he doesn't believe in "wars of attrition," and he is also aware Israel's enemies will want to test him. His current briefings are meant to arm him with a response.

Among the questions being discussed are not only what kind of message he will want to send, but also when to send it. For instance, should Israel's policy change abruptly and immediately, and in a way that all can see, or should it change gradually?

These are among the issues Netanyahu is now fleshing out with the country's security elite, knowing full well that after he is sworn in he will not have 100 hours of grace, let alone 100 days.

He will be confronted right away with challenges demanding an immediate response.

Seeing the world through the Iranian prism

[Shammu]

I find this to be a very good analysis as to what is going on. Netanyahu will not put up with the rockets being launched into Israel for too much longer. This might be the very next major event to happen which leads to the implosion of the middle east.

[nChrist]

I find this to be a very good analysis as to what is going on. Netanyahu will not put up with the rockets being launched into Israel for too much longer. This might be the very next major event to happen which leads to the implosion of the middle east.

Hello DreamWeaver,

Brother Bob, I think that this boils down to common sense. NO country in the world - EXCEPT ISRAEL - would tolerate a single attack against their people. As an individual, it's my opinion that it's far past-time for Israel to make bold announcements that the attacks ARE GOING TO END! If not, those making the attacks will BE DESTROYED! It really is just this simple and ONLY COMMON SENSE!

Those who are attacking Israel know there are huge land areas around the world they can go to and settle in. Israel is not going to cease to exist or go away, so those attacking Israel should be given ONE CHOICE:  LEAVE! Please notice that attacking Israel IS NOT ONE OF THE OPTIONS!

There really aren't any sensitive political issues at all - JUST BLUNT REALITY. There are some who are determined to attack and annihilate Israel, and this has been A BLUNT REALITY for many years. Negotiation and diplomacy are NOT answers because ceasing to exist is the ONLY thing that will make the attackers happy. The ONLY lasting solutions IN THIS AGE are in the hands of Israel. Those who attack need to be completely defeated, and the survivors need to be relocated to another part of the world. The territory taken would be permanently part of Israel, and the announcement would be made that THE SAME APPLIES TO ANY OTHER ENTITY ATTACKING ISRAEL.

LET'S GET REAL - NO COUNTRY WOULD TOLERATE WHAT ISRAEL HAS! IT'S FAR PAST TIME FOR ISRAEL TO CHANGE COURSE - PROTECT HER PEOPLE - AND NOT TOLERATE A SINGLE ATTACK! Israel has RIGHTS, just like every other country in the world. Those RIGHTS are Sovereign and not subject to debate, negotiation, or diplomacy. This is SIMPLE! IT'S EVEN MORE SIMPLE FROM A BIBLICAL POINT OF VIEW:  GOD OWNS ISRAEL AND MUCH OF THE LAND AROUND IT! GOD WILL TAKE WHAT IS HIS AT HIS APPOINTED TIME, AND IT WILL BE RESTORED TO ISRAEL! EVERY SQUARE INCH THAT GOD PROMISED ISRAEL WILL BE GIVEN TO ISRAEL - PERIOD! - END OF STORY!

[HisDaughter]

Western Aliyah Rises in First Four Months of 2009 

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/

Aliyah, or Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel, rose from western countries in the first four months of 2009, according to the Jewish Agency, the government body responsible for worldwide Aliyah.

In total, 749 people made Aliyah from western Europe between January and April, a positive change of 20 percent from the same period of time in 2008.

The greatest jump came in Aliyah from Great Britain - 201 British citizens arrived in Israel, a growth of 53 percent from the previous year. The Jewish Agency attributed the rise to a British campaign entitled, “Aliyah – find your way home.”

Aliyah rose from other English-speaking countries as well. Five hundred and sixty-five people made Aliyah from North America, a growth of 12 percent from 2008, while 107 immigrants arrived from South Africa, representing a positive change of 22 percent.

“The Jewish Agency views Aliyah from western countries as a central tenet of its operations,” General Director Eli Cohen said. “We will continue to invest a large amount of resources into absorbing immigrants in Israel.”

[HisDaughter]

‘Israel Fears Hezbollah Anti-Aircraft Missiles Could Spark War’  

www.almanar.com

“The defense establishment is concerned that Hezbollah will try to smuggle advanced anti-aircraft missiles into Lebanon in the near future - yet another reason for the rising tension on the Israel-Lebanon border,” Haaretz newspaper said on Tuesday.

"Israel has made it clear in past statements that it will consider such a development as crossing a red line, which might necessitate preventative measures," the daily said. “It is believed that Hezbollah would like to deploy SA-8 batteries in Lebanon. Such weapons could pose a threat to Israel Air Force jets flying over the country.”

According to Haaretz, the Soviet-made missiles are part of Syria's military arsenal, and Hezbollah resistance fighters have received training on their use, inside Syrian territory.

It said Syria remains the main channel through which arms are transferred to Hezbollah, adding that almost a year ago, Israel relayed messages to both Damascus and Hezbollah, through several channels, warning that the Jewish state would consider launching air strikes against the convoys delivering the weapons, if they were brought into Lebanon.

"Then-prime minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak hinted publicly that these weapons would "upset the (existing) balance" and that Israel would not tolerate such a development," Haaretz added.

The Israeli daily said the past few weeks witnessed growing concern about the missile transfers in the wake of the June 7 Lebanese parliamentary elections in a show of force.

"The intelligence assessments regarding the missiles follow a long series of unusual developments in Lebanon that are contributing to rising tensions," including the discovery of Israeli spy rings, the Der Spiegel report on Hezbollah’s alleged involvement in the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, and the unsettled score for the killing of Hezbollah military commander Martyr Imad Mughniyeh.