Road Map Parallels To Munich Germany

As the UN led by Russia and Islamic nations condemns Israel as an apartheid state and the British prepare to reduce their already puny forces near Basra; as Arabs prepare an intifada over the Temple Mount again and Iran waves its rockets we must review how the Oslo-Road Map process follows the tracks of the phased destruction of Czechoslovakia by British diplomacy in the 1930s. The lessons to be learned grow ever timelier.

The Arabs west of the Jordan River, both Israeli Arabs and those in the Autonomous areas have many more political and economic privileges and benefits than Arabs in any other state. From medical care to virtually free electricity and water, to uncensored media that spew Nazi-style Jew hatred, their liberties reach license. Similarly, in the 1930s "the minorities of Czechoslovakia were the best-treated minorities in Europe and the [Sudeten German] agitations were noticeable precisely because they were living in a democratic liberal state that gave them the freedom to agitate."*

The resemblance of that situation to today's murderously violent Arab agitation in Israel is clear. But the media have grown into a form of global incitement that follows and sometimes helps stage anti-Israel spectaculars: as the Arabs are the open weapon, the media has become the hidden hand of the diplomatic-financial interests. Their polemics are not about market share but to isolate Israel as an "apartheid" state (cf. Jimmy Carter's book) and justify its destruction (per the "Baker group").

Just as British diplomats and officials stirred up the Arab riots of the 1920s and '30s against Jews in the yishuv so their European colleagues enabled Hitler during the 1930s, encouraging even helping finance (via America) Germany to rearm, making statements in Parliament and sending messages in meetings on the continent that Eastern Europe was for the Reich to take. These same diplomats undermined or crushed all those who resisted their grand design. The victim is demonized, delegitimized and dismembered in the modern version of ancient cults of human sacrifice, -- just as Israel is demonized, delegitimized and about to be partitioned in our day.

Remember: even the 1949 lines are not recognized borders but armistice lines. Don't believe that the British Foreign Office or their friends in the State Department have surrendered the goal of an Arab Federation from Baghdad to Cairo. The situation in the Negev (as with the contiguous Gush Katif before it) shows it is being set up to be severed from the State, in whole or in part. Arab attacks and the refusal of Israeli regimes to respond forcefully are meant to make Jews leave. If they don't, they eventually will be dragged out or killed. A Polish-corridor style free access from Gaza to Jericho and the West Bank would be just the start and would lead to a similar result, Arthur Dove's Arab Federation, "its front door on the Mediterranean," a goal aped by Fatah-affiliated groups.

Look at the parallel details in the policies of appeasement, war policies. Beginning in 1935, second President Czech President Eduard Benes made numerous conciliatory offers of self-rule for the Sudeten Germans. These included proportional representation throughout the Republic but they declined it. One thinks of the gift of total autonomy within Area 'A' with which the Arabs remain unsatisfied though Jordan and Egypt gave them no autonomy and little if any services; one thinks of the re-definition of Fatah as "moderates" and Abu Mazen as "a man of courage." Clearly self rule is not what Fatah wants. It was not what the Sudeten, German or British leaders wanted either.

In 1937, Czech Prime Minister Hodza offered to transfer all German administrators serving in the Czech government to the Sudeten area so Germans there could be entirely self-ruled. "Plan after plan for minority rights, economic concessions, cultural and administrative autonomy and even political federalism were produced by the Czechs…but brushed aside as inadequate…" Under British pressure, the Czechs even agreed for dual Czech-German nationality for the Sudetens (similar measures have been proposed for Arabs in Yesha). But "none of these suggestions were acceptable to Konrad Henlein, head of the Sudeten German Party for the simple reason that he wanted no concessions within Czechoslovakia…his real desire was to destroy the Czechoslovak state." Here is a precise description of the position and rejectionist behavior of all the Arab states to an Israeli state, even the possibility of a Jewish state, no matter how small since 1920, from Amin al Husseini to the PLO, Fatah and Hamas today. It's like listening to a tape: they don't want concessions; their real desire is to destroy the Jewish state while western diplomats minimize or back page this ugly fact, the pre-selected outcome of the process. As in 1937-8, the pressure on the victim to submit is relentless, the 'guarantees' increasingly strained and absurd; the professions of allies that they cannot do more to help are precisely the same: false and outcome-based, the outcome being the disintegration of the victim.

But concessions continue to be offered, then and now, under pressure of the great power "friend" of the beleaguered nation in question. Months before Hitler demanded self-rule for the Germans in the Sudetenland, Neville Chamberlain, Lords Halifax and Lothian among others were privately discussing, inadvertently 'leaking' and eventually publicly stating in parliament (March 1938) that the Czechs should cede their entire mountainous region to Germany outright. This demand for compromise was clearly a recipe for dismemberment and ruin because the Czech fortifications were built into the region. The Sudeten Mountains then, the mountains of Judea and Samaria today; a historian asks: how could Czechoslovakia have its peace or even its existence guaranteed by France, as the British claimed it could, after surrendering its key defensive positions when according to the British it could not be guaranteed by France, Russia, and England with these defenses intact because Britain was overextended? As the London Times asserted February 20, even its five thousand troops remaining near Basra may be "significantly drawn down" by late 2008. At the same time, British officers are training PLO Force 17 in Gaza under the eyes of the UN. For this they have time and personnel as they did to train, equip and lead the Arab legion during the 1940s. The writing again is on the wall.

How will the United States, even with the best will in the world guarantee and maintain the existence of Israel minus Judea and Samaria when it claims that peace will never come so long as Israel retains its mountainous heartland and maintains full autonomy for its own people and armed forces? The entire process is one of terrorizing the target state to make suicidal concessions just as was done in 1938.

Another link between those times and ours is the disjunction between the upper diplomatic echelons of western governments and their military, parliaments and people. The purpose of the so-called negotiations with the Czechs (as now with successive Israeli regimes) is to exert pressure to surrender at any cost. The importance of "consultation before partition," Chamberlain said, was that "it could be represented as the choice of the Czechoslovak government," as the expulsion of Gush Katif was sold as the "choice" of a supposedly representative and "democratic" Israel and the "rightwing nationalist" Ariel Sharon. Blackmail in the form of negotiations "would have a more favorable reception from the British public" then as it may from the American public today. Above all, Chamberlain added negotiations and eventual Czech agreement, like a handshake on the White House lawn "would dispose of any idea that we were ourselves carving up Czechoslovak territory." And so it is with administrations in Washington since that of Jimmy Carter.

Given the orchestrated UN uproar against Israel, meant to legitimize Hamas and cover Hizbollah's activities in Lebanon, it is clear that Mr. Carter's book, its title and the timing of its release were not an isolated exercise in individual bias. The resignations from his institute at Emory University are apt but come very late in the day. And as to Russia, the major supplier of Iran's nuclear and missile program and former backer of Egypt, Syria and the PLO: why did American and England let them into the UN at all when the world body was created "to foster democracy?" Because Russia shares and serves, as they have since 1917, various global interests of the Anglo-American elite, mainly the drive toward a regionalized world system that uses constant wars of attrition or "terror" to impose security measures on their own populations.

The gap between the agenda and methods of the diplomatic top tier, western parliaments and general electorates was strong then as now. When six months of betrayals, pressure on the French, and green lights to Hitler had wrung acquiescence from Paris and crippling concessions from the Czechs, Chamberlain found that he had created a monster. At a meeting in Godesborg on September 22, 1938, having repeatedly been assured of and received British diplomatic help Hitler was in a fury, demanding the whole pie immediately without impressive treaties. For everyone but Chamberlain and his clique and the top French diplomatic group it was a deal-breaker; the English and French Cabinets rejected the entire partition plan; the Czechs formed a new Cabinet that rejected it; the Russians served notice that if German forces moved they would invade East Prussia and protect the Czechs. But Chamberlain would not let go of his grand design. With the help of the media his group created a war scare, a terror war in Britain based on grossly exaggerated descriptions of German military might. Having previously ordered the Czechs not to mobilize their forces (shades of summer 2006) they now ordered that they do so. Pronouncements of Germany's military omnipotence filled the news. Through dominance of the media, a small clique can impose its agenda and views on a nation, via hysteria and manufactured despair when they feel it useful.

If Mahmoud Abbas announced tomorrow that he was going to take all of Israel from Eilat to Lebanon and Jerusalem to Tel Aviv would it create as great revulsion and stir? Would Congress, let along the EU or Russia formerly repudiate Oslo and the Road Map? No; the State Department would not even need to order Olmert to mobilize the IDF (for show) and to flood the complicit media with stories about dirty bombs exploding in American cities in order to secure Israel's unilateral surrender, termed "disengagement."

One last parallel to emphasize: just as the Czech armed forces' quantity were on par with those of Germany in fall 1938 (the British government knew this via its military attaches on the continent) and the quality of Czech forces far superior, so is the quality of Israel's armed forces today still far superior to those of its neighbors. The vulnerability of the Germans then was as evident as the weakness of Fatah and Israel's Arab neighbors now. So grave was the German position that the German Chief of Staff and other top officials were prepared to assassinate Hitler on September 28, 1938 if and when he gave the order to invade the Czechs; Arafat, too, in 1982 and afterward, and now Abbas have been and are saved by America and by Israeli regimes. Without its mountain barrier, Jewish settlements, and with EU, UN and NATO troops ready for Judea, Samaria and Gaza military advantages will be gravely compromised as happened to the Czechs without the Sudetenland. And with all governments and major media claiming that "the cycle of violence" will rise without Israeli concessions (that invite attacks by Hamas and Hizbollah on the "apartheid" state and suppress Israeli response), the military advantages of the victim, as great as those in 1938 can be neutered. Milner's words that Palestine "must never become a Jewish state" will be fulfilled.

British diplomats had no problem having Americans rebuild the continent their policies had led to ruin; Anglo-American and EU diplomats would have no problem letting Americans rebuild Israel after a similar process of "consultation before partition." It's good for business and demonstrates authority. Mesopotamia may not be the only killing field in the Middle East unless a sovereign Israel finds and rights itself.

History does repeat; but with awareness of the pattern the game need not again be played till the checkmate: holocaust and a huge spike in global terror.

Gamla

Supporting Peace Education In The PA?

Anyone who hopes for peace should be horrified by the content of the latest set of Palestinian schoolbooks. In many respects, these new books for Grade 12, written by Fatah-appointed Palestinian educators, are the worst of the textbooks produced by the Palestinian Authority since 2000.

These newest books deny Israel's right to exist, anticipate its destruction and define the conflict with Israel as religious, not merely territorial.

As we point out in our latest report "From Nationalist Battle to Religious Conflict," the ideological divide between Fatah and Hamas appears to be disappearing.

Hamas has always defined its war with Israel as religious and existential, and now that is what all Palestinian children will learn in school: "Ribat for Allah is one of the actions related to jihad for Allah, and it means: Being found in areas where there is a struggle between Muslims and their enemies. The endurance of Palestine's people on their land these days... is one of the greatest of the Ribat." (Islamic Education, grade 12, p. 86-87)

THE PALESTINIAN conflict with Israel is a unique and eternal ribat with a special Islamic destiny: "The reason for this preference [of the Palestinian Ribat] is that the momentous battles in Islamic history took place on its land."
As to when there will be peace with Israel? Never, according to the schoolbooks: "[Palestine's] residents are in a constant struggle with their enemies, and they are found in Ribat until Resurrection Day."

Israel's right to exist is denied and Israel's founding is called a theft: "Palestine's war ended with a catastrophe that is unprecedented in history, when the Zionist gangs stole Palestine and expelled its people from their cities, their villages, their lands and their houses, and established the State of Israel" (Arabic Language, Analysis, Literature and Criticism, grade 12, p. 104). Israel is called: "the Zionist entity," and "Zionist Enemy." Israel's existence since 1948 is an "occupation" (ibid pp. 104, 122).

The conflict will eventually end - not with peace, but with Israel's destruction, effected by Palestinians of all ages and abilities: "Palestine will be liberated by its men, its women, its young and its elderly" (Arabic Language and the Science of Language, grade 12, p. 44).

THE BOOKS anticipate this future destruction of Israel by painting a picture for the Palestinian child of a world in which Israel already does not exist. The place of Israel is marked as "Palestine" on all maps, and "Palestine" is defined as a dawla - the Arabic word for "state," not a geographical region.

This "state" is said to have water access to both the Mediterranean and the Red seas, a situation possible only in a world without Israel. (Physical Geography and Human Geography, grade 12, p. 105)
Likewise, the size of "Palestine," the "state," is said to be more than 10,000 sq. km., a situation possible only if Israel does not exist, since the West Bank and Gaza Strip together total only 6,220 sq. km.

Because Israel has no right to exist, and must be fought and destroyed for Islam, violence and terror against Israel since its founding are justified and glorified as muqawama, resistance: "The tragedy of Palestine of 1948… and afterward the muqawama in which the inhabitants carried acts of most glorious heroism and sacrifice" (Arabic Language, Analysis, Literature and Commentary, grade 12 p. 105).

THE WORLD cringed in horror at the Iranian Holocaust denial conference. But the new PA schoolbooks teach World War II without the Holocaust. There are extensive details about the history of the war, lessons about the Nazi "race theory" and even mention of "an international court to bring to trial the senior Nazi leaders as war criminals." (The History of the Arabs and the World in the 20th Century, grade 12, p. 46).
However, the books fail to mention why the Nazis were on trial, or that their "race theory" involved elimination of Jews and other minorities.

It is clear that the newest PA schoolbooks are a tragic recipe for incessant war. Israel is presented as an illegitimate enemy to be hated, fought and destroyed. Even the most well-meaning student is left with no justification or religious option to accept Israel as a neighbor to live beside in peace.

THEREFORE, anyone who is truly interested in peace and peace education should be appalled by these new books, repudiate this hate material and demand that the books be discontinued and rewritten. US Senator Hillary Clinton said earlier this month that this curriculum, together with PA media targeting children, "basically, profoundly poisons the mind of these children" and that these books are "an indoctrination," not an education.

But an American Jewish group, Brit Tzedek v'Shalom-Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace has rushed to defend these hate-filled schoolbooks. As reported by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the group wrote Clinton urging her to "re-examine claims that the Palestinian schoolbooks indoctrinate hate." The group argued that the books encourage "a peaceful resolution of the conflict," and are better than those used in most of the Arab world because they "endorse democracy."

This superficial defense of PA books, compared to the fully-documented, 35-page PMW report, with its line-by-line descriptions of hate education, leaves us with the strong impression that no one from the group has actually read either the schoolbooks or our report. If so, the group's eagerness to defend these new texts is irresponsible.

We just find it hard to believe that Brit Tzedek v'Shalom has actually studied these grade 12 textbooks and is seriously endorsing an educational curriculum that denies Israel's right to exist, justifies terror and promises an eternal religious battle for Israel's destruction, knowingly defending incitement to murder.

TRAGICALLY, the Palestinian Authority will exploit this Jewish group's ill-considered approval of its new texts. Can Brit Tzedek v'Shalom be so blindly determined to champion the Palestinian cause that it will defend even the indefensible? In the past, groups such as Brit Tzedek v'Shalom created sufficient uncertainty about PA hate-education to ease international pressure on Palestinian leaders to pursue peace education.

Our challenge to Brit Tzedek v'Shalom: If you are as dedicated to peace as we are, you have a moral obligation to publicly retract your defense of the PA-sanctioned books described above and demand instead that the authority pursue peace education.

Jerusalem Post

Hizb'allah Building Up Forces North Of Litani River

Hizb'allah is building up reinforcements north of the Litani river in anticipation of another potential war with Israel, the London Times reported on Monday.

According to the report, Hizb'allah guerrillas have begun to gather in the area, which is just outside the area patrolled by UNIFIL troops, with the apparent aim of creating a Shi'ite-controlled buffer that would allow the organization to avoid notice while they build their forces.

The group is reportedly being aided in its enterprise by Shi'ite businessman Ali Tajiddine, a diamond trader with close ties to Hizb'allah, who has begun buying large tracts of land from their Christian and Druse owners to serve as Hizbullah's base of operations.

"The state of Hizb'allah is already in existence in south Lebanon," Druse Lebanese MP Walid Jumblatt was quoted as saying.

UNIFIL's presence in southern Lebanon following last summer's war, along with the IDF's continued operations along Israel's northern border, has hampered Hizb'allah's efforts to rearm and rebuild its forces. However, the group has continued to attempt to smuggle in weapons and train fighters.

Officers in the IDF's Northern Command told Vice Premier Shimon Peres last week that weapons reach Hizb'allah from Syria "on a weekly basis," usually at night, evading UNIFIL peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon.

Earlier this month, a number of bombs disguised as boulders were found along the northern border, raising doubts as to the IDF's and UNIFIL's ability to effectively prevent Hizb'allah from carrying out further attacks on Israel.

Jerusalem Post

Rude Awakening

Arthur Ruppin, the famed "father of Jewish settlement," was one of the founders - in 1925 - of Brit Shalom, forerunner of Peace Now and assorted allied outlets of unflagging Jewish liberality, naivete, trust in the essential goodness of man and in the destiny of reasonable compromise to triumph over all adversity.

Such utopian sentiments - then especially prevalent among the more refined and urbane Jewish intellectuals of Western Europe and America - gave rise to pacifist dreams of kinship, cooperation and harmony with local Arabs. "Mutual voluntary non-domination," it was envisioned, would facilitate the creation of a bi-national state with a joint government and blissful communal coexistence. Pretty sweet and alluring stuff - if you can get it.

By 1929, though, Ruppin realized that all that sweetness and light was - alas - unattainable. His rude awakening followed the bloody jihad set off by preceding Arab exhortations to "holy war to protect al-Aksa from Jewish conquest." To fan the flames, provocative photomontages of Herzl (then deceased for 25 years) seemingly near the Aksa compound were circulated.

Ruppin wouldn't have been surprised had he heard Raed Sallah inflame passions last weekend and rouse "believers to launch a third intifada to liberate al-Aksa" from Jewish predations. It would all have sounded unpleasantly familiar to Ruppin, already accustomed to ferocious shouts charging, as Sallah just did, that "Jews want to build their Temple in place of al-Aksa, while our blood drenches their clothing, stains their doorposts and saturates their food and drink."

True, Ruppin died before Sallah was born, but harangues identical to the above were delivered by Sallah's spiritual forebears, foremost among them avid Nazi collaborator Haj Amin el-Husseini. There isn't an iota of originality in any of the calculated hysteria Sallah whips up. It's all been done before and because of it Ruppin quit the very Brit Shalom in which he invested so much gullible cerebral energy and wishful thinking.

The fanatic Muslim agitation sprouted with the British Mandate's inception, when Muslims suddenly evinced emotional attachment to the Western Wall, claiming it to be the hitching post where Muhammad tethered his winged steed Burak. Jewish wailing was tolerated there occasionally, after remittance of exorbitant fees for the privilege - providing Muslim sensibilities weren't offended. The problem was there was no telling what would give offense.

TODAY IT'S replacing a collapsed walkway. In 1919, wooden benches for the old and infirm were cited as the insufferable affront. The British promptly removed them, but Arabs then began to regularly drive cattle and laden donkeys through crowds of Jewish worshipers. From 1920 the muezzin was dispatched to bellow his loudest chants precisely during Jewish services.

In 1921, the sound of the shofar blown on the High Holy Days in front of the Wall became the next pretext for unrest. The British obligingly forbade the annoying blasts.

The shrillest Arab outcry was raised in 1928 over a flimsy partition put up to segregate male and female worshipers at the Wall. The British lost no time in removing the insulting screen right at the climax of Yom Kippur services. From then on premeditated disruptions at the Wall grew increasingly violent, till trumped-up tales of Jewish attempts to take over the Temple Mount sent Arabs rioting on August 23, 1929. The bloodbath lasted a full week and left 133 Jews slaughtered.

The rampages began in Jerusalem, but the most notorious massacre was in Hebron, where 67 men, women and children were hacked to death in homicidal frenzy. The centuries-old Jewish community was uprooted, as were smaller Jewish enclaves in Gaza, Jenin, Tulkarm and Nablus.

THAT'S PRECISELY what Sallah has in mind when he urges "a third intifada." The carnage of 1929, still reverentially dubbed by Arabs as "the Burak Battle," is Sallah's jihadist model for liberating the holy site from the presence of Jews (who sanctified it in the first place). When he barefacedly accuses Jews of "aiming to raze al-Aksa," he knows that such falsehoods have already instigated horrific vendettas for counterfeit causes.

Worse yet, Sallah isn't the oddball firebrand. When the entire Arab/Muslim world refuses to condemn flagrant deceptions, it assumes culpability for the calumny and unbridled hate-mongering. The fact that even non-radical peace partners like Jordan and Egypt, and non-Arab Muslim states like Turkey, chime in with Sallah's screeching chorus ought to send shivers down our spines.

The fact that Israel's Arabs rushed to hostile judgment, without allowing easily verifiable facts to interfere with their knee-jerk inimical opinions, ought to deprive us of sleep. If Israeli-Arab leaders score popularity points via incitement, then we're in unimaginable trouble. If Arab Knesset members profess to believe without reservation or hesitation that Israel's ultra-broadminded democracy has nothing better to do than kindle an explosive religious conflict, then we have dangerously deluded ourselves about coexistence even within Israel's pre-1967 borders.

It's time to stop babbling about judicious Arab moderates, about boosting nonexistent Arab restraint with enticing concessions, about the feasibility of deals with those who know full well that we contemplate nothing like what they assert, yet have no inhibitions to furiously fabricate libel.

If we retain any residual self-preservation instincts, we need to own up to the fact that the lies so brazenly spread about us also, inadvertently, impart a critical truth - every bit as bitter as the one Ruppin was man enough to admit: "The conciliatory tone" of the Brit Shalom he led, Ruppin candidly conceded, "was interpreted by the Arabs as weakness."

Nothing new under our sun.

Jerusalem Post

Aid To Palestinians Increases Since Hamas Election

Following Hamas's victory in last year's Palestinian elections, the international community suspended direct aid to the Palestinian Authority government until the newly empowered Islamist organization renounces violence, recognizes Israel's right to exist and agrees to abide by previous official agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. Opponents of the suspension have decried the policy, claiming it ignited a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories. But in fact, aid to the Palestinians has substantially increased since Hamas took over.

In order to bypass Hamas, Western governments simply redirected aid to the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who at least in theory recognizes Israel. This leaves the Palestinians as the largest recipients per capita of charitable assistance in the world.

The decline in the Palestinian economy has occurred despite the increase in foreign support, and not because of any supposed decrease in aid.

Aid to the Palestinians in 2006

Two recent reports highlight the confusion over aid to the Palestinians. The first, an article in the National Catholic Reporter, asserts:

[T]he decision to cut off aid and impose economic sanctions on the two regions [the West Bank and the Gaza Strip] could lead to an experiment in famine. (“Another Somalia in the Making?,” Neve Gordon, Feb. 2, 2007)

Similarly, an article in the Financial Times states:

Concern is mounting in the international aid community that policies aimed at isolating the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Hamas movement have backfired by further impoverishing the people of Gaza and the West Bank without seriously undermining the Islamists. (“Palestinian aid policies backfiring,” Harvey Morris, Feb.7, 2007)

These assertions overlook the fact that while the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Finance is receiving less funds since Hamas took over, the aid has continued to flow to other institutions not controlled by Hamas, in particular the Office of the President. An October 2006 report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) explains the situation:

Government reciepts and expenditures, instead of being channeled through the Ministry of Finance's Single Treasury Account, are now recieved or made by various institutions, including the MoF (now only to a very limited extent), the Office of the President, ... [and] international donors ....

The IMF notes that the Palestinian Authority received $573 million during the first three quarters of 2006. In a later report, released on Dec. 17, 2006, the IMF estimated that during the last quarter of 2006 the Palestinians had received an additional $136 million, bringing the total for the year to $709 million. This figure is up substantially from the approximately $350 given to the Palestinians in 2005, as reported in the October 2006 IMF report.

Actual receipts might even be higher. Mohammad Yagi, a columnist for the Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam and an analyst for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, stated that according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics total donations to the Palestinians exceeded $760 million this past year.

An article appearing in the Dubai based Gulf News on Dec. 7, 2006 quotes a figure of $900 million in foreign aid during 2006.

Additionally, an estimated $66 million has been smuggled in by Hamas couriers and government ministers, the funds apparently being deposited into the PA Finance Ministry. (See, for example, this Dec. 6, 2006 article in the Jerusalem Post.)

Based on these figures, total donations to the Palestinians amount to at least $775 million, more than doubling total foreign donations reported by the IMF in 2005.

The increased donations offset the reduction in revenue arising out of Israel's decision to withhold money it collects and had agreed to turn over to the Palestinian Authority government on the basis of negotiated agreements with the previous Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority. According to an article in the Jan. 19, 2007 issue of the International Herald Tribune, Israel withheld $500 million in 2006. This, however, has been softened by Israel's recent decision to transfer to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas $100 million of this revenue.

The overall aid picture is still higher. Not only is funding given to the Office of the President and other governmental or quasi-governmental institutions, but money is also channeled directly to the Palestinian people through humanitarian and development organizations such as UNRWA, Oxfam, the ICRC, UNICEF and others.

Ibrahim Gambari, Undersecretary General for Political Affairs at the UN, explained on Jan. 25, 2007:

Total assistance to Palestinians last year – not including funds channelled to the Palestinian Authority Government or Hamas by regional donors – had been some $1.2 billion, which represented a nearly 10 per cent increase over 2005. Humanitarian assistance alone had doubled since 2004, taking mainly the form of food aid and cash-for-work programmes.

The Real Crisis

Despite the influx of foreign donations, Palestinian productivity has declined, a trend which undoubtedly has increased the suffering of the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian Authority’s Central Bureau of Statistics notes a broad decline in productivity in Gaza and the West Bank that began when the Hamas government took power in early 2006. This decline reversed a gradual improvement that was underway in 2005. According to the Bureau's figures, the per capita gross domestic product in the West Bank and Gaza declined 18.3 percent between the third quarter of 2005 and the third quarter of 2006. And based on continuing trends, it is quite possible that figures for the fourth quarter of 2006 will likely show an even wider gap from this time frame and the fourth quarter of 2005.

Reduced trade with Israel, the single largest trading partner and employer of Palestinians, is certainly one important component of the Palestinian economic deterioration. This decline in trade is a consequence of Hamas's electoral victory in 2006. Hamas's commitment to the destruction of Israel and refusal to renounce violence, the unabated missile bombardment from Gaza of southern Israel, and the continuing attempts to infiltrate suicide bombers into Israel have prompted Israel to establish a security regimen that sharply curtails economic activity between Palestinians and Israelis. Notably, Palestinian groups including Hamas have also attacked crossing points between the Gaza Strip and Israel, for example the Karni cargo terminal, which are vital to the Palestinian economy.

The unstable political situation in Gaza and the West Bank is another cause of economic decline in Palestinian areas. Increased factional and clan violence, which especially in the Gaza Strip has become part of Palestinian life, interferes with normal business activity and discourages private investment.

Journalists who blame economic hardships in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on a nonexistent "cut-off" of international aid mislead the public, and miss out on reporting the actual causes of the recent crisis: the election of a Palestinian government that refuses to recognize—and launches attacks against—its neighbor and largest trading partner; repeated Palestinan attacks on crossing points that are vital to the Palestinian economy; and intra-Palestinian violence bordering on civil war.

Camera

Egyptian Blogger Jailed For Insulting Islam

An Alexandria court convicted an Egyptian blogger on Thursday for insulting both Islam and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and sentenced him to four years in jail over his writings on the Internet.

Abdel Karim Suleiman, a 22-year-old former law student who has been in custody since November, was the first blogger to stand trial in Egypt for his Internet writings. He was convicted in connection with eight articles he wrote since 2004.

Rights groups and opposition bloggers have watched Suleiman's case closely, and said they feared a conviction could set a legal precedent limiting Internet freedom in Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country.

The London-based rights group Amnesty International said in a statement: "This is yet another slap in the face of freedom of expression in Egypt." The group considers Suleiman to be a prisoner of conscience, jailed solely for peacefully expressing his opinion, the statement added.

The Paris-based press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders said the sentence was "a disgrace" and the United Nations should respond by disqualifying Egypt from hosting an Internet Governance Forum in 2009.

"It is time the international community took a stand on Egypt's repeated violations of press freedom and the rights of Internet users," a statement added.

Major forum

A fellow blogger who runs the "Rantings of a Sandmonkey" blog said: "It's a dangerous precedent because it will impact the only free space available now, which is the Internet. The charges were undefined and vague."

"Tell me. What does insulting the president mean? What is the difference between criticising religion and being in contempt of religion?" he added, asking to remain anonymous.

The Internet has emerged as a major forum for critics of the Egyptian government to express their views in a country where the states runs large newspapers and main television stations.

While Suleiman was the first blogger to go on trial for the content of his writings, other opposition bloggers have been arrested periodically during street protests and then held for weeks or months before being released.

Suleiman, a Muslim and a liberal, has not denied writing the articles but said they merely represented his own views. His lawyers said they planned to appeal the verdict, and one member of the defense team described the trial as unfair.

One of Suleiman's articles said that al-Azhar in Cairo, one of the most prominent seats of Sunni Muslim learning, was promoting extreme ideas. Another article, headlined "The Naked Truth of Islam as I Saw it," accused Muslims of savagery during clashes between Muslims and Christians in Alexandria in 2005.

He has also described some of the companions of the Muslim prophet Mohammad as "terrorists," and has likened Mubarak to dictatorial pharaohs who ruled ancient Egypt.

"I was hoping that he would get a harsher sentence because he presented to the world a bad image of Egypt. There are things that one should not talk about, like religion and politics. He should have got a 10-year sentence," said lawyer Nizar Habib, who attended the trial as a member of the public.

Y Net News

Israeli Mines Copper To Keep Bacteria Away

To accomplish goals as diverse as preventing the transmission of the avian flu virus to curing athlete's foot, Cupron, a small American company with a research base in Israel, has developed a valuable new technology out of a very old element - copper oxide.

Copper's anti-microbial properties have been known for more than 5,000 years. Ancient Egyptians used copper pipes to transport water safe of parasites; shipbuilders used copper to keep algae from encrusting ships, and French vintners use copper to fight fungus on grapevines.

Cupron decided to take the uses one step further and introduce copper into clothing and textiles, that, according to the company, will lead to healthier living.

"My dream was to develop a self-sterilizing textile," says Jeffrey Gabbay, founder and CEO of the company, who has a background in textile and chemical engineering. He and his researchers have put together what is considered to be the widest spectrum anti-microbial technology known today. Based on copper oxides, Cupron's state-of-the-art technology is incorporated into special yarns and fibers that present antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal properties.

"Copper oxide is a very active compound," Gabbay told ISRAEL21c. "It is very hard to work with. Most people work with elemental silver as it is effective against bacteria and easy to work with. The problem is that silver oxidizes and it has little effect on odor and viruses. Copper oxide is extremely effective in these fields. We invested in copper and have made it easy to work with."

Cupron's manufacturing technology binds its proprietary copper compound to textile fibers, non-woven fabrics, paper, latex and other polymeric products. The range of products that stand to benefit from the technology include healthcare textiles (curtains, gowns, uniforms, towels, catheters, gloves and gauze), anti-microbial air filters, anti-dust mite mattress covers (which reduce mite-related allergies), and warfare protective clothing, among others.

The research and development component for this project was launched 10 years ago in Israel. Today, there is a small 500-square-meter research plant in the city of Beit Shemesh, just outside of Jerusalem, and a main office in North Carolina. The company also has agents in England, Germany, Italy, France, and Turkey.

"We want to be a North American company, a European company and an Asian company," says Gabbay. Cupron sends its chemistry innovations to an associate partner in Georgia and from there the chemistry is shipped to polyester manufacturers.

"We don't need to own a factory," explains the American-Israeli who splits his time between Jerusalem and Greensboro. "There is so much production out there. We will supply a lot of jobs to the industry but don't actually need a big factory. You could say we jumped on a moving train."

Earlier this year Gloves2Go, a specialty glove manufacturer in the US, announced cooperation with Cupron. "Gloves, incorporating the Cupron technology, will alter the safety conscious landscape in food handling, food processing, and healthcare," said Joseph D. McGarry, President and CEO of Gloves2Go and a 30-year healthcare industry executive, in a press release.

"We thought our gloves were novel to the market until we learned about the Cupron technology. It's far superior to anything out there including ours. Consumers are inundated with antibacterial and antimicrobial products, but the new gloves offer special antiviral efficacy in the face of the avian flu scare and other viral contaminations," said McGarry.

He was not the only one impressed with Cupron's technologies. Gabbay interrupts the interview to joyfully point out that Cupron just received notice that it is the recipient of this year's Frost & Sullivan Best Practices award for technological innovations in an industry.

"It's a nice thing to get the acknowledgment," says Gabbay. "We know we're the innovators of the year. Our hope now is to have an impact on both the textiles and the health-care industry. It is gratifying to know that we have contributed to solving the conundrum of anti-microbial activity in textiles."

Cupron is also working with Renfro Corporation, one of the US's largest manufacturers of socks, to offer products containing copper oxide. "We have socks that can cure athlete's foot," says Gabbay, who is fluent in Arabic, Hebrew, Italian and English. "The US Marines already use them. Because soldiers in combat may not be able to change their socks, socks with copper oxide help them avoid or cure athlete's foot."

Cupron also has 'medical socks' which can aid millions of diabetics who often develop foot infections as a result of their disease. "Diabetics have problems with their feet. If they wear our socks, we will assist in making sure the infections don't occur and in case of existing wounds, we will promote their healing," he says.

Cupron is especially interested in helping the health services industry. Gabbay says they have developed surgical masks that look like the disposable ones but have active ingredients that offer preventative measures against SARS, avian flu, and other viruses. "If and when the virus enters the mask, our mask will deactivate the virus," he says.

The copper-impregnated fibers and polyester products are also used in bed sheets, pillow covers, and gowns and could reduce the high rate of deadly infections. The Herzog Hospital in Jerusalem is now preparing to test Cupron treated fabrics.

The New York Times has reported that as many as 100,000 patients die in American hospitals each year as a result of such infections. Hospitals in the UK, Ireland and elsewhere are experiencing the same crisis.

"We believe we're going to impact hospital-acquired infections. We have identified what we believe to be an important method of transmission of bacteria," says Gabbay. "When sheets and pillowcases are changed in hospitals there are 60 times more bacteria in the air than you have at home.

"Copper oxide shortens the life of germs, viruses, fungi and dust mites, and it inhibits their reproduction. This could make a real impact in reversing the current health crisis - the unacceptably high number of patients who die or suffer lasting injury because of infections contracted in hospitals."

Cupron has its own viral labs in Rehovot where testing is done. The National Institutes of Health (in the US) has also tested its data. Yet even with positive results, Cupron is finding it difficult to persuade health officials that it knows what it's doing. "We are now working on finding ways to protect people from the avian virus through prevention," says Gabbay. "But people don't believe what they're seeing."

He notes that some of Cupron's future offerings could include treated underwear that would help women avoid yeast infections, bristles for toothbrushes, diapers to avoid diaper rash, filters for the machines that pump blood during heart operations, and filters for the ventilation systems in airplanes and buildings where air laden with germs and viruses are re-circulated.

Gabbay points out that copper oxide helps with skin renewal. He says someone who sleeps on a copper-impregnated pillowcase can "reduce wrinkles and get rid of crow's feet." Cupron is currently in talks with three leading cosmetic companies to commercialize its products.

Moreover, Cupron is a "green" company, meaning it recycles all of its water, chemistry and waste products. "We are committed to improving the quality of life of people all over the world," says Gabbay.

"Our goal is to save lives. That's really what we're about," he concludes. "We are going to make people's quality of life better."

Israel 21st Century

Equal Number Jews, Arabs In Jerusalem

If there is no change in the reproduction rate among Jerusalem residents, by 2035 there will be an equal number of Arabs and Jews residing in the capital, a study by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies has found.

The institute will present the data Thursday at the opening ceremony of a lecture series to mark 40 years to the reunification of Jerusalem.

The data attained by Ynet reveals that the reproductive rate of the capital’s Arab population is double that of the Jewish population.

According to the study, 720,000 people lived in Jerusalem, of which 66 percent were Jewish (475,000) and 34 percent (245,000) were Arab.

By the year 2020, the gap is expected to narrow, with Jerusalem population expected to be 60 percent Jewish and 40 percent Arab.
Since 1967, when Jerusalem numbered 266,000 residents, its population has grown rapidly, although over the past four decades the Arab population has increased at a higher rate than the Jewish population.

Since the Six Day War, when there were 197,000 Jews in the capital, the population increased at a rate of 140 percent per year to reach 495,000. In comparison, the Arab population grew at a rate of 257 percent per year, from 68,000 in 1967 to 244,000 in 2005.

“If these trends continue, we’ll reach a situation in which the Arab population outnumbers the Jewish population,” Dr. Maya Choshen, a researcher at the institute, told Ynet.

“The separation barrier being built around Jerusalem is hastening the growth rate of Arabs in the city because many that are afraid of losing their civilian rights move to the Arab neighborhoods. There are a few possible options to prevent the process – like for example increasing the attractivity of Jerusalem through development, or even separating from a number of the city’s neighborhoods,” Choshen said.

The institute stressed that the data challenges Israel’s declared state policy since the city’s reunification to maintain a Jewish majority in Jerusalem.

Y Net News

Good Terrorists, Bad Terrorists

A sparkling afternoon on the White House lawn; the Jewish celebrity world was there, side-by-side with their Muslim cousins. The Israeli prime minister, a war hero, was shaking hands with one of the most despicable mass murderers of modern time, the man who ordered the torture, mutilation, and killing of hundreds of Israelis, as well as Americans (including soldiers and diplomats), Europeans, Canadians, etc. But this mass murderer had reformed; he now wanted peace. And we believed it.

For the next seven years, the fraud continued unabated - the PLO and its leadership encouraging and committing mass murder of Jews while preaching peace and brotherhood on CNN. And we believed it, shielding our eyes from the brightness of the exploding buses and baby strollers. We went a step further than just believing - thinking that life must resemble theater, we created "good guys" from the murderers, hard though that may be, to distinguish from the "bad guys", believing the truism of the modern world that they can't be all bad.

So, no matter what the "bad guys" did, we had to keep talking to the "good guys". And the stories would have been comical, if they were not so tragic. One "good guy" ordered a suicide bus bombing from his cellphone in Bill Clinton's White House oval office (and you thought Monica was the worst thing to happen there). The Israeli prime minister met with the PLO leadership while their subordinates were committing two suicide bombings at the exact same time. And the stories go on and on.

In September 2000, the good guy terrorists and the bad guy terrorists attacked in an all-out war against Israel and the Jewish people; and I thought the world, or at least the Jewish world, recognized there was no distinction among the terrorists - the destruction of Israel is their joint goal.

After five years of unabated mass murder and over 1,000 deaths, we still fall for the longest running joke in the Middle East: the good guys of Mahmoud Abbas and the bad guys of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The Israeli prime minister meets with Abbas and raises the flag of murder in Jerusalem. The US secretary of state calls for the renewal of meetings with this PA charlatan. And the Jewish leadership, led by Peace Now and the Policy Forum, are already clamoring for "final-stage negotiations" with another Holocaust denier who dreams about the end of Israel (and another Holocaust).

Now that the cataracts have been removed from our eyes, let us review what we see:

1. The PLO, led by Mahmoud Abbas, is directly responsible for numerous acts of mass murder and the importing of thousands of weapons, some of mass destruction;

2. The PLO, led by Mahmoud Abbas, worked and frequently works side-by-side with the "bad guys" in committing these murderous acts;

3. The PLO, led by Mahmoud Abbas, wants the destruction of Israel and the genocide of the Jewish people just as much as the "bad guys" do;

4. The PLO, led by Mahmoud Abbas, was directly responsible for the murder of US diplomats and soldiers;

5. The PLO, led by Mahmoud Abbas, celebrated and supported the Hizbullah forces and victory just as much as their brethren on the "bad guy" side;

6. The PLO, led by Mahmoud Abbas, has supported the murder of US soldiers in Iraq and gave full support to its mentor, Saddam Hussein;

7. It is only because of the game Arafat played and Abbas now plays with and on the West that resulted in Arafat receiving billions of dollars of support from the US and Europe, and will now allow Abbas to start receiving comparable sums as long as Abbas does not use Ahmadinejad's language of Holocaust and genocide;

8. According to a recent poll, fully two-thirds of Palestinians continue to see violence against Israel as a justified act of "resistance".

And just last week, after nine months of relative calm (i.e., no successful suicide bombings, just dozens of rockets, mortars and shootings), came the first-ever suicide bombing in Eilat, an (until now) oasis of calm in the Israeli storm. Consider the following press report of the attack:

"A Palestinian suicide bomber killed three Israelis at a bakery yesterday in the first such attack inside the country in nine months, and the two radical groups that claimed to have sent him said they were trying to end weeks of Palestinian infighting by taking aim at Israel instead."

Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aksa Martyrs' Brigades claimed joint responsibility. This time, the United States government did not single out a particular Palestinian terror group for responsibility in the attack. For the first time in recent memory, the US held the entire Palestinian Authority government responsible, primarily because the Palestinians loyal to Mahmoud Abbas, the chairman of the PA and the head of the Fatah organization, took credit for the murders in Eilat. Indeed, the official evening television newscast of the PBC, the Palestinian Broadcast Corporation, owned and operated by the PA, announced that the Fatah shared credit for the attack - even though the official Israeli government TV Channel One newscast announced that these were "graduates" of the Fatah, hinting that Abbas could not have been responsible for the attack.

Let's take a test - I'll quote a Palestinian leader and you'll tell me - moderate or radical?

"These weapons liberated the land, and by these weapons we will continue the liberation process."

"Radical" Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

"We plan to eliminate the state of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian state. We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion.... We Palestinians will take over everything, including all of Jerusalem."

"Moderate leader" Yasser Arafat.

"Peace for us means the destruction of Israel. We are preparing for an all-out war, a war which will last for generations."

Again, "moderate leader" Yasser Arafat.

"With the will and determination of its sons, Fatah will continue. We will not give up our principles and we have said that rifles should be directed against the occupation."

"We have a legitimate right to direct our guns against Israeli occupation."

Radical? Nope. That was our "moderate" partner, Mr. Abbas.

It's time to open our eyes and realize that Abbas and his cohorts in Fatah and the PLO or PA are evil, even on a relative scale; unfortunately, there is no one on the Palestinian side to talk to. In fact, Abbas's position concerning Israel cannot change, given the nature of the society over which he presides.

It is a society that fails to discipline its people after they decapitate an Israeli reservist and use his head as a soccer ball, that routinely allows alleged Israeli "collaborators" to be dragged from their homes and shot in front of their families, that throws candies into the air to celebrate the murder of Israeli civilians, that mourns the death of the Butcher of Baghdad, and that extols the virtues of "martyrdom" in its classrooms, marketplaces, children's video games, essay contests, summer camps and on its billboards. It is a society that has a serious pathological problem that cannot be rectified through negotiations and roundtable discussions.

Under such conditions, there cannot be anyone to talk to on the Palestinian side and will not be until the Palestinians expunge all of this from their society. It will take years; it may take even longer.

It is time to wake up, my friends, and think about those things we hold dear - our people, our values, our religion, our state - and protect them.

Israel National News

First Step In Network Protection - Israel's Insightix

Network Access Control (NAC), the holy grail of network security, has become a hot topic. Laptops - easily plugged in at home, at the airport, in a hotel - are a boon for business. The downside of increased mobility and the fanning out of the workplace, however, is that it increases the vulnerability of an organization's network to unauthorized access. The result: viruses, worms, and malicious attacks.

The market for NAC is expected to soar to $3.9 billion by 2008. But in an industry led by NAC firms such as Cisco, Juniper, and Symantec, a nimble Israeli company, Insightix, has leapfrogged over some major contenders to earn the Frost & Sullivan World Network Access Control (NAC) Best Value Award, for a security product it launched just six months ago.

Insightix NAC provides a complete inventory of all computer devices connected to a network. Because of its on-going monitoring feature, the product detects changes in inventory as they occur. Quality and cost were reasons cited by Frost & Sullivan, a highly regarded analysis firm that provides global consulting and research services, in its choice of Insightix NAC.

"Insightix delivers technologically solid solutions at an attractive price. (It) allows organizations to implement a fully operational NAC solution with their existing network gear (and) simplifies a great deal of the implementation challenges," reported Frost & Sullivan research analyst Robert Ayoub.

Ofir Arkin, the CTO and co-founder of Insightix, says that NAC is an essential first step in protecting computer networks.

"The laptop of a sales manager reconnecting to the network after a business trip or the unknown laptop of an outside consultant connecting to the network exposes a company or any organization to serious vulnerabilities if unchecked," he told ISRAEL21c. "Every business or organization needs to safeguard access to its information network, and its contents."

Insightix's founder is an internationally recognized expert on NAC, and is a frequent speaker at security conferences. A respected maverick, Arkin stirred up the industry at a conference in August, where he challenged existing assumptions about NAC as defined by some of the large vendors, and showed that present solutions are by-passable, and do not provide 100% coverage.

Arkin will be speaking on the topic again at the OSSIR in Paris in February, at Infosec World Conference & Expo 2007, in Orlando, Florida in March, and at the SchmooCon in Washington, DC also in March.

Before co-founding Insightix, Arkin was a consultant on security matters to numerous multinational companies in the financial, telecom, and pharmaceutical markets. He was recently elected to the board of directors of the Voice over IP Security Alliance (VoIPSA).

"I became interested in computers at the age of 12." Arkin said. "While some kids would rip up a car to find out how it works, I wanted to know how a computer works." Arkin says that he still likes to play with the technology and to figure out ways to innovate the products.

While studying computer science at the University of Haifa, he began working for a software company that specialized in security, and was on a team that consulted on security for a major bank in Switzerland.

Later, working for a consulting firm in England, Arkin recognized the need for a comprehensive system to track every device on a network - desktop computers, routers, switches, servers.

"Knowing what is on your network is the essential starting point for any IT (Information Technology) security initiative," he says. "Many organizations work in the dark."

Arkin and Lior Tal, an entrepreneur in IT security, co-founded Insightix in 2004. The company's investors include Nasdaq-traded Quest Software, several technology veterans, and Blumberg Capital. Its advisory board includes industry leaders from IBM, Computer Associates, Citrix, Check Point, RSA, Comverse, ECI Telecom and AudioCodes. Insightix Discovery was launched at the beginning of 2006, based on Arkin's 10 years in security research.

According to Tony Marquez, the manager of technical services at the Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, NJ., with branches, clinics and labs in six other cities, the installation of Insightix NAC has made a big difference to the hospital's ability to keep track of its complicated computer system.

"Unknown laps and wireless access points, especially in our remote locations, are no longer beyond our visibility and control," Marquez told ISRAEL21c.

"Many companies still go from room to room to count devices," said Tony Miller, Insightix's marketing director. "It is easy to miss a device. Missing just one device exposes a company to vulnerabilities."

Insightix uses an intelligent combination of active and passive discovery techniques to achieve a complete inventory of all computer devices connected to the network.

"Discovery systems that use only active methods that scan periodically can miss a device that is not plugged in at the time of the scan," Miller explained. "Another problem with active scans is they are based on sending out packets which slow down performance of the network and are often dropped by any firewalled-protected device. The unique system Ofir developed overcomes these problems. It identifies every device connected to a network in real-time."

"We needed a product that showed real-time traffic analysis. Insightix automatically goes out and discovers your entire network," said Erik Tebelak, director of information technology for MobiTV, the first mobile TV and digital radio provider, with over a million subscribers. "Plus, it is inexpensive compared to other systems."

"Once we had a good Discovery System to identify all devices on a network, our customers urged us to develop a NAC solution to control network access," said Arkin. "It was a natural evolution."

Insightix's NAC ensures that only authorized and compliant devices are allowed to operate on the network. The company's unique Quarantine Silo technology is the first line of defense against rogue devices that try to connect to the network. Each device is put in isolated quarantine, shielded from other devices in quarantine that might infect it, while it goes through compliance checks, such as making sure anti-virus software is installed and running. A computer cannot interact with another device in quarantine or access any part of the network while it is in isolation. Competitive products do not have isolated quarantine.

"Insightix NAC performs continuous network monitoring to make certain that the endpoint stays compliant throughout its operation," said the Frost & Sullivan citation.

Summing up the advantages of the system, Miller says: "The customer does not have to buy expensive new hardware or software; it requires no software agents, and it can be installed in a matter of hours. We are changing the assumption in the market that for a good NAC solution, you need a 'rip and replace' approach."

Insightix's line up of satisfied customers already includes banks, insurance companies, and health care organizations in the US, Europe, and Asia. "We are getting very good feedback," said Miller.

"A customer in Singapore was amazed that the system was installed in two to three hours," said Miller. "They joked that they were able to install and evaluate the system before other vendors were able to send them proposals."

Israel 21st Century

Western Wall Is Muslim

"The Western Wall - on all its various parts, structures and gates, and all the names these parts, structures and gates are called – is an inseparable part of the al-Aqsa compound," declared Islamist leader Sheikhh Raed Salah.

The Western Wall "is part of Al-Aqsa's western tower, which the Israeli establishment fallaciously and sneakily calls the 'Wailing Wall'. The wall is part of the holy al-Aqsa Mosque," added Salah, who heads the northern faction of the Islamic Movement in Israel.

However these statements were not made recently. Rather, they were made at a time when then Prime Minister Ehud Barak was sitting in a room at Camp David, trying to forge a peace agreement with Yasser Arafat's Palestinian government. But Salah still stands firmly behind them and they can be found on the Islamic Movement's website.

Those who believe in Jewish link to wall - traitors'

Two key issues have come into light following the recent events in Jerusalem, and Israelis will likely not be pleased with either: The first – Salah is establishing his position as a known Muslim leader struggling for the al-Aqsa Mosque (he is now known as the Sheikh of al-Aqsa).

The second – moving even the smallest pebble in the larger Temple Mount area will draw similar reactions, even if it is minor repair work to the Western Wall visitor's site. These works will again bring to confrontations born out of a claim that "Israel is harming the Temple Mount and desecrating a place holy to Muslims."

The reinforcement work to save the collapsing Mugrabi Gate walkway outside the Temple Mount was certainly not seen as such by the Islamic Movement in Israel and Salah immediately arrived at the scene to proclaim the project part of a wide-reaching Israeli plot to destroy the mosque.

According to Salah's sermons, which can be found on his group's websites, Jews have absolutely no connection to the 'al-Buraq Wall', the name given by Muslims to the site."The Mugrabi Gate is part of the western wall of al-Aqsa," says Salah in a sermon number 32, which can be found on his websites dedicated to his organization.

Salah also slams the notion of allowing Israel sovereignty over the Western Wall in exchange of Muslim sovereignty over the Temple Mount, accusing all those who would consider allowing Jews access to the Western Wall traitors.

"He who says that the Jews or the Israeli establishment has any right to al-Aqsa, even to just one stone - this is an abominable attack, a falsehood, completely baseless," says Salah, "he among Palestinians, Arabs or Muslims who accepts this, is a traitor to Allah and his prophet."

Not only the Western Wall is Muslim

But the current controversy is not the only such one, Salah and his followers launched a campaign last year against the construction of the 'Museum of Tolerance' in Jerusalem, saying it was being built on Muslim graveyard or any number of places in Safed or Yafo, where according to the Islamic Movement 'Jewish' buildings were constructed on the ruins of Muslim holy places.

Since his release from prison two years ago Sheikh Salah has been steadily building a name for himself as a leader for all Muslims, this despite the fact that he lives in Israel. By focusing on social issues he has won over people from the bottom up, though his followers say his humbleness, manners and simple attire also helped establish his persona as a leader. He is a daily newsmaker in the Arab media and for now, his star seems to only be rising.

Y Net News

The Rapture And Glorious Appearing Of Jesus Christ

The New Testament clearly teaches that Jesus Christ will "come again" (John 14:1-3) and "appear the second time" (Hebrews 9:38). At least nine biblical terms are used in the New Testament to describe the return of Christ.[1]

1. Ho erchomenos. "The coming one," as in Hebrews 10:37, "For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come."

2. Erchomai. The act of coming. Used often of Christ's return. Cf. Matthew 24:30; John 14:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:10; Jude 14; Revelation 1:7; 22:20.

3. Katabaino. To "come down" or descend, as in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout."

4. Heko. Result of one's coming, to have "arrived," as in Revelation 3:3, "I will come as a thief."

5. Parousia. Denotes arrival and presence (of a ruler), as in 1 Thessalonians 2:19, "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?"

6. Apokalupsis. Meaning to "unveil" or "uncover." Rendered "appearing" (1 Peter 1:7) or "coming" (1 Corinthians 1:7) or "revelation" (Revelation 1:1). Involves the unveiling of His divine glory.

7. Phaneroo. To "appear" (John 21:1) or be "manifest" (1 John 3:5). As in 1 John 3:2, "It is not yet made manifest what we shall be. but we know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is."

8. Epiphaino. To "appear" in full light or visibility. Denotes the "brightness" of His coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8) and the glory of "that day... unto all them that love his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8).

9. Horao. To "see with the eyes," or to "appear" visibly, as in Hebrews 9:28, "and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time."

NATURE OF HIS COMING

The Bible predicts the literal personal return of Jesus Christ to rapture His church, to judge the world and to establish His Kingdom on earth. At times this is described as one grand event. At other times it is clearly divided into separate phases.

1. Personal. The intensive pronoun "himself" means the Lord and no other, as in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven."

2. Literal. He will return as He ascended literally. Acts 1:11 promises: "This same Jesus, who is taken up from you, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven." Revelation 1:7 promises that "every eye shall see him."

3. Glorious. He will return in the glory of His deity. Matthew 16:27, "in the glory
of his Father." Matthew 25:31, "in his glory." Matthew 24:30, "...great glory."

4. Powerful. Jesus will return in the "glory of his power" (2 Thessalonians 1:9). He will employ angels of power (1:7) to establish His Kingdom on earth as He comes with His angelic heavenly escort (Matthew 25:31).

TIME OF HIS COMING

Most evangelicals agree as to the nature of Christ's return, but there is substantial disagreement on the time of His coming. Notice these key aspects of the time of our Lord's return:

1. Future. The entire emphasis of the New Testament points to a future return of Christ. He promised "I will come again" (John 14:3). The angels promised He would return (Acts 1:11). The apostles taught the certainty of His future return (Philippians 3:20; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 3:3-8; 1 John 3:2-3).

2. Progressive. The present tense of "cometh" in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 indicates that He is in the process of coming again, marking the steady, uninterrupted movement of time toward that certain day. Hebrews 10:37, "For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry."

3. Imminent. The return of Christ is always described as potentially imminent or "at hand" (Revelation 1:3; 22:10). Every generation of believers is warned to be ready for His coming. Luke 12:40, "be... ready also: for the Son of Man comes at an hour you think not." Believers are constantly urged to look for the coming of the Lord (see Philippians 3:20; Hebrews 9:28; Titus 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:6).

4. Distant. From God's perspective, Jesus is coming at any moment. But from the human perspective it has already been nearly 2,000 years. Jesus hinted at this in the Olivet Discourse in the illustration of the man who traveled into a "far country" (heaven) and was gone "a long time" (Matthew 25:19). Peter also implies this in his prediction that men will begin to scoff at the second coming after a long period of time (2 Peter 3:8-9).

5. Undated. While the Rapture is the next major event on the prophetic calendar, it is undated as is the glorious appearing of Christ. Jesus said: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, not even the angels of heaven" (Matthew 24:36). Later he added: "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons" (Acts 1:7).

6. Unexpected. The mass of humanity will not be looking for Christ when He returns (Matthew 24:50; Luke 21:35). They will be saying, "peace and safety," when caught unprepared by His return. So unexpected will be His return that, "as a snare shall it come upon them that dwell on the whole face of the earth" (Luke 21:35).

7. Sudden. The Bible warns that Jesus will come "as a thief in the night (and) then sudden destruction" will come upon the unbelieving world (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3). His return for the Bride will occur in a flash: "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye... for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead (believers) shall be raised incorruptible, and we (living believers) shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:52).

TWO ASPECTS OF HIS COMING

The Second Coming of Christ is a series of events fulfilling all end-time prophecies. These include predictions of Christ's coming for His Church and with His Church. Pretribulationalists generally divide the Second Coming into two main phases: the Rapture of the Church and the Glorious Appearing of Christ.

The Rapture (or translation) of the Church is often paralleled to the "raptures" of Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:12) or the ascension of Christ (Acts 1:9), all of whom were "taken up" into heaven. The Bible clearly states: For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up (Greek, harpazo) with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, italics added).

The hope of the Church is the Rapture. She awaits the Savior who is coming for His bride. The Church does not await the destruction of the world as unbelievers do, she awaits a Person. Peter explains that the present world is "reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men (2 Peter 3:7, italics added). While the Church is warned to prepare for suffering and persecution throughout the Church Age, she is not as the object of God's final wrath.

The Church is promised that the "coming of the Lord" will result in her being "gathered together" (Greek, episunagoges) into him" (2 Thessalonians 2: 1).[2] It is this promise of the Rapture, not the Wrath, that is in view in Revelation 3:10, "I will keep you from (Greek, ek "out of") the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world." Notice that the Church is to be kept from not through, the hour of tribulation. We are to wait for Jesus to come from heaven to "deliver us form the wrath to come" (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

The Rapture will take up those who have died in Christ over the centuries and those believers who are alive when He returns. This will occur in the future. Jesus said: "A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out" (John 5:28). Believers are pictured as being raised to life (first resurrection) to reign with Christ a thousand years (Revelation 20:4-5).

There can be no doubt that the Bible teaches a Rapture ("caught up," or "gathering together") of the Church. Amillennialists and Post-millennialists miss this point altogether. There will be a Rapture, or 1 and 2 Thessalonians need to be removed from the New Testament! The only real question is when will it occur?

THE ORDER OF THE RAPTURE

By combining John 14:13, I Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, Tim LaHaye suggests the following sequence of events:[3]

1. Jesus Christ descends from heaven (John 14:1-3; I Thess. 4:16).

2. He comes to receive us (church) unto Himself (John 14:13).

3. He comes in the "twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor. 15:52) with a shout and the trumpet call of God (1 Thess. 4:16).

4. He resurrects those believers who have "fallen asleep" in death (1 Thess. 4:14- 15).

5. Those who are alive at that time will be "caught up" (Rapture) with the resurrected Church in the clouds (1 Thess. 4:17; 1 Cor. 15:51-53).

The Rapture will be followed by:

1. Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:20; 1 Cor. 3:11-15; 2 Cor. 5:10) and 2. Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-9).

These two events precede the return of Christ in power and glory at Armageddon (Rev. 19:11-21).

CONTRAST BETWEEN THE RAPTURE AND GLORIOUS APPEARING

RAPTURE GLORIOUS APPEARING

1. Christ comes for His own (John 1. Christ comes with His own

14:3;IThess. 14:17;2Thess.2:1). (1 Thess. 3:13; Jude 14; Rev. 19:14).


2. He comes in the air (1 Thess. 4:17) 2. He comes to the earth
Zech. 14:4; Acts1:11).

3. He claims His bride 3. He comes with His bride
(Rev. 19:6-14).

4. Removal of believers (1 Thess 4:17). 4. Manifestation of Christ (Mal. 4:2).

5. Only His own see Him 5. Every eye shall see Him
(1 Thess. 4:13-18) (Rev. 1:7).

6. Tribulation begins. 6. Millennial Kingdom begins.

7. Saved are delivered from wrath 7. Unsaved experience the wrath of God (1 Thess. 1:10; 5-9) (Rev. 6:12-17).

8. No signs precede Rapture 8. Signs precede glorious appearing
(1 Thess. 5:1-3). (Luke 21:11, 15).

9. Focus: Lord and Church 9. Focus: Israel and Kingdom (1 Thess. 4:13-18). (Matthew 24:14).

10. World is deceived. 10. Satan is bound (2 Thess. 2:3-12) (Rev. 20:1-2).

REASONS FOR A PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE

1. Christ promised to keep the Church from the Tribulation. In Revelation 3:10, the risen Christ said the Church would be kept from (Literally, "preserved" or "protected out of")the hour of trial, or divine retribution, that is coming on the whole world.

2. Tribulation judgments are the "wrath of the Lamb." Revelation 6:16 depicts the cataclysmic judgments of the end times as the wrath of Christ. Whereas, Revelation 19:7-9 depicts the Church as the bride of the Lamb. She is not the object of His wrath which is poured out on an unbelieving world.

3. Jesus told his disciples to pray they would escape the Tribulation. In Luke 21:36 He said: "Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen. Remember, even Lot was given a chance to escape Sodom before divine judgment fell.

4. His coming in the clouds means the Church's deliverance has come. Jesus told His disciples: "Lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:28). The hope of the Church is not in surviving the judgment of Tribulation, but escaping it.

5. God will call His ambassadors home before declaring war on the world. In 2 Corinthians 5:20, believers are called "Christ's Ambassadors" who appeal to the world to be reconciled to God before it is too late.

6. Moral restraint will disappear when the Church is taken home. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11 warns that after the "coming of the Lord" and "our being gathered to Him," the "man of lawlessness" (Antichrist) will emerge on the world scene. The Church's restraining ministry of "salt" and "light" will no longer hold back the tide of evil.

7. The Rapture will happen in the "twinkling of an eye." 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 promises that "in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye... the dead shall be raised imperishable and we (living at the Rapture) will be changed." This instantaneous disappearance will terminate the Church's earthly ministry.

8. The Rapture will take place in the air. Unlike the glorious appearing when Christ descends to earth, splits the Mount of Olives, overthrows Antichrist and binds Satan, the Rapture will occur when we are "caught up together... to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thess. 4:17).

9. Woman who suffers persecution during the Tribulation symbolizes Israel. This is a very important point. The woman who delivers the male child (Christ) represents the nation of Israel. Israel, not the Church, brought forth Christ, and He in turn, brought forth the Church. He is the founder of the Church, not its descendant. Therefore, the persecuted "saints" of the Tribulation are Jewish - the remnant of the woman's seed (Revelation 12:1-2, 5-6, 17).

10. Marriage of Christ (Lamb) and His Bride (Church) takes place before the Battle of Armageddon. The Bible describes the fall of "Babylon" (Kingdom of Antichrist) in Revelation 17-18. But before it tells of Christ's return to conquer the Antichrist, it tells us "the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready" (Rev. 19:7-8). This clearly indicates the Bride has been taken to heaven earlier and that she returns with Christ and the host of the "armies of heaven... dressed in fine linen, white and clean" (Rev. 19:8, 14).

1996 Pre-Trib Study Group Dr. Ed Hindson


END NOTES

[1] 1. See Herman A. Hoyt, The End Times (Chicago: Moody Press, 1969), pp. 63-65.

[2] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1931 reprint), Vol. IV, p. 47. He notes that episcunagoges is a late word found only in 2 Maccabees 2:7; 2 Thessalonians 2:1; Hebrews 10:25. It means "assembly" or "collection." Robertson notes that it refers to the rapture in 2 Thess. 2:1.

[3] Tim LaHaye, No Fear of the Storm (Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1992), pp. 28-31.

Land Owners Right To Defend Property With Force

A new draft bill proposing that land owners who take physical action to defend against intruders on their property not be subjectable to prosecution self-defense passed a first reading in the Knesset on Wednesday.

Inspired by the ordeal of a southern farmer who shot and killed Bedouin criminals he caught on his farm last month, former Agriculture Minister and Likud MK Yisrael Katz described his draft bill as "revolutionary."

"This is one of the most significant civil revolutions in years," Katz said of his bill which was passed by a 37-19 vote. The bill needs to pass second and third votes to become law.

Shai Dromi fired at Khaled al-Atrash and Ayoub al-Hawashleh who broke into his Negev farm in late January. Dromi was charged with manslaughter for the killing of al-Atrash.

Al-Hawashleh was injured and was indicted for attempted burglary upon recovering from his injuries.

The incident split the country into supporters and opponents of changing the laws to protect land owners by giving them legal protection should they choose to take physical action against intruders.

'Absurd'
Citing a similar law in the United States, farmers and other groups argue that such law will make burglars think twice before breaking into private property.

Civil rights group however say the bill will be interpreted as a "license to kill" by armed land owners and violates the legal rights of burglars whom they say should be tried in court instead of being executed at the scene of their crimes.

"The Knesset is telling citizens: we trust your judgment and allow you to protect yourselves from those who break into your homes," Katz said who collected the signature of 100 local authority leaders and mayors in favor of the bill.

"Under the current law, one can not really and practically defend his home," he said. "Even women who are attacked at home can not protect themselves automatically."

Although the government has yet to make clear its official position on the issue, the newly-appointed Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann criticized the state's failure in cracking down on crime and protecting its citizens.

"Israeli governments are not providing their citizens with the protection from criminals as they deserve," Friedmann said.

Minister-without-portfolio Yitzhak Cohen of Shas described the bill as absurd. "What happens if a hungry boy breaks into a bakery to eat bread? According to the law his sentence is death. That's absurd," he said.

Israel Insider

35 MKs Want Joseph's Tomb Reopened

Thirty-five MKs, including members of Kadima, Gil (Pensioners Party), Likud, Israel Beiteinu, United Torah Judaism and Shas, sent a letter to OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh asking to open Joseph's Tomb to Jewish visitors for prayer.

MK Uri Ariel (National Union-National Religious Party) is spearheading the parliamentarians' effort to renew the visits. All members of Ariel's party signed the letter to Naveh.

The tomb, located inside Nablus, was abandoned in September 2000 at the beginning of the second intifada at the behest of then prime minister Ehud Barak. Palestinians destroyed the Torah scroll, holy books and other Judaica on the premises.

In May 2002, as part of Operation Defense Shield, the tomb was recaptured, and shortly afterwards in response to numerous requests the IDF renewed guarded tours of the tomb.

One day every month at midnight as many as 800 visitors were allowed to pray at the gravesite. These visits were designed to prevent unauthorized and unprotected clandestine visits, mainly by Breslav Hassidim.

However, for the last three years due to security concerns, Naveh discontinued the visits to the tomb.

Signatories include MK Moshe Sharoni, chairman of the Pensioners Party, presidential candidate MK Reuven Rivlin (Likud), all members of United Torah Judaism except Ya'acov Litzman and five members of Shas.

Jerusalem Post

Syria: We Have Missing Israeli

A Syrian organization has claimed that they are holding Guy Hever, the IDF soldier who disappeared some 10 years ago in the Golan Heights, it was reported on Tuesday evening.

The organization, which calls itself "The Resistance Committees for the Release of the Golan Heights," published an announcement that read, "Don't think millions of your dollars will return the soldier who went missing in the Golan. You know very well how to get him back," according to the report on the Ynet Web site.

The group reportedly demanded the release of nine Syrian prisoners who are currently in Israeli jails in exchange for the missing soldier.

Following the release of the report, Hever's mother, Rina, said that it only reiterated her absolute certainty that her son was, and always has been held by the Syrians.

"I always said that [Syria] is where he is, and no one listened to me," she told Army Radio.

Army officials said that this was not the first time that an organization has claimed to have Hever in its custody, but nonetheless, the military was investigating the latest claim.

Hever was last seen in the Golan Heights in August of 1997.

Jerusalem Post

Telling Friend From Foe

One of the most difficult things in life is to draw the line between friend and foe. Take the Palestinian terror groups.

Last week in Mecca, the Fatah terror group, which mixes the murder of Israelis with negotiations with Israelis, officially joined forces with the Hamas terror group, which murders Israelis while refusing to negotiate with us.

Although the agreement makes it clear that both are at war with Israel, on Sunday the Olmert government decided to reserve judgment on the terror unity deal. And Monday morning Vice Premier Shimon Peres warned that saying bad things about the Mecca deal would only weaken Fatah terror boss Mahmoud Abbas, whom we should strengthen because he likes to negotiate while killing.

Given how hard it is for Israel to identify its Arab foes, it is little wonder that identifying Jewish foes is a near-Herculean task.

Last month the American Jewish Committee took an important first step in this direction by publishing a paper by Prof. Alvin Rosenfeld from the University of Indiana entitled, "'Progressive' Jewish Thought and the New Anti-Semitism." Explaining the difference between criticism of Israel and demonization of the Jewish state, Rosenfeld wrote, "To call Israel a Nazi state… as is commonly done today, or to accuse it of fostering South African-style apartheid or engaging in ethnic cleansing or wholesale genocide goes well beyond legitimate criticism." Rosenfeld noted that these descriptors of Israel, which aim to single out Israel "as a political entity unworthy of secure and sovereign existence" are today "part of a standard discourse among 'progressive' American Jews, who seem to take for granted that the historical record shows Israel to be an aggressor state guilty of sins comparable to Hendrik Verwoerd's South Africa and Hitler's Germany."

HAVING described the phenomenon, Rosenfeld proceeded to identify prominent American Jews, including New York University Prof. Tony Judt, playwright Tony Kushner, Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen, Noam Chomsky, and Adrienne Rich as leading Jewish lights in the leftist assault on the Jewish people's right to self-determination in our homeland.

Rosenfeld's paper evoked strong reactions in the American Jewish community. A New York Times write-up of the controversy entitled, "Essay Linking Liberal Jews and Anti-Semitism Sparks a Furor," described how the same "progressive" Jews and their supporters are up in arms over being painted as anti-Semites. Judt opined that the point of the article was to silence them.

This of course, is pure nonsense. All the Jews in America couldn't silence Judt and his colleagues even if they wished to. As anti-Israel Jews, they will never lack prestigious forums from which to propagate their hatred for Israel.

Far from seeking to silence these hostile Jewish voices, Rosenfeld's essay simply serves to draw lines between friend and foe where such lines are important. The views of Kushner, Judt and Cohen are no less anti-Jewish than similar statements by non-Jews.

Rosenfeld's efforts, while important, are insufficient. The likes of Judt and Kushner use their professed Jewishness as a tool to advance the cause of Israel's denunciation. Others hide behind protestations of Zionism to undermine Israel's right to defend itself against enemies actively working toward its destruction.

CASE IN point is the Union of Progressive Zionists. The UPZ is the US campus representative of the Labor and Meretz parties as well as of Hashomer Hatzair and Habonim Dror. In its mission statement, the UPZ claims to be "a network of student activists organizing on campuses across North America for social justice and peace in Israel/Palestine. The UPZ was created to provide guidance, education and resources to students who seek to impart a progressive voice into the campus debate on Israel."

There is also UPZ's "progressiveness" to consider. Given that for four generations, American Jews tied their fortunes almost solely to the Left, expelling leftist groups from Jewish umbrella groups involves openly recognizing the painful fact that today the Left makes little place for the pro-Israel community in its ranks.

As Rosenfeld put it, "Because... the ideological package that informs progressive politics today links anti-Zionism to anti-capitalism, anti-imperialism, anti-globalization, anti-racism, etc., one is expected as a matter of course to be against Zionism." Or as he quotes political scientist Andrei Markovits, "If one is not at least a serious doubter of the legitimacy of the State of Israel… one runs the risk of being excluded from the entity called 'the left.'"

THE LEFT'S abandonment of Israel is compounded by the fact that the Palestinian jihad, which is rooted in a Palestinian rejection of the notion of coexisting with Israel, has rendered irrelevant the "progressive Zionist" goal of forcing Israel to withdraw its forces and citizens from Judea and Samaria in order to establish a Palestinian state in the areas, as well as in Gaza and eastern Jerusalem. Instead of accepting this paradigm-shattering truth, "progressive Zionists" have chosen the path of radicalization. Rather than calling on the Arabs to abandon jihad and accept Israel, they have turned to criminalizing Israel for defending itself from the jihadist forces bent on the wholesale slaughter of its citizens.

Like Israel, if American Jews are to have any chance of properly defending themselves, they must first openly identify the trends. As political loyalties and alliances shift, a small people like the Jews must be willing to distinguish friend from foe. This is true whether the friend or foe in question is an Arab or a Jew; a self-proclaimed progressive or a self-proclaimed conservative.

Jerusalem Poast

IDF Warns Of Tunnels In West Bank

With dozens of tunnels being dug across the Philadelphia Corridor -between the Gaza Strip and Egypt - an IDF officer has told The Jerusalem Post that he believes it is only a matter of time before Palestinians in the West Bank also begin using tunnels in attacks against Israel.

According to the officer, Maj. Eran Davidi, deputy commander of Sayeret Yahalom, the Engineering Corps's elite unit, Palestinians could begin digging tunnels under the West Bank security fence when it is completed since they will be cut off from Israel.

"At first it will start with criminal infiltrations and people looking for jobs," he said. "But like the southern border with Egypt, the terrorists will then begin to catch a ride on the back of the criminal infrastructure and will also use the tunnels."

Responsible for defusing bombs and mines and destroying tunnels, Sayeret Yahalom played a key role during the Lebanon war this past summer in tracking down and demolishing Hizbullah bunkers and command centers.

The unit has also operated extensively in the Gaza Strip. In the IDF's last operation there before the cease-fire went into effect in November, Sayeret Yahalom was behind the discovery and demolition of over a dozen tunnels in Rafah that were used to smuggle weapons in from Sinai.

Last week, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Chief Yuval Diskin said there were at least 10 tunnels being dug from Gaza into Israel intended to be used in attacks against Israeli targets, including IDF outposts. He said that there were dozens of tunnels being dug in Rafah that are used to smuggle weapons into Gaza from the Sinai Desert.

Davidi further revealed that the Palestinians had recently improved their defense systems around tunnels and that now almost every tunnel in the Gaza Strip was surrounded with booby-traps and explosive devices.

During the operation in Gaza in November, Yahalom discovered a massive tunnel being dug inside a chicken coop that was booby-trapped with explosives.

He also said that the explosives used by the Palestinians were supplied by Iran and Syria and were of high quality.

"We work under the assumption that almost every tunnel is surrounded with bombs and booby-traps," Davidi said.

Jerusalem Post

HAMAS WON THE JACKPOT

The unity agreement signed in Mecca last Thursday marked a major victory for Hamas. Khaled Mashaal and Ismail Haniyeh could not have hoped for a greater achievement.

Even amid the pressure exerted by the Suadi king, Hamas would not waver and came out stronger as far as the internal Palestinian arena is concerned, and much stronger in the eyes of the Arab world and the international community.

Hamas did not relinquish its rule or ideology, did not recognize Israel or renounce terror and did not agree to acknowledge past agreements with Israel. In return for this inflexible stance it received the unity government that it wanted so much.

Hamas sought a unity government to promote the lifting of the economic and political siege imposed on the Palestinians by the international community’s and end the infighting.

The organization wanted Fatah’s participation in the new government so as not to bear sole responsibility for the economic, social and political failures in the Authority and to gain the legitimacy to remain in power and continue instilling fundamental values in Palestinian society.

In Mecca Hamas won the jackpot. The agreement, along with millions of dollars from the Saudi king, will help Hamas recover from its economic crisis, strengthen its hold on government and arrive at the next elections in a position to win the presidency as well as the elections for the Legislative Council.

Nothing to lose

And what if the unity government collapses? Hamas still has nothing to lose. If the bogus partnership should fall apart - and this may happen rather quickly – the blame will fall on Fatah and Mahmoud Abbas, not only in the PA but in the entire Arab world as well.

Mecca’s sanctity, coupled with Saudi king’s efforts, was not enough to bridge the gap between Islamist Hamas and the nationalist Fatah organization. It was Abbas who eventually backed down when he agreed to establish a unity government before drafting its guidelines.

Abbas' body language on Thursday testified to the disagreements and to the fact that he understands that the Saudis and Hamas have trapped him.

The important question as far as Israel is concerned is whether the agreement would accelerate Gilad Shalit's return home. Abbas demanded his release as a condition, but it appears that as long as the government is not established, Hamas will continue to take advantage of Gilad Shalit as a bargaining chip in its battle against Fatah.

If the international community recognizes the new government – and this might definitely happen in light of the cracks in the Quartet's stance – Israel could find itself isolated in the face of the stance demanding that it negotiates with the Hamas-led government.

Expressions of unity and joy and an end to the street battles are expected in the Palestinian street in the coming days. But one must not be mistaken. The ideological differences have remained deep and wide as they were, and it is only a question of time before the clashes erupt once again. And have no illusions, even a unity government will not bring an end to terror and the launching of Qassam rockets.

Y Net News