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1. Retaliation: IDF Strikes Gaza Weapons Factory, Tunnels
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
Responding to a rocket attack on southern Israel on Wednesday, the Israeli air force struck deep in Gaza during the night.
The IAF targets included factories used in the production of arms near Khan Younis and two tunnels used for weapons smuggling. The tunnels were located in the south of the Gaza region, connecting the Hamas regime in the Palestinian Authority with the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. Hamas-controlled tunnels in Gaza are regularly used for smuggling weapons, rockets, arms components and the terrorists themselves, as well as merchandise and contraband.
The precision strikes were successful, according to IDF spokespersons, and the aircraft returned to their bases unharmed.
Hamas sources admitted that two tunnels were hit, but claimed that the IAF had bombed a military training facility, not a factory. According to Hamas, three people were wounded in the Israeli air strike.
An IDF spokesperson said, "The attack comes in response to rocket fire directed yesterday morning at Israel. The IDF will respond forcefully to any attempt to disrupt the calm situation in the south of the country."
Wednesday's rocket attack by PA terrorists targeted the western Negev. The rocket, most likely a shortrange Kassam, landed in an open field between two towns in the Sha'ar HaNegev region. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
In the past month alone, PA terrorists have launched approximately 15 rockets at Jewish communities, primarily in the western Negev.
2. Jerusalem Planning Over 5,000 New Arab Housing Units
by Gil Ronen
The Jerusalem Municipality is plowing ahead with plans for construction of more than 5,000 housing units in Arab neighborhoods. These include the following:
A master plan for the Tel Adasa neighborhood in northern Jerusalem, where 2,000 new housing units are planned. A master plan for the Arab a-Sawahara area for a new housing compound with 2,500 units that is currently being prepared for discussion at the local council and district council levels. A master plan for the Dir el-Amud and Al-Muntar areas in Beit Safafa in southeastern Jerusalem, currently in advanced planning stages. A construction plan for 172 housing units and public buildings at the Jabal Mukabar neighborhood, which has completed the mandatory waiting period and will soon come up for additional discussion and approval in the district council.
The municipality noted that it is also destroying illegal structures in the Arab sector. Three buildings were demolished Wednesday: a structure, 90 square meters in size, that was built on public land in Isawiya; a structure in Wadi Hilwah, also built on public land, sized 32 square meters; and three temporary structures in Silwan that served as pens for sheep and horses. All of the structures were razed after courts ordered them to be torn down.
Mayor Nir Barkat noted that the Jerusalem Municipality is acting to meet the demands of both Jewish and Arab residents for new housing on a basis of equality.
3. France: Jerusalem Neighborhood No Obstacle to Peace
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Wednesday that the new construction starts in Jerusalem's Jewish neighborhoods are not an obstacle to peace.
Earlier this week, the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee authorized the construction of 900 new housing units in Gilo. The Jerusalem neighborhood is located in the southeastern section of the capital.
"I understood that it was not a political decision. It need not be an obstacle to returning to [Israel-Palestinian Authorit negotiations," Kouchner explained following meetings with Israeli leaders. At the same time, he stated that "France is opposed in principle to construction in the settlements."
The position taken by Kouchner regarding the Gilo housing project is in opposition to that of the United States. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly had both earlier expressed the U.S. Administration's view that "these actions make it more difficult" to restart Israel-PA negotiations. Like the U.S., Saudi Arabia also called Jewish housing in Jerusalem a "major obstacle in the way of the peace process."
Israelis Are United on Jerusalem
Foreign Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman met with Kouchner in Jerusalem on Wednesday for talks on bilateral and regional issues, including those relating to Iran, Syria, Lebanon and the PA.
Regarding Gilo, Lieberman told Kouchner that the neighborhood is an integral part of Jerusalem and Israel. In that respect, he emphasized, it is identical to Tel Aviv and Herzliya. The Israeli government will not intervene in the municipality's construction approval process, which strictly adheres to the procedural regulations of the State of Israel.
Knesset Member Tzipi Livni, head of the opposition Kadima party, echoed Foreign Minister Lieberman in her own talks with Kouchner. She said that Israelis are united regarding Jerusalem. They will not accept a freeze imposed on construction in the capital's Jewish neighborhoods, she explained.
Hope for Shalit's Release is 'Justified'
Regarding Iran, Foreign Minister Lieberman thanked Foreign Minister Kouchner for France's fundamental and consistent position regarding the necessity of preventing the Islamic Republic from obtaining nuclear weapons.
In a meeting with reporters, Kouchner also touched on the efforts to release abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit from Hamas captivity in Gaza. The French minister said that he is aware that "there has been progress" on the matter. Kouchner said that the hope of freeing Gilad, who also holds French citizenship, "is more justified now than in the past."
4. Jordanian King to US Jews: Support PA State, 2002 Saudi Plan
by Hana Levi Julian
Jordan's King Abdullah II turned to Jewish leaders from the United States this week in hopes of convincing them to help pressure Israel to accept the 2002 Saudi Peace Plan as a means of getting talks with the Palestinian Authority back on track. The king and his wife, Queen Rania, who was born in a region today controlled by the Palestinian Authority, met Tuesday with the heads of the American Jewish Congress at the Royal Court in Amman to urge them to support an independent PA state.
Abdullah told AJCongress President Richard S. Gordon and co-executive directors Matthew Horn and Marc Stern that Israel's security would be best served under the 2002 Saudi Peace Initiative. He added that it was in the strategic interests of the entire region for peace to be made between Israel and its Arab neighbors, including the Palestinian Authority.
The plan referred to by the Jordanian king was initiated by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in 2002. It calls for the 22-member Arab League to recognize the State of Israel as a country, but not necessarily as a Jewish state. In return, Israel would be required to surrender all of the lands of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, as well as numerous neighborhoods in Israel's capital city of Jerusalem, and the ancient Old City of Jerusalem, which contains Judaism's holiest sites -- and where the proposed PA state intends to make its capital. In addition, the plan calls for Israel to allow the immigration of some five million foreign Arabs who claim ancestry in Israel, under a so-called "right of return."
The delegation discussed with the Jordanian king ways to eliminate the roadblocks that stalled negotiations between Israel and the PA, according to a front-page article published in the Jordan Times daily newspaper.
Abdullah also warned that intensive international action would be needed to create a "suitable environment for peacemaking" that could lead to regional prosperity and development. He added that "wasting the opportunity at hand" would cast doubt on the feasibility of the peace process and lead instead to more tension and conflict, which he said could affect "the entire globe."
5. Peres and Barak: Small PA State Now, Larger One Later
by Hillel Fendel
President Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are formulating yet another peace plan. It begins with the formation of a demilitarized Palestinian Authority state in half of Judea and Samaria, and ends within two years with a PA state of double that size. The PA has not accepted the plan.
The Maariv newspaper reports that according to the new initiative, Israel will provide the PA with two guarantees: That the negotiations will be completed within 18-24 months, and that at the end of this period, the PA will control territory equivalent to the area of Judea, Samaria and Gaza captured by Israel in the Six Day War of 1967. Presumably, Israel will have to give away some of its sovereign land in the Halutza-Negev area to make up for some of Judea and Samaria that it will retain.
Israel will also receive a guarantee: A letter formally recognizing its character as a Jewish state, which heads off the Arab demand for millions of descendants of refugees from before the establishment of Israel in 1948 to enter Israel. In addition, Israel will receive security guarantees, including the demilitarization of the PA state.
Within Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s inner circle of seven, it is not clear if the plan has a majority. Ministers Barak and Meridor are in favor, while Ministers Lieberman, Yaalon and Begin oppose; assuming Netanyahu is in favor, the deciding vote lies with Interior Minister Eli Yishai of Shas.
The Americans, for their part, are reported to be skeptical as to whether the plan is workable.
Assuming the large settlement blocs remain in place if the plan is implemented, the future of tens of thousands of Jews in smaller Judea and Samaria communities still remains in doubt.
6. American PR Know-How for Samaria Jewish Activists
by Hana Levi Julian
Samaria residents are learning how to present the needs and views of their communities in a way that the American public can hear it best. The Shomron (Samaria) Liaison Office is running an intensive training program for community activists, according to Executive Director David Ha'Ivri, who said the 13-week course, is being taught in English by a Dale Carnegie trainer.
Sixteen towns across Samaria are participating in the program, each of which sent two delegates to be trained. Part of the cost, said Ha'Ivri, is being picked up by an anonymous donor "who understands the importance of our improving our PR and presentation."
Ron Bowman, who runs the Dale Carnegie program in Israel, "has been a Carnegie trainer for 35 years," Ha'Ivri added. "He doesn't speak a word of Hebrew. They have trainers in Hebrew, but we opted for the expert and the added gain of helping our people become comfortable speaking in English."
Since getting one's message across to the American people is becoming increasingly important, Ha'Ivri said it is likely his office will run the program again, although probably not in the coming year. The Shomron Liaison Office was set up a year ago by Shomron Regional Council director Gershon Mesika specifically to improve the image of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, he said.
"We are more than often up against outside forces and foreign media who take full advantage of our lacking in public relations skills," he noted. "It is imperative that we learn to present our cause with clarity and conviction. When we are done with this type of training we will take the same people and work with them on other aspects -- fundraising, speaking in front of TV cameras, background on issues of debate, history, land rights, and other matters," he said.
7. Chabad Marks One Year Since the Massacre at Mumbai
by Israel National News
A year has passed since the massacre at Chabad House in Mumbai. A memorial ceremony was held at Kfar Chabad. The ceremony included a traditional chalaka, the first haircut at age three, for Moishie Holtzberg, who escaped the carnage with the help of his Indian nanny.
The event was also being held to honor all of Chabad's shluchim, or global emissaries. It was conducted in the Hebrew language.
[weJe Email readers, please click here to view the video.
On November 26, 2008 (28 Cheshvan 5769), terrorists took over the Chabad House in Mumbai, India, where they murdered Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, 29; Rebbetzin Rivka Holtzberg, 28; Bentzion Kruman, 26; Rabbi Leibish Teitelbaum, 37; Yocheved Orpaz, 62; Norma Shvarzblat Rabinovich, 50.
The massacre was one of more than ten coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai which lasted until November 29, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308.
Rivka and Gavriel Holtzberg, of blessed memory
Rivka cuts ribbon at new mikva (ritual pool) in Mumbai
photo: Chabad.org
A guest dons tefillin to recite the Shema prayer at Mumbai Chabad House
Photo: Chabad.org
Rabbi Gavriel, Doron ben Avraham and Benjamin Dandekar (Hazzan) at Mumbai Chabad House at Meal before Fast of Esther, Purim 2007
(courtesy Doron ben Avraham)
More photos of Mumbai Chabad activities and related Photos from inside the Mumbai Chabad House after the massacre [warning: graphic photo Photo Essay: Funerals of the Martyrs of the Mumbai Massacre
