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1. Canadian Report: Hizbullah Assassinated Hariri
by Elad Benari
An investigative report on a Canadian television network has claimed
that the Hizbullah terrorist group is behind the assassination of former
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and that UN investigators have
overwhelming proof of that fact.
The report, which aired Monday on CBC, said that evidence gathered by
Lebanese detectives and UN investigators “points overwhelmingly to the
fact that the assassins were from Hizbullah.” CBC based its report on
copies it had obtained of mobile phone and other communications in the
case.
CBC said investigators called in a specialist British communications
company, which found that the holders of eight mobile phones had been
monitoring Hariri in the weeks before his death. The report added that a
Lebanese detective named Wissam Eid who had already uncovered the
network and linked it to Hizbullah was killed in January 2008 after he
sent his information to the UN investigators.
The report also said that the UN team believed their inquiry had been
penetrated by Hizbullah and that this is what led to the death of the
Lebanese policeman. In addition, said CBC, the investigators also
suspected Colonel Wissam Hassan, Hariri's chief of protocol who is now
head of Lebanese intelligence, of colliding with Hizbullah and being
involved in the assassination.
Hariri, who spoke out against Syria’s strong presence and interference
in Lebanon, was killed on February 14, 2005 when explosives were
detonated as his motorcade drove near the St. George Hotel in Beirut. 22
others were also killed in the blast.
The CBC report comes on the heels of several recent reports which said that the UN tribunal investigating Hariri’s death would charge members of Hizbullah in the killing.
Last month, two members of the UN team were pursued by a mob in southern Beirut and had their files stolen.
A UN spokesman was quoted in AFP as saying in response to the CBC
report: “It is a matter of concern that the leaks could have an effect
on the substance of the work by the prosecutors and the tribunal itself.
We want to be able to ensure that the special tribunal on Lebanon can
go about its work without hindrance or interference.”
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri (son of Rafik) dismissed the report
on Tuesday and said that “Colonel Wissam Hassan has always had our full
trust and continues to have our full trust. We generally do not comment
on anything that is not formally released by the international tribunal
or one of its offices but it is my personal opinion that media leaks do
not serve the course of justice.”
Meanwhile, the prosecutor for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Daniel
Bellemare, said in a statement on Tuesday that the CBC report could
endanger certain lives.
“The most serious impact of the CBC reports is that their broadcast may
put people’s lives in jeopardy,” AFP quoted Bellemare as saying. He
added that he was "extremely disappointed" by the broadcast.
While Bellemare acknowledged that the report came “at a time when the
Office of the Prosecutor is working flat out to ensure that a draft
indictmentis submitted to the pre-trial judge for confirmation in the
near future,” he refused to comment on issues related to the
investigation out of what he termed “considerations of utmost concern
for the integrity of the investigation and the safety of victims,
witnesses, suspects and staff.”
2. Gush Katif Expulsion Police Commander Accused of Molestation
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The police commander who oversaw the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif
in 2005 has become the latest in line of expulsion leaders who have been
involved since then in issues that caused their political downfall or
criminal investigation.
The idea of “Divine Retribution” was raised when Ariel Sharon, who
initiated the ”Disengagement” program that destroyed nearly two dozen
Jewish communities, suffered a stroke shortly afterwards that has left
him still in a vegetative state four years later. Subsequent
investigation of the activities of his then-MK son Omri resulted in the
son's receiving a prison sentence and ended his political career.
The theory has resurfaced with this week’s headlined investigation of
police commander Uri Bar-Lev, suspected of sexual offenses with at least
two women while he was Southern Commander, a position he held at the
time of the expulsion.
Police violence against peaceful protestors of the expulsion has been
well-documented, and police officers also broke international law, such
as riding in ambulances to surprise protesters. Bar-Lev was a central
figure whose attitude to the destruction victims was scornful and
brutal.
The investigation of Bar-Lev has been an earthquake for the police
department as well as for Bar Lev’s career. The selection of a new
national police chief is only six weeks away and the timing of the
allegations may prevent his consideration for the post. The issue has
been the main headline in the mainstream Hebrew media for the past
several days.
A connection between Bar-Lev's carrying out orders and retribution also was raised two years ago, when authorities demolished his home because of safety problems.
Bar-Lev follows other public officials who found themselves beset by
failures or criminal proceedings following their roles and energetic
efforts to enforce the expulsion program.
Dan Halutz, who took over as IDF Chief of the Staff shortly before the
expulsion, left his position after severe criticism of his management –
or mismanagement – of the Second Lebanon War. Israelis were shocked at
learning that the same morning of the kidnapping of soldiers Ehud
Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, the incident that touched off the war,
Halutz took the time to speak to his bank about urgently selling his
stocks.
The soldiers’ bodies were returned two years later in black-draped
coffins sent by Hizbullah, in exchange for the release of Lebanese
terrorists.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who took over for Sharon after his
stroke and has been blamed for government failures to help the expulsion
victims, faces possible trial and more criminal investigations of
alleged bribery and breach of public trust.
The latest case against involved the huge Holyland apartment
development in Jerusalem, where Olmert was mayor when city officials
changed the zoning status of the area in order to allow the project to
move forward.
3. Gambia Cuts Ties with Iran, Expels Iranian Diplomats
by Chana Ya'ar
The Republic of Gambia has cut all ties with Iran and given its
diplomats 48 hours to leave following suspicion that Iran sent arms and
drugs to the African country.
Illegal Iranian shipments of heroin and arms sent last month were
apparently headed for Gambia, according to an article published in the
UK-based Financial Times.
Nigerian officials intercepted crates of missiles
and other ordnance marked as “building materials” during inspection at
the port of Lagos. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki later
tried to explain away the incident as a “misunderstanding” -- but last
week a second crisis arose when a container arrived in the port from
Iran filled with packets of heroin.
Nigerian authorities said they believe the weapons were intended for
Gambia, in violation of sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security
Council. The incident was reported to the world body. It is not clear
where the heroin was headed, but officials said it is possible that this
shipment, too, may have been going to Gambia.
The tiny western African nation, home to some 1.7 million people, is
primarily Sunni Muslim although its official language is English. The
smallest country on the mainland African continent, Gambia has been
governed for 16 years by President Yahya Jammeh, who seized power in a
coup in 1994 but who subsequently continued as an elected leader.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has spent years working to build
up the relationship between the Islamic Republic and various African
nations. He exchanged state visits with the Gambian president in 2006
and returned for a official visit to the country in 2009.
Ahmadinejad has also been exceptionally successful in extending Iran’s
diplomatic relations with various nations in South America and in the
Middle East, tightening Tehran’s ties with Venezuela, Brazil, Turkey
Syria, and Lebanon.
4. Arab NGO Disrupts Panel at Annual Israeli Media Conference
by Maayana Miskin
The controversial New Israel Fund (NIF) apparently worked through an
affiliate group to promote an anti-Zionist agenda at the annual Israel
Media Conference taking place in Eilat this week, media personalities
charged on Tuesday. The NIF was accused of working through the
Arab organization Agenda to attack reporters on the political Right
during panel discussions.
While organizers declined NIF's offer of funding, they accepted funding
from Agenda instead and put its name on the banners on the stages where
the panels took place and placed its representatives on the various
panels.. NIF's Executive Director in Israel, Rachel Liel, sits on
Agenda's Board of Directors.
One of the panels, chaired by veteran journalist Razi Barkai and
attended by media personalities from across the political spectrum,
focused on the way in which language is used to push politics into
journalism. Most panel members agreed that in Israel, much of the media
tends toward a pro-Left agenda, choosing words that suit its opinions.
Chaim Yavin, "Mr. Television" who for decades presented the news for
the official Israel Broadcasting Authority's evening news program Mabat,
asserted that political opinions cannot be divorced from news coverage
and the only question is whether the news is reliable.
The panel was disrupted several times by members of the audience
affiliated with Agenda. While Agenda bills itself as a group focused on
“social change,” the insults hurled by its members had a decidedly
political tone, accusing Israelis on the panel from Judea and Samaria of
living in “occupied territory”, being "war criminals" or screaming
that Israel is an occupying power.
The Agenda representative on the panel brought a survey that she used
to criticize Israel which found that more than 50 percent of Israelis
said that they do not want Arab friends. Arutz Sheva's CEO, Uzi Baruch,
rose and told the audience what she had left out from the survey's
findings: approximately half of the Arab respondents
justified kidnapping IDF soldiers, and about the same number
justified rockets launched at Israel. Arutz Sheva personnel are
considering handing back their Media Organization membership cards, they
told the Heberw internet sites Walla and Ice that interviewed them.
International lawyer Aviad Vissouli, tired of the catcalls, informed
hecklers that as an expert in international law, he can state
unequivocally that Judea and Samaria, having never been part of a state
other than Israel, are not “occupied.”Jordan relinquished its claim to
them in 1988, he said. He went on to accuse Agenda of having “bought”
the conference, and criticized organizers for accepting funding from
Agenda while not allowing the Yesha (Judea and Samaria) Council to
sponsor the event as well.
Language Used for Leftist Agenda
Those on the panel discussed ways in which language is used to push a
political agenda. Dr. Penina Shukrun of Ben-Gurion University pointed
out that media outlets often use the word “the” when referring to
hareidi-religious Jews or Jews living in Judea and Samaria, making it
sound as if each individual represents the whole. The word "secular" is
not used to describe groups.
Noted right-wing journalist Chaggai Segel pointed out that the
Oslo talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority were referred
to as “the peace process,” even though it was not certain that talks
would lead to peace. Instead, the more accurate term “diplomatic
process” should have be used and was indeed used when the Intifada put
paid to thoughts of peace.
Journalist and former Yesha Council spokewoman Emily Amrusi called on
media to refer to Jews living in Judea and Samaria simply as “residents”
of those areas, and not “settlers.” The term “settlers” makes it sound
as if they are outsiders to Israeli society,and temporarily in the areas
they live in. Journalists ask to meet "settlers" as if that is a full
time profession, and when they are introduced to doctors, lawyers and
teachers who live in Judea and Samaria, they are disappointed..
Panel members discussed the increasingly popular talkback feature
provided by many online news sites. Barkai asked why the majority of
talkbacks are written from a right-wing perspective. Journalist Udi
Hirsch of Walla told Barkai that the talkbacks reflected the actual
political breakdown in Israel, proving his point by saying that most of
the Knesset is affiliated with the political Right.
Amrusi claimed that since the mainstream media do not relect the
population breakdown, this is the only outlet people have for their
right wing views.
5. Jews Move into Jerusalem Home as Court Orders Arab Squatters Out
by Maayana Miskin
Jews finally moved into a home in Jerusalem on Tuesday with help from
the police after a court ordered Arab squatters to leave. The building
is located in Jabal Mukaber, located near the Old City that is already
home to several Jewish families and in part of the capital where the
Palestinian Authority claims sovereignty.
The squatters, members of the Kuraeen family, made international news
after claiming the eviction was a sign that Jews are planning a “new
settlement” in the capital city.
While the French news agency AFP referred to the building the Kuraeen
family was told to leave as “their home,” in fact, the family had never
owned the structure. Rather, family members were related to a deceased
man who had owned the building and who sold it several years ago for
$450,000.
The building was purchased by Lowell Investments. The Kuraeen family
said they had protested the sale, but a court rejected their appeal,
finding that the man who sold the building had been the sole lawful
owner.
The Kuraeen family was backed by the extremist Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement group.
Well over 200,000 Jews live in parts of the greater Jerusalem area that
are beyond the 1949 armistice line. An estimated 2,000 live in
historically Jewish neighborhoods, such as Jabal Mukaber and Shiloach
(Silwan), where Arabs took over the areas, often with the help of
British authorities in the time of the British Mandate.
6. Egyptian Police Kill Christian in Protest against Ban on Church
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Egyptian police shot and killed one Christian and wounded dozens of
others Wednesday morning in a new escalation of violence with Coptics
trying to build a church near the pyramids. A senior police officer and
12 soldiers also were wounded.
Police fired tear gas and arrested more than two dozen protesters after
they hurled stones and firebombs in a demonstration of 200 Christians
against the government’s ban on the Coptics’ attempt to complete the
building of a church.
Egyptian authorities have maintained that the church is being built
without a permit, but the Coptics, a minority of 10 percent in the
country, have complained of discrimination in favor of Muslims.
The building now serves as a community center, and Egyptian police
Wednesday morning arrested construction workers on their way to the
site, where work has began.
Non-Muslims need special presidential approval to build religious
edifices, while getting a permit for Muslims is relatively easy.
Tensions between Muslims and Christians are likely to rise next month,
when a court hearing will be heard in the case of three Muslims
suspected of killing six Coptic Christians and a Muslim earlier this year.
Religious discrimination in Egypt was highlighted this month by the U.S. State Department in its annual report on religious freedom. It included Egypt in a list of 27 nations where “violations of religious freedom have been noteworthy.”
Egypt responded by saying that no other country should act as a monitor
over other nations. “Each country can understand its own problems and
challenges and work on them efficiently,” a foreign ministry spokesman
said.
7. Expert: Behavioral Profiling Could Help US Travelers
by David Lev
American air travelers would be subject to fewer body scans and
patdowns if the Transport Safety Administration implemented some
Israeli profiling techniques, an expert says.
While there is no danger in using the new full body scanners that have
been implemented in most airports in the United States, subjecting
travelers to the invasive body scans – or their even more invasive
alternatives, the “enhanced body search” - wouldn't be as necessary if
the United States “profiled” travelers as Israel does, says Israeli
security expert Alon Wainer, owner of Level Five HLS Consulting.
“The United States and Israel share a great deal of, information and
techniques on air security, and we both use the same equipment,
including the full-body scanner. The difference is that in the U.S., the
scanner is the default security check method, while in Israel it is an
exceptional method,” he says.
Those scanners, Wainer says, are used at Ben Gurion Airport to check
suspected smugglers, and are in use at several land border crossings.
But all Israeli border points also utilize a form of profiling, which
the United States has decided to forgo. “Since they don't do profiling,
they have no way to determine who is a greater and lesser risk – so they
have to treat everyone as a potential security risk,” Wainer told
Israel National News.
The profiling done by Israel, however, is not based on race or
ethnicity, but is based more on behavior and other cues that highly
trained Israeli security personnel are trained to pick up. “In the U.S.,
they don't even profile on the basis of flight destination anymore, but
they realize the bad people are out there – so they have no choice but
to treat everyone as potentially guilty unless proven innocent, and
check them in the scanners," Wainer says.
In fact, he adds, profiling techniques would help U.S. security
officials even more than they help Israeli officials. “There's no
question that the Transport Safety Administration has a much harder job
than us, and many of the things done in Israel would be much harder to
implement in the U.S., given the much higher volume of passengers,”
Wainer says. But it is precisely for that reason behavioral profiling
would be so helpful – to eliminate the large majority of passengers that
are safe, and to use limited resources more efficiently.
The scanners themselves, by the way, are not dangerous, Wainer says,
despite the fears of many Americans that they are going to get “zapped”
by X-rays or other radiation when going through the machines. “The
scanners work using radio waves that bounce off the body and form an
image on the display,” Wainer explains.
“The waves are too weak to penetrate the body, and the image also does
not reveal any specific physical components of the body. However, they
are definitely invasive to the passenger's privacy – you can see what
brand of underwear they are wearing, along with other information most
people would probably prefer to keep secret.” And while the scanners are
now a part of travel life – and probably will be for the foreseeable
future – Israeli-style profiling could go a long way to making a
difficult process a bit easier, he adds.
8. Stuxnet Virus 'Warheads" Could Knock Out Iran's Utility Systems
by David Lev
A secret report bt the International Atomic Energy Agency leaked on
Tuesday said that Iran had been forced to suspend activity on enriching
uranium, because of “technical problems” that have surfaced in thousands
of centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear reactor.
The centrifuges, which are used in the enrichment project, were taken
out of service, with the entire enrichment project there on hold, the
report said – indicating, observers said, that Iran's problems with the
particularly malignant Stuxnet computer virus were not yet over.
A weekend article in The New York Times quoted German security expert
Ralph Langer as saying that the Stuxnet virus, which he identified in
September as the worm that has caused major problems at Iran's Bushehr
nuclear plant, was still alive and well, despite Iranian denials. But
instead of just disabling centrifuges, the virus can also “confuse”
frequency convertors that control all sorts of mechanical and industrial
processes, Langer wrote - giving Stuxnet not one, but two "warheads"
that could cause severe damage to infrastructure, including water, gas
and electric systems.
The virus is also far more virulent than had been thought, Langer said;
it was designed to attack control systems manufactured by Germany's
Siemens, which are in use in infrastructure throughout the world. The
Times article quoted a U.S. security expert who said that “computer
security organizations were not adequately conveying the potential for
serious industrial sabotage that Stuxnet foretells,” implying that many
of the world's power plants, water facilities, and other basic
infrastructure that are dependent on automated control systems, are at
serious risk.
But while that is possible, says Israeli security expert Rafael
Sutnick, there seemed to be little likelihood that Stuxnet would “leak
out” to other facilities, based on what we know about it so far.
“Whoever unleashed it on Iran seems to have a tight rein on it,”
Sutnick said. “So far, Iran is the only place we've seen the virus
active, indicating that it was a specific target and did not reach the
country's computer network by chance or accident. Whoever designed this
knew what they were doing, and the experts who have analyzed the code
say that years of work went into designing it. So I don't see it
disabling infrastructure randomly.”
His comments again raise the question of just who might have produced
the virus. Already in September, experts were saying that Stuxnet
appeared to have been far too sophisticated to have been designed by
amateur hackers, and the latest information published by Langer seems to
confirm this. Which brings around what has become a perennial question
in the Stuxnet saga: If Iran, as Sutnick and other experts say, is being
deliberately targeted, does that mean that Israeli experts designed the
virus?
“No one knows, and no one will probably ever know,” says Sutnick. “It's
interesting that the IAEA report mentions the Natanz facility as having
been compromised. Natanz was built eight meters underground and was
topped with dozens of meters of reinforced concrete and earth in 2004,
in anticipation of a possible attack by Israeli or American 'bunker
buster' bombs.
"In other words, Natanz was designed to be the most secure Iranian
nuclear site – but it has proven to be as vulnerable as an open computer
network, apparently.” Whether Israel was behind the attack is
impossible to know, he said – but there's no doubt that the IAEA report
has made Israelis happy.
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