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1. Syria: Seven Police Killed, Buildings Torched in Protests
by Gavriel Queenann
Seven police officers and at least four demonstrators in Syria have been killed in continuing violent clashes that erupted in the southern town of Daraa last Thursday.
The clashes came amidst growing political tension in the largely Alawite Muslim nation when twenty students were arrested for spray-painting anti-government graffiti on a wall.
On Friday police opened fire on armed protesters killing four and injuring as many as 100 others. According to one witness, who spoke to the press on condition of anonymity, "They used live ammunition immediately -- no tear gas or anything else."
At the funerals of two of those killed opposition leaders handed authorities a list of demands, which included the release of political prisoners. In an uncharacteristic gesture intended to ease tensions the government offered to release the detained students, but seven politice officers were killed, and the Baath Party Headquarters and courthouse were torched, in renewed violence on Sunday.
The latest clashes occurred after unconfirmed reports that two more protesters had been killed began to circulate. According to witnesses, Syrian security forces have encircled Daraa to impede more protesters from reaching the city. Anti-government protests are rare in Syria and have traditionally been brutally put down, but Daraa is not the only town where protests have occurred.
There were also protests in Banias, on the Mediterranean coast, in the central city of Homs, and in the capital Damascus. A Facebook page, “the Syrian revolution 2011,” has called on people to protest against corruption and repression. Thousands have taken to the streets chanting "God, Syria, and Freedom only!"
Reports of pro-government forces assaulting demonstrators have emerged from all four cities, with a large numbers of arrests in the capital of Damascus, and witnesses claimed the entrances to the town of Banias have been closed. Protestors are demanding an end to 48 years of emergency rule, which was imposed during the Baath Party's military takeover of the country in 1963.
Syria's current president, Bashar Al-Assad, is the son of Hafiz Al-Assad, who himself seized control of the Baath Party during a coup in 1970, ruling the country until his death in 2000. While Bashar Al-Assad is technically Syria's elected President, the Baath Party has run its candidates unopposed since seizing the reigns of power and established a political safety-net by densely integrating the military into government.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
Seven police officers and at least four demonstrators in Syria have been killed in continuing violent clashes that erupted in the southern town of Daraa last Thursday.
The clashes came amidst growing political tension in the largely Alawite Muslim nation when twenty students were arrested for spray-painting anti-government graffiti on a wall.
On Friday police opened fire on armed protesters killing four and injuring as many as 100 others. According to one witness, who spoke to the press on condition of anonymity, "They used live ammunition immediately -- no tear gas or anything else."
At the funerals of two of those killed opposition leaders handed authorities a list of demands, which included the release of political prisoners. In an uncharacteristic gesture intended to ease tensions the government offered to release the detained students, but seven politice officers were killed, and the Baath Party Headquarters and courthouse were torched, in renewed violence on Sunday.
The latest clashes occurred after unconfirmed reports that two more protesters had been killed began to circulate. According to witnesses, Syrian security forces have encircled Daraa to impede more protesters from reaching the city. Anti-government protests are rare in Syria and have traditionally been brutally put down, but Daraa is not the only town where protests have occurred.
There were also protests in Banias, on the Mediterranean coast, in the central city of Homs, and in the capital Damascus. A Facebook page, “the Syrian revolution 2011,” has called on people to protest against corruption and repression. Thousands have taken to the streets chanting "God, Syria, and Freedom only!"
Reports of pro-government forces assaulting demonstrators have emerged from all four cities, with a large numbers of arrests in the capital of Damascus, and witnesses claimed the entrances to the town of Banias have been closed. Protestors are demanding an end to 48 years of emergency rule, which was imposed during the Baath Party's military takeover of the country in 1963.
Syria's current president, Bashar Al-Assad, is the son of Hafiz Al-Assad, who himself seized control of the Baath Party during a coup in 1970, ruling the country until his death in 2000. While Bashar Al-Assad is technically Syria's elected President, the Baath Party has run its candidates unopposed since seizing the reigns of power and established a political safety-net by densely integrating the military into government.
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3. IDF Foils Arab Attack on Purim in Hevron
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Israeli soldiers foiled an attempted Arab terrorist attack on Jewish visitors on Purim in Hevron Sunday. The terrorist, described as being in his 20s, was carrying a three-inch knife when arrested, and he admitted to security officials that he intended to stab Jews at the Cave of the Patriarchs (Ma'arat HaMachpelah).
The deployed an unusually high number of soldiers and check points throughout Judea and Samaria on Purim, when a general closure is imposed on Arab travel, except for cases of humanitarian need.
In Gaza, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said it attacked the western Negev with mortar fire Monday morning, adding the "resistance will continue to confront the Israeli occupation.”
Hamas and allied terrorists fired approximately 50 mortars on the Negev on Saturday, the largest offensive since the Operation Cast Lead counterterrorist campaign two years ago.
On Saturday, according to Israeli police, 49 projectiles were launched toward Israel.
Elsewhere, police are investigating a Palestinian Authority claim an Arab was stabbed Monday morning by a resident of the Maon Farm in the southern Hevron Hills. One security officer in the area said, although the claim night be true, it would be highly unusual because Jews generally do not carry knives, the favorite weapon of Arab terrorists.
He said there have been cases whereby Arabs have inflicted wounds on themselves and subsequently accused Jews of attacking them.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Israeli soldiers foiled an attempted Arab terrorist attack on Jewish visitors on Purim in Hevron Sunday. The terrorist, described as being in his 20s, was carrying a three-inch knife when arrested, and he admitted to security officials that he intended to stab Jews at the Cave of the Patriarchs (Ma'arat HaMachpelah).
The deployed an unusually high number of soldiers and check points throughout Judea and Samaria on Purim, when a general closure is imposed on Arab travel, except for cases of humanitarian need.
In Gaza, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said it attacked the western Negev with mortar fire Monday morning, adding the "resistance will continue to confront the Israeli occupation.”
Hamas and allied terrorists fired approximately 50 mortars on the Negev on Saturday, the largest offensive since the Operation Cast Lead counterterrorist campaign two years ago.
On Saturday, according to Israeli police, 49 projectiles were launched toward Israel.
Elsewhere, police are investigating a Palestinian Authority claim an Arab was stabbed Monday morning by a resident of the Maon Farm in the southern Hevron Hills. One security officer in the area said, although the claim night be true, it would be highly unusual because Jews generally do not carry knives, the favorite weapon of Arab terrorists.
He said there have been cases whereby Arabs have inflicted wounds on themselves and subsequently accused Jews of attacking them.
Comment on this story
4. Attack on Libya Extends to Tripoli
by Elad Benari
The international airstrike on Libya expanded on Sunday and according to reports, has also hit the capital Tripoli.
The BBC reported on Sunday that witnesses in Tripoli had said they heard loud blasts and anti-aircraft fire in the capital.
The network’s reporter in Tripoli said that a heavy barrage of anti-aircraft fire was heard in the city center on Sunday night. He added that a column of smoke could be seen in the area of Bab al-Aziziya, where Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi has his military base and compound.
He noted, however, that it is believed there are anti-aircraft weapons close to Qaddafi’s compound, which may have been targeted rather than the compound itself.
Meanwhile, CNN reporter Nic Robertson reported that a four-story building in the Tripoli compound has been heavily damaged. He added that two circular holes are visible in the building.
CNN added that Qaddafi’s whereabouts were not known.
Earlier on Sunday, a Libyan military spokesman said during a news conference that the armed forces had ordered a ceasefire across the entire country, beginning at 9:00pm local time. However, heavy gunfire and sporadic explosions were still heard in the streets of Benghazi, the rebel stronghold, on Sunday night, according to a witness who spoke with the Reuters news agency. Other unconfirmed reports spoke of pro-Qaddafi fighters opening fire from cars in the city.
U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon said the ceasefire “isn't true or it was immediately violated.”
Qatar Joins Offensive
Meanwhile, the U.S. and France said on Sunday that Qatar is planning to send four planes to join the coalition enforcing the no-fly zone in Libya, making it the first Arab country to play an active part in the campaign against Qaddafi.
According to U.S. Vice Admiral William Gortney, other Arab countries are also preparing to join the campaign. Gortney added that those governments would make their own announcements on the issue in due course.
Libyan media announced on Sunday that Qaddafi plans to arm at least one million citizens in response to the offensive on his country to allow them to fight rebel forces. He also vowed to “exterminate” any Libyan who fought alongside foreign forces.
Also on Sunday, the Arab League, which previously supported an international proposal to close Libya's skies, condemned the operation. “What we want is civilians' protection, not shelling more civilians,” an Egyptian daily quoted Arab League head Amr Moussa as saying.
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by Elad Benari
The international airstrike on Libya expanded on Sunday and according to reports, has also hit the capital Tripoli.
The BBC reported on Sunday that witnesses in Tripoli had said they heard loud blasts and anti-aircraft fire in the capital.
The network’s reporter in Tripoli said that a heavy barrage of anti-aircraft fire was heard in the city center on Sunday night. He added that a column of smoke could be seen in the area of Bab al-Aziziya, where Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi has his military base and compound.
He noted, however, that it is believed there are anti-aircraft weapons close to Qaddafi’s compound, which may have been targeted rather than the compound itself.
Meanwhile, CNN reporter Nic Robertson reported that a four-story building in the Tripoli compound has been heavily damaged. He added that two circular holes are visible in the building.
CNN added that Qaddafi’s whereabouts were not known.
Earlier on Sunday, a Libyan military spokesman said during a news conference that the armed forces had ordered a ceasefire across the entire country, beginning at 9:00pm local time. However, heavy gunfire and sporadic explosions were still heard in the streets of Benghazi, the rebel stronghold, on Sunday night, according to a witness who spoke with the Reuters news agency. Other unconfirmed reports spoke of pro-Qaddafi fighters opening fire from cars in the city.
U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon said the ceasefire “isn't true or it was immediately violated.”
Qatar Joins Offensive
Meanwhile, the U.S. and France said on Sunday that Qatar is planning to send four planes to join the coalition enforcing the no-fly zone in Libya, making it the first Arab country to play an active part in the campaign against Qaddafi.
According to U.S. Vice Admiral William Gortney, other Arab countries are also preparing to join the campaign. Gortney added that those governments would make their own announcements on the issue in due course.
Libyan media announced on Sunday that Qaddafi plans to arm at least one million citizens in response to the offensive on his country to allow them to fight rebel forces. He also vowed to “exterminate” any Libyan who fought alongside foreign forces.
Also on Sunday, the Arab League, which previously supported an international proposal to close Libya's skies, condemned the operation. “What we want is civilians' protection, not shelling more civilians,” an Egyptian daily quoted Arab League head Amr Moussa as saying.
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5. Mideast in Turmoil: ‘Qaddafi a Legitimate Target,’ Says Britain
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi is a “legitimate target” so long as civilians are not hurt, British Defense Secetary Liam Fox says after Western allies bombed his compound in Tripoli. Pentagon spokesman William Gortney maintained, "We are not going after Qaddafi."
At least one building was reduced to rubble in the second bombing raid, a clear signal to Qaddafi that the British-American-French coalition does not accept his declaration of a ceasefire.
Fox said he would authorize a ‘bunker buster’ attack on the Qaddafi’s headquarters and vowed to destroy his military power.
The cruise missiles that pummeled the compound struck only 300 feet from a statue of a golden fist crushing a model of an airplane, with the letters “USA," a reference to Libya’s downing one American plane in the bombing of Libya in 1986.
A British general said the allies called off another bombing raid for fear that it would strike civilians, 300 of whom formed a human shield around Qaddafi’s compound.
Outside of Tripoli, bombing raids destroyed several vehicles belonging to Qaddafi’s supporters bear the rebel’s de facto capital of Benghazi.
Qaddafi last week was on the verge of overpowering the rebels, who only two weeks ago were in control of almost all of the country outside Tripoli. After the United Nations Security Council authorized the imposition of a “no-fly” order over Libya, the Western alliance quickly went into action and effectively grounded Qaddafi’s F-16 warplanes, which he used to bomb civilian targets, including oil and utility sites.
The Arab League has protested the strikes against Qaddafi, charging that the bombing raids were an exploitation of the United Nations decision.
British Defense Sectary Fox replied that he wanted Arab participation in the to makes it clear “on the Arab street that this is not about attacking the Arab world, [but] this is to defend the Libyan people against a vicious and brutal dictatorship.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that the Obama administration expects the rebels to join or even take control of the anti-Qaddafi mission. Continuing the government policy of playing down its part in the offensive against Qaddafi, Gates said that the United States will not be an official member of the future coalition but will play a “preeminent role."
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi is a “legitimate target” so long as civilians are not hurt, British Defense Secetary Liam Fox says after Western allies bombed his compound in Tripoli. Pentagon spokesman William Gortney maintained, "We are not going after Qaddafi."
At least one building was reduced to rubble in the second bombing raid, a clear signal to Qaddafi that the British-American-French coalition does not accept his declaration of a ceasefire.
Fox said he would authorize a ‘bunker buster’ attack on the Qaddafi’s headquarters and vowed to destroy his military power.
The cruise missiles that pummeled the compound struck only 300 feet from a statue of a golden fist crushing a model of an airplane, with the letters “USA," a reference to Libya’s downing one American plane in the bombing of Libya in 1986.
A British general said the allies called off another bombing raid for fear that it would strike civilians, 300 of whom formed a human shield around Qaddafi’s compound.
Outside of Tripoli, bombing raids destroyed several vehicles belonging to Qaddafi’s supporters bear the rebel’s de facto capital of Benghazi.
Qaddafi last week was on the verge of overpowering the rebels, who only two weeks ago were in control of almost all of the country outside Tripoli. After the United Nations Security Council authorized the imposition of a “no-fly” order over Libya, the Western alliance quickly went into action and effectively grounded Qaddafi’s F-16 warplanes, which he used to bomb civilian targets, including oil and utility sites.
The Arab League has protested the strikes against Qaddafi, charging that the bombing raids were an exploitation of the United Nations decision.
British Defense Sectary Fox replied that he wanted Arab participation in the to makes it clear “on the Arab street that this is not about attacking the Arab world, [but] this is to defend the Libyan people against a vicious and brutal dictatorship.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that the Obama administration expects the rebels to join or even take control of the anti-Qaddafi mission. Continuing the government policy of playing down its part in the offensive against Qaddafi, Gates said that the United States will not be an official member of the future coalition but will play a “preeminent role."
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6. Ambassador Tweets Release of 4 NY Times Reporters in Libya
by Gavriel Queenann
Four New York Times reporters help captive in Libya by forces loyal to Moammar Qaddafi were freed early Monday following intervention by Turkish negotiators, the Turkish ambassador to the United States reported via his twitter feed.
The Ambassador, Namik Tan, added that the reporters were being taken to the Libyan border to be handed over to U.S. officials.
The reporters went missing in eastern Libya amidst a sweep by Qaddafi loyalists advancing on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi on March 15. It was later determined the four were detained by Qaddafi's forces for entering rebel-controlled eastern Libya without visas, a common practice among western journalists covering the ongoing insurrection in the country.
The reporters were Beirut bureau chief and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Shadid, reporter and videographer Stephen Farrell, and two photographers Tyler Hicks and Lynsey Addario.
There was no immediate confirmation of the reporters' release from The New York Times, but the newspaper did say on Friday it expected its reporters to be released within a matter of hours. The paper's expectations were based on comments made about the impending release by Qaddafi's son, Seif Al-Islam, in an interview with Christiane Amanpour of ABC News.
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by Gavriel Queenann
Four New York Times reporters help captive in Libya by forces loyal to Moammar Qaddafi were freed early Monday following intervention by Turkish negotiators, the Turkish ambassador to the United States reported via his twitter feed.
The Ambassador, Namik Tan, added that the reporters were being taken to the Libyan border to be handed over to U.S. officials.
The reporters went missing in eastern Libya amidst a sweep by Qaddafi loyalists advancing on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi on March 15. It was later determined the four were detained by Qaddafi's forces for entering rebel-controlled eastern Libya without visas, a common practice among western journalists covering the ongoing insurrection in the country.
The reporters were Beirut bureau chief and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Shadid, reporter and videographer Stephen Farrell, and two photographers Tyler Hicks and Lynsey Addario.
There was no immediate confirmation of the reporters' release from The New York Times, but the newspaper did say on Friday it expected its reporters to be released within a matter of hours. The paper's expectations were based on comments made about the impending release by Qaddafi's son, Seif Al-Islam, in an interview with Christiane Amanpour of ABC News.
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7. Report: What Really Happened to the Warning System in Itamar
by Hagai Huberman
Veteran investigative reporter Hagai Huberman reported on the real story of Itamar’s security fence in Be'sheva, Arutz Sheva's popular weekly Hebrew newspaper. INN translated the report.
So what really happened to the warning system in Itamar, the one that was put in place after the terrible terror attacks during the height of the Oslo War (2000-2006, also known as the Second Intifada)? How could a system whose entire raison d’etre was the prevention of illegal entry to the community fail so miserably? The question troubled quite a few security echelons this past week, in the light of the heinous slaughter carried out by one or two terrorists armed with knives.
Anyone who thinks that a fence serves as more of a psychological preventative than a physical one received a corroborating jolt this past week. The terrorists got through a fence that sounded an alert twice, as they came in and as they left, and were not identified at any of the crossovers. Those who believe that a fence can prevent terrorist attacks felt corroborated by reports that claimed that the security fence in Itamar, despite past terrorist attacks, was far from perfect.
At the height of the Oslo War, 15 residents and guests of the community were murdered in the space of two years. Among the worst incidents was when in the spring of 2002, terrorists penetrated the Hitsim Yeshiva High School and murdered three students. A month later came the attack in which four members of the Shabo family were butchered as well as the security guard Yosef Tuitto who tried to save them. Tuitto’s place was taken by Shlomo Miller, who was shot dead by a PA security officer on August 13, 2004 while driving on the road leading from central Itamar to nearby populated hilltops.
A high-level security source in the Shomron (Samaria)reveals that the IDF refused to fund essential security equipment around the Itamar fence because the government’s legal department claimed that the fence was illegal, since a part of it was on private Palestinian land. The upkeep of the security fence around Itamar was thus funded with great difficulty by the Shomron Regional Authority. The IDF, which has responsibility for security everywhere in Israel, could not fund it.
According to the same source, part of the fence itself was originally built with funding from the Department of Civil Defense, and the security apparatus around it was supposed to be kept in working order by the Defense Department. When the attorney general’s offices claimed the fence was illegal, the Department of Civil Defense stopped keeping it in operative condition. This refusal prompted the Samaria Regional Authority to allocate funds to complete it and to even offer to pay for upkeep at an annual cost of 100,000 shekels ($30,000). The Regional Authority so far has allocated hundreds of thousands of shekels to keep up the fence’s electronic system and the road around it.
When the heads of the community demanded that the IDF construct its own system of security, the IDF answered that it would only do so if Itamar would take down the present fence and allow the IDF to build a new one. This was untenable and therefore not implemented.
The distance from the fence to the community’s houses is up to half a kilometer, but the infiltration point was only about 250 meters (80 yards) from residents’ homes. Nevertheless, that is “enough distance for a proper security fence and observation system to identify the object immediately," says another top level security source in the Shomron. According to this source, an efficient fence would necessitate appropriating land all around the perimeter of the town. Today the community builds on every millimeter of state land. Construction of a proper security fence necessitates army expropriation of land. Had the army agreed to build an additional fence, which it could have built easily, that would have kept animals from approaching the security fence and causing endless false alarms, the reason the guards, who saw no evidence of damage to the fence (as the terrorist/s jumped over it and hid), thought an animal had touched it.
The army also refused to help fund technological upgrading and installation of advanced capabilities for the surveillance camera bought with donations collected by Shlomo Miller, the resident in charge of security who was later murdered by terrorists. The upgrading would have made it possible, through the use of thermal sensitive devices, to differentiate between an animal touching the fence and someone going over it.
Those devices were not in place because of the legal decision. The IDF is up on state-of-the-art developments, and that is why it was given the responsibility for care of security apparatus surrounding the homes of Israeli citizens.
As for the failure to call the army, even though the alert was considered a false alarm, residents said that the IDF has reduced the number of soldiers guarding Itamar and Elon Moreh, so that even when they are called, it can take a long time for them to arrive.
But the long and short of it is that the Attorney General’s office termed the Itamar security fence Illegal, so the IDF stopped funding and repairing it. Civliians and civilian authorities did their best to do it on their own, but it was not good enough.
Comment on this story
by Hagai Huberman
Veteran investigative reporter Hagai Huberman reported on the real story of Itamar’s security fence in Be'sheva, Arutz Sheva's popular weekly Hebrew newspaper. INN translated the report.
So what really happened to the warning system in Itamar, the one that was put in place after the terrible terror attacks during the height of the Oslo War (2000-2006, also known as the Second Intifada)? How could a system whose entire raison d’etre was the prevention of illegal entry to the community fail so miserably? The question troubled quite a few security echelons this past week, in the light of the heinous slaughter carried out by one or two terrorists armed with knives.
Anyone who thinks that a fence serves as more of a psychological preventative than a physical one received a corroborating jolt this past week. The terrorists got through a fence that sounded an alert twice, as they came in and as they left, and were not identified at any of the crossovers. Those who believe that a fence can prevent terrorist attacks felt corroborated by reports that claimed that the security fence in Itamar, despite past terrorist attacks, was far from perfect.
At the height of the Oslo War, 15 residents and guests of the community were murdered in the space of two years. Among the worst incidents was when in the spring of 2002, terrorists penetrated the Hitsim Yeshiva High School and murdered three students. A month later came the attack in which four members of the Shabo family were butchered as well as the security guard Yosef Tuitto who tried to save them. Tuitto’s place was taken by Shlomo Miller, who was shot dead by a PA security officer on August 13, 2004 while driving on the road leading from central Itamar to nearby populated hilltops.
A high-level security source in the Shomron (Samaria)reveals that the IDF refused to fund essential security equipment around the Itamar fence because the government’s legal department claimed that the fence was illegal, since a part of it was on private Palestinian land. The upkeep of the security fence around Itamar was thus funded with great difficulty by the Shomron Regional Authority. The IDF, which has responsibility for security everywhere in Israel, could not fund it.
According to the same source, part of the fence itself was originally built with funding from the Department of Civil Defense, and the security apparatus around it was supposed to be kept in working order by the Defense Department. When the attorney general’s offices claimed the fence was illegal, the Department of Civil Defense stopped keeping it in operative condition. This refusal prompted the Samaria Regional Authority to allocate funds to complete it and to even offer to pay for upkeep at an annual cost of 100,000 shekels ($30,000). The Regional Authority so far has allocated hundreds of thousands of shekels to keep up the fence’s electronic system and the road around it.
When the heads of the community demanded that the IDF construct its own system of security, the IDF answered that it would only do so if Itamar would take down the present fence and allow the IDF to build a new one. This was untenable and therefore not implemented.
The distance from the fence to the community’s houses is up to half a kilometer, but the infiltration point was only about 250 meters (80 yards) from residents’ homes. Nevertheless, that is “enough distance for a proper security fence and observation system to identify the object immediately," says another top level security source in the Shomron. According to this source, an efficient fence would necessitate appropriating land all around the perimeter of the town. Today the community builds on every millimeter of state land. Construction of a proper security fence necessitates army expropriation of land. Had the army agreed to build an additional fence, which it could have built easily, that would have kept animals from approaching the security fence and causing endless false alarms, the reason the guards, who saw no evidence of damage to the fence (as the terrorist/s jumped over it and hid), thought an animal had touched it.
The army also refused to help fund technological upgrading and installation of advanced capabilities for the surveillance camera bought with donations collected by Shlomo Miller, the resident in charge of security who was later murdered by terrorists. The upgrading would have made it possible, through the use of thermal sensitive devices, to differentiate between an animal touching the fence and someone going over it.
Those devices were not in place because of the legal decision. The IDF is up on state-of-the-art developments, and that is why it was given the responsibility for care of security apparatus surrounding the homes of Israeli citizens.
As for the failure to call the army, even though the alert was considered a false alarm, residents said that the IDF has reduced the number of soldiers guarding Itamar and Elon Moreh, so that even when they are called, it can take a long time for them to arrive.
But the long and short of it is that the Attorney General’s office termed the Itamar security fence Illegal, so the IDF stopped funding and repairing it. Civliians and civilian authorities did their best to do it on their own, but it was not good enough.
Comment on this story
8. Netanyahu: We Can't Have Another Iran in the Middle East
by Elad Benari
In an exclusive interview to CNN’s Piers Morgan last Thursday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke of his decision to reconsider Israel’s nuclear power plants, of the recent events in the Middle East and how they may affect Israel, and of the chances for peace with the Palestinian Authority.
Some of Netanyahu’s comments on his decision to reconsider the nuclear plants were released by CNN prior to the interview being aired.
“[The situation in Japan] certainly caused me to reconsider the projects of building civil nuclear power plants,” said Netanyahu. “I have to tell you I was a lot more enthusiastic about it than I am now. In fact, you'd have to give me a very good argument to do it. And fortunately we found natural gas… So, I think we'll go for the gas. I think we'll skip the nuclear.”
Netanyahu also addressed the uprisings in the Middle East, and when asked by Morgan “what does this mean for Israel?” he replied: “You are looking at this and two places cheered what was happening in Cairo. One was Washington, and its allies. The other one was Tehran, and its allies. You know they weren't seeking the same outcome. You know there is a fundamentally different outcome that each was seeking. We had all hoped, and we still hope, that you will have a democratic transformation. That the, you know, the Google kids, the Facebook kids, you will create a Google heaven and a Facebook paradise, and all these people will come to power. That is obviously what people in the West, and people in free societies would like to see. It is not clear that that would happen.”
He admitted that the nightmare scenario for him would be “That you get another Iran. Five years ago in Lebanon a million Lebanese, that is the equivalent to 20 million Egyptians, walked in the streets of Beirut, chanting for freedom, chanting for secular reformist, a liberal Lebanese state. Five years later Lebanon is controlled by Hizbullah, which is controlled by Iran. That is what we don't want to see. We don't want to see this stark medievalism that represses women, that crushes the rights of people, that holds us back a millennia. That fosters violence. That does everything that we abhor. That it would take over.”
When asked about whether he was sad to see former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak leave office, Netanyahu said that “Egypt under Sadat, and then under Mubarak, kept the peace and I think that is something extraordinary valuable. And I think the first order of the day is to make sure that any future government in Egypt maintains the peace. The fact that we had these 30 years with Egypt, 20 years with Jordan, of a real peace, is something that I can appreciate.”
Netanyahu also spoke of the situation in Libya, and said that Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi “is no friend of Israel. He's not friend of the Jewish people. And I think his people can see now, he's no friend of the Libyan people. This is a man who helped explode civilian airlines in the skies. He's fostered terrorism. He's done a lot of terrible things. So I don't think anybody would be sorry to see him go. I wouldn't.”
Regarding the situation in Iran, Netanyahu said: “I was elected the first time about 15 years ago. And I went to speak before the joint session of the U.S. Congress. And I said that the single greatest threat facing the world, and my own country, was the arming of Iran with nuclear weapons. And since then what I have been trying to do is alert the world and the leaders of the world that it is not merely our problem, that it is their problem. Because Iran today is in Afghanistan, it is in Iraq, it has gotten control of Lebanon.”
He added that Iran is working to acquire nuclear weapons and that it is “getting a lot closer” to a situation where it indeed possesses such weapons. He noted that the situation is not like it was with Iraq, where it was unclear whether Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and explained that with Iran it is well-known. “Ahmadinejad is taking people on guided tours of these centrifuge halls,” said Netanyahu.
Morgan then asked Netanyahu what should be the answer to the Iranian problem, and Netanyahu replied: “One of the things that we are telling people is that sanctions by themselves are not going to be enough. That the only thing that will work is if Iran knew that if sanctions fail there will be a credible military option…I'm talking about a credible military action, lead preferably by the United States. It is not that complicated. It could be done. It is not easy, but it is not impossible.”
When asked if Israel possesses nuclear weapons, Netanyahu noted that “we have a long-standing policy that we won't be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East and that hasn't changed,” and added that “we don't pose a threat to anyone. We don't call for anyone's annihilation. We don't foster terrorism. We don't threaten to obliterate countries with nuclear weapons but we are threatened with all these threats.”
Netanyahu also addressed the decision to build 500 new housing units in Judea and Samaria, which as announced following the brutal murder of the Fogel family in Itamar, and explained the reasoning behind the decision.
“I wanted to send three messages,” said Netanyahu. “The first one I told you about, that is a message of restraint to the settlers. The second is a message to the terrorists. I was telling them, I know you think you're going to uproot us with this savagery, with the violence, with terror. You're not going to uproot us. So you kill us, you want to drive us into the sea, that's not going to happen. You only way we'll have a settlement is through peaceful negotiations. So you kill, we'll build. But coincidentally I chose to build in the large populated areas that are going to stay in Israel anyway. And not 500 new settlements but 500 apartments, which is very different.
“And third, I wanted to send a message to the international community. I said to the international community that rushes to condemn Israel for every building that is built. You know, a Jew builds an apartment in the Jewish homeland. What a terrible crime. But they seldom go and condemn this kind of savagery without any ands, ifs and buts and I wanted that condemnation.”
In regards to the larger question of peace with the Palestinian Authority, Netanyahu said that “peace requires two to tango. I said to Abu Mazen who was flying around in the world – the Palestinian president - I said, don't fly around the world. You want to make peace? Ramallah, where you sit, is 10 minutes away from Jerusalem where we're sitting right now. I'm willing to come to you. You can come here. Let's sit down, shut the room, you know, basically sit down until smoke comes out. That's the way you make peace. That's how we made peace with Egypt. That's how we made peace with Jordan.”
He noted that the reason this is not happing is that “the Palestinian society is split into two –those who are openly calling for Israel's destruction like Hamas, and those who are not calling openly for Israel's destruction but refuse to confront those who do. And that's the Palestinian Authority. I think they're timid, I think they're afraid to actually stand up to these killers. And I think that they're afraid, maybe for their own sake, for their own political hides, sometimes for their own physical safety. And they don't take that necessary plunge.”
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by Elad Benari
In an exclusive interview to CNN’s Piers Morgan last Thursday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke of his decision to reconsider Israel’s nuclear power plants, of the recent events in the Middle East and how they may affect Israel, and of the chances for peace with the Palestinian Authority.
Some of Netanyahu’s comments on his decision to reconsider the nuclear plants were released by CNN prior to the interview being aired.
“[The situation in Japan] certainly caused me to reconsider the projects of building civil nuclear power plants,” said Netanyahu. “I have to tell you I was a lot more enthusiastic about it than I am now. In fact, you'd have to give me a very good argument to do it. And fortunately we found natural gas… So, I think we'll go for the gas. I think we'll skip the nuclear.”
Netanyahu also addressed the uprisings in the Middle East, and when asked by Morgan “what does this mean for Israel?” he replied: “You are looking at this and two places cheered what was happening in Cairo. One was Washington, and its allies. The other one was Tehran, and its allies. You know they weren't seeking the same outcome. You know there is a fundamentally different outcome that each was seeking. We had all hoped, and we still hope, that you will have a democratic transformation. That the, you know, the Google kids, the Facebook kids, you will create a Google heaven and a Facebook paradise, and all these people will come to power. That is obviously what people in the West, and people in free societies would like to see. It is not clear that that would happen.”
He admitted that the nightmare scenario for him would be “That you get another Iran. Five years ago in Lebanon a million Lebanese, that is the equivalent to 20 million Egyptians, walked in the streets of Beirut, chanting for freedom, chanting for secular reformist, a liberal Lebanese state. Five years later Lebanon is controlled by Hizbullah, which is controlled by Iran. That is what we don't want to see. We don't want to see this stark medievalism that represses women, that crushes the rights of people, that holds us back a millennia. That fosters violence. That does everything that we abhor. That it would take over.”
When asked about whether he was sad to see former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak leave office, Netanyahu said that “Egypt under Sadat, and then under Mubarak, kept the peace and I think that is something extraordinary valuable. And I think the first order of the day is to make sure that any future government in Egypt maintains the peace. The fact that we had these 30 years with Egypt, 20 years with Jordan, of a real peace, is something that I can appreciate.”
Netanyahu also spoke of the situation in Libya, and said that Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi “is no friend of Israel. He's not friend of the Jewish people. And I think his people can see now, he's no friend of the Libyan people. This is a man who helped explode civilian airlines in the skies. He's fostered terrorism. He's done a lot of terrible things. So I don't think anybody would be sorry to see him go. I wouldn't.”
Regarding the situation in Iran, Netanyahu said: “I was elected the first time about 15 years ago. And I went to speak before the joint session of the U.S. Congress. And I said that the single greatest threat facing the world, and my own country, was the arming of Iran with nuclear weapons. And since then what I have been trying to do is alert the world and the leaders of the world that it is not merely our problem, that it is their problem. Because Iran today is in Afghanistan, it is in Iraq, it has gotten control of Lebanon.”
He added that Iran is working to acquire nuclear weapons and that it is “getting a lot closer” to a situation where it indeed possesses such weapons. He noted that the situation is not like it was with Iraq, where it was unclear whether Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and explained that with Iran it is well-known. “Ahmadinejad is taking people on guided tours of these centrifuge halls,” said Netanyahu.
Morgan then asked Netanyahu what should be the answer to the Iranian problem, and Netanyahu replied: “One of the things that we are telling people is that sanctions by themselves are not going to be enough. That the only thing that will work is if Iran knew that if sanctions fail there will be a credible military option…I'm talking about a credible military action, lead preferably by the United States. It is not that complicated. It could be done. It is not easy, but it is not impossible.”
When asked if Israel possesses nuclear weapons, Netanyahu noted that “we have a long-standing policy that we won't be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East and that hasn't changed,” and added that “we don't pose a threat to anyone. We don't call for anyone's annihilation. We don't foster terrorism. We don't threaten to obliterate countries with nuclear weapons but we are threatened with all these threats.”
Netanyahu also addressed the decision to build 500 new housing units in Judea and Samaria, which as announced following the brutal murder of the Fogel family in Itamar, and explained the reasoning behind the decision.
“I wanted to send three messages,” said Netanyahu. “The first one I told you about, that is a message of restraint to the settlers. The second is a message to the terrorists. I was telling them, I know you think you're going to uproot us with this savagery, with the violence, with terror. You're not going to uproot us. So you kill us, you want to drive us into the sea, that's not going to happen. You only way we'll have a settlement is through peaceful negotiations. So you kill, we'll build. But coincidentally I chose to build in the large populated areas that are going to stay in Israel anyway. And not 500 new settlements but 500 apartments, which is very different.
“And third, I wanted to send a message to the international community. I said to the international community that rushes to condemn Israel for every building that is built. You know, a Jew builds an apartment in the Jewish homeland. What a terrible crime. But they seldom go and condemn this kind of savagery without any ands, ifs and buts and I wanted that condemnation.”
In regards to the larger question of peace with the Palestinian Authority, Netanyahu said that “peace requires two to tango. I said to Abu Mazen who was flying around in the world – the Palestinian president - I said, don't fly around the world. You want to make peace? Ramallah, where you sit, is 10 minutes away from Jerusalem where we're sitting right now. I'm willing to come to you. You can come here. Let's sit down, shut the room, you know, basically sit down until smoke comes out. That's the way you make peace. That's how we made peace with Egypt. That's how we made peace with Jordan.”
He noted that the reason this is not happing is that “the Palestinian society is split into two –those who are openly calling for Israel's destruction like Hamas, and those who are not calling openly for Israel's destruction but refuse to confront those who do. And that's the Palestinian Authority. I think they're timid, I think they're afraid to actually stand up to these killers. And I think that they're afraid, maybe for their own sake, for their own political hides, sometimes for their own physical safety. And they don't take that necessary plunge.”
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