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| Sunday, Nov 6 '11, Cheshvan 9, 5772 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1. Iran Answers Rumors of Planned Attack: ‘Our Wrath on Tel Aviv’
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu  A week of rumors that Israel plans to attack Iran has prompted a warning that it can deal Israel a “crushing response” and that “any Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic would be reciprocated with a destructive reprisal.” Responding to repetition in the media that Israel has decided that the “military option” is the only way to stop Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon, an Iranian legislator was quoted by the state-run Fars News Agency as saying, "Before (being able to take) any action against Iran, the Israelis will feel our wrath in Tel Aviv.” Hossein Ebrahimi, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission said that "since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution, the U.S., UK and Israel have frequently threatened Iran… This is not a new development." "The Israelis entered the (Lebanon) war with the capabilities they had but earned nothing but humiliation," Ebrahimi said. "I do not think that Israelis along with the Americans and Britons will commit such a folly. "If the threat is carried out, they will see the political might of the (Islamic) establishment, the solidarity of the Iranian nation, and the strength of the country.” Media reports of an imminent Israeli attack on Iran crop up at least twice a year, with different predictions on when Iran will possess a nuclear weapon. It possesses enough enriched uranium to manufacture two to four nuclear weapons, according to various experts. With each rumor, there is less time to stop Iran from obtaining an atomic bomb, which the Islamic Republic constantly denies it seeks. Different interpretations over the weekend pointed to mild American reactions to the reports that most, if not all, Israeli ministers have removed previous objections to a military attack. During the period of the Obama administration’s attempt to “engage Iran," the regime has built nuclear plants deep underground in rocky areas that make it difficult, if not impossible, to attack except through a strike mounted by anti-regime agents in Iran. Comment on this story
2. Iran's Foreign Minister Rejects IAEA Report
by Elad Benari  Iran’s Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, said on Saturday that the International Atomic Energy Agency’s upcoming report on his country’s nuclear program lacks authenticity, The Tehran Times reported. The report, which has been termed “critical” by U.S. officials, is expected to show that Iran is inching closer to having a nuclear weapon. However, Salehi rejected this and said in a joint press conference with his Burundian counterpart, “We have no problem with the release of documents but we believe that these documents are invalid.” He added that the IAEA had already raised such claims and that his country answered all the questions asked by the UN body. He also suggested that the claims are being made because of the influence of major powers. The Tehran Times also reported that Salehi was asked to comment on the remarks made by Israeli President Shimon Peres on Friday, in which he suggested that an Israeli military option to stop the Islamic republic from obtaining nuclear weapons was growing nearer. According to the report, Salehi said that there is no need to respond to such baseless remarks. Peres said in a special interview with Channel 2 News that a military strike would probably solve the Iranian issue better than diplomatic methods would, and called on the world’s nations to remember their responsibility to stop the Islamic Republic. “It seems Iran is moving closer to having a nuclear weapon,” he said. “In the time that remains, we need to turn to the nations of the world and tell them that the time has come to fulfill their promise and their responsibility, which is about more than imposing sanctions.” “We must do what should be done to stop Iran, and there is a very long menu of options about which I do not want to elaborate,” Peres added. “I want to remind [the world] of the urgent political and moral obligation (of other countries). It’s not just our problem, but also theirs.” Meanwhile, the United States has clarified that it has not yet given up on diplomatic methods to prevent the Iranian nuclear program. “What we’re focused on is a diplomatic strategy which increases the pressure on the Iranians, through financial pressure, through economic sanctions, through diplomatic isolation,” Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes told reporters on Thursday. He admitted, however, that Iran “has been unable to demonstrate the peaceful intent of its nuclear program” and that it is “the only treaty member of the (Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty) that cannot convince the International Atomic Energy Agency that their program is peaceful.” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland also addressed the Iranian issue on Thursday, telling reporters that while the Obama administration does “not seek a military confrontation with Iran,” it was not closing the door on any option. “We are going to use every means at our disposal to continue to try to increase the international pressure on Iran to meet its IAEA obligations and to come clean on its nuclear program,” Nuland told reporters in Washington. Comment on this story 
3. PA Arab Terrorists Attack Motorists in Samaria
by Chana Ya'ar  PA terrorists attacked Israeli motorists Sunday morning in Samaria with rocks and firebombs (Molotov cocktails). On Sunday morning, two such attacks resulted in injuries to two people traveling on roads in Samaria. In one attack, Arab rioters hurled sharp-edged rocks at vehicles with Israeli license plates as they passed near the Tzufim checkpoint. One passenger was physically injured and received treatment at the scene by rescue workers. IDF troops immediately set out to search for the attackers. In the second incident, Arabs near the village of Azzoun hurled a firebomb (Molotov cocktail) at a vehicle with Israeli license plates. The driver was wounded in this second attack as well. He received first aid at the scene from IDF soldiers, while additional troops searched for the attackers. Attacks by PA Arabs hurling grapefruit-sized rocks and firebombs have often caused serious injury and damage. In some cases, the attacks have actually succeeded in causing the deaths they clearly intended by smashing the windshield and causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Rock attacks have become more frequent in recent months, noted Kiryat Arba Council head Malachi Levinger in September, and “pose a threat to human life.” The most recent such case involved the murder of Asher Palmer and his baby son Yehonatan in September on Highway 60 near Hevron, in Judea. A similar rock attack had occurred just a week prior, when an Arab in a taxicab hurled a four pound rock at a passing Israeli vehicle. The rock landed on the road several inches ahead of the car. Comment on this story
4. IDF Strikes Gaza Terrorists, Preventing Rocket Attack
by David Lev  IDF troops prevented a rocket attack on Israel Saturday night by striking at a terrorist gang that was preparing to fire a missile at the Negev. IDF planes targeted the gang in southern Gaza, near Khan Yunis. Among the terrorists eliminated was a high-ranking member of Islamic Jihad, IDF sources said. Meanwhile, reports in the Arab media said that Cairo has warned Hamas of “dire consequences” if the terror group does not act to halt rocket fire on Israel. A high-ranking Egyptian official was quoted as saying by the Al-Hayat newspaper, published in London, that Egypt could not continue to pressure Israel not to undertake a major action in Gaza. “We cannot pressure Israel to accept the cease fire if Palestinian groups do not accept the cease fire,” the official said. He said that Hamas was actually avoiding attacking Israel at this time, and that Israel realized this and was aware that other terror groups were behind the rocket fire. With that, the official said, Israel considers Hamas responsible for what goes on in Gaza, and that Hamas needed to restrain the groups if it wanted to avoid a major Israeli military response. A report by the Associated Press earlier last week said that the IDF had been given a green light by the defense establishment to prepare for a major land operation in Gaza. The operation will be undertaken in the event of another major round of rocket attacks, such as Israel experienced several weeks ago. A Kassam rocket was fired at Israel on Friday night. The rocket struck in an open area in the Ashkelon area. No injuries or damage were reported. Comment on this story 
5. Gaza Rocket Attacks Wound One near Ashkelon
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu  One foreign worker was hospitalized early Sunday morning as Gaza terrorists “retaliated to retaliation” from the IDF that killed one Islamic Jihad terrorist and wounded two others. The worker is being treated for moderate injuries at Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. Two missiles hit the coastal region overnight south of the port city, home to strategic oil, gas and electric infrastructures. Hamas has outwardly remained in the background during the past week as the rival Islamic Jihad has taken responsibility for attacks on Israel, breaking a ceasefire that never lasted more than a few hours. It is not clear whether Hamas is simply allowing Islamic Jihad to fire the missiles or is unable to stop them, if it wants to. Two terrorists were killed Thursday in a two-hour long gunfight after Gaza gunmen attacked an Israeli worker carrying out maintenance work on the security fence. Two terrorists were killed. Elsewhere, the IDF arrested two wanted terrorists in Judea and Samaria overnight Saturday. One of the terrorists was caught near Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem, and the other was nabbed near Shechem, north of the capital. Comment on this story
6. US Supreme Court to Resume 'Jerusalem, Israel' Passport Hearing
by Chana Ya'ar  The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday for a Jewish boy born in Jerusalem to have his birthplace in Israel's sovereign capital listed on his U.S. passport. The case, Zivotofsky v. Clinton, No. 10-699, began with a lawsuit filed in 2003 by Menachem Zivotofsky's parents, Naomi and Ari. The couple was incensed when the U.S. State Department refused to allow them to list “Israel” as the boy's country of birth. They were instead told that State Department policy requires that only “Jerusalem” be recorded as the place of birth for children born in Israel's capital, because the United States does not recognize any country as having sovereignty over the city. The Zivotofskys immediately went to federal court in Washington, D.C. Over the passport rule, which insisted on neutrality for Jerusalem. The judge dismissed the case because, he said, it involved a political issue beyond the judiciary power. Upon appeal, a second judge agreed, saying the judicial branch of government cannot order the executive branch to change foreign policy. Undeterred, the couple has taken the case all the way to the Supreme Court. Acting Attorney-General Neal Katyal has argued in the Supreme Court that “the status of Jerusalem is one of the most sensitive and long-standing disputes in the Arab-Israeli conflict,” according to Reuters. Katyal contended that the executive branch maintains sole power to decide the policy on passports for U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem, as this is an issue of foreign affairs. Politico columnist Ben Smith observed over the weekend, “This is, legally, a fight over Congress's power over the Secretary of State. Symbolically, it's a back door into one of the charged, “final status” issues of the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace procese (sic)...” Smith noted that the stakes are “high, and so small things matter” – including things like the White House erasing the word “Israel” from a photo caption that originally had read “Jerusalem, Israel.” The columnist further investigated to see if the claim was a fluke, but discovered to his surprise, “the Obama effort to scrub it from past documents may be, as White House spokesman Matt Lehrich told Adam Kredo, of that first altered caption, in keeping with 'U.S. policy for more than 40 years,' but it also reflects a new level of interest in keeping that policy absolute.” The hearing on Zivotofsky v. Clinton No. 10-699 resumes Monday. It is expected that the Court will reach a ruling during its current term. The Palestinian Authority continues to claim a significant portion of Jerusalem – all of the areas restored to Israel's capital during the 1967 Six Day War, in fact – to create a capital city for its own hoped-for independent state of Palestine. Refusing to negotiate a final status settlement with Israel, the PA attempted a shortcut and tried to circumvent talks by applying to the United Nations for full membership and recognition as a sovereign state. The U.N. Security Council is due to vote on the matter November 11. The United States has vowed to exercise its veto as a permanent member of the Council if the resolution is not voted down. France has said it will abstain in the vote. Comment on this story 
7. Egypt Strikes Oil in Sinai
by Chana Ya'ar  Egypt has announced the discovery of oil in the Sinai Peninsula, this time in the southern part of the region. The country's Ministry of Petroleum said Friday production had already begun at the newly discovered well. The site is located 40 kilometers south of Abu Rudais City. The well is producing 2,270 barrels of crude per day, Medhat al-Sayyed, head of Beyayim Petroleum Company told Egypt's daily newspaper, the Arabic-language Al-Masry Al-Youm, in an article translated by media watchdog organization, the Independent Media Review and Analysis (IMRA). The find was discovered at a depth of 3.12 meters, some 2,734 kilometers from the beach, Sayyed reported in a document he submitted to Oil Minister Abdullah Ghorab. The reserve is estimated at approximately 5.5 million barrels of crude oil, according to the statement issued by the Petroleum Ministry. In 1979, Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed the historic Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty on the lawn of the White House in Washington D.C., under the watchful gaze of President Jimmy Carter. The peace that resulted, albeit cold, has lasted till this day. In its withdrawal from Sinai, Israel gave up the homes of 7,000 Israelis, military installations, strategic defense locations – and the Alma oil field and Sadot gas field, valued at more than $100 billion. Had the Jewish State kept the oil reserves it had discovered in 1973, it would have meant energy independence for Israel. Currently Egypt supplies approximately 40 percent of Israel's natural gas through the Sinai pipeline, which has been repeatedly attacked by terrorists since the Tahrir Square revolution that ignited at the beginning of this year. Comment on this story
8. Abbas to Build Homes for Freed Terrorists
by Elad Benari  Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has announced his decision to build new homes specifically meant for the terrorists who were released in the Shalit prisoner exchange deal. Israel has already freed 477 terrorists in the first part of the deal, and an additional 550 are to be released in the second phase. According to Saturday’s announcement, the construction of the homes will be financed by the Palestine Investment Fund. “The issue of the prisoners is a top priority for the Palestinian leadership,” Abbas was quoted as saying at a recent meeting with some of the terrorists who were freed. He welcomed the terrorists and reiterated his previous demands that Israel release 1,000 additional prisoners. Abbas recently claimed that former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised him that if Israel were to free Hamas terrorists in exchange for Shalit, it would also free Fatah terrorists, in order to avoid hurting Abbas’ political standing. Abbas made the claims in a recent interview with TIME Magazine, in which he said the deal was kept secret so that it would not affect negotiations for Shalit’s freedom. His move to build homes for the murderers comes after the Hamas government in Gaza recently decided to reward each terrorist that was freed to Gaza in the Shalit deal with a sum of $2,000. Comment on this story
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Everyday of Freedom is an Act of Faith for my writings ============> http://robertoscaruffi.blogspot.com for something on religions ===> http://scaruffi1.blogspot.com
Sunday, 6 November 2011
