Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Thursday 16 August 2012

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Thursday, Aug 16 '12, Av 28, 5772  
Today`s Email Stories:
IDF Grounds Yas'ur 'Copter Fleet
Vilna'i: Iran War Casualties Could be Cut by 90%
Ben-Gurion Passengers Get New 'Bill of Rights'
Shas: Some Demanding Full IDF Sevice Didn't Serve
'Netanyahu and Barak Haven't Yet Decided on Iran'
Unknown Terror Group Claims it Fired on Eilat
Canadian Church Affirms Boycott of 'Settlements'
  More Website News:
Khamenei Calls for 'Zionist Regime' to Disappear
Arabs Demand Homes Meant for Migron Residents
Israeli Strike in Iran: Cyber-attack, Missiles
Bedouin Appeal Against Legal Jewish Communities
Arabs' Latest Crybaby Video: Arrest in Hevron
  MP3 Radio Website News Briefs:
Talk: Media Terrorists
Using a Strong Arm
Music: Rosh Chodesh
Original Hassidic Music





1. MK: Egyptian Sinai Troop Deployment Beginning of Major Threat
by David Lev MK: Egyptian Sinai Troop Deployment a Major Threat

Commenting on reports that Egypt has deployed forces in Sinai without coordinating the move with Israel, MK Uri Ariel (National Union) said that Israel was acting “like an ostrich.” Ariel, chairman of the Knesset Oversight Committee, said that “the Egyptians have for a long time been systematically violating the Camp David peace treaty, but the government of Israel continues to hide its head in the sand.”

The report in Ha'aretz Thursday morning said that Egypt has moved thousands of troops into Sinai, beefing up forces to battle the Islamist groups that have more or less taken over the peninsula. According to the Camp David Accords, in which Israel ceded the entire Sinai to Egypt in exchange for a peace treaty, Egypt is supposed to deploy only police in Sinai. Israel must agree to the deployment of other forces. In the past, Israel has assented to temporary entry of Egyptian army troops for specific purposes and a limited time period. According to Thursday's report, Egypt did not ask Israel for permission to deploy the army troops in what is supposed to be a demilitarized zone.

Speaking on Israel Radio, several commentators connected Wednesday night's attack on Eilat by Islamists to the Egyptian decision, with the Islamists said to be trying to goad Israel to raid Sinai, in the hope that they will end up facing off against Egyptian soldiers. An Islamist group called the "Salafi Sinai Front" claimed responsibility on Thursday for the Eilat attack.

“If the government doesn't take all the direct or international steps it can to prevent this Egyptian violation of the Camp David Accords from continuing, we will soon find ourselves with troops and tanks facing our border,” said Ariel. “We will have yet another security threat to deal with on our southern border,” he added.





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2. IDF Grounds Yas'ur 'Copter Fleet
by David Lev IDF Grounds Yas'ur 'Copter Fleet

The Israel Air Force on Wednesday night grounded its fleet of Yas'ur helicopters, after a problem developed in a helicopter that was on a mission. The crew, which had just taken off from the Tel Nof air force base, noticed that there was a problem in the helicopter's rotor, and quickly returned to base. No one injured, but the helicopter was damaged in the landing.

After an examination of the problem by a grounds crew, the Air Force decided to ground the fleet until each helicopter could be examined, to ensure that they did not have a similar problem, IDF officials said. The examination should be completed sometime Thursday, they said.

The Yas'ur helicopters, made by Sikorsky Aircraft, are the largest in the IDF's fleet. Many of them are decades old, having gone through numerous repairs and upgrades, including reinforcement of their bodies and improved avionics. According to IDF budget plans, the current helicopters in the fleet are expected to continue in service until 2025.





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3. Vilna'i: We Can Cut Expected Casualties in Iran War by 90%
by David Lev Vilna'i: Iran War Casualties Could be Cut by 90%

Outgoing Homefront Command Minister and Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i wrote Thursday that, if a regional war does take place if and when Israel attacks Iran's nuclear facilities, the country was well-prepared to face threats posed by Hizbullah and Hamas. As Homefront Command Minister, Vilna'i wrote, he has drawn up detailed plans that would ensure that the vast majority of Israelis, as well as most of Israel's infrastructure, survive an attack by terror groups and Iran. Those plans, he wrote, could cut the expected number of casualties from a possible regional war by 90%

The document was a summation of the activities of Vilna'i as Homefront Command Minister, the post he was named to in 2011, as well as his activities in the Defense Ministry since 2007. Many of the plans that he drew up for home front safety – including distribution of gas masks and reinforcement of schools and other public buildings – have been adopted, but more needs to be done. Vilna'i is leaving the Homefront Command, as he has been appointed Israel's ambassador to China. The new Homefront Command Minister, Avid Dichter, was sworn in on Thursday morning.

With bigger budgets for the Homefront Command, Vilna'i wrote, Israel could ensure that more of its residents will be able to survive a regional war that most experts believe will take place if Israel or the U.S. attack Iran's nuclear facilities. Iran itself may or may not strike back, the experts said, but Hamas and Hizbullah almost certainly would. Between the two of them, the terror groups have tens of thousands of missiles aimed at Israeli population centers and infrastructure, and they are likely to fire them if Iran is attacked. In addition, Iran, Syria, or the terror groups themselves could attack Israel with chemical weapons.

Going on the theory that the home front will become the front lines in the event of such a war, Vilna'i wrote that he embarked on a program that would defend Israelis residents and infrastructure. Some of the innovations are security secrets, while others, including mass distribution of gas mask kits, were public knowledge. Vilna'i said that he had managed to secure budgets to provide 60% of Israelis with the kits, but that more money would be needed to expand the program.

If the plans that are already in place are brought to fruition, Vilna't wrote, many more Israelis will survive a regional war. Currently, security experts believe that, based on current security measures, one person on average will be killed for every thousand missiles fired at Israel. Vilna'i wrote that he believed that Israel could reduce that number to one casualty for every 10,000 rockets, if the plans already in progress are completed.





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4. Ben-Gurion Passengers Get New 'Bill of Rights'
Ben-Gurion Passengers Get New 'Bill of Rights'

Beginning Thursday, travelers flying out of Israel are likelier to have a better chance of taking off on time – otherwise, the airline they are flying on will have to compensate them, or perhaps even give them a refund or pay them for the waiting time. The new sanctions on airlines are part of the Airline Passenger Rights law, which comes into effect Thursday.

The law applies to scheduled airline flights as well as charter flights, and was prompted after scenes several summers ago of Israelis stuck in Ben Gurion Airport for hours or even days as they waited for their charter companies to fill flights or negotiate better deals with the carriers they were renting planes from. It applies to all flights leaving Israel, including flights by foreign carriers, as well as layovers. Airlines or charter operators that fail to comply will be subject to stiff penalties, and could be banned from using Ben Gurion Airport altogether.

Passengers will be compensated with food and drink, cash, or a full refund, depending on how many hours their flight was delayed. If a flight is delayed up to five hours, airlines must provide food and drink for passengers, and provide them with money to make two phone calls. If a flight is delayed between 5 and 8 hours, the passenger can decide to cancel their reservation, receiving a full refund from the airline. For delays beyond eight hours, airlines will have to compensate passengers between NIS 1,250 and NIS 3,000, and if the flight is delayed until the next day, the airline will also be required to put passengers up in a hotel.

Passengers will also receive compensation if their flight is moved up by more than eight hours, in cases where the passenger was notified less than two weeks before the flight's departure. Compensation will also be required for passengers who are bumped, or who are forced to move from business class to coach because of overbooking.

The law is seen as being directed especially against charter operators, who often have a very poor on-time departure record. Sources in the industry said that in recent weeks, charter operators, in preparation for their being forced to depart on time, have begun issuing tickets only 48 hours before flights, on the theory that the closer the time of departure, the less likely a delay.





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5. Shas: Some Demanding Full IDF Sevice Didn't Serve Themselves
by David Lev Shas: Some Demanding Full IDF Sevice Didn't Serve

Fighting “fire with fire,” Shas-affiliated newspaper Yom Leyom on Thursday released a report that documents the extent of IDF service of members of various parties in the Knesset – and evaluates their records in the context of their demands that the IDF forcibly draft full-time yeshiva students. As it turns out, some of the parties with the loudest voices in the Knesset condemning the Tal Law, that provided yeshiva students with exemptions from IDF service during the course of their studies, have a great deal of explaining to do.

For example: Yisrael Beiteinu sponsored two separate laws that would have required all yeshiva students to be drafted, but four of its MKs – Sofa Landver, Fania Kirschenbaum, Anastasia Michaeli, and Lea Shemtov did not serve in the IDF at all, and neither did they do National Service. In addition, the report said, it appeared that Tourism Minsiter Stas Meseznikov did not complete his IDF service. There are also large questions hanging over whether or not he does IDF reserve duty. The report also raised questions over the IDF service of party chairman Avigdor Lieberman. It should be noted, however, that there are numerous former IDF officers in Yisrael Beiteinu, like Public Security Minister Yitzchak Aharonovich.

In Meretz, a dovish party that is “hawkish” on full IDF service for all, the MKs seem to have served, but most served in low-level home front positions, derisively called “jobnik” positions. MK Nitzan Horowitz, for example, “served” at Army Radio. MK Ilan Gilalon, who was designated handicapped in the IDF, taught classes to incoming combat soldiers.

In the Likud, on the other hand – whose policy, as enunciated by party leader Binyamin Netanyahu is to develop an alternative plan to ensure that yeshiva students can serve in the army without coercion – all MKs served in the IDF, except for MK Zion Finan, who was unable to serve because he has polio.

The report also examined the IDF service of Shas MKs, and determined that two did not serve in the army at all. The other eight served in IDF combat roles.





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6. 'Netanyahu and Barak Haven't Yet Decided on Iran Strike'
by Elad Benari 'Netanyahu and Barak Haven't Yet Decided on Iran'

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have not yet decided to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities and could be dissuaded from a strike, Israel’s former national security adviser Uzi Dayan told The New York Times on Wednesday.

Dayan added that Netanyahu and Barak could be dissuaded from attacking Iran if President Obama approved stricter sanctions and publicly confirmed his willingness to use military force.

“There is a window of opportunity,” Dayan said. “This window is closing, but if the United States would be much clearer and stronger about the sanctions on one hand and about what can happen if Iran won’t make a U-turn — there is not a lot of time, but there is still time to make a difference.”

Dayan told The New York Times he spent more than an hour each with Netanyahu and Barak at their homes on Monday. He was being considered for the post of Home Front Defense Minister, which he turned down, and therefore extensively discussed with the two leaders the security threats that Israel is facing, particularly from Iran.

Dayan added that Netanyahu and Barak would prefer that the United States led any attack, even if that meant waiting until after the November presidential election. But “they have to make the decision whether to strike or not before November,” he said, so they need to hear from Obama “in the coming two weeks, in the coming month.”

“I’ve known them a very long time,” said Dayan. “They will make such a decision of striking only if they feel that there is no other way. They will do it only as the last, last thing, but then they will be pretty determined about it.”

The comments come amid continued speculation that Israel is close to striking in Iran. Some have speculated that such an attack by Israel could likely occur in September or October.

On Wednesday, American blogger Richard Silverstein published what he claimed is an Israeli briefing document outlining Israel’s war plans against Iran.

Silverstein said the document was passed to him by a high-level Israeli source who received it from an IDF officer. According to the document, the Israeli attack on Iran will begin with a coordinated strike including an unprecedented cyber-attack and then Iran will be hit with a barrage of tens of ballistic missiles.

On Monday, the daily newspaper Maariv reported that Israel has received assurances from the Obama administration, as well as the camp of Republican presumptive nominee, Mitt Romney, that the United States will join a war against Iran on Israel's side, if such a war breaks out.

On Tuesday, General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta attempted to play down a possible Israeli attack in Iran.

Dempsey told reporters that he believes an attack by Israel “can delay but not destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities,” while Panetta said he did not believe that Israel has made a decision regarding an attack on Iran.





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7. Unknown Terror Group Claims it Fired Rockets on Eilat
by Elad Benari Unknown Terror Group Claims it Fired on Eilat



An unknown organization calling itself the "Salafi Sinai Front" issued a statement on Thursday morning in which it claimed responsibility for firing rockets at the city of Eilat on Wednesday evening.

The organization also claimed responsibility for the repeated attacks on the gas pipeline which carries natural gas from Egypt to Israel and Jordan. The pipeline was hit 15 times since the revolution which ousted former President Hosni Mubarak.

On Wednesday evening, two powerful explosions were heard in Eilat. The IDF began combing the area in search of remains of Grad missiles, but have yet to find any.

Eilat has been the target of missile attacks from Sinai in the recent past. Two months ago, the remains of a Grad missile were discovered a few dozen kilometers north of Eilat, near Uvda. They were apparently fired from Sinai or Jordan.

In April, the remains of a rocket were discovered by residents, about ten meters from residential buildings. No one was hurt.

The terror group also condemned the Egyptian military’s operation inside the Sinai Peninsula, which was launched after terrorists killed 16 Egyptian officers, telling the Egyptian army, “Do not separate between us and our target which is the Zionist enemy. Our weapons are not turned against you. The enemy saw this in Eilat and elsewhere.”





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8. Canadian Church Votes to Affirm Boycott of 'Settlements'
by Elad Benari Canadian Church Affirms Boycott of 'Settlements'

Members of the United Church of Canada (UCC), the country’s largest Protestant denomination, voted on Wednesday to affirm a motion supporting a boycott of goods produced in Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem, The Toronto Star reported.

Wednesday’s vote was preceded by nearly six hours of contentious debate, in which the church’s general council members nitpicked the proposal’s wording and heard drawn-out testimonies from representatives on both sides of the issue.

The motion was one of several recommended by a report released by a church working group in May. Along with calling on church hierarchy to accept a comprehensive boycott, the report said that “the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory” is a major challenge to a two-state solution in the Middle East.

The Toronto Star quoted Bruce Gregersen, a United Church general council officer and spokesperson who assisted the working group, as saying the vote was a “significant step” toward the church’s affirmation of the entire proposal.

“I think the mind of the council appears to be clear,” Gregersen said. “If there was any sense that all the (anti-report) lobbying was going to have an effect, the council made up its own mind, irrespective of the lobby.”

Voting results were not immediately available but Gregersen told The Toronto Star voters were “substantially in favor” of the boycott motion.

The general council will vote again Friday on whether to confirm the proposals as official church policy.

The vote was met with swift condemnation by some members of the Canadian Jewish community, who say a boycott will create an irreparable breakdown of relations between the two religious groups.

“The reaction of the Jewish community is one of unbridled outrage,” said Shimon Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. “It is beyond comprehension that (the United Church) would choose to so skew a commentary on the conflict and come out with so one-sided an approach.”

A group of nine Canadian senators recently warned the UCC that a boycott of Israeli goods from Judea and Samaria could spark a rift with the Jewish State.

The senators, from both the Conservative and Liberal parties, are all members of the United Church. They warned the panel that the distinction drawn with the narrower boycott will “be lost upon” Israelis and Canada’s Jewish community, who will see it as an anti-Israel measure.

Prominent Jewish leaders have asserted behind the idea is the vehement anti-Israel minority in the UCC that is tarnishing the reputation of the church.

David Ha’ivri, executive director of the Shomron Liaison Office, has warned that a successful boycott of Israeli products made in Judea and Samaria will harm Palestinian Authority Arabs, the very people the UCC claims it wants to help.





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More Website News:
Khamenei Calls for 'Fake Zionist Regime' to Disappear
PA Arabs Demand Temporary Homes Meant for Migron Residents
Israeli Strike in Iran: Cyber-attack, Ballistic Missiles
Bedouin Squatters Appeal Against Legal Jewish Communities
Arabs' Latest Crybaby Video: Arrest in Hevron