Roberto Abraham Scaruffi: Israel National News

Wednesday 3 July 2013

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Wednesday, Jul 3 '13, Tammuz 25, 5773
Today`s Email Stories:
Iran Importing High-Grade Alumina Ore
Hotovely: Save Babies This Summer with Car Sensors
Netanyahu to Port Unions: The Monopoly is Over
Abbas 'Optimistic' About Resumption of Talks
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Leaders Arrested
Morsi Addresses Nation, Says He Won't Step Down
Arab ‘Price Tag’ Met with Silence
  More Website News:
Al-Qaeda Inspired Terror Plot Foiled in Canada
PA Policeman Admits to Terror Attack
'Mubarak Must be Smiling'
Arab Killed after He Climbed on IDF Jeep
Kuwaiti MPs: 'It is Permitted' to Deal With Israel
  MP3 Radio Website News Briefs:
Talk: Media Terrorists
Using a Strong Arm
Music: Mellow Selection
Yom Hazikaron




1. PA Policeman Admits to Terror Attack
by Maayana Miskin PA Policeman Admits to Terror Attack

The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed Wednesday that a Palestinian Authority security officer was arrested several weeks ago for carrying out a terrorist attack in Samaria (Shomron).

The PA officer shot a 70-year-old Jewish man as he waited at a hitchhiking station outside Kedumim. His victim suffered light-to-moderate wounds.

Two of the officer’s brothers assisted him before and after the attack.

The detainees have been identified as: Iyad Adnan Mohammed Daoud, 30, of Kalkilya, who worked as a PA police officer, and his brothers Baha Adnan Mohammed Daoud, 27, and Mahmoud Adnan Mohammed Daoud, 22.

Iyad Daoud admitted to carrying out the attack. His brothers confessed to their roles in the attack as well. Baha Daoud assisted in preparing for the attack, and he and Mahmoud Daoud both helped Iyad cover his tracks after the shooting.

The Shin Bet noted that prior to his arrest by Israeli security officers, Iyad Daoud had been arrested by the PA on suspicion of involvement in the shooting in question.

He was released by PA security personnel after denying involvement.






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2. Iran Exploits Sanctions Loophole, Buys High-Grade Alumina Ore
by Chana Ya'ar Iran Importing High-Grade Alumina Ore

Iran has exploited a loophole in international sanctions to import tons of alumina – a refined version of raw bauxite ore. 

In its high purity or ‘chemical grade’ form, the refined ore can be used for sensitive military applications, such as the production of armor parts and missile components.

Although the United States and European Union have been vigilant in their monitoring of Iran’s nuclear development activities, these imports were not noticed for quite some time.

The sanctions imposed by the EU and U.S. against Tehran targeted steel and other metals. However, the alumina ore – typically used to produce aluminum – did not fall in the category of sanctioned or banned items.

Particularly shocking was the fact that Iran was importing the substance from numerous European countries, including Germany and France.

Export data from independent firm Global Trade Information Services showed that some 4,000 metric tons of alumina was sold to Iran from January 2012 to March 2013. Most of the sales emanated from Germany and France, but some also came from Slovenia, Italy, Hungary, and Belgium, according to an exclusive report in The Daily Times.

Iran paid $700 to $1,000 per metric ton, and imported relatively low amounts at a time, according to the traders and experts who were quoted in the report. Switzerland swapped alumina for aluminum.

To plug the loophole, United States has introduced new and tightened sanctions against the Islamic Republic from July 1 which are meant to prohibit the import of raw or semi-finished metals to Iran. 

The tightened U.S. sanctions may also hamper the alumina trade with Iran by European countries, as those who have U.S. interests could be targeted by Washington.

"Any European companies found selling alumina, for example, will face the full weight of U.S. law. Alumina previously has sailed past the radar under previous U.S. and EU sanctions and should not be overlooked again as an important target of pressure," said Mark Dubowitz, who has advised President Barack Obama's administration and U.S. lawmakers on sanctions.




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3. Hotovely: Save Babies This Summer with Car Sensors
by Maayana Miskin Hotovely: Save Babies This Summer with Car Sensors

With the arrival of the summer months, the government must take action to prevent the deaths of babies and young children in hot cars this year, according to MK Tzipi Hotovely, the Deputy Minister of Transportation.

Hotovely ordered the National Road Safety Council to begin a campaign to increase public awareness of the issue.

Many are unaware of how quickly a child can become dangerously ill in a closed car in the heat, and of risk factors that lead caretakers to leave children in cars, such as an unexpected change in routine.

In addition to education, Hotovely is also hoping to make use of new technology. She hopes to get an official stamp of approval for sensors that warn drivers when a person has been left in the car, and ultimately, to require drivers to install such sensors.

“The loss of babies’ lives due to parents’ distraction is a human tragedy that can be prevented through technology and awareness,” Hotovely said. “Increased awareness could save lives.”




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4. Netanyahu to Port Unions: The Monopoly is Over
by Maayana Miskin Netanyahu to Port Unions: The Monopoly is Over

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz officially announced at a press conference Wednesday that Israel will open two new ports, to be run by private companies.

Netanyahu praised the decision, which he said will lead to a dramatic improvement to Israel’s export capabilities.

Turning to the current port unions, Netanyahu said, “The monopoly is over.” Two thousand men will no longer be able to shut down the entire country, he said.

Israel has five ways to boost economic growth, he continued. The first is its newly discovered natural gas resources.

“The second is ‘China,’ that is, increased export to new markets. The third is bringing new sectors of society into the workforce – hareidi-religious Jews and Arabs, especially hareidi men and Arab women,” he said. The fourth is technology, he added.

“The fifth, but the first in importance, is reforms, reforms, and more reforms, to cut bureaucracy and increase competition,” he declared. “To bring down prices and reduce the cost of living in Israel.”

Lapid spoke at the press conference as well. “The thing that most stands out about this government is that we are here to work,” he said.

“We’re bringing the Israeli public the ports reform that the state has been waiting for for 65 years,” he said. “This reform will create hundreds if not thousands of new workplaces outside of central Israel, and that’s something that will change lives.”

“We came to work, and we’re working,” he concluded.






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5. Abbas 'Optimistic' About Resumption of Talks
by Elad Benari Abbas 'Optimistic' About Resumption of Talks

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had made "useful and constructive proposals" during his four-day visit last week and said he was "optimistic" about the outcome, reported the AFP news agency.

His remarks, at a news conference with visiting Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta, came in the wake of Kerry's latest attempt to coax Israel and the PA back into direct peace talks.

"Kerry made useful and constructive proposals and we are not saying they were bad, but they need further clarification and explanation before we can return to negotiations," Abbas said, according to AFP.

"We are optimistic because Kerry is serious and determined to reach a solution. We hope to go back to negotiations very soon in order to address the core issues between us and the Israelis," he added.

Although Kerry flew out of the region on Sunday, he left behind several of his advisers and is expected to return to the region soon, Abbas said.

Amin Maqbul, a senior official in Abbas's ruling Fatah movement, said there had been "progress" during Kerry's marathon talks and expressed appreciation for his commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state along the borders that existed before the Six Day War in 1967.

"He has made it clear that this is U.S. policy," he told Voice of Palestine radio, adding that there had also been progress on the issue of Israel's release of terrorist prisoners.

"Settlements remain the main obstacle to a resumption of negotiations," he said, calling for added U.S. pressure on the Israeli government on all issues.

Abbas has insisted that Israel recognize the 1949 Armistice Line as a designated border for any future PA state. Israel refuses, as the pre-1967 borders are indefensible and withdrawing back to these borders would guarantee its destruction.

The demand that Israel recognize these indefensible borders as a designated border for a Palestinian state is just one in a long line of preconditions that Abbas has imposed on negotiations. He has also demanded that Israel release terrorists jailed before the 1993 Oslo Accords and that it freeze all Jewish construction in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem.

Under U.S. pressure, Israel froze construction for ten months in 2010 so that Abbas would agree to resume negotiations. When the freeze ended, however, Abbas refused to talk, demanding instead that Israel continue to freeze construction.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he is “ready to go into the tent, the peace tent, and stay in the tent until white smoke comes out.” He has consistently called on Abbas to resume talks without preconditions, but Abbas has ignored the calls, saying instead that “the ball is in Israel’s court.”

The optimism displayed by Abbas was not reflected on the ground, with a new Israel-PA survey showing most people held little hope the talks would result in a resumption of direct talks after a hiatus of nearly three years.

According to a poll jointly conducted by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at Jerusalem's Hebrew University and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah, just over a quarter of PA Arabs -- 27 percent -- and only one in 10 Israelis, believe that talks will resume and violence will end, reported AFP.

Just over two thirds of both peoples -- 68 percent of Israelis and 69 percent of PA Arabs -- view the likelihood of a Palestinian state emerging in the next five years as low or non-existent.






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6. Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Leaders Arrested, Army Moves In
by Chana Ya'ar Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Leaders Arrested

Egyptian sources report that senior officials in the Muslim Brotherhood have been placed under house arrest and the military is securing strategic facilities across the country.

The Islamist group that backed President Mohamed Morsi in last year’s successful bid to win the nation’s first democratic election is also now being scrutinized for corruption in the ranks. 

The group’s funding structure and records are being probed, according to a report posted Wednesday by the Egyptian Al-Ahram newspaper.

The report also claimed the Egyptian Army has begun to hermetically seal strategic installations across the country in accordance with a military “road map” plan that mandates implementation by the army if politicians could not resolve the leadership crisis by Wednesday.

The army reportedly had already taken control of all weapons and munitions arsenal sites.

However, an Egyptian military source denied the reports, saying he instead expected political, social and economic figures to gather for talks on the “road map” plan.

Military leaders are mulling three options for transitional leadership of Egypt, in the fast-approaching aftermath of the almost certain ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, according to the London-based al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper.

The first would be appointment of the president of the Constitutional Court as transitional leader, supported by a national council comprised of military and government officials.

A second option would be leadership by the Higher Military Council. 

The third option to lead the nation would be appointment of a presidential council comprised of military and civilian officials.

Morsi continues to insist that he will remain in office and has refused to resign. Nevertheless, a local media source told foreign reporters Wednesday morning that after the 48-hour ultimatum to the president by the army expires, “one of two things” would happen: “Either Morsi announces his resignation himself, or the declaration of his removal through the road map for the future [is] set out by the armed forces.”

Any transitional government is expected to be in place for at least nine to twelve months, during which a new constitution would be drafted, with presidential elections to be held at the end of the transitional period.




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7. Morsi Addresses Nation, Says He Won't Step Down
by Elad Benari Morsi Addresses Nation, Says He Won't Step Down

Moments after he demanded that the army withdraw a 48-hour ultimatum for him to resolve the conflict with his political opponents, Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi went on live television to say that he will not step down as demanded by millions of protesters.

Morsi vowed to protect his "constitutional legitimacy" with his life, according to the Al Jazeera network.

Addressing the nation in a speech carried live on state television, Morsi accused loyalists of his predecessor Hosni Mubarak of riding the current wave of protests to topple his regime.

"There is no substitute for legitimacy," said Morsi, who had received an ultimatum from the military to work out his differences with the opposition by Wednesday or it will intervene to oversee the implementation of its own political road map.

He said he had tried such dialogue before and had been unsuccessful. He insisted he would continue fulfilling the duties to which he had been democratically elected.

"The constitution which we all uphold and respect says that the government that will be chosen by the parliament will have more authorities than the president," said Morsi, according to Al-Ahram, and added, "To save the nation we need to sacrifice, but not against each other....when we announce jihad that must be against foreign enemies and not against each other. We sacrifice for our country and I am the first to sacrifice. If the cost for legitimacy is my blood I will give it easily."

He said, "There are many challenges but the biggest is not to fall in the trap and take the country in the wrong direction, and make our enemies happy."

"My iron will is with my people and is unshaken," Morsi concluded the speech.

Egyptian media reported earlier that seven people were killed in clashes between Morsi opponents and supporters on Tuesday. Violence during the protests over the weekend had already left 16 people dead and hundreds injured.






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8. Arab ‘Price Tag’ Met with Silence
by Maayana Miskin Arab ‘Price Tag’ Met with Silence

Residents of northern Israel were disturbed this week to find that around 20 bus stops had been sprayed with anti-Jewish slogans.

“The Negev is for Arabs alone – get the Jews out and the Zionists out,” graffiti on one bus stop in Carmiel said. On another it said, “The Negev is in danger. It belongs to Bedouins and we won’t give it up.”

The graffiti followed the Knesset’s decision to pass a law regarding Bedouin settlement in the Negev. Arab MKs vehemently opposed the plan, which will legalize many pirate Bedouin settlements in the region, due to the fact that it will require some of those who have no proof of ownership of their land to move to alternate land provided by the government.

The Arab MKs view this as a forced population transfer.

Samaria Residents’ Council head Benny Katzover said the Arab MKs’ bitter criticism in Knesset was directly linked to the anti-Jewish graffiti. “This is a direct continuation of the Arab MKs’ incitement… There is no doubt that the Arab MKs are adding fuel to the fire and causing violent acts like this,” he said.

Council director-general Keizler Sagi wondered why the Arab “price tag” had gone widely ignored by the media and by Israeli leaders, just two weeks after similar graffiti in the Arab Israeli town of Abu Ghosh earned condemnation from a variety of political figures, including President Shimon Peres.

“I call for the President, Mr. Shimon Peres, to visit Carmiel and tell the residents there that what was done at their bus stops was a disgrace, and to ask the police to catch whoever wrote this hateful graffiti, as he did in Abu Ghosh,” Sagi said.






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More Website News:
Al-Qaeda Inspired Terror Plot Foiled in Canada
PA Policeman Admits to Terror Attack
'Mubarak Must be Smiling When Seeing Morsi's Troubles'
Arab Killed after He Climbed on IDF Jeep
Two Kuwaiti MPs: 'It is Permitted' to Deal With Israel