Post by Michael on Mar 26, 2008 4:25:01 GMT -5
18 Adar II 5768
March 25, 2008
Shalom
For Hashem will not forsake His people for His great name's sake; because it has pleased Him to make you a people unto Himself.
I Samuel:12-22
Preparing for Missile War
A secret report recently distributed among government ministries and local municipalities details various wartime scenarios. The report deals with very harsh possibilities, including some that are downright horrifying, formulated as part of the lessons drawn from the disastrous Second Lebanon War of 2006.
Among its dire scenarios are hundreds of dead, thousands of injured, missile barrages on central Israel, full paralysis at Ben-Gurion Airport, constantly bombed roads, nationwide power outages that last for long hours, and the whole regions' water supply being cut off.
Notably, the document does not aim to predict future developments with certainty, but rather, only aims to serve as a guideline for civilian war preparations. The above assessment is characterized as a "severe reasonable scenario" - that is, it is not the gravest scenario, but also not the most favorable.
The document projects that Iranian and Syrian missiles will fall on Israel, as well as thousands of rockets from Hizbollah in south Lebanon. The report is being taken very seriously by national and local officials.
Barak: 'Calculated Risks Necessary'
Defense Minister Ehud Barak will tell Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad in a meeting in Ramallah tomorrow that the IDF will allow Palestinian police to deploy in the West Bank town of Jenin.
The Palestinian police force of 600 will move into the West Bank town after they complete their training in Jordan. On Friday a Defense Ministry spokesman announced that Israel had agreed to let Russia deliver 25 armored vehicles to Palestinian security forces in the West Bank.
The armed policemen will be charged with maintaining order in the town during the day, but the IDF will retain security control and will continue to operate in the town during the night.
"It is clear to us all that we must exhaust all possible ways of assisting the negotiations with the Palestinians," Barak said Tuesday. "We must ease restrictions on the Palestinians whenever it does not conflict with [Israel's] defense, even at the price of a calculated risk.
"
IDF Deploys New Anti-Terror System Around Gaza
A new system deployed by the IDF around the Gaza Strip enables soldiers stationed in the operations room to fire at Palestinian terrorists near the Gaza fence without exposing themselves to enemy fire.
The systems, which are equipped with a camera and a machine gun, enable soldiers to watch any activity that takes place near the fence and if necessary to fire at the push of a button. The new system which was developed by the Israel Armament Development Authority, will soon be declared officially "operational.
"
"The system is not supposed to replace soldiers on the ground, and it won't replace the need to charge at terrorists when necessary," an IDF official said. "We will be able to distinguish between terrorists and civilians," another official added. "We won't fire needlessly, yet at the same time we are responsible for protecting IDF soldiers.
"
Nasrallah Vows "We'll Get Israel"
Hizbullah chieftain Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah continues to hide for fear of Israeli reprisals - yet threatens Israel with revenge attacks for the recent assassination of Imad Mughniyeh.
In a recorded video speech to a large memorial rally yesterday in Beirut, Nasrallah said, "Can Israel be erased? Yes! 1,000 times yes! We will get back at Israel for the killing at a time and place of our choosing" - language often used by Israeli officials.
Despite this, Nasrallah said that negotiations for the release of kidnapped IDF reservists Elad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, in exchange for hundreds of Arab terrorist prisoners, would continue. At least one of the two is believed to be dead, but Hizbullah refuses to divulge any information about them. The kidnapping of the soldiers in July 2006, which kicked off the Second Lebanon War, was apparently organized by Mughniyeh.
Not only has Israel denied killing Mughniyeh, many indications point to Syrian organization involvement. Even his widow originally blamed Syria, though she later backtracked.
Interestingly, Syria announced an investigation into the killing even after Hizbollah blamed Israel. Syria's silence about the matter since then has many wondering if the investigation disclosed evidence embarrassing to Syria.
Arab Summit Falling Apart
"The strength of the Arabs is in their solidarity" is the slogan of the Arab League Summit in Damascus, but it seems the Arab world has not been this fragmented for a very long time. The leaders of at least 12 Arab countries will not attend the summit that opens, according to remarks by Arab sources to Haaretz on Monday. They also said no significant decisions will be made at the summit.
Saudi Arabia announced Monday that it would be represented at the summit by its permanent representative to the Arab League, who holds the rank of ambassador. Egypt said President Hosni Mubarak would not attend, and it seems that his place will be taken by Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Jordan's King Abdullah will most likely also not attend, and it is still not clear who will represent Lebanon.
"The real decision-makers are not coming since there is no progress on the Lebanon issue," said one source. "The Syrians have not demonstrated any flexibility or potential to change the situation.
"
The Lebanon question relates to Arab counties' demands, led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, that Syria help find a solution to the political crisis in Lebanon, and allow the election of a new president.
The New Guardians of Israel by Caroline Glick
Veteran journalist, Caroline Glick, has posted an excellent report entitled "The New Guardians of Israel", well worth your reading. It'a a report "to give us all hope", according to Naomi Ragen's reaction after reading the article. I agree with Naomi.
Shalom and many blessings to you,
March 25, 2008
Shalom
For Hashem will not forsake His people for His great name's sake; because it has pleased Him to make you a people unto Himself.
I Samuel:12-22
Preparing for Missile War
A secret report recently distributed among government ministries and local municipalities details various wartime scenarios. The report deals with very harsh possibilities, including some that are downright horrifying, formulated as part of the lessons drawn from the disastrous Second Lebanon War of 2006.
Among its dire scenarios are hundreds of dead, thousands of injured, missile barrages on central Israel, full paralysis at Ben-Gurion Airport, constantly bombed roads, nationwide power outages that last for long hours, and the whole regions' water supply being cut off.
Notably, the document does not aim to predict future developments with certainty, but rather, only aims to serve as a guideline for civilian war preparations. The above assessment is characterized as a "severe reasonable scenario" - that is, it is not the gravest scenario, but also not the most favorable.
The document projects that Iranian and Syrian missiles will fall on Israel, as well as thousands of rockets from Hizbollah in south Lebanon. The report is being taken very seriously by national and local officials.
Barak: 'Calculated Risks Necessary'
Defense Minister Ehud Barak will tell Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad in a meeting in Ramallah tomorrow that the IDF will allow Palestinian police to deploy in the West Bank town of Jenin.
The Palestinian police force of 600 will move into the West Bank town after they complete their training in Jordan. On Friday a Defense Ministry spokesman announced that Israel had agreed to let Russia deliver 25 armored vehicles to Palestinian security forces in the West Bank.
The armed policemen will be charged with maintaining order in the town during the day, but the IDF will retain security control and will continue to operate in the town during the night.
"It is clear to us all that we must exhaust all possible ways of assisting the negotiations with the Palestinians," Barak said Tuesday. "We must ease restrictions on the Palestinians whenever it does not conflict with [Israel's] defense, even at the price of a calculated risk.
"
IDF Deploys New Anti-Terror System Around Gaza
A new system deployed by the IDF around the Gaza Strip enables soldiers stationed in the operations room to fire at Palestinian terrorists near the Gaza fence without exposing themselves to enemy fire.
The systems, which are equipped with a camera and a machine gun, enable soldiers to watch any activity that takes place near the fence and if necessary to fire at the push of a button. The new system which was developed by the Israel Armament Development Authority, will soon be declared officially "operational.
"
"The system is not supposed to replace soldiers on the ground, and it won't replace the need to charge at terrorists when necessary," an IDF official said. "We will be able to distinguish between terrorists and civilians," another official added. "We won't fire needlessly, yet at the same time we are responsible for protecting IDF soldiers.
"
Nasrallah Vows "We'll Get Israel"
Hizbullah chieftain Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah continues to hide for fear of Israeli reprisals - yet threatens Israel with revenge attacks for the recent assassination of Imad Mughniyeh.
In a recorded video speech to a large memorial rally yesterday in Beirut, Nasrallah said, "Can Israel be erased? Yes! 1,000 times yes! We will get back at Israel for the killing at a time and place of our choosing" - language often used by Israeli officials.
Despite this, Nasrallah said that negotiations for the release of kidnapped IDF reservists Elad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, in exchange for hundreds of Arab terrorist prisoners, would continue. At least one of the two is believed to be dead, but Hizbullah refuses to divulge any information about them. The kidnapping of the soldiers in July 2006, which kicked off the Second Lebanon War, was apparently organized by Mughniyeh.
Not only has Israel denied killing Mughniyeh, many indications point to Syrian organization involvement. Even his widow originally blamed Syria, though she later backtracked.
Interestingly, Syria announced an investigation into the killing even after Hizbollah blamed Israel. Syria's silence about the matter since then has many wondering if the investigation disclosed evidence embarrassing to Syria.
Arab Summit Falling Apart
"The strength of the Arabs is in their solidarity" is the slogan of the Arab League Summit in Damascus, but it seems the Arab world has not been this fragmented for a very long time. The leaders of at least 12 Arab countries will not attend the summit that opens, according to remarks by Arab sources to Haaretz on Monday. They also said no significant decisions will be made at the summit.
Saudi Arabia announced Monday that it would be represented at the summit by its permanent representative to the Arab League, who holds the rank of ambassador. Egypt said President Hosni Mubarak would not attend, and it seems that his place will be taken by Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Jordan's King Abdullah will most likely also not attend, and it is still not clear who will represent Lebanon.
"The real decision-makers are not coming since there is no progress on the Lebanon issue," said one source. "The Syrians have not demonstrated any flexibility or potential to change the situation.
"
The Lebanon question relates to Arab counties' demands, led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, that Syria help find a solution to the political crisis in Lebanon, and allow the election of a new president.
The New Guardians of Israel by Caroline Glick
Veteran journalist, Caroline Glick, has posted an excellent report entitled "The New Guardians of Israel", well worth your reading. It'a a report "to give us all hope", according to Naomi Ragen's reaction after reading the article. I agree with Naomi.
Shalom and many blessings to you,
