Wednesday, February 06, 2008

COMING HAMAS - ISRAEL WAR

A Coming Hamas-Israel War? By ROBERT BAER FEB 6,08

It's difficult to decide which will go over the edge first, Lebanon or Gaza. Maybe both at the same time, hand in hand, and - if you believe Israel - with a gentle shove from Iran. Bets are on Gaza to explode first. Although Hamas claimed that Monday's suicide bomber in Dimona, the first in a year, came from the West Bank, the Israelis still are investigating whether he got into the country from Gaza via Egypt while the border fence at Rafah was breached. It's certainly possible. An estimated 750,000 Palestinians, half of Gaza's population, crossed into Egypt and back, primarily to shop for basic goods unavailable at home.Israel also suspects that advanced long-range rockets, anti-tank rockets and anti-aircraft missiles were smuggled into Gaza during the breach. But more ominously, Israel claimed that, along with the weapons, Iranian-trained Hamas guerrillas came across at the same time - presumably to operate the new weapons. The Negev was hit by rockets on Tuesday, but they were an old model, Qassams.At this point Israel has to be wondering if Hamas is planning a real war, something along the lines of the 34-day war in 2006 between Israel and Hizballah. A Hamas official didn't put that suspicion to rest when he said that next time Hamas might knock a hole in the fence that separates Gaza from Israel.

Israel knows too that Hamas would like to drag Egypt into it. And, who knows, it might work. At some level someone in Egypt is complicit in smuggling weapons into Gaza. Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the main opposition party, still looks at Hamas as its Palestinian branch. Iran and Hizballah have been soliciting Egypt's cooperation in more help for Gaza. Will Egyptian President Mubarak be able to hold the line, keep a lid on Gaza, when Israel itself can't? Count on it, Israel will do something to change the status quo in Gaza. One option is to build a bigger and higher wall around the country. Construction on a wall separating Israel and Egypt has already started. But little good it will do against the Hamas rockets Israel thinks are coming into Egypt.Walls aside, what Israel sorely misses is the capacity to strike fear into its neighbors, deterrence. The Winograd Commission spelled it out in bleak terms in its report on Israel's failures during the 34-day war. Israel cannot survive, the official statement said, unless it is able to deter its enemies - teach Hamas and Hizballah a lesson they won't forget.Lebanon is second on the neighborhood triage list, but only because no one has been killed in the last 24 hours, at least at this writing. On the other hand, since the Lebanese army fired on demonstrators in the Shi'a southern suburbs on January 27 - killing seven, five of whom were connected to Iran's proxy, Hizballah - there have been 11 attacks on the army. The only reason Hizballah has not responded more forcefully is that the time is not right. But a war in nearby Gaza might just be the perfect time.Robert Baer, a former CIA field officer assigned to the Middle East, is TIME.com's intelligence columnist and the author of See No Evil and, most recently, the novel Blow the House Down.

Israeli aircraft pound Gaza Wed Feb 6, 3:48 PM ET

GAZA CITY (AFP) - Israeli aircraft pounded the Gaza Strip on Wednesday following renewed rocket fire against southern Israel, wounding at least three people, a Palestinian medical source said.
One of the wounded was in serious condition following the strike on the north Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, the medic said.There was no immediate word on that raid from the Israeli military but a spokesman confirmed two other strikes.We conducted two air raids against the Gaza Strip, one targeting an arms-manufacturing workshop in the centre of the territory and a second targeting a weapons store in the south, he said.Two missiles slammed into a metal workshop in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, causing damage but no casualties, witnesses said.The Israeli military often strikes metal workshops in the territory charging that they are used to manufacture makeshift rockets of the sort which Palestinian militants frequently fire into southern Israel. Gaza militants launched at least seven rockets at Israel on Wednesday, an army spokeswoman said.Two children, aged two and four, sustained shrapnel wounds when one of the rockets slammed into their home, medical sources said.

Israel rebuffs Egypt-Gaza border deployments By Jeffrey Heller Wed Feb 6, 12:05 PM ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli leaders on Wednesday rejected proposals to secure Gaza's frontier with Egypt with additional Egyptian forces or international troops two weeks after militants blasted it open, officials said. Israel's Foreign Ministry had suggested giving the nod to Egypt to double the number of its guards at the border to 1,500. Under an Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement, the number of troops that can be deployed along the frontier is limited.The officials said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his security cabinet, which includes his foreign and defense ministers, rebuffed the idea, as well as the deployment of any international force at the frontier.Egyptian officials had no immediate response.Israeli defense officials have questioned whether Cairo is making a real effort to secure the Gaza border, which Hamas Islamists in control of the territory blasted open at the Rafah crossing on January 23 in defiance of an Israeli-led blockade.The minister of defense thinks it won't make any difference whether there are more (Egyptian) policemen or less, a defense official said, explaining Ehud Barak's opposition to the proposal, which could entail reopening a long-standing Israeli-Egyptian border agreement.After allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to cross into the Sinai desert last month, Egypt closed the border on Sunday to Palestinians seeking entry. A security source said hundreds were still be allowed back into Gaza in controlled batches.One person was killed and dozens were wounded in clashes that ensued between Egyptian border guards and Palestinian militants after the frontier was sealed.In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas again offered to take charge of the Gaza Strip's borders. His Fatah faction lost control of the territory to Hamas Islamists in fighting in June.We, as an authority, are ready to resume our responsibility for the crossings and Hamas should stay away from this subject, he told reporters.

HAMAS ROLE

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said in Gaza the group would never agree to be frozen out of any border arrangements.Hamas is committed to ending all forms of the continued siege and it will not accept the continuation of the closure of crossings that turned Gaza into a big prison, Abu Zuhri said.Under an accord in 2005, the year Israel pulled its troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip, the Rafah crossing with Egypt was overseen by European Union monitors who were not allowed to carry weapons.Citing security concerns, Israel frequently closed the Gaza-Egypt border by blocking the EU monitors, based in Israel, from accessing Rafah through the Israeli crossing point with Gaza at Kerem Shalom.At the security cabinet meeting, ministers decided to approve the construction of a fence along the Israel-Egypt frontier, which cuts through desert areas.Hamas's breaching of the Rafah frontier has raised fears in Israel, where suicide bombers belonging to Hamas struck on Monday, that Palestinian militants could make their way into the Jewish state through Egypt.(Additional reporting by Adam Entous in Jerusalem, Nidal al-Mughrabi in the Gaza Strip and Ali Sawafta in Ramallah; Editing by Michael Winfrey)

Israel to build new barrier along part of Egypt border by Ron Bousso Wed Feb 6, 8:48 AM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel decided on Wednesday to start building a reinforced barrier along parts of its porous border with Egypt in a bid to prevent infiltration attempts by Palestinian militants, an official told AFP. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his defence and foreign ministers decided on the move after a three-hour meeting at the premier's office, a senior government official told AFP.Israel will soon begin constructing two sections of the fence following a plan presented at the meeting by Defence Minister Ehud Barak, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.The first section will be near the southern Red Sea resort town of Eilat and the second near the area of Nitzana in the centre of the 250 kilometre- (150-mile) desert border, he said.Government spokesman Mark Regev declined to comment on the meeting.The encounter, which also included senior security officials, came a day after the Islamist Hamas movement claimed responsibility for Monday's deadly suicide bombing in Israel, the first such attack in a year.A 73-year-old woman was killed in the bombing in Dimona.The attack came after a near two-week border breach between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, raising fears in Israel that Hamas militants were among the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who poured into the Sinai when the border was open.Hamas said on Tuesday that two of its members from the occupied West Bank had carried out the bombing, the first time that it claimed responsibility for a suicide blast inside Israel in three and a half years.At Wednesday's meeting security officials presented intelligence reports indicating that dozens of Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip had scattered across the Sinai desert after militants blew open the border on January 23, the official said.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni recommended during the meeting that Israel support Egypt's request to double its forces along its border with Gaza from the current 750 to 1,500, an official in her ministry told AFP.The meeting came a day after Israel pounded Hamas positions in its Gaza Strip bastion, killing nine Palestinian militants as the Islamist movement said it was behind the suicide bombing in Dimona in Israel's Negev desert.It was the first time since August 2004 that Hamas, which seized control last June of the territory sandwiched between Israel and Egypt from forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, claimed responsibility for a suicide attack.Israel has increasingly tightened restrictions on movement around Gaza since the second Palestinian uprising began in September 2000, notably in June 2006 after militants seized an Israeli soldier in a deadly cross-border raid and a year later when Hamas seized power.The measures culminated in a full-scale lockdown imposed on January 17 that was eased five days later amid mounting international concern over a humanitarian crisis in the territory where most residents depend on aid.The Israeli military kept up its strikes on Hamas on Wednesday, wounding two militants in an air raid on an Islamist position in the north, Palestinian medics said.

The army said the raid targeted a Qassam- (rocket) launching cell immediately after they fired rockets into Israel.Hamas's armed wing said it fired four rockets and mortar rounds into Israel on Tuesday. The army said the projectiles struck without causing casualties. The latest violence in and around Gaza came after a two-week lull that accompanied the breach of the impoverished territory's border with Egypt. Gaza militants blew open the border barrier on January 23 in a bid to counter the punishing Israeli blockade, but the frontier was resealed by Egyptian and Hamas forces at the weekend. During the two-week breach hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are estimated to have entered Egypt from Gaza to stock up on supplies. The idea of building a reinforced barrier along the Egyptian border was first raised in Israel several years ago, but was eventually abandoned because of the high cost. A defence ministry spokesman told AFP that a reinforced border fence could cost at least 500 million dollars and take up to two years to construct.

Hamas says it carried out Israel suicide bombing Tue Feb 5, 11:14 AM ET

GAZA CITY (AFP) - The Islamist Hamas movement claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a deadly suicide bombing in the southern Israeli town of Dimona, the first such attack in more than a year. The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades claim full responsibility for the martyrdom operation in the town of Dimona, Hamas's armed wing said in a statement.Monday's bombing was previously claimed by three other militant groups, including the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a group loosely tied to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's secular Fatah movement, the Islamists' main rivals.It is the first time that Hamas has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack since August 2004. Its claim came after two Israeli raids on Gaza killed a total of nine Hamas militants.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

PEACE TIMELINE 1977-2008

Peace Timeline - THE ISRAEL PROJECT FEB 5,08

Timeline of Israeli-Arab Peace Initiatives since 1977

Nov. 19, 1977: In response to an invitation by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to travel to Israel and discuss the prospects of peace between the two nations.

Sept. 17, 1978: The Camp David Accords: After 12 days of closed negotiations between the Israelis and Egyptians at Camp David , the two delegations sign the Camp David Accords. This is made up of two sections: the first creates a framework for autonomous rule by the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; the second deals with the future of peace between Israel and Egypt, calling for a peace treaty to be agreed upon within three months that will include a full Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai.

March 26, 1979: Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty: Israel and Egypt sign a treaty which calls for both nations to demilitarize the Sinai Peninsula; for Israel to withdraw to the pre-1967 border, giving up military bases, settlements, roads and the Sinai oil fields; and for Egypt to 'normalize' relations with Israel . Other Arab countries attack the agreement, and Sadat is assassinated by Muslim extremists in 1981. Nevertheless, the treaty holds.

May 14, 1989: Israel's Peace Initiative: Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin announce a plan for peace, based on the Camp David Accords, consisting of four basic parts: strengthening peace with Egypt as a regional cornerstone; promoting full peaceful relations with the Arab states; improving refugee conditions through international efforts; and establishing interim self-rule for Palestinians, including Palestinian elections, during a five-year period leading to a permanent solution.

Oct. 30-Nov.1, 1991: Madrid Peace Conference: The United States and USSR co-host a conference in Spain to set the framework to negotiate peace between Israel and Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians, the first time direct and open peace talks are held between Israel and these four partners since 1949. The three-day conference sets in motion bilateral talks between Israel and each of its neighbors, as well as multilateral talks, about issues such as trade, resource development and conflict-prevention. Ultimately, however, no agreements develop from the Madrid process. [5]

Sept. 13, 1993: The Oslo Accords: After secret negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians in Oslo following the Madrid Peace Conference, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat shake hands and sign the Declaration of Principles On Interim Self-Government Arrangements, better known as the Oslo Accords. The agreement calls for the transfer of power in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the Palestinians, beginning with an interim phase, leading to self-government and elections among the Palestinians, and culminating with a final-status agreement in which a permanent Palestinian state will sign an end-of-conflict agreement with Israel. The negotiations phase of the Accords include Rabin and Arafat exchanging letters in which Arafat pledges that the PLO recognizes Israel and commits itself to peace, while Rabin states that Israel recognizes the PLO as a legitimate party in the negotiations for peace. The land for peace strategy is heavily employed in these accords. The Oslo Accords are carried out through phased meetings.

Sept. 14, 1993: Israel-Jordan Common Agenda: After almost two years of Madrid Conference-inspired bilateral talks between Israel and Jordan , the two nations sign the Common Agenda which outlines the impending peace treaty between the two countries.

May 4, 1994: Gaza-Jericho Agreement: In what is also known as the Cairo Agreement, Israel and the Palestinians outline Israel 's initial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and Jericho , as well as the creation of the Palestinian Authority. Although Israel is removing all of its forces from these areas (and later from Palestinian cities in the West Bank ), Yasser Arafat's PA fails to meet the security conditions requiring it to crack down on terror groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. [8]

July 25, 1994: The Washington Declaration: King Hussein of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin meet publicly in Washington , D.C. for the first time and take important steps toward implementing a peace treaty. The official state of war between the two countries is ended; each nation agrees to follow U.N. Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 to seek a total and lasting peace; and Israel acknowledges Jordan 's special role in the oversight of Muslim holy places within Jerusalem . The two leaders also focus on future economic cooperation between Israel and Jordan . [9]

Sept. 28, 1995: Oslo II: The Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, known as Oslo II or Taba, broadens and supersedes the 1994 Gaza-Jericho Agreement. This agreement deals with many aspects of the transition to Palestinian autonomy, including how Israel will leave Palestinian-populated areas in the West Bank and Gaza; the provision for Palestinians to elect the newly established Palestinian Council; and the division of the area into three sections based on which group retains responsibility for security divided into Areas A, B and C. Israel also releases Palestinian prisoners as a sign of goodwill. [10]

Oct. 26, 1994: Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty: After a series of meetings, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordanian Prime Minister Abdul-Salam Majali sign the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty. The basic provisions of the treaty delineate the international border; prohibit hostilities between the two nations; agree upon water usage from shared bodies of water; allow for freedom of movement between the two countries as well as access to religious sites within Jerusalem ; and formally normalize all relations between Israel and Jordan . Diplomatic relations begin Nov. 27, 1994, and additional bilateral agreements are signed in the coming years in areas such as environment, trade and tourism. [11]

Jan. 17, 1997: Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron : The redeployment of Israeli soldiers from Hebron , the last remaining Palestinian city under Israeli control, is orchestrated in the Hebron Agreement. The protocol is signed by Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This marks the first time Israel 's Likud party government has supported territorial withdrawal in the West Bank (also known as Judea and Samaria ), until then widely considered a Labor party policy.

Oct. 23, 1998: Wye River Memorandum: U.S. President Bill Clinton hosts Netanyahu and Arafat to negotiate the details of implementation of Oslo II of 1995. The memorandum emphasizes the need for the Palestinian side to uphold its security obligations. In return, for each phase the Palestinians successfully complete, they are to receive a specified percentage of land (through measures such as Israeli troop deployments).

Sept. 4, 1999: Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum: This memorandum addresses the delay in implementation of the Oslo Accords created by Palestinian non-compliance with security obligations and the subsequent Israeli refusal to redeploy troops in the face of a growing terror threat from Area A (which is under full Palestinian administrative and security control). At this time, Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak meet to reaffirm their commitment to the Oslo Peace Process and set a new deadline, Sept. 13, 2000, for the completion of peace talks.

July 11-25, 2000: Camp David Summit: To keep to the schedule set by the Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum, Arafat and Barak meet with President Clinton at Camp David . In an effort to achieve peace once and for all, Barak offers a series of concessions including Israeli withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip and 95 percent of the West Bank; the subsequent creation of an independent Palestinian state in the aforementioned areas; the dismantlement of all Israeli settlements in those areas given to the Palestinians; land compensation outside of the West Bank for settlements to remain under Israeli sovereignty; and Palestinian rule over East Jerusalem and most of the Old City (excluding the Jewish Quarter) and 'religious sovereignty' on the Temple Mount. In exchange, the agreement called for Arafat to declare an end to the conflict and a prohibition of future claims on Israeli land. Arafat rejects the proposal and makes no counter-offer. The summit ends in failure, but a Tri-Lateral Statement is issued delineating the principles of future talks.

Jan. 22-27, 2001: Taba Conference: In the midst of the Second Intifada, and as a follow-up to the Camp David Summit, the Israelis and Palestinians meet for a final attempt to come to an agreement on a Palestinian state. Israel offers 94 percent of the West Bank in addition to Israeli land, culminating in an offer of 97 percent of the total land area requested by the Palestinians. The 'right of return' is also considered. However, the conference ends again in a standstill, and an Israeli-Palestinian Joint Statement is issued asserting that the two parties have never before been so close to an agreement and expressing hope for the future.

March 28, 2002: The Arab Peace Initiative: Leaders of Arab nations come together at the Beirut Summit, where Saudi Arabia proposes a plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. This plan is known as the Saudi Initiative, or the Arab Peace Initiative. The plan calls for Israel to withdraw completely to pre-1967 borders; supports the 'right of return' for all Palestinian refugees and their descendents; and the creation of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Arab states in attendance pledge not to exercise military action to end the hostilities, and state that if Israel agrees to the aforementioned stipulations without modification, the Arab countries will in return consider the Arab-Israeli conflict to be over and normalize relations with Israel . Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres responds to the initiative on behalf of Israel , stating that Israel views the plan as encouraging, but that the agreement must be discussed directly with the Palestinians and that no accord can come to fruition unless terror activities are ceased, a condition not mentioned in the Arab Initiative.

June 24, 2002: Bush's Vision for the Middle East: In a Rose Garden Speech, President George W. Bush outlines a new plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, with the possibility of a sovereign Palestinian state established in the near future. This policy calls for new Palestinian leadership (specifically acknowledging the corruption and unwillingness to stop terrorism that characterized Arafat's regime) and a reformulated democratic government for the Palestinians. The president also calls upon the Palestinians, as well as other Arab states supporting or tolerating terrorism, to cease those activities. The plan focuses mainly on the impediments to the peace process posed by the Palestinians since the Israelis had repeatedly offered and acted upon various concessions for peace, and on greater democratization throughout the Arab world.

Apr. 30, 2003: Roadmap for Peace: Based upon President Bush's speech of June 24, 2002 and principles of the Oslo Accords, this plan is supervised by the Quartet: the United States , the European Union, the Russian Federation and the United Nations. It calls for serious alterations in the Palestinian government and results in the appointment of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. The Roadmap, which charts progress toward a final-status agreement through a series of benchmarks relating to security and political progress, is still the official blueprint towards peace between Israel and the Palestinians, with the Quartet meeting intermittently to track the progress of the plan.

June 4, 2003: Peace Summit at Aqaba: Sharon and Abbas meet in Jordan to reaffirm their commitment to the Roadmap. Sharon promises withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian areas, and Abbas pledges an end to the Intifada and the Palestinian culture of hate against Israel . The prospects of the summit are shattered Aug. 19, 2003, after Palestinian terrorists carry out a suicide bombing in Jerusalem . As a result, on Sept. 1, 2003 the Israeli Cabinet decides to wage war against Hamas and other terrorist groups, and halts the diplomatic process with the Palestinian Authority until it proves it is taking concrete measures to stop terrorism.

Dec. 18, 2003: Fourth Herzliya Conference: At this conference, Prime Minister Sharon presents a plan for Israel 's unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria in exchange for peace. The Israeli Cabinet approves the plan on June 6, 2004 and the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) approves it on Oct. 25, 2004. The disengagement plan, a major sacrifice for peace, calls for evacuating nearly 9,000 Israeli residents living in Gaza and the West Bank . Israel also proposes the disengagement plan in hopes of stimulating progress in the peace process on the Palestinian side.

Feb. 8, 2005: Sharm el-Sheikh Summit I: Sharon meets with PA President Abbas, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah of Jordan to announce the implementation of Israel 's disengagement from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank . Abbas and Sharon agree upon a ceasefire. Sharon expresses his hope that the disengagement will foster a step forward in the Roadmap for Peace.

Aug. 15-Aug. 23, 2005: Gaza and West Bank Disengagement: In an effort to relieve the security threats against Israelis living in Gaza and to try to put the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks back on track, Israel unilaterally pulls all of its citizens out of the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank . This dramatic move costs Israel approximately $2 billion, and includes the evacuation of all of the roughly 9,000 Israelis living in the affected areas in addition to exhuming and transferring all graves in Gaza to Israeli territory. On Sept. 12, 2005, the last Israel Defense Forces soldier departs the Gaza Strip, marking a historic step towards peace by Israel .

April 1, 2007: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's acceptance of the Arab Peace Initiative: In response to the March 28, 2007 Arab League Summit at Riyadh, Olmert welcomes the Arab Initiative, revised since its conception in 2002, and invites the Arab heads of state to a meeting in Israel to further discuss the initiative and collaborate on improving it.

June 25, 2007: Sharm el-Sheikh Summit II: Olmert meets in Sharm el-Sheikh with Abbas, Mubarak and Jordan 's King Abdullah II. The leaders gather to discuss containment of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and to strengthen Abbas' Fatah party in the West Bank . As a goodwill gesture, Olmert announces the Israeli government's intention to release 250 Fatah prisoners who have no blood on their hands and who pledge to renounce violence.

Nov. 27, 2007: Annapolis Summit: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sign a joint statement in Annapolis , Md. to lay the groundwork for peace talks. The joint document delineates broad principles of agreements and commitments to peace and stipulates that both sides will establish steering committees, led by the heads of their delegations to the Annapolis talks, that will meet continuously starting Dec. 12, 2007. Both sides agree to meet on a bi-weekly basis and express hope to reach a final peace agreement by the end of 2008.

Jan. 9-11, 2008: President George W. Bush Visit to Israel : President Bush embarked on a tour of a number of Middle East countries, starting with Israel . The purpose of the visit was to advance peace negotiations initiated at the Annapolis conference in Nov. 2007. Bush urged the Palestinian side to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure and also called on Israel to halt settlement construction and remove unauthorized settler outposts.

Jan. 22, 2008: Israel Continues to Provide Humanitarian Aid and Electricity to Palestinians in Gaza: Despite the increased number of ongoing rocket and mortar fire from Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza; over 4,000 missiles and rockets were fired since Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in August 2005, the country continues to seek peace with the Palestinians. Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni said on Jan. 24, 2008 “The goal is to end the conflict between our two nations, our two peoples, by the creation or giving the answer to the national aspirations of the Palestinians by creating a Palestinian state. Just as Israel is homeland for the Jewish people, the Palestinian state is and should be by its own creation a homeland for the Palestinians.

PRAYER FASTING FOR ISRAEL TUESDAY

SPECIAL DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING FOR ISRAEL

RABBIS IN ISRAEL ARE CALLING ON ALL JEWS AROUND THE WORLD TO PRAY AND FAST FOR THE SAFETY OF ISRAEL ON TUESDAY FEBRUARY 5. AND TO READ THE PSALMS AND QUOTE FAST PASSAGES.

I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY FOR ALL THE CHRISTIANS TO TO PRAY AND FAST ALSO FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM ON TUESDAY AND PRAY THAT ISRAELIS EYES WILL BE OPENED UP TO THE TRUTH OF THE TRUE MESSIAH JESUS.

Haredi Rabbis Call For Day of Prayer to Save Israel
by Ezra HaLevi FEB 04,08


(IsraelNN.com) The hareidi-religious Council of Torah Sages in Israel and the United States has issued a call for a day of prayer and fasting this Tuesday in response to the threats facing the Jewish people.Addressed to Our fellow Jews living in Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel) and to Jewish communities everywhere, the proclamation continues:

The difficult situation of the Jewish community in Eretz Yisroel fills us with trepidation. Nobody knows what the new day will bring. In our sins, we see the fulfillment of the posuk [Biblical verse] Behold Your enemies are in uproar and those who hate You have raised their heads. Against Your nation they deviously plot, and take counsel against those whom You protect. Our eyes are lifted in prayer to the Creator, that all of the goings-on in the world turn out for the good.

From both within and without the crisis mounts. The danger threatens both body and soul. During these days, items are on agendas that could place entire populations of Jews into grave danger, G-d forbid - including those in the Holy City of Jerusalem. Further, there are constant attempts to undermine the foundations of pure education [Hareidi-religious education without secular studies –ed.] in Eretz Yisroel and to cause harm to the holiness of the Nation of Israel. Therefore it is incumbent on us to fortify ourselves with Torah, prayer and good deeds, to awaken the mercy of Heaven.

Dear brethren, awaken and inspire yourselves to pour out prayer before the Creator of the world, that He have pity and protect His nation from all who stand up against us, that He abolish the intentions of those who hate us and nullify the plots of our enemies, and that the eyes of the misguided be opened to the realization that their path is foolishness and they should leave Hashem's nation to guard its path and faith, without hindrance or interference.

We therefore call on members of Hashem's holy nation in all the places they reside, men, women and children, to gather in tefilla [prayer] on Tuesday, Erev Rosh Chodesh Adar Rishon, 5768, to recite chapters of Psalms and the liturgy of Yom Kippur Koton [the traditional minor day of repentance on the eve of every new Jewish month –ed.].

May Hashem hear our pleas, and turn His face to us so that we may be saved with a permanent salvation soon. And let us merit to see, quickly, the redemption of Yisroel, and gaze upon the building of the Beis HaMikdosh, quickly in our days, amen.

The proclomation is signed by the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (the hareidi-religious Council of Torah Sages), and the hareidi political parties Agudas Yisroel (Chassidic) and Degel HaTorah (Flag of Torah) – together the United Torah Judaism party. It was joined by the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of America.

Monday, February 04, 2008

OLMERTS APPOINTS MILITARY MAN FOR PP

RAPTURE

2 TIMOTHY 4:2-4
1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

MATTHEW 24:3
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

LUKE 21:28
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH TO HEAVEN. MEETING CHRIST IN THE CLOUDS!

REVELATION 4:1-2
1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-18
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:51-55
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

NOW THIS IS A INTERESTING TURN OF EVENTS. THE U.S CALLS THEIR ARMY PLAYER FOR THE PEACE PROCESS THE EU ENVOY ALSO. AND NOW OLMERT HIRES A MILITARY MAN ALSO TO TALK FOR ISRAEL IN THE PEACE PROCESS. I FIND THIS VERY FANTASTIC THAT MILITARY MEN ARE GETTING INVOLVED IN THE PEACE PROCESS NOW. WHEN IN THE FUTURE A EU JEWISH MILITARY MAN WILL BECOME THE FALSE MESSIAH AND WORLD DICTATOR GUARENTEEING ISRAELS SECURITY FOR A 7 YEAR PEACE TREATY.

WE ARE DEFINATELY HEADING QUICKLY FOR THE EU DICTATOR TO COME ON THE SCENE. SO THAT MEANS OUR HOPE IS IN THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH WHICH HAPPENS BEFORE THE DICTATOR COMES ON THE SCENE. I SAY COME QUICKLY LORD GOD KING JESUS THE GOD OF ISRAEL FOR US IN THE CLOUDS TO BE WITH YOU FOREVER ON EARTH AFTER THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION.

Olmert names coordinator for Mideast peace talks Sun Feb 3, 1:53 PM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday appointed an army general as head of the peace negotiations division charged with coordinating talks with the Palestinians, his office said. After a meeting with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who heads the Israeli negotiating team, and Defence Minister Ehud Barak, Olmert appointed Brigadier General Udi Dekel to head the negotiations division with the Palestinians, it said.Dekel will coordinate the work related to the peace process with the Palestinians for the negotiating team, will formulate Israel's positions and will take part in the talks on a permanent settlement.
Dekel, 51, who currently serves as the head of the army's strategic planning division, will take up his new post in the coming days after he is discharged from the army, the statement said.Israeli and Palestinian negotiators began talks last month on the thorniest issues of the Middle East conflict after the peace process was relaunched at a US-sponsored international conference last November.
Both Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas have said they hope to reach a historic peace agreement by the end of 2008.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

EGYPT CLOSES BORDER

Egypt closes breached border with Gaza By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer FEB 3,08

RAFAH, Gaza Strip - Egyptian troops closed the last breach in Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip Sunday, ending 12 days of free movement for Palestinian residents of the blockaded territory, witnesses and Hamas security officials said. Hamas police aided with the closure, drawing pistols and arresting Palestinians who were throwing stones at Egyptian troops along the frontier. It was a dramatic turnabout for Hamas, whose militants had used explosives to bring down the border wall.The Egyptian troops were allowing Gazans and Egyptians to cross the border to return to their homes on the other side but prevented any new cross-border movement, according to witnesses and Hamas security officials in the border town of Rafah. The Hamas officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. Israel issued no immediate comment on the closure.

In Cairo, a spokesman for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned against any future border violations.Egypt is a respected state, its border cannot be breached and its soldiers should not be lobbed with stones, spokesman Suleiman Awwad told reporters after a meeting between Mubarak and the EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who is in the region for talks on the border crisis. Egyptian soldiers patrolled in armored personnel carriers and stood in sandbagged emplacements on nearby rooftops, and dozens of Gazans looked on as the Egyptians resealed the border.About 100 Egyptian police formed a human cordon at the border wall's main gate. Dozens of cars and people lined up on either side of the border, some having stocked up on supplies before crossing.Three Palestinians tried to jump over the border wall to enter Egypt to retrieve some merchandise they had stored there. Hamas security, which was patrolling the area in cars and on foot, beat them with batons and the backs of their weapons, then fired in the air to disperse the crowd that had gathered to watch.Hamas militants blew up a section of the Gaza-Egypt border wall on Jan. 23 in an attempt to end a seven-month blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel with Egypt's cooperation. The blockade, which Israel imposed in response to a rocket barrage from Gaza on Israeli border towns, tightened already severely restricted access to the territory since Hamas' Gaza takeover.

The breach in the border allowed hundreds of thousands of Gazans to pour into Egypt to stock up on supplies and visit with friends and relatives they hadn't seen for years.Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas leader, suggested Saturday that the closure would be temporary while the Egyptians searched for a way to reopen the border. Egyptian officials were not available for comment on the Hamas claims, and it was not clear whether Cairo was considering the group's demand for a say in running the Egypt-Gaza border.Any role for the Islamic militants on the border would be sure to anger the international community and Hamas' archrival, the moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, because it would amount to tacit recognition of Hamas rule in Gaza.EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who was in Cairo Sunday for talks with Egyptian and Arab League officials on the Gaza border crisis, said the EU is ready to resume its role on the crossing. We are ready to continue work in case; there is an agreement, he said.Solana will head to Tel Aviv later Sunday for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.At least 17 Palestinians have been arrested in the past days carrying weapons and explosives near the border and other remote parts of the Sinai desert.Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday a barrier should be constructed along the desert border between Israel and Egypt.

Building a fence on the Israel-Egypt border is a pressing need, Barak told an Israeli Cabinet meeting, saying the move would protect Israel from militant infiltration and cross-border smuggling.The head of the Hamas government in Gaza, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, said he would like to see Gaza's economy cut from Israel, and instead receive fuel and electricity from Egypt. We have said from the days of our election campaign that we want to move toward economic disengagement from the Israeli occupation, Haniyeh told the pro-Hamas daily Palestine. Egypt has a greater ability to meet the needs of Gaza.Some Israeli officials believe that would be good for Israel, and Israel's Defense Ministry is drafting an official position on the idea, security officials said Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal internal ministry discussions. But Egypt, unwilling to assume responsibility for millions of Palestinians and officially recognize Hamas rule in Gaza, has reacted angrily to any such suggestion. An Israeli effort to transfer responsibility for Gaza would be likely to create a serious rupture between the two countries, which signed a peace deal in 1979. Egypt controlled Gaza before Israel captured the area in the 1967 Mideast war. Associated Press Writer Ashraf Sweilam in Rafah, Egypt, contributed to this report.

Israel says Hamas got hi-tech weapons in border breach Sun Feb 3, 9:27 AM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - The head of Israel's domestic intelligence agency said on Sunday that massive amounts of sophisticated weaponry had been brought into Gaza during the protracted breach of its border with Egypt. Over the past days, massive amounts of weapons were moved into Gaza, a senior Israeli official quoted Yuval Diskin, the head of the Shin Beth internal security agency, as telling the weekly cabinet meeting.As far as we know, these were weapons of high quality, including long-range rockets, anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles and other rocket-manufacturing materials that are usually much harder to bring into Gaza, he said.Gaza militants blew open the border between the Hamas-run territory and Egypt on January 23 amid a punishing Israeli blockade, with Egyptian and Islamist forces resealing the frontier on Sunday.The breach -- during which half of Gaza's 1.5 million population is estimated to have crossed the border -- allowed the return of many militants from Iran, Syria and Egypt, Diskin said.These people have accumulated a great deal of knowledge and were trained in Iran and other places and are now expected to contribute to the improvement of terrorist activities in Gaza, he said.Israel has launched repeated air and ground operations against Gaza militants in a bid to stop persistent rocket fire from the territory. Both the rocket attacks and the Israeli reprisals have dropped off drastically since shortly before the border breach.

The Shin Beth chief said the Sinai peninsula, just across the border into Egypt, had now become the soft belly of Israel's security because terror organisations have transferred dozens of terror activists there.The Shin Beth has identified at least 30 routes to penetrate Israel from the Sinai into the Negev, Diskin added.Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defence Minister Ehud Barak are pushing for the resurrection of a mothballed plan to build a barrier the entire length of Israel's 250-kilometre (150-mile) border with Egypt.There is a real need for a fence and we are holding discussions on the issue, the official quoted Olmert as saying.The plan to construct a border barrier was first brought up several years ago but abandoned because of the high estimated costs.

Al-Qaida affiliate claims embassy attack By AHMED MOHAMED, Associated Press Writer Sat Feb 2, 7:55 PM ET

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania - An al-Qaida affiliate claimed responsibility for a shooting attack on the Israeli Embassy in Mauritania's capital, saying it was retaliating against Israeli policies in the Gaza Strip, an Arab television station reported Saturday. At least one gunman opened fire on the Israeli Embassy in Mauritania early Friday, setting off a gunbattle with guards that wounded three bystanders, including three French citizens. Guards at the embassy returned fire, but no embassy staff were wounded.

The Arab satellite TV station Al-Jazeera said that Al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa, an affiliate of Osama bin Laden's terror network, issued a statement saying it had carried out the attack as a reprisal against Israel's actions in Gaza.It was not possible to verify the authenticity of the claim.Israel has been restricting deliveries of gas and other supplies to Gaza in response to rocket attacks targeting Israeli towns. The Israeli clampdown has prompted protests in Mauritania, an overwhelmingly Muslim nation.Al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa, formerly known as the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, is based in Algeria and has claimed responsibility for near-simultaneous bombings at U.N. offices in Algiers and a government building on Dec. 11 that killed at least 37 people. The same group also purportedly said in an audiotape that it carried out the killing of several soldiers in Mauritania in December.

Mauritania has had relatively few incidents of terrorism in recent years. But on Christmas Eve, gunmen killed four French tourists as they picnicked on the side of a road — an attack the government blamed on a terror sleeper cell affiliated with al-Qaida.One year ago, a ranking al-Qaida leader released a videotape calling for an attack on the Israeli Embassy in Mauritania, according to a transcript provided by Ben Venzke, who heads the IntelCenter based in Alexandria, Va.Israel has had diplomatic relations with Mauritania since 1999, but some residents resent the Israeli presence in the overwhelmingly Islamic nation. Mauritania is one of only three Arab League nations with diplomatic ties with Israel. The other two are Egypt and Jordan.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

EGYPT - BORDER SITUATION

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

HAMAS - THE PALESTINIANS AND THE EGYPTIANS ARE TRYING TO FIGURE THINGS OUT WHILE ISRAEL IS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MESS. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT THE EU HAS NOT GOTTEN INVOLVED YET BECAUSE THE BIBLE SAYS ITS THE EU THAT GUARENTEES ISRAELS SECURITY FOR PEACE. I THOUGHT THE NATO OR EU TROOPS WOULD BE AT ALL THE BORDERS TO PROTECT ISRAEL, IF NOT YET, IT IS COMING THOUGH, THE EU HAS TO GUARENTEE ISRAELS SECURITY NOT THE U.S.A.

Defiant Hamas bulldozes Rafah crossing wider By Nidal al-Mughrabi Fri Feb 1, 2:42 PM ET

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - Hamas used a bulldozer to widen a breach in the Gaza-Egypt border on Friday so trucks could pass out of the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian territory despite Egypt's efforts to seal the crossing, witnesses said. An armed Hamas militant clung on to the outside of the yellow bulldozer's cab as the driver went about his work, and a number of other armed men close by provided additional cover.Local Palestinian residents and the waiting truck drivers cheered crush the barrier and shouted out Hamas as the bulldozer cleared a path wide enough to allow trucks to pass in either direction.The truck drivers then hurried back to their vehicles to cross the border in the fading afternoon light while Egyptian forces, who earlier this week closed two other crossings and narrowed the third, backed away and watched from a distance.

The development came as a second day of talks between Egypt and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal was winding down. Meshaal, who arrived in Cairo on Wednesday for talks with Egypt on passage through the Gaza border, departed for Damascus shortly after with no agreement reached with Cairo.We covered a large stretch in the talks but we didn't reach an agreement, and it was decided there will be a new round of talks soon, Imad al-Alami, a member of the Hamas delegation told reporters at Cairo airport.Egypt called in police reinforcements on Thursday to seal gaps made last week by Hamas, whose militants blasted open the border to let hundreds of thousands of Gazans into Egypt to hunt for food and supplies in defiance of an Israeli-led blockade.A senior Egyptian security official said Egypt had given orders to security men to close the border in phases in order to minimize friction with Palestinians.
But they backed off on Friday after Hamas militants threatened to blow another hole in the wall, the Palestinian witnesses added.

FIRST BREACH

Since the first breach was made, Egyptian forces have used cement and sandbags to seal gaps in the border and to reinforce their own positions.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected Hamas demands it control the border and won U.S., European and Arab backing to take control of the Rafah crossing without Hamas.But it is unclear how Abbas, the Fatah leader whose authority is now limited to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, would be able to exert control over Rafah given opposition from Hamas, whose forces control the Gaza Strip.Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a newspaper interview on Friday that Abbas would be to blame for any failure of the Cairo talks and that Hamas had ideas on how to run the Rafah crossing.Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a speech in Gaza on Friday that the Islamist movement would not agree a return to the cage of siege and the 2005 passages agreement governing the Rafah crossing.We want a free Palestinian-Egyptian crossing ... regardless of the sacrifices, we will not accept the occupation's (Israel's) control of the crossing, he said.Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip last June after ousting Abbas's Fatah forces in a brief but bloody civil war in the coastal territory which is home to some 1.5 million inhabitants.(Writing by Ori Lewis in Jerusalem and Aziz El-Kaissouni in Cairo; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Putting Humpty Together Again in Gaza By TIM MCGIRK/JERUSALEM Fri Feb 1, 5:10 PM ET

Egypt's efforts to restore order on its breached border with Gaza suffered a setback Wednesday in Cairo, when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas refused to talk to the leaders of Hamas. Needing a Palestinian partner to police the Rafah crossing, President Hosni Mubarak had invited his Palestinian counterpart to meet with leaders of the Islamist movement that has, since last summer, been the only effective authority in Gaza. But Abbas's refusal to acknowledge the facts on the ground created by Hamas's takeover of the territory left the Egyptians with no easy way forward. By tearing down the border wall between Egypt and Gaza last week and breaking Israel's siege, Hamas dramatically altered the equation between Israel, the Palestinians and Egypt. It also frustrated attempts by the Bush Administration, its Palestinian protege Abbas and Israel to isolate the radical movement that refuses to recognize the Jewish State. Two years after the Palestinians' legislative elections made clear that Hamas cannot be ignored, the explosions at the Rafah crossing reaffirmed that reality. But while the Egyptians have recognized that reality, President Abbas surely hasn't.

By Friday, two days into the talks, Mubarak's efforts to broker a Palestinian deal on managing the border seemed doomed. Not only did Abbas cold-shoulder the Hamas delegation, he insisted that he would never speak to the Islamic militants until they agreed to end what he called their coup in Gaza. Hamas, he added, must accept all international obligations and accept holding early elections. After that, our hearts are open for any dialogue. Abbas's posture may please his sponsors in Washington, but his denial of Hamas's new status has angered Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza who want reconciliation between the rival factions. In Gaza, even many Hamas opponents admire the militants for their dramatic rupture of Israel's seven-month blockade. Having been violently ejected from Gaza last June, Abbas's militia no longer has any muscle in the Palestinian enclave. Hamas officials said it was laughable to think that Hamas would turn power in Gaza over to Fatah. The most that Abbas could hope for, says Hamas, is for some of his former border guards to temporarily resume their posts at crossings into Gaza from Israel and Egypt. Says Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhr: Hamas does not accept anything less than a key role in the Rafah crossing.

Still, Hamas is wary of provoking Egypt. On Friday, in what may have been the only positive result of the Cairo talks, Hamas militants actually helped Egyptians reseal the breaches in the border wall with chain-link fencing and barbed wire - with the proviso that the crossing be left open for Palestinians and goods coming through Egypt. That, of course, would negate Israel's siege strategy, but the Jewish State has few good options in Gaza: Israeli military officials say their forces are capable of resealing the border themselves, but that would require a major military incursion of a type Israel has thus far avoided. The Egyptian public, along with the wider Arab world, initially applauded President Mubarak for allowing thousands of starving Gazans to swarm in to Sinai towns for a shopping frenzy. But Egyptian public opinion has begun to shift amid concerns that Gazans were fleeing into Egypt and remaining there. Also, Egyptian police say they arrested two groups of Palestinians with arms and explosive devices, possibly en route to launch attacks in southern Israel. While the Egyptians were happy to bring relief to suffering Palestinians, they reject taking responsibility for a situation they see as created by Israel. As the pro-government weekly Al-Mussawar put it in a headline this week, We refuse settling the Palestinians in Sinai.The Egyptians are wary of the argument heard from some quarters in Israel that with Rafah open, Israel no longer has any humanitarian responsibility for Gaza, and that Egypt should instead assume the task. The United Nations view is that Israel's humanitarian responsibility for Gaza persists because it remains the occupying power, by virtue of its control of Gaza's airspace and the maritime and land routes into the territory. Cairo insists that it will not be dragged back into administering Gaza, insisting that the only entity to which Israel can hand over sovereign control of the territory is a future state of Palestine. Mohamed Salmawy, head of the Cairo-based Writers Association, argues that Israel could not have dreamed up a better scenario than the ongoing fighting between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority ... which is leading the Palestinian dream to a dead end, pushing it not towards Jerusalem and the West Bank but towards [the Sinai towns of] Rafah and al-Arish. But the future state of Palestine will remain entirely hypothetical as long as Abbas refuses to talk to Hamas.
- With reporting by Amany Radwan/Cairo and Jamil Hamad/Bethlehem

Israelis told to prepare 'rocket rooms' for war Sat Feb 2, 8:20 AM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Retired senior officers told Israelis on Saturday to prepare rocket rooms as protection against a rain of missiles expected to be fired at the Jewish state in any future conflict.
Speaking on radio as part of a military propaganda offensive, retired general Udi Shani said: The next war will see a massive use of ballistic weapons against the whole of Israeli territory.Shani was tasked recently with drawing up a report on the way the military authorities operated during Israel's 2006 summer war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.During that conflict thousands of rockets hit Israel, but were limited to the north of the country from where hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated.The character of war has changed, said the general.Strikes to the rear must now be taken into account -- that is what will come and we must prepare in a totally different way for this eventuality, he said.Another reserve officer, Colonel Yehiel Kuperstein, added: Protection of civilians must today be assured even inside their homes.

There is no absolute protection, but the best possible sort is that of a room able to provide shelter inside houses, he said, evoking the norms in force in Israel for several years which envisage each apartment having a room with reinforced walls able to serve as a shelter.Today in Israel only one third of apartments have such a room able to provide shelter... they have neither an air filter nor ventilation system enabling anyone to stay there for a long time, Kuperstein said.At the beginning of 2008 the military command in charge of passive defence began an information campaign to prepare Israelis for any future conflict in the light of lessons drawn from the war in Lebanon.The authorities have distributed a brochure in six languages with advice on what to do, particularly in the event of missile attacks, as well as launching a campaign on radio and television.The report of a commission of inquiry into failings in the Lebanon war, which was released on Wednesday, highlighted serious errors in the protection of frontline residents.As the Israeli military bombed and shelled much of the infrastructure of Lebanon and killed an estimated 1,200 Lebanese, the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah fired more than 4,000 rockets at north Israel during the 34-day war.Around a million Israelis took to primitive shelters or fled to safety in the south of the country.

Clever Hamas strategy must be matched: Blair FEB 2,08

LONDON (AFP) - Middle East envoy Tony Blair told The Times newspaper that the international community needed to match Hamas's clever strategy to secure a peace deal, in an interview published Saturday. The former British prime minister, who remains confident of striking a peace deal by 2009, said a situation must be engineered whereby there is everything to gain if Hamas stops its rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip.Blair said the United States was ramping up its involvement in trying to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians as US President George W. Bush's term in office runs out.Hamas have a clever strategy, which is why I keep saying we need a clever strategy as well, which helps the people, isolates the extremists and points out the fact that if at any point in time the rockets stop, the whole situation will be transformed, Blair said.The 54-year-old represents the so-called Quartet of major players in the Middle East peace process -- the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States.This is a deal that could definitely be done, and it could definitely be done this year, Blair said. However, unless confidence could be restored between the two sides, the chances of a deal were thin, he added.Blair said Bush was serious about sealing a deal before he leaves office in January 2009.

The American engagement in this has altered significantly both in quality and quantity in the past two months, there is no doubt about that. When I saw him (Bush) in Jerusalem, he was completely up for it, Blair said.The question is, how do you create the circumstances on the ground where the Israelis get confidence that their security concerns are being met and the Palestinians get confidence that the occupation will eventually be lifted? he said.

Without that confidence about the state of the situation on the ground the negotiation becomes more difficult. Sometimes people have looked at this process as one in which if you cut the deal the facts on the ground will alter.In my view it is as much the other way around. Unless you can change the facts on the ground the deal becomes difficult to cut.He said resolving the Arab-Israeli issue would boost the forces of moderation.Resolving it would be a hugely symbolic act, not just between Israel and Palestine but Islam and the West between people of different faiths. There is nothing more important to world peace than resolving this question, he said.

Hamas to help control Gaza border with Egypt: senior leader by Nagham Mohanna FEB 2,08

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AFP) - Hardline senior Hamas leader Mahmud al-Zahar said on Saturday his movement will work with Cairo to gradually bring order to the breached border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. We will work towards controlling the border between us and Egypt ... This has to be done gradually, Zahar told reporters as he crossed back into Gaza after two days of talks with officials in Cairo.He added that the border would be under control by Sunday.

We have concluded an agreement between us and our brothers in Egypt to operate channels at the local level at the crossing and along the border and we will implement it tomorrow after we meet with the (Hamas-run) government.Cairo has not yet commented on the talks, which followed a meeting between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose forces were violently driven from Gaza by Hamas seven months ago.An official in Abbas's Palestinian Authority denied that Egypt had made an agreement with Hamas, insisting that Egypt had agreed that it is the Authority that has to take control of the border.As far as we know Egypt has decided to close the border with Gaza, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.Hundreds of thousands of people have streamed across the border since January 23, when Palestinian militants blew open and bulldozed large sections of the barrier wall after a near week-long Israeli lockdown of the territory.The opening of the border was a popular act because we could not find coffins for our martyrs, our sick were dying, and 400 people suffering from kidney failure were threatened with death, Zahar said.Since the Islamist Hamas movement seized power in June, Israel has enforced a strict closure regime on Gaza in a bid to halt the near daily rocket and mortar attacks from the coastal strip.Since the opening of the Egyptian border the number of rockets fired has dropped off dramatically, with the Israeli army reporting only 12 projectiles in the past 10 days compared to more than 90 in the week before the breach.Shortly after Zahar spoke, hundreds of pro-Hamas women staged a demonstration at the border crossings, waving green party banners and holding signs saying Save Gaza and The crossing is Egyptian-Palestinian.By Friday Egypt had succeeded in halting all but pedestrian traffic, but Hamas gunmen later dragged away metal barricades to allow a column of massive trucks to push into the centre of Egyptian Rafah.We gave our side of the story to the Egyptians about what happened on the border because there was some behaviour that was unacceptable, Zahar said, without offering specifics.There will not be any armed Palestinians on the border, he said.Zahar said humanitarian aid will continue to flow through the crossing -- the only gateway to Gaza that is not under Israeli control -- adding that trucks carrying food and medicine would be processed on the Egyptian side.

Hamas has demanded that the Rafah crossing be operated through a strictly Palestinian-Egyptian agreement to replace a 2005 arrangement that included European Union observers and Israeli electronic surveillance.Abbas has said his government should operate the crossings and has refused all contact with Hamas unless it returns Gaza to his control. On Saturday Zahar said his delegation and the Egyptians had overcome many obstacles and agreed to normalise the border in the way Hamas had requested. There will be discussions among international bodies to solve these problems, to normalise the border in the way we have demanded and not according to the whims of the Israelis, he added. Since the January 23 breakout the border has evolved into a sprawl of chaos and commerce, with thousands of people streaming across in both directions with crates of goods, herds of animals, and plastic jugs of diesel fuel. Egyptian forces subsequently closed in on the border area, preventing Palestinians from travelling further inland to Cairo and sealing all but two of the breaches in the barrier. But no effort has yet been made to halt pedestrian traffic, and neither Egyptian nor Palestinian security forces have been inspecting goods on their way into or out of Gaza.