IDF Intel Chief: 200,000 Missiles Aimed at Israel

There are some 200,000 missiles and rockets aimed at Israel, a top IDF official said Thursday - and no part of the country is "safe" anymore

By David Lev

First Publish: 2/2/2012, 10:53 AM

IDF Intel Chief Aviv Kochavi (Flash90)

IDF Intel Chief Aviv Kochavi (Flash90)

IDF Intelligence head Aviv Kochavi gave a chilling presentation Thursday morning at the Herzliya Conference on Israeli policy, telling listeners that Israel's enemies had 200,000 rockets and missiles pointed at the country, and could reach all parts of Israel – even the ostensibly safe “center” of Tel Aviv and its suburbs. Most of the missiles have a range of about 40 kilometers – the range of Qassam and most Katyusha rockets – but thousands of missiles have ranges of hundreds of kilometers, making every location in Israel within their reach. Not only that – but the missiles are more lethal now than ever before. “The warheads on these missiles contain hundreds of kilograms of explosives, not dozens, as in the past. And their firing precision and ability to hit specific targets is also greater,” Kochavi said. The rockets are largely located in Lebanon and Syria, with a smaller amount in Gaza – and in Iran, as well, which has thousands of missiles that could reach Israel. “Every tenth house in Lebanon is now a weapons depot,” Kochavi said. Besides conventional weapons, Israel is also facing a nuclear threat. According to Kochavi, Israel has lost the battle to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons; Tehran already has enough uranium for four atomic bombs, with over 100 kilos enriched to a level of 20% - more than enough for the one bomb Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said he would need to “rid the world of the Zionist entity.” Whether or not Iran actually builds these bombs is not a question of technical capability, Kochavi said, but a question of political will. The ability to build the bombs is there, and whether or not they will actually be assembled is a decision that top Iranian officials, especially Supreme Leader Ali Khameini, has yet to make. “From the moment the order is given, it will take about a year to assemble the bombs,” Kochavi said. “Developing them into warheads will take a little longer.” He added that the sanctions against Iran have not yet persuaded Tehran to change its nuclear development policy one way or the other, but that could change if the government feels it is losing control. Still, sanctions are preferable to the other alternatives, at least at this time, he said. “Only concerted international effort can persuade Tehran to halt their pursuit of the project,” he added. Despite the fact that so far it appears that Islamists have been the big winners of the “Arab Spring,” it is not they that led the revolutions in Arab world, but the desperation of youths and young adults who face a future of unemployment and hopelessness. If the new regimes do not work quickly to raise hope for the masses, he said, the current unrest could continue for many years. However, one aspect of the weakening of traditional Arab dictatorships in the region has negatively affected Israel; with less authority has come more porous borders, and Iran has been taking advantage of this fact to move more weapons into neighboring Arab countries. As a result, more terror attacks with Iran's backing can be expected. Kochavi said that the attack last August on the southern Negev was orchestrated by Iran, and thanks to the large amount of weapons in the region – with the Middle East now “the world's largest weapons warehouse” - similar attacks in the future are all but inevitable. Israel: Iran's nuclear arms program is complete, its missiles can reach US DEBKAfile Special Report February 2, 2012, 3:21 PM (GMT+02:00)

Military Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi

Iran has completed the development of a nuclear weapon and awaits nothing more than a sign from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to start assembling its first nuclear bomb, said Israeli Military Intelligence Chief Major General Aviv Kochavi on Thursday, February 2. Assembling a bomb would take up to a year, Kochavi estimated. With 100 kilograms of uranium enriched to 20 percent grade and another 4 tons of uranium enriched to 3.5 percent already in stock, Iran would need another two years to make four nuclear bombs. Therefore, by the end of 2012 or early 2013 Iran may have a single nuclear bomb, but by 2015 the figure would jump to four or five. The officer was essentially amplifying the words of his predecessor, Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, who said on Jan. 26 that as long ago as 2007 or 2008, Iran had already passed the point of no return in developing nuclear weapons.  Kochavi agreed with him that none of the sanctions imposed thus far had persuaded Iran to slow down, least of all shut down, its drive for a nuclear weapon. His comments coincided with the findings published Thursday by the Enterprise Institute, an American think tank, that Iran would be able to manufacture a 15-kiloton nuclear bomb as soon as August of this year, just seven months from now. Also Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon disclosed that the big blast at the Iranian missile base near Tehran last November blew up a new missile system with a range of 10,000 kilometers, capable of targeting the United States. Commenting on Iran's underground bunkers for nuclear facilities, the minister stressed that any facility built by man can be destroyed by man. "Speaking as a former chief of staff, I say none of Iran's installations are immune to attack," he said. Major General Kochavi went on to say that if Iran had attained a nuclear capability, this meant that the US and Israel had failed to pre-empt this outcome. Turning to another threat, the military intelligence chief painted a grim picture of 200,000 rockets and missiles of assorted types pointing at Israel. Wednesday, February 1, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz stressed that there is no longer any point on the Israeli map that is outside the range of enemy missiles. According to Gen. Kochavi, Iran, Syria, Hizballah and Hamas are dispersing their missiles and rockets to sites deep inland and integrated in urban environments to minimize their vulnerability to IDF attack. He warned "the enemy" had prepared increasing numbers of its missiles for "depth strikes against Israeli population centers, their warheads more lethal than ever." "Every tenth residential house in Lebanon," he said, "harbors a missile arsenal or launching position. Their sheer volume has reached a strategic dimension with which Israel will have to deal." Tuesday, Jan. 31, the IDF practiced mobilizing an armored division under war conditions, debkafile's military sources report. The drill simulated moving the troops to conscription bases, arming them with equipment and weapons and getting them to battle lines – all under the heavy missile bombardment of military facilities, national highways and railway lines. The various assessments of Iran's nuclear capabilities have faced serious credibility problems over the years, debkafile's intelligence sources note. Today, thanks to Kochavi and Yadlin, we know that the US National Intelligence Estimate of 2007 accepted by the Bush administration was wrong. Its main finding was that Iran had discontinued its military nuclear program in 2003.  For five years, Western intelligence officials have given out misleading estimates to save their governments having to pursue direct action for preempting a nuclear Iran. One school of thought claimed that Iran would not build a bomb until it had the resources to create an arsenal; another, that Tehran lacked the technology for weaponizing enriched uranium. Does the latest evaluation that the manufacture of a bomb awaits the decision of one man, the Iranian Supreme Ruler, fall into the same category as the others? Or is it another gambit to fend off a military strike against Iran for five more years? How do the US and Israel know for sure that Khamenei has not given the order and that Iranian teams are not already busy assembling a bomb in some bunker? US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has maintained more than once that America has the resources for finding out about a decision by the Supreme Leader, but no American or Israeli intelligence officer can endorse this certainty. It should be remembered, debkafile's military and intelligence sources note, that when Western intelligence announced the discovery of the Fordo underground facility near Qom in mid-2009, construction had begun undiscovered at least eighteen months earlier.

U.S. Worries Israel is about to Strike Iran – Washington Post

Post's Ignatius: Netanyahu doesn’t want to leave the fate of Israel dependent on American action.

By Gil Ronen

First Publish: 2/2/2012, 10:14 PM

F-16i takes off at sunset

Israel news photo: Flash 90

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes there is "a strong likelihood" that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June, according to the Washington Post's David Ignatius. Israel believes that after this time, Iran will have entered a “zone of immunity” that will enable it to build a nuclear bomb at its leisure, Ignatius wrote. Defense Minister Ehud Barak used the same words Thursday in his speech at the Herzliya Conference. "Very soon,the Israelis fear, the Iranians will have stored enough enriched uranium in deep underground facilities to make a weapon — and only the United States could then stop them militarily," explained Ignatius. The U.S., however, does not intend to hit Iran until it has intelligence that Iran is actually building a bomb, and "Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu doesn’t want to leave the fate of Israel dependent on American action..." When Barak asked last month to postpone a planned U.S.-Israel military exercise, he may have been signaling that an Israeli attack is imminent, the senior journalist wrote. Barak "apologized that Israel couldn’t devote the resources to the annual exercise this spring." President Obama and Panetta cautioned Israel against an attack, because they believe it would derail "increasingly successful international economic sanctions" against Iran. The White House hasn’t yet decided precisely how to react to an Israeli attack on Iran. The U.S. appears to favor staying out of the conflict unless Iran hits American assets, which would trigger a strong U.S. response. But administration officials "caution that Tehran shouldn’t misunderstand: The United States has a 60-year commitment to Israeli security, and if Israel’s population centers were hit, the United States could feel obligated to come to Israel’s defense." Ignatius quotes an Israeli official who reportedly told the U.S.: “You stay to the side, and let us do it.” The pundit mentions a “short-war” scenario that assumes five days or so of limited Israeli strikes, followed by a U.N.-brokered cease-fire. This, too, jibes with comments made yesterday by Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Col. Benny Gantz. U.S. officials don’t think that Netanyahu has made a final decision to attack, says Ignatius, but "senior Americans doubt that the Israelis are bluffing."

Former CIA Chief: Obama Should Learn to Stick Closer to Israel

Former CIA director R. James Woolsey: Obama tried to make nice with Iran and Syria. It didn't work.

By Elad Benari & Yoni Kempinski

First Publish: 2/3/2012, 1:15 AM

video http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/152389 Former CIA director R. James Woolsey spoke to Arutz Sheva on Thursday, on the sidelines of the 12^th Annual Herzliya Conference. Addressing the security situation in the Middle East in the wake of the Arab Spring, Woolsey said revolutions are usually divided into three phases: The first phase is very enthusiastic, the second phase is when the liberals take over and look like they’re going to move things well, and the third part is what he called the “non-attractive” part. “We can hope that a number of these Arab revolutions veer off before they get to a most unattractive phase three,” he said. “There’s been a lot of progress away from dictatorship and toward people being able to rule themselves, but it’s far from perfect and there is a lot of uncertainty. We don’t know where these Arab revolutions – really, any of them – are going.” Woolsey spoke about the relations between Israel and the United States, and differentiated between the tension with the Obama Administration and the general relationship between the two countries. “I think there’s still some tension with the Obama Administration. I don’t think there’s fundamental tension between Israel and the United States,” he said, adding that the Obama Administration thought that “making nice” with the Iranians and the Syrians would work, but that did not work. “It has not worked out well, and I hope that the Obama Administration is learning that one wants to stick closer to one’s friends than to kowtow to one’s enemies,” he said. Woolsey, who has previously called for the release of Jonathan Pollard from prison, repeated that position in the interview. He noted that Pollard’s sentencing judge laid down three criteria for parole: That Pollard express contrition, that he help the United States understand exactly what was taken and the implications, and that he agree to forego any proceeds from anything written or televised about what he did. That is, if he writes a book about his experiences, the money would go charity. Woolsey said that he knows that the first two conditions have been met by Pollard but added that he does not know whether the third one has been met. Nevertheless, he said, “He’s now been in prison well over 20 years, well over the time any spy from any friendly country has spent in American prisons, and he didn’t get anyone killed.” “From my point of view,” Woolsey added, “if he would just satisfy that third requirement it ought to be possible for either parole or some kind of executive clemency to set him free.”

U.S. Worries Israel is about to Strike Iran – Washington Post

Post's Ignatius: Netanyahu doesn’t want to leave the fate of Israel dependent on American action.

By Gil Ronen

First Publish: 2/2/2012, 10:14 PM

F-16i takes off at sunset

Israel news photo: Flash 90

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes there is "a strong likelihood" that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June, according to the Washington Post's David Ignatius. Israel believes that after this time, Iran will have entered a “zone of immunity” that will enable it to build a nuclear bomb at its leisure, Ignatius wrote. Defense Minister Ehud Barak used the same words Thursday in his speech at the Herzliya Conference. "Very soon,the Israelis fear, the Iranians will have stored enough enriched uranium in deep underground facilities to make a weapon — and only the United States could then stop them militarily," explained Ignatius. The U.S., however, does not intend to hit Iran until it has intelligence that Iran is actually building a bomb, and "Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu doesn’t want to leave the fate of Israel dependent on American action..." When Barak asked last month to postpone a planned U.S.-Israel military exercise, he may have been signaling that an Israeli attack is imminent, the senior journalist wrote. Barak "apologized that Israel couldn’t devote the resources to the annual exercise this spring." President Obama and Panetta cautioned Israel against an attack, because they believe it would derail "increasingly successful international economic sanctions" against Iran. The White House hasn’t yet decided precisely how to react to an Israeli attack on Iran. The U.S. appears to favor staying out of the conflict unless Iran hits American assets, which would trigger a strong U.S. response. But administration officials "caution that Tehran shouldn’t misunderstand: The United States has a 60-year commitment to Israeli security, and if Israel’s population centers were hit, the United States could feel obligated to come to Israel’s defense." Ignatius quotes an Israeli official who reportedly told the U.S.: “You stay to the side, and let us do it.” The pundit mentions a “short-war” scenario that assumes five days or so of limited Israeli strikes, followed by a U.N.-brokered cease-fire. This, too, jibes with comments made yesterday by Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Col. Benny Gantz. U.S. officials don’t think that Netanyahu has made a final decision to attack, says Ignatius, but "senior Americans doubt that the Israelis are bluffing.

 

Chief of Staff: Next War will be Short and Harsh

Maj. Gen. Gantz: Eight Syrian divisions between Golan and Damascus could become active "tomorrow morning."

By Gil Ronen

First Publish: 2/1/2012, 10:57 PM

video http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/152346 Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, painted a worrying picture of the military threat to Israel in a speech at the annual Herzliya Conference on Wednesday. "The threats against Israel have not disappeared," he said. "What was relevant in the past remains relevant. Eight Syrian military divisions are stationed between the Sea of Galilee and Damascus. These forces are currently inactive, but that may change tomorrow morning." "An extraordinary amount of ordnance covers every region of Israel," Gantz said. "Every region in Israel is currently under threat. Our enemies are trying to create a military system that skips over Israel's defense capabilities and directly targets the strategic depth of the State of Israel." The enemy wants to damage Israel's ability to function in the next war, he explained. They want to "wreak destruction and generate a victory story for the day after. They understand that the campaign will be short and harsh, but they will try and hit us hard to generate these achievements." All this, he said, is part of the ongoing Arab strategy of "strategic attrition" against Israel, adopted when conventional wars proved unable to defeat the Jewish state.   Gaza and Lebanon are "two of the largest ammunition and weapon 'storage facilities' I know," he said, owned by Hizbullah, Islamic Jihad, and other terror organizations. "The Middle East is currently arming more than any other region in the world, and we are the target of all this ammunition." "Our enemies acknowledge the strength of the IDF, they have seen it in the past and they understand what a western force with high-tech weapons is capable of." Besides conventional military means, he said, they have taken to operating from within urban regions, where they take advantage of innocent civilian populations. "In Lebanon there are buildings that contain both civilian residential apartments and a 'rocket room '– in the same building." According to Lt. Gen. Gantz, aside from complex fronts our enemies are also "planning attacks using high-tech rockets, portable systems such as anti-tank missiles, and accurate, target-specific and long-distance missiles. We saw this during the Second Lebanon War. Our Navy forces and strategic posts in the Mediterranean Sea are also under threat."  The enemy is mainly targeting the Israeli home front and civilian population, "as an attempt to harm our operative capabilities." Lt. Gen. Gantz stressed that in the face of the different threats the IDF must continue to develop offensive capabilities, alongside accurate intelligence capabilities and air defenses for defending civilian populations. "It is crucial to ensure our infantry maneuvering capabilities. It must be strong, well-trained and well-equipped, since it will be required to operate in a field more challenging than ever. This is not an anti-tank missile fired from 300 meters we are taking about – this is an anti-tank missile that is accurately fired from six kilometers away." Lt. Gen. Gantz said that the IDF has grown much stronger in the past few years but needs to maintain this trend. "We are a powerful nation and if we don’t maintain this strength, we simply will not exist."

Gaza Rocket Salvo Targets Negev Communities

A salvo of rockets were fired by terrorists in Gaza into Israel; no property damage of physical injuries reported

By Gavriel Queenann

First Publish: 2/1/2012, 9:44 PM

Kassam rockets

Israel news photo: Wikimedia Common

Gaza terrorists on Wednesday evening launched a slavo of six Qassam rockets at Israel's southern communities. All of the rockets landed in open fields in the western Negev. No property damage of physical injuries were reported.

Earlier on Wednesday terrorists in Gaza fired a single Qassam rocket into Israel, which also landed in an open council western Negev.

No property damage of physical injuries were reported in that attack, either.

The attacks are the latest in an uptick of violence emanating from Gaza that began last Friday evening after nearly a month of relative calm.

The spokeswoman said the border area had been used in the past for planting explosives, "thereby endangering the citizens of Israel and the security forces operating in the area."

The Shejaya area where the shooting took place was the scene of terrorist activity late last Friday night. At approximately 10:50 PM on Friday terrorists opened fire on an IDF watchtower overlooking the fence.

The ambush prompted an IDF raid which resulted in brief clashes. After the raid terrorists fired a rocket at the Israeli community of Nachal Oz. The rocket landed in an empty field.

The following day a flare fired by an Israeli tank to illuminate the area struck a house. No injuries were reported in the incident. 

Earlier on Wednesday, IDF forces wounded a Gaza man who ignored warning shots when approaching the security fence adjacent to Shejaya.

Winter Storm Turns Israel into Ski Resort

Israel, known for its beaches and hot weather, has become a ski resort in the Golan - but it was closed Wednesday due to a heavy snowstorm.

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

First Publish: 2/1/2012, 12:10 PM

Snow blankets Hermon in Golan Heights

Israel news photo: Silviya/Tapuz weather forum

Several feet of snow have blanketed the Hermon ski resort on the Golan Heights – but it was closed Wednesday due to a heavy storm. Nearly six feet of the white stuff has piled up on the upper slopes and up to three feet on the slower slopes, where rain fell Wednesday morning before turning to snow. Thousands of Israelis have been fleeing the rainy center of the country to be in the snow, which is rarely seen in most other areas in Israel. A misjudgment on the part of the ski resort last week left frustrated visitors trapped during a heavy snowstorm, and IDF snowplows cleared the roads for visitors to leave. In the rest of the country, rain returned Tuesday night to all of the country as far south as the Negev, but most of the heavy precipitation was in the central and northern regions by mid-morning. More than two inches of rain drenched metropolitan Tel Aviv, and gale force winds ripped through hilly areas. The forecast calls for the rain and snow to end by Thursday morning, followed by a warming trend that should dry out Israel for several days. More rain is predicted for next Wednesday, but it is not yet clear how much will fall. Despite the electricity outages and discomfort from the wettest January on record in terms of the number of days of precipitation, Israelis are welcoming every drop. The Kinneret continues to rise and before the end of the week will rise past the upper red line,” the level at which ecological damage may occur. The lake still is lacking 4 meters before dams would have to be opened to prevent flooding of farmland and the beachside city of Tiberias. The last time the dam was opened was in the winter of 1992-3. Runoff from the hills and more rain in February that is on the long-range radar screen might add another meter to the Kinneret before summer and leave the lake in its best shape since three years ago.

Sweden to Chabad: No Jewish Homeschooling

Religious freedom is at risk in Sweden, where the government is trying to force Chabad emissaries to send their children to public school.

By Hana Levi Julian

First Publish: 2/1/2012, 11:01 AM

Gothenburg, Sweden

Israel news photo: courtesy of Lubavitch.com

Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries to Sweden have been threatened by the city of Gothenburg with thousands of dollars in fines for home schooling their children, as the Swedish government attempts to force this Jewish family to send its children to public school. On January 26, Rabbi Alexander Namdar and his wife Leah, representatives of the worldwide Chassidic movement to Sweden for the past 21 years, were served at their home with a notice by the Gothenburg school authorities. According to the notice, four of their children who currently study at an international online school must be delivered to a Swedish school by today (Wednesday). Failure to do so could result in a fine of 16000 crown - the equivalent of $2,400 -- per week. The children's education is not lacking by any means -- and they are not the first in the family to have been educated at home. Six of the family's 11 children also learned at home in their early years, and now live and study abroad at Jewish high schools, teaching seminaries and rabbinic colleges. All are pursuing careers in education. In addition to the international online school attended by the children -- and 500 of their classmates around the world -- the Namdar children are also receiving private tutoring. Their secular curriculum includes English, Swedish, mathematics, geography, science, music, art and gymnastics. All the children are fluent in English, Swedish and Yiddish, and can read Hebrew by age 5. The notice came following a change on January first in Sweden's law that tightened restrictions on home schooling. The amendment permits home schooling only in "extraordinary" circumstances -- and religious issues are explicitly excluded as a valid reason for home schooling one's child.  Sweden does not tolerate differences very well, notes Leah Namdar. The longtime ban on shechita (Jewish ritual preparation of kosher meat), and recent laws tightening restrictions on Jewish ritual circumcision are warnings of what Leah Namdar said could become "the last battle against Communism." "We're two parents fighting city hall for the right to give our children a Jewish education," she told Lubavitch.com. The family's lawyer agrees: the Gothenburg v. Namdar case will be a critical test of Sweden's record on religious freedom, said attorney Richard Backenroth. The lawyer has been careful not to attribute the city's action to anti-Semitism. However, European Jewish Congress president Dr. Moshe Kantor recently noted that Sweden is the only nation within the European Union unwilling to discuss domestic anti-Semitism with the EJC. Anti-Semitism has risen in Sweden in recent years, along with a trend towards the extreme right. Jews in the city of Malmo in particular have begun to flee the community as a result of the rising trends. Backenroth, who is appealing the notice and the "exorbitant fine" that arrived while the case is still pending, told Lubavitch.com, "Sweden's schools cannot possibly accommodate the needs of the Namdar children with respect to their religious requirements." More ominously, forcing the Namdar children -- the only Orthodox Jews in the city -- to attend a Swedish school, could expose them to real danger, the movement warned. Swedish schools are notorious for their bullying problems and the children would become a certain target for anti-Semitic harassment. Guy Linderman, a Jewish citizen of Sweden, agrees the Namdar children need not attend Swedish schools. Active in politics while living in Sala, he told Lubavitch.com he had originally supported the new law when it was drafted years ago, but believes it should not be applied to the Namdars. The law, he said, was intended to ensure that Sweden's immigrant population was education, "many of who... had grown up illiterate, incapable of signing their names." The Namdar children, who he knows well, "are more educated than their Swedish peers," Linderman said.  "This is a stain on the reputation of a country that takes pride in equality as a fundamental value," said Rabbi Namdar. Both he and his wife said they regard education as their "highest priority." 

Canada solidifies position as Israel's staunchest friend

Mittwoch, 1. Februar 2012 | Ryan Jones

Among Western powers, America may be Israel's greatest ally, but Canada has been making a play for the title of "staunchest friend." Speaking at the opening of the 12th annual Herzliya Conference on Monday, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird blasted efforts to delegitimize Israel and its claim to the land as nothing short of anti-Semitism. "Harnessing disparate anti- Semitic, anti-American and anti-Western ideologies, target the Jewish people by targeting the Jewish homeland, Israel, as the source of injustice and conflict in the world, and use, perversely, the language of human rights to do so," Baird said. "We must be relentless in exposing this new anti-Semitism for what it is." Baird declared that Canada would not be among those nations that engage in anti-Israel rhetoric out of some misguided obligation to be "even-handed." During a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Baird said that while Canada officially supports a two-state solution to the conflict, it views the Palestinian Authority's efforts to unilaterally wrest control of the land via the UN Security Council as "profoundly wrong." Back in Jerusalem, Baird told Israeli President Shimon Peres that "Israel has no better friend than Canada," and stressed that "Canada does not stand behind Israel; Canada stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel." Like in the neighboring United States, the topic of Israel has become a major point of policy debate in Canadian elections. [Ed. Note - We want to emphasize that the focus of this story is on relations between Israel and the national governments of its allies. Israel Today is well aware that the Jewish state enjoys enormous support from the people of America.]

 

Hamas Terror Offices in Jerusalem Shut Down

Israeli police have closed two offices in Jerusalem belonging to the Hamas terrorist group.

By Chana Ya'ar and Yoni Kempinski

First Publish: 1/30/2012, 9:53 PM

video http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/152273 Israel's Border Police tracked down and closed two offices in Jerusalem this week that were found to belong to the Hamas terrorist organization. Both were located in the ancient City of David (Silwan) neighborhood. One of the offices allegedly raised money for “charity.” The other ostensibly housed the activities of a “soccer team.” The offices were closed for a minimum of 30 days. "This is part of the Israeli policy to prevent any Hamas activity inside Jerusalem,” said Israel Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld. “Over the last year we've closed down altogether 10 buildings in connection with Hamas activities,” he noted. He added the closures were viewed as part of routine Israeli law enforcement in the city of Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Jordan is also continuing its policy not to allow Hamas officials to open offices in the Hashemite kingdom, despite a recent visit by Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mashaal. The politburo chief was expected to arrive in Iran, the group's generous patron, on his region-wide tour by Monday

Palestinians praise killer of Jewish family

Montag, 30. Januar 2012 | Ryan Jones

The mother and aunt of a young Palestinian man who brutally slaughtered nearly an entire Jewish family last year went on Palestinian Authority television recently to praise his murderous actions and to denounce Israel for having the audacity to put him in jail. Hakim Awad was given five life sentences by an Israeli court last August for his role in the March 2011 massacre of the Fogel family in the northern Samaria Jewish community of Itamar. During the home invasion attack, Hakim and his cousin, Amjad Awad (who also received five life sentences), mercilessly stabbed to death Udi and Ruth Fogel and three of their young children, including a four-month-old baby. The Fogel massacre sent shockwaves through Israeli society both because of the brutality and the purposeful targeting of young children, at least two of whom were sleeping when they were set upon by the Awad cousins. Palestinian society views the murders and the murderers much differently. Last week, Palestinian Authority TV aired a program called "For You" decrying Israel's imprisonment of convicted Palestinian terrorists. Hakim Awad was one of the stars of the show. Phoning in to the show, Awad's aunt read a poem she had written for Hakim and referred to the blood-soaked killer as a "hero" and a "legend" among his family, friends and peers. Awad's mother also got on the line to lament that she was being prevented from visiting her son due to the severity of the "Itamar operation" - Palestinians regularly refer to the murder of Israeli Jews, even children, as military "operations." The hostess of the "For You" program also added her own greeting to Hakim Awad. This continued justification and even glorification of the murder of Israeli Jews is for most Israelis the primary reason the peace process is going nowhere. As part of the original "Oslo Accords," both sides were obliged to educate their populations for peaceful coexistence. Remarks such as those expressed by the Awad matriarchs suggests that Palestinian society has actually been educated to hate Jews even more. And it is a certainty that at least some young Palestinians watching "For You" took away the lesson that they, too, can become "legends" by murdering Jews. [Translation of the 'For You' program was provided by Palestinian Media Watch]  

IDF covert operations rise significantly over past year

By YAAKOV KATZ01/31/2012 01:47

As regional threats grow, Israel increases operations overseas in Iran, Lebanon, and Sudan, according to foreign reports; military capabilities abroad to improve with creation of new unit to operate in enemy territory.

By IDF Spokesman's Unit

The IDF has significantly increased the number of overseas covert operations it has conducted over the past year, an indication of the growing threats Israel faces in the region, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Most of the details about the operations are classified, including the exact number, but according to foreign reports, the IDF has operated in places such as Sudan, Lebanon and Iran.

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The one confirmed covert operation in the past year was in March 2011, when commandos from the navy’s elite Flotilla 13 – or Shayetet 13 – boarded the Victoria cargo ship sailing in the Mediterranean from Turkey en route to Egypt. The ship was carrying 50 tons of weaponry, including a number of advanced radar-guided anti-ship missiles destined for Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In December, foreign reports claimed the Israel Air Forcebombed two arms convoys on their way to the Gaza Strip in Sudan. One of the reports claimed an Israeli helicopter was spotted over an island near Sudan and that a submarine was also detected in the area. Last April a car was bombed near Port Sudan. Arab media reports accused Israel of the strike against the car whose occupants were reportedly Islamist terrorists involved in arms-smuggling to Hamas. The IDF has a number of units that specialize in covert operations – the Air Force is in command of Shaldag, Military Intelligence in command of the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal) and the navy in command of Shayetet 13. While the number of operations conducted by Israel’s special forces has increased over the past year, there has been a feeling within the General Staff since the Second Lebanon War that the units could do more if they worked closer together and if there was better coordination between their respective branches. In an effort to improve their capabilities, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz decided in December to establish the “Depth Corps” – a new unit that will oversee operations deep in enemy territory. The corps will be headed by Maj.-Gen. Shai Avital, a former commander of the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, who has been out of the IDF for over a decade. Gantz selected Avital due to his expertise in deep-covert operations. The purpose of the corps will be to enable each unit – Sayeret Matkal, Shaldag and Shayetet – to retain their unique capabilities and at the same time create better coordination between themselves.  

PM Confirms: Israel to Remain in Jordan Valley

Israel will not leave the Jordan Valley, regardless of whatever final status agreement is made with the Palestinian Authority, says the PM.

By Chana Ya'ar

First Publish: 1/30/2012, 8:43 PM

PM Binyamin Netanyahu

Israel news photo: Flash 90

A spokesman for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu says Israel will not leave the Jordan Valley, regardless of whatever final status agreement is made with the Palestinian Authority. Responding to rumors claiming that he was prepared to compromise on an Israeli presence in the region, Netanyahu told a Likud faction meeting Monday evening, “I will sign a final status agreement only if Israel remains in the Jordan Valley. I believe that we are thus acting sensibly, and looking out for the welfare and security of Israel,” he told party MKs. An earlier, unconfirmed report published in the Hebrew-language Ma'ariv newspaper Monday morning claimed that Netanyahu had agreed to relinquish sovereignty over the Jordan Valley. In a speech to the Knesset plenum last year at its special Herzl Day session, the Prime Minister laid down five conditions for a peace treaty with the Palestinian Authority – but the Jordan Valley was not listed among the items. On June 14, 2009, Netanyahu laid out in a speech delivered at Bar Ilan University the conditions by which Israel would agree to the establishment of a PA state alongside the Jewish State. In that speech, he invited “all Arab leaders” to cooperate in building together with Israel an economic peace in any areas – including the Jordan Valley. “An economic peace is not a substitute for a political peace,” he noted at the time, “but an important element to achieving it.... Together we can develop industrial areas that will generate thousands of jobs and create tourist sites that will attract millions of visitors eager to walk in the footsteps of history,” he said, listing “the baptismal site of the Jordan” among them, but not once intimating that Israel would ever withdraw from the site. Spokesman Mark Regev added in a subsequent interview with Arutz Sheva Monday night, “The Prime Minister has said many times that an Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley is a necessity. That has not changed." When asked whether Netanyahu's position might not change, however, if an agreement were to pivot on that one item alone, Regev reiterated, "The Prime Minister has said an Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley is a security issue. “Security is not negotiable," he emphasized.  US foresees May as tentative date for clash with Iran. Floating SEALs base for Gulf

USS Ponce - future SEALs Persian Gulf platform

A hurried decision not to de-commission the USS Ponce helicopter marine carrier after duty in Libya - but to refit it for deployment by May in the Persian Gulf as a floating base for commando teams - was confirmed by the US Pentagon and Navy Sunday, Dec. 29. This transportable floating base will expand the commandos' range in coastal areas and support counter-measure against mines which Iran has threatened to plant in the Strait of Hormuz in reprisal for the US-EU oil embargo. The SEALs will also take on Iran's menacing fleet of military speedboats. debkafile reports Tehran operates four different kinds of these craft in the Persian Gulf: 1. Small, fast vessels, each armed with a small missile for striking tankers and coastal oil targets around the Gulf region, such as export terminals. Earlier this month, Tehran claimed to have developed stealth cruise missiles capable of disabling aircraft carriers with a single shot. 2. Small, extra-fast boats armed with torpedoes. Iranian publications claim several such boats are capable of stealing up on US aircraft carriers and large warships from several directions without being detected and cause serious damage. 3. Floating bombs for kamikaze missions. These fast boats cannot be deflected after locking in on target, whether on sea or shore, and explode on contact. Iran used these floating missiles piloted by suicide squads to attack oil tankers in the Gulf in November 1987. Since then, their naval tacticians have upgraded this fleet with the technology gained from the British Bladerunner 51, a model of which Iran purchased some years ago. Since early January, the Pentagon has reported four cases of harassment by Iranian military boats sailing close to American warships in the Persian Gulf. 4. Boats carrying teams of Iranian marine frogmen trained for secret suicide underwater missions: One member of the boat's three-man crew dives close to the targeted ship and attaches a magnetic bomb to its hull. Iran has scattered hundreds of speedboats of different types around uninhabited islands off the Iranian mainland, tucking them out of sight in well-hidden inlets and bays. The US commando teams based on the Ponce platform will have the task of ferreting out and destroying this fleet. The US Defense Department aims to get the Ponce ready for its new mission as a floating commando base with all possible speed. To save time, the US military published one no-bid contract for the engineering work, waiving normal procurement rules on the grounds that any delay presented a "national security risk." The contract carries pointers to the timeline expected in Washington for a military confrontation to erupt between the United States and Iran, as well as the form it may take, say debkafile's military sources. The target date for deploying the commando platform in the Persian Gulf in four or five months indicates Washington is preparing for military clashes to blow up with Iran in the late spring or early summer. But according to debkafile's Iranian and military sources, the Iranian administration has expressed its determination to respond instantly to any diplomatic or military move or action of an offensive nature against the Islamic Republic. And so confrontation may come earlier than anticipated. Sunday, the Iranian parliament was due to vote on a motion to cut off oil supplies to Europe in response to the EU embargo declared last week. Tehran has made it clear it has no intention of standing idle until US and European oil sanctions go fully into effect on July 1 and knows that EU nations are not set up to forego 400,000 barrels of oil a day right now. Saudi Arabia, which pledged to make up the shortfall arising from oil sanctions against Iran, will not have the missing quantities on stream before May – at about the same time as the Ponce and its complement of SEAL commandoes are due to take up position in the Persian Gulf. Tehran may decide not to wait and opt for letting its speedboats loose before then to try and pre-empt American and European plans.