06/06/11

* IDF vows to use “all defensive means” to protect Israel’s borders IDF chief says army must “remain alert and prepared” in wake of violent Naksa Day clashes along Syria border.

* Iran can produce nuke within 2 months Airstrikes can no longer stop nuclear program, US can do nothing short of military occupation

* Yemen opposition backs power transfer to vice-president Yemen’s main opposition coalition says it will accept a transfer of power to the vice-president, after President Ali Abdullah Saleh left for Saudi Arabia.

* Nasrallah, Hamas praise Naksa border marches Hezbollah leader says protests show how US is trying to hijack “Arab Spring”; Hamas encourages more marches at Israeli border.

* 1967-2011: Video of Six-Day War, but Arabs Still Try for Victory Israel annihilated Arab enemies in the Six-Day War that began today (Sunday) 44 years ago, but the Arab world calls the loss a “setback” (Naksa, in Arabic) and tries to turn it into victory.

* IAEA nuclear watchdog meeting to focus on Syria The International Atomic Energy Agency board is meeting amid pressure from the US and other nations to rebuke Syria over alleged illicit nuclear activity.

* OPEC Overshadowed by Qaddafi in Most-Hostile Meeting Since 1990 Gulf War OPEC’s decision on production quotas this week may be complicated by hostilities in Libya as members meeting in Vienna find themselves supporting opposing camps of a military conflict for the first time in 21 years.

* Civil War Threatens Heavily-Armed Sinai Area South of Israel Civil war may break out among heavily-armed Bedouin tribes in the Sinai, which has become a lawless area since the Egyptian uprising this year.

* Anger over EU alert system as E. coli scare hits producers Spain is calling for the EU’s rapid alert system to be reformed after German officials mistakenly labeled organic cucumbers from Spain as the most likely source of a deadly E. coli virus, sending vegetable sales into a downward spin.

* Decline and fall of the American empire The US is a country with serious problems.

06/04/11

* Saudi Arabia brokers new truce in Yemen Saudi Arabia has brokered a fresh truce between a powerful Yemeni tribal federation and forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

* New Al Qaeda Video: American Muslims Should Buy Guns, Start Shooting People In a new video message released on the internet Friday, American-born al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn calls on Muslims living in America to carry out deadly one-man terrorist acts.

* Tradition Today: The significance of Sinai It was the Exodus that made us a free people. It was Sinai that made us a holy nation.

* Syrians relive Hama massacre A Syrian city that was bombed into submission three decades ago after a crushed uprising has become a new center for protest and violence.

* Gates: US ready to use force against cyber attackers Defense secretary says it must be decided what punishments hackers could face for committing what he called “acts of war.”

* Obama delays relocation of US Embassy to Jerusalem Following the practice of his predecessors, President Barack Obama has invoked US national security interests to notify Congress he will not move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

* ‘No calm in Mideast as long as Israel exists’ Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday repeated his assertion that there will be no tranquility in the Middle East as long as Tehran’s archenemy, Israel, continues to exist.

* Muslim Group Offends Some Christians With Jesus Advertisements “Jesus: A prophet of Islam” states the provocative tagline in a “public awareness” advertising campaign launched by a Muslim group in Australia’s largest city.

* Germany steps up hunt for deadly E.coli source Racing to curb the spread of a killer food bug, Germany set up a task force on Friday to hunt down the source of a highly toxic strain of E.coli.

* China Has Divested 97 Percent of Its Holdings in U.S. Treasury Bills China has dropped 97 percent of its holdings in U.S. Treasury bills.

06/03/11

* US: Peace summit instead of flotilla The American administration is considering offering the Turkish government a deal.

* Palestinians cancel Naksa Day march to Israel-Lebanon border Palestinian organizers in Lebanon who had planned a march to the border with Israel later this week say they have canceled it.

* EU not invited back to monitor Gaza border The European Union has not been asked to return to monitor the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip.

* Vatican calls for independent Palestinian state ‘soon’ The Vatican on Friday called urgently for a just and lasting peace between peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

* China calls US culprit in global ‘Internet war’ The Chinese military accused the U.S. on Friday of launching a global “Internet war” to bring down Arab and other governments.

* 500 Palestinians set for mass ‘fly-in’ to B-G Airport In the wake of “Nakba Day,” “Naksa Day” and an anticipated Gaza-bound flotilla later this month, pro-Palestinian activists are planning to send hundreds of Palestinians living abroad on commercial flights to Ben-Gurion Airport next month.

* This Week in History: Titus breaks through the J’lem wall In the year 66 AD, a great Jewish revolt began against the Romans in Israel.

* Global War on AIDS Bears Fruit The United Nations reported modest success in the global “War on AIDS” on Thursday night.

* Obama Inspired Ship to Join IHH Gaza Flotilla A ship flying US colors and carrying 34 passengers is set to joint this year’s Gaza-bound, IHH-sponsored “Freedom Flotilla 2” in June.

* Stars mistaken for enemy aircraft The security forces’ fear of an infiltration of hostile elements into Israel appears to be so deep, that air traffic controllers recently sent two warplanes and two assault helicopters towards suspicious lights in the sky, which turned out to be… stars.

06/02/11

* First Time: Temple Mount Priestly Blessing on Jerusalem Day Hundreds of religious Jews from all streams were able to happily commemorate the 44th anniversary of the first-ever entry of Israeli soldiers onto the Temple Mount.

* Scottish councilor: Hamas are freedom fighters A Scottish politician playing a leading role in an anti-Israel boycott says members of terror group Hamas are “freedom fighters”.

* Outbreak is new form of E. coli The World Health Organization says the E. coli outbreak in Germany is a new form of the bacterium.

* ‘Lebanon declares border closed military zone’ The Lebanese Army declared the area near the border with Israel a closed military zone on Thursday as Naksa Day approached.

* ‘ME status quo between Israel, Palestinians is intolerable’ French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe made a last ditch effort on Thursday to revive peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

* Medvedev Plans Middle East Talks With Biden, Berlusconi Russian President Dmitry Medvedev plans to hold talks with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden later today on a range of issues.

* Study offers snapshot of new European Jewish identity A generation after the fall of communism, Jews in Central Europe feel comfortable where they live but are concerned about anti-Semitism.

* Global war on drugs ‘has failed’ say former leaders The Global Commission on Drug Policy report calls for the legalisation of some drugs and an end to the criminalisation of drug users.

* Libya conflict: UN accuses both sides of war crimes UN investigators have accused government forces in Libya of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

* Study offers snapshot of new European Jewish identity A generation after the fall of communism, Jews in Central Europe feel comfortable where they live but are concerned about anti-Semitism.

06/01/11

* PM: Divided J’lem ‘suffocates,’ united J’lem ‘blossoms’ Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu emphasized the importance of Jerusalem’s unity during a special Knesset plenum session on Wednesday, Jerusalem Day.

* Peres: Jerusalem will see peace in our time President Shimon Peres said Wednesday that peace could be achieved in Jerusalem in “our time”.

* Hundreds of Israelis march through East Jerusalem under heavy security Several hundred Israelis marched through the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah on Wednesday.

* Islamic Jihad Hosts Abbas in Egypt: Jerusalem a Red Line Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, who tells the United States he wants to talk with Israel, met with Islamic Jihad leaders in Egypt.

* Video: Jerusalem – Has It Always Been This Way? Jerusalem is a mosaic of different peoples, faiths, and nationalities. Nevertheless, despite this diversity, under the sovereignty of Israel, Jerusalem is a city that works.

* Iran: Renewing Egypt ties would force ‘Zionists’ to leave Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged Egypt on Wednesday to rebuild diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic.

* US social media users favor Israel A recent survey of numerous blogs, Facebook posts and Twitter tweets, conducted in the week following US President Barack Obama’s Mideast policy speech, revealed overwhelming support for Israel.

* ‘Pentagon to view cyber attacks as acts of war’ Two days after Lockheed Martin, one of the world’s largest defense contractors, announced that it detected “a significant and tenacious attack on its information systems network, the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday reported that the pentagon plans to adopt a new strategy by which severe cyber attacks will be considered an act of war.

* Anti-racism campaigners slam Finnish colour-coded ID cards European anti-racism campaigners have criticised moves by Finnish authorities to colour-code the country’s ID cards.

* African club defends role in Libya conflict Senior African envoy Jean Ping has told the EU and Nato that the African Union is keen to end the Libya crisis by diplomacy, not war.

05/31/11

* ‘Syrian residents fight back gov’t troops for first time’ Syrian residents on Monday fought back for the first time against government troops in a two-month-old uprising against the rule of President Bashar Assad.

* Palestinians prepare for ‘Naksa’ marches on borders Following the example of this month’s Nakba Day marches, Palestinians and their supporters are preparing to launch another multipronged assault on Israel’s borders this week.

* Ya’alon: Military strike may be needed to stop Iran nukes Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya’alon called on the world to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, by all means necessary.

* Iran cleric: Killing Israeli children OK A senior Iranian cleric, who is known as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s spiritual mentor, urged followers to continue suicide attacks against Israelis, including children.

* Jerusalem’s Reunification: Back in Time to 1967 This Tuesday night and Wednesday will be a special day for lovers of Jerusalem, which celebrates the 44th anniversary of its Six Day War reunification.

* Rising food prices increase squeeze on poor – Oxfam Rising food prices are tightening the squeeze on populations already struggling to buy adequate food, demanding radical reform of the global food system.

* Egypt’s Christians Fear Violence as Changes Embolden Islamists The headline screamed from a venerable liberal newspaper: Coptic Christians had abducted a young Muslim and tattooed her with a cross. “Copts kidnap Raghada!”

* Begin Breaks Likud Ranks on INR Radio; Rejects PA State Minister without portfolio Benny Begin (Likud), in an Israel National News Radio interview on Monday, rejected the creation of an Arab state west of the Jordan River.

* Israel prepping to block next Gaza flotilla On the anniversary of its deadly takeover of the aid flotilla to Gaza, in which nine Turkish activists died in a confrontation with navy commandos, Israel is preparing to block the next flotilla as well.

* Fisk: Obama, US have lost all credibility in the Mideast US President Barack Obama has brought the United States to an all time low in the eyes of the Arab world.

05/30/11

* Memorial Day comes as troops fight in Afghanistan US troops fighting in Afghanistan paused Monday to remember the fallen in Memorial Day services, as a war nearly a decade old trudges on.

* Turkey FM: We can’t stop upcoming aid flotilla to Gaza Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says democratic governments have no right to stop people from challenging an illegal blockade.

* Bibi: UN Statehood for PA is Like Declaring the World is Flat If the United Nations in September declares the Palestinian Authority to be a state, it might as well decide the world is flat.

* Muslim Brotherhood sides with Egypt’s military against opposition movement The Muslim Brotherhood has left the pro-democracy opposition movement.

* Hamas Moving HQ from Syria to Egypt, Warns Netanyahu Hamas is moving its headquarters from Damascus to Egypt, and the terror group is strengthening itself in the Sinai, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said.

* Jerusalem Day in 80 Cities Around the Country Jerusalem Reunification Day, the day marking Israel’s return to the Temple Mount and more during the Six Day War in 1967, is increasingly being celebrated not only in Jerusalem.

* Netanyahu warns Egypt losing control of growing terror groups in Sinai PM says Hamas and international terror groups are strengthening presence in Egypt and that the country’s military government is having trouble ‘realizing its sovereignty’ in Sinai.

* Over 400 al Qaeda terrorists now in Sinai Egyptian security official tells Al-Hayyat that Palestinian, Beduin, foreign citizens seeking to carry out attacks, have already attacked.

* Germany to phase out nuclear energy by 2022 The German government announced it will shut down all of its nuclear power plants by 2022, calling the move “definite”.

* Secret doc: Syria to end nuclear secrecy Syria says will cooperate with UN probe into its nuclear reactor, which IDF bombed in 2007, in order to avoid being referred to UN Security Council.

05/28/11

* MK Kara: Syrian opposition asked for Israel’s help Deputy Minister for Galilee and Negev Development Ayoub Kara (Likud) on Saturday said that members of the Syrian opposition had turned to him to ask for Israel’s help.

* Egypt eases blockade at Gaza’s Rafah border Egypt has relaxed restrictions at its border with the Gaza Strip, allowing many Palestinians to cross freely for the first time in four years.

* Arab League chief backs Palestinian UN statehood bid The head of the Arab League said on Saturday the Palestinians should seek UN recognition for their statehood in September.

* NATO stages rare daytime air strike on Tripoli NATO carried out a rare daytime air strike on Tripoli on Saturday after a fifth straight night of attacks.

* UN chief urges member states to discourage new Gaza flotilla UN chief Ban Ki-moon called on governments on Friday to discourage pro-Palestinian activists from sending a new aid flotilla to Gaza.

* Gaza’s Rafah Crossing opens The Rafah Crossing opened on a permanent basis Saturday, with some 150 Palestinians from Gaza entering Egypt.

* Afghanistan: Suicide blast kills top police commander The police commander for northern Afghanistan has been killed in a suicide bomb attack on Takhar province governor’s office.

* Gene Simmons tells Obama to kiss off on 1967 KISS frontman Gene Simmons, who was born in Israel as Chaim Witz, had strong words for US President Barack Obama’s proposed Middle East peace plan in a recent CNBC interview.

* Adolf Hitler ‘honorary citizen’ row grips Austria Several towns in Austria have been checking their archives this week to see if Adolf Hitler is still an honorary citizen of their communities.

* Arab League chief backs UN route for Palestinian state The head of the Arab League said on Saturday the Palestinians should seek UN recognition for their statehood in September.

05/27/11

* Abbas: We want to co-exist with Israel Palestinians are not seeking to isolate Israel on the international stage, but will pursue their unilateral drive for UN recognition of statehood unless peace talks resume.

* Russia joins Western chorus for Gaddafi to go Russia believes Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi should quit and could help broker his departure, a senior Russian official said.

* Iraqi Shiite Militias Again Pose a Threat as U.S. Forces Leave On a United States outpost in southern Iraq, rocket attacks by Shiite militants have grown so fierce that Americans there had to hunker down in a concrete bunker.

* G8 leaders omit mention of 1967 borders in Middle East statement Group of Eight leaders had to soften a statement urging Israel and the Palestinians to return to negotiations because Canada objected to a specific mention of 1967 borders.

* Protests erupt across Syria as world pressure grows Syrian protesters defied a nationwide crackdown by security forces on Friday.

* Settlements worth $18.8 billion A new study by the Macro Center for Political Economics has revealed that West Bank settlements are currently worth $18.8 billion.

* Egyptians demand deeper and faster reforms Thousands of Egyptians packed Cairo’s Tahrir Square Friday in what organizers called a “second revolution” to push for faster reforms.

* Canada takes pro-Israel line at G8 summit Group of Eight leaders had to soften a statement urging Israel and the Palestinians to return to negotiations.

* Israeli leftists urge Europe to recognize Palestine More than 20 Israeli leftists, including public figures, academicians and authors, recently signed a letter urging European leaders to recognize Palestinian statehood.

* Iran: Building nuclear bomb would be ‘strategic mistake’ Iran’s nuclear envoy said on Friday it would be a “strategic mistake” to build atom bombs.

05/26/11

* Jerusalem Day Celebrations are On! The question of how and where Jerusalem will celebrate Jerusalem Day has been settled – with a compromise.

* G8 summit: Arab uprisings dominate Deauville agenda World leaders are in the French resort of Deauville for a summit of the G8 bloc of wealthy nations.

* The Unbridgeable Obama-Netanyahu Gap Analyst and former Israeli Ambassador Yoram Ettinger says Obama’s pro-Muslim advisors keep him unbridgeably away from understanding Netanyahu.

* Settlers: We won’t live in Palestinian state Jewish settlers living beyond the 1967 lines expressed concern Wednesday after hearing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say Israel “will be required to give up parts of the ancestral Jewish homeland”.

* Egypt to open Rafah crossing Egypt’s official news agency says the Rafah border crossing with Gaza will be permanently opened for Palestinians on Saturday.

* Al Qaeda Putting House of Saud in Crosshairs Ayman Al Zawahiri, long-time right hand man and probable successor of Osama Bin Laden, has called on Saudis to join the “spring revolutions” that have rocked the Arab world.

* Jerusalem to shine during third annual light festival For a week in June, the Old City’s dark alleyways will be transformed with art installations bursting with light and 3D movies.

* Shaath: Unity deal will allow us to ‘liberate Palestine’ Nabil Shaath became on Thursday the highest ranking Fatah official to visit the Gaza Strip.

* Gaddafi forces bombard Libyan city of Misrata Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi bombarded the rebel-held city of Misrata with mortars on Thursday.

* Mideast Quartet envoy Tony Blair: Obama anxious about Israel’s fate Middle East envoy Tony Blair says United States President Barack Obama launched his peace initiative because he’s concerned about what might happen to Israel if Palestinians unilaterally declare statehood.