By: Rami G. Khouri – News World Communications Inc.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — What happens when you put on the table all the major crises facing the world, identify how they are linked to each other, and attempt to start charting a path towards their resolution? What happens when you do this by bringing together 700 experts and leaders in their fields from around the world who analyze and recommend action on 68 issues and regions of the world?

MASSIVE BRAINSTORMING — The World Economic Forum founder and chairman Klaus Schwab audaciously but accurately called the Inaugural Summit on the Global Agenda, “the biggest brainstorming exercise ever held on a global agenda.” It was held in the Gulf state of Dubai, shown here. (Newscom)

This is what took place in Dubai last weekend when the World Economic Forum (WEF) convened the inaugural Summit on the Global Agenda, in partnership with the government of Dubai. WEF founder and chairman Klaus Schwab audaciously but accurately called it “the biggest brainstorming exercise ever held on a global agenda.”

The 700 “thought leaders” from business, government, academia and civil society assessed a very wide range of issues of relevance to the entire world, including water, energy, youth, terrorism, health care, climate change, food, sustainable development, women’s rights, education, capital flows, and four dozen other topics. Simultaneously, teams analyzed the current state and future prospects of all the world’s geographic regions and a few major countries like Russia, China, Korea and India.

I had the opportunity to participate in this pioneering three-day event, which was as instructive as it was novel and ambitious. The recommendations that emerged at the end are worth noting because they capture a few overriding themes that tell us much about how we got into the current global crisis. (Summaries of the 68 group findings are on the WEF website).

The main recommendation was that the world must re-examine the basic operating systems that drive its economies, markets and societies, and aim for a “fundamental reboot” to establish a fresh platform based on renewed confidence and trust, and on sustainability, responsibility, and ethical principles.

A theme that permeated many areas was the loss of trust and confidence in existing national and global governance systems. It was noted that the current global financial crisis represented a failure of both economic markets and political sovereignty.

A second theme was a need to identify and observe the carrying capacity of the natural environment.

A third was the vital importance of “inclusive” decision-making, i.e., everyone has to have a voice and a seat at the table to fix the current global problems. We’re all needed to manage things once the ship is righted.

Greater transparency and availability of information and data were priorities for many of the 68 councils, who traced some of today’s problems to excesses anchored in insufficient disclosure of information with excessive risk-taking and poor regulation.

Since most major crises reflect clusters of several individual problems or imbalances that merge together, analyses, diagnoses and solutions similarly must be multi-sectoral and transnational. Everywhere, it was acknowledged, that the foundation of good governance should be anchored in the rule of law – a vital prerequisite for a livable, secure world.

Finally, the participants recognized the need for reasonable global governance systems that set basic rules but do not stifle entrepreneurship. It was noted, for example, that global capital markets collapsed in recent months due to lack of quality regulation and governance, but the global trading system thrives, because it is governed by globally accepted rules.

One morning during the weekend was devoted to interaction among the 68 different councils, allowing participants to walk around the immense conference facility to hear and speak with experts from different sectors and regions.

What struck me as I worked my way through sessions on youth empowerment, climate change, food security, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the future of the city, demographic shifts and a dozen other subjects was the constant theme of inter-linkages among the individual issues or threats.

Climate change impacts on water resources, which affects agriculture and urban quality of life, prompting migration, which causes new stresses on education and health services, in turn leading to political stress, and on and on.

Cascading stresses and threats need multi-sectoral responses.

The weekend experience was troubling for pointing out just how severe are the problems the world faces, but it was also hopeful for reminding us that we have immense reserves of human talent and knowledge to find solutions to man-made problems.

Members of each of the 68 Global Agenda councils will continue their deliberations all year through advanced web-conferencing technology, and will convene again next year in Dubai.

The Network of Global Agenda Councils, as this effort is called, is one example of how like-minded people around the world can pool their knowledge and resources in a global collaboration to address growing challenges and threats that are no longer confined to a single sector, country or region. One-off gatherings don’t have much impact: They need to lead to ongoing mechanisms managed by the private sector, NGOs, and governments alike to work together on the great challenges facing our planet.

* Saudi Interfaith Parley a Front for Global Law against Blasphemy The widely publicized Saudi-backed interfaith meeting held at the United Nations this week was a front to promote a global law against blasphemy.

* Rocket fired from Gaza Strip towards Ashkelon A “code red” warning was sounded in Ashkelon on Thursday evening, in order to warn residents that a rocket had been fired from the Gaza Strip towards the city.

* China startled by force of crisis Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao says the effect of the global financial crisis on China is “worse than expected”, according to reports.

* Livni: Lebanon arms smuggling must end The continued weapons smuggling from Syria into Lebanon is a flagrant violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

* Global Threats, Coordinated Responses What happens when you put on the table all the major crises facing the world, identify how they are linked to each other, and attempt to start charting a path towards their resolution?

* Peres lauds Saudi King peace plan Israeli President Shimon Peres has praised the king of Saudi Arabia for his Middle East peace initiative.

* Analysis: Northern Sinai: A desert playground for smugglers, jihadis The 25 Egyptian police officers taken hostage by Beduins in northern Sinai on Tuesday have now been freed.

* Google Earth revives ancient Rome Google has added a new twist to its popular 3D map tool, Google Earth, offering millions of users the chance to visit a virtual ancient Rome.

* Russia considers opening Black Sea Fleet base in Abkhazia Russia is considering opening a base for its Black Sea Fleet in Abkhazia.

* Foreign troops ‘drawn into Congo’ Evidence is increasing that foreign forces are being drawn into the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

By: Middle East Times – News World Communications Inc.

Amid the wave of optimism for a new dawn that has understandably swept the United States and the wider world following the election victory of President-elect Barack Obama, a far more somber, hard truth has also emerged: Russia is back in the Middle East.

NOT ON OBAMA HIGH — The Russians are certainly not scaling back their activities and ambitions in the expectation of an “era of good feelings” with President-elect Obama. Photo shows Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Nov. 6 (UPI)

Russia is now expected to reopen its two naval bases at Tartus and Latakia in Syria that it operated throughout the Cold War. Such a move could protect Syria from the threat of any preemptive Israeli air strikes since the Israelis would be wary of hitting Russian installations by mistake, and the vastly superior Russian radar systems in any warships at either base would give Syria significantly increased warning of any such attack.

An advanced Russian naval squadron has been visiting the Mediterranean. While it is no match for the U.S. Sixth Fleet, it is still vastly superior in firepower to any other national navy operating in the region.

Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi has offered Russia the use of a Libya port for its warships in the Mediterranean and Gadhafi has just toured the capitals of Russia, Belarus and even pro-American Ukraine seeking to purchase a new generation of weapons. The Russians are quietly confident they can beat out their hostile Ukrainian rivals and reliably subservient Belorussian allies.

The growing Russian presence in the Middle East was already apparent when oil prices were soaring to their record high of $147 per barrel, but Russia’s military moves to show the flag in the region have only accelerated since the global oil price has plunged to around $60 a barrel following the Wall Street financial crisis.

Russia’s relations with Syria and Libya, who were Soviet allies for many decades through the Cold War, have been warming up and Russian relations with Iran remain fundamentally excellent, as witnessed by the Russian willingness to supply Iran with nuclear technology.

Also, Russia is actively pursuing the possibility of creating a new global “gas OPEC” – a global natural gas cartel with Qatar and Iran as its two first partners.

The increased Russian military presence in the region discredits several recently fashionable theories. First, Russia has not merely been content to take advantage of outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush‘s unpopularity in the region.

Second, by the same token, the Russians are certainly not scaling back their activities and ambitions in the expectation of an “era of good feelings” with President-elect Obama.

Nor has the collapse in global oil prices and weakening of the Russian economy removed the Kremlin’s taste for power projection in our region.

Finally, Russia is not losing interest in the Middle East in favor of stepping up its military presence in the Arctic to assure its access to the continental shelf’s natural resources that global warming is increasingly making available there.

The Brave New World that Obama and his many admirers hope to create will still have to recognize and deal with many intractable problems and challenges remaining from the Tough Old World we have known for so long.

* Iran test-fires new missile, Israel within reach Iran said it test-fired a new generation of surface-to-surface missile on Wednesday.

* Barkat Envisions 10 Million Tourists, 150,000 New Jobs Secular high tech millionaire Nir Barkat, who defeated hareidi religious Meir Porush Tuesday night to become the ninth mayor of Jerusalem, envisions 10 million tourists and 150,000 new jobs within the decade.

* Russia rejects U.S. missile proposals The Kremlin on Wednesday rejected U.S. proposals aimed at easing concerns over a missile defense system in Europe.

* Hamas Claims Secret Relationship with Obama Aides Hamas is claiming close and ongoing ties with America’s upcoming Obama Administration.

* Al-Qaida’s Deafening Silence The election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States was greeted with elation around the world with crowds taking to the streets to express their joy from Washington, D.C. to Nairobi.

* Russia’s Return Russia is back in the Middle East. Russia is now expected to reopen its two naval bases at Tartus and Latakia in Syria.

* Putin says backs longer presidency Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who some analysts say may want to return to the Kremlin, on Wednesday supported extending the presidential term of office.

* Saudi Arabia to Lead U.N. Faith Forum Saudi Arabia, the oil-rich Islamic kingdom that forbids the public practice of other religious faiths, will preside Wednesday over a two-day U.N. conference on religious tolerance.

* Abbas challenges Hamas to referendum Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas paid tribute to his predecessor Yasser Arafat at a Ramallah memorial rally.

* Sudan declares Darfur ceasefire Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has announced an immediate ceasefire in the Darfur region of western Sudan.

By: Cherrie Heywood – The Jerusalem Post

Bitterly fought over by both Israelis and Palestinians, with the success of peace hinging on the equitable division of one of the holiest cities in the world, revered by all three monotheistic religions, Jerusalem is the most socially deprived and least pleasant place to live in Israel according to an Israeli survey.

Fifteen of Israel’s cities were surveyed by the TheMarker and Ha’ir, and Jerusalem failed dismally in a number of categories including unemployment, education, poverty, security and religious tension.

This is particularly pertinent as a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the reverberations for a future peaceful Middle East rest heavily on this city, which has witnessed countless invasions, occupations and bloodshed as numerous cultures, ethnicities and religions battled for supremacy over the centuries.

Israel’s right wing has stated categorically that it will not support any Israeli government that even considers dividing the city between Palestinians and Israelis.

Equally vehemently, the Palestinians have said East Jerusalem is a red-line issue for them and the success of any peace negotiations are dependent on this part of the city being handed back to its rightful owners.

Under international law and U.N. Security Council resolutions, East Jerusalem is illegally occupied by Israel.

The survey states that thousands of young Israeli couples have fled the city as the spread of the ultra-Orthodox Haredim increases, thereby exacerbating the bitter divide between secular Israelis, who constitute the majority of the population, and the Haredim.

Despite their inferior numbers the Haredim manage to dictate Israeli policy to a large degree as their political party Shas is able to draw major financial concessions on religious study and child grants.

This is done by incumbent Israeli governments kow-towing to their demands in order to gain the political support of smaller parties, such as Shas, on which any coalition government is dependent.

As the Haredim pay little tax, avoid being drafted into the military and ensure that public transport and shops are closed on the Sabbath, this engenders much resentment from the secular majority.

The level of secondary education in Jerusalem is the lowest of any of the 15 cities surveyed, mainly due to the low eligibility figures for matriculation certificates and the high dropout rate at the city’s high schools.

From 2003 to 2006 just 36 percent of Jerusalem’s teens graduated, well below the national average of 67 percent.

The low matriculation figure can be traced to many of the capital’s residents who attend ultra-Orthodox or Arab high schools, but do not apply for certificates.

Another problem facing the education system stems from the Haredization of the city. Public secular schools are closing due to a lack of students, and more and more ultra-Orthodox schools are opening in secular neighborhoods – attracting growing numbers of ultra-Orthodox families.

This has led to a brain drain of educated secular Israelis from Jerusalem.

Jerusalem spends approximately $200 per resident on infrastructure annually, compared with the national average of $158 per resident. Despite this Jerusalem’s roads still have a lot more potholes than cities in the rest of the country.

Housing in the holy city is increasingly out of reach for ordinary Israelis, with many rich foreign residents purchasing at the higher-end of the lucrative real estate market. From 2006-2008 apartment prices increased by 72 percent compared to the national average of 43 percent.

The prices of property in Tel Aviv are the same as those in Jerusalem, the difference is that salaries are far lower in the latter. An average monthly salary in Jerusalem is under $1,500 compared with a national of $1,750 per capita.

Paradoxically, although unemployment is slightly lower in Jerusalem than the other Israeli cities surveyed, participation in the workforce is lower than the rest of the country.

This is probably explained by lower registration with government unemployment agencies by the city’s many large Orthodox families.

Forty-five percent of Jerusalemites are active in the work force whereas the other cities register a national average of 56 percent.

The statistics for the Arab sector, or East Jerusalem which is predominantly Palestinian, are significantly worse. Much of this part of Jerusalem receives minimal municipal services and a lower budget compared with the wealthier Jewish western part of the city.

East Jerusalem suffers visible neglect in regard to road infrastructure, sewage and water, and a lack of master urban plans for building homes and public buildings.

The rate of unemployment is also much higher for East Jerusalemites, while their income is far lower compared to their counterparts in Western Jerusalem.

Jerusalem also records high levels of pollution while dirt and garbage infest the city’s streets. Waste recycling is very low at just 4 percent compared to an average of 13 percent nationally.

But perhaps the most serious problem facing this holiest of cities is the tension and hatred that divides Palestinians and Israelis.

The Israeli security establishment has warned of more nationalistically motivated attacks from East Jerusalemites following a spate of these which included bulldozers and motor vehicles used to ram Israeli pedestrians and motorists.

For their part, Palestinians are growing increasingly bitter at the discrimination they face and the human rights abuses carried out in the eastern part of the city against them as well as being cut off from their brethren in the West Bank by the separation barrier.

* World recalls end of World War I Ceremonies have been held across the globe to mark the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I.

* Abbas Praises Suicide Bombers; Foreign Media Downplay Remarks Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, speaking in Ramallah in memory of his predecessor Yasser Arafat.

* Medvedev bid to extend presidency Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has sent to parliament a bill that extends the presidential term to six years from the current four, the Kremlin says.

* Iran test-fires new missile near Iraq: state media Iran has test-fired a new type of missile during war games near the Iraqi border.

* Jerusalem voters pick new mayor Voters in Jerusalem are choosing a new mayor after a hard-fought election campaign that has raised tensions between religious and moderate Jews.

* Russia to Sell Heavy Arms to Lebanon Following a meeting last week between leading Lebanese legislator Sa’ad Hariri and Russian leaders, Hariri was quoted by Russian media this weekend as saying Russia will sell heavy weaponry to Lebanon.

* EU resumes Russia talks, isolating Lithuania The European Union is set to return to the negotiating table with Russia in order to agree a new partnership treaty.

* ‘Jews Around the Next President’ The recent appointments of Jews by United States President–Elect Barack Hussein Obama to his new administration should not be reassuring to the Jewish community in America or in Israel.

* Abbas: In talks, Israel has proposed concessions regarding Jerusalem Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that during peace talks over the past year, Israel had proposed concessions to him regarding Jerusalem.

* Holy Jerusalem: Filthy, Poor, Uneducated, Fundamentalist Jerusalem is the most socially deprived and least pleasant place to live in Israel according to an Israeli survey.

By: Col. Bob Maginnis – HumanEvents.com

The post 9/11 security climate won’t give president-elect Barack Obama a transition honeymoon which is why his national security team must be prepared to hit the ground running on inauguration day.

Beginning January 20, 2009 President Obama will have to simultaneously juggle a host of national security crises. Some security challenges are ongoing – Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia’s new militarism. Some will emerge as the Obama team transitions into power and yet others like the 9/11 attacks could happen during the administration’s first year.

The new president has President Bush’s full cooperation. Bush has promised to ensure “… this transition is as smooth as possible.” He has arranged security clearances for key Obama staffers, provided them work space and policy briefings. The White House has begun to connect world leaders with Obama and to provide the president-elect with highly classified briefings from top intelligence officials.

But nothing can really prepare the new administration for the challenges ahead. The best Obama’s team can do is to take advantage of the period between now and inauguration day to cram for the worst case scenario and hope for the best.

During the campaign, Senator Obama outlined his intentions regarding the most pressing security challenges but soon those promises will collide with cold reality.

Obama promised to withdraw US forces from Iraq within “16 months.” But the new administration will soon discover that a quick withdrawal from Iraq could create very serious consequences.

Iran would cheer a quick American withdrawal, but as soon as the US leaves Iran will use its Shia proxies in Baghdad to create an Iraqi government manipulated like a puppet by strings that stretch to Tehran’s mullahs.

Iraqi Sunni and Kurdish minorities will feel disenfranchised by a quick withdrawal because they expect the Shia majority will then manipulate Baghdad’s government to deny them opportunities and resources. That could ignite a real civil war.

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, al Qaeda’s Iraq leader, offered President-elect Obama a truce in exchange for removal of all forces from the region. But American intelligence officials caution any step that could be perceived as a victory for al Qaeda, like pulling troops out of Iraq before the country stabilizes, would only strengthen the terror group’s ability to recruit.

A precipitous US withdrawal is opposed by important allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel. The Saudis fear that Tehran might take advantage of an early withdrawal to seize oil fields in the Shia dominated eastern Arabian Peninsula. Israel, which says it faces an existential threat from a nuclear Iran, wants the US to remain in Iraq in order to keep Tehran in check and hopefully deal with the mullah’s atomic weapons program.

President -elect Obama promised to “win” the Afghanistan war which is certain to become central in his presidency.

Recently, Obama’s staff was briefed that the situation in Afghanistan is getting worse – American casualties are up and the Taliban militias are gaining strength and now control large swaths of that country. That’s why the Bush administration told Obama’s people that they must come to office with a battle plan that addresses troops, Pakistan’s safe havens area (where as many as one million Islamic radicals have refuge) and whether to negotiate with the enemy.

Sending more troops to Afghanistan must be part of a winning strategy. But US forces are overstretched globally and that’s why Obama must ask NATO allies to provide more forces. Even though Europeans overwhelmingly endorsed Obama’s presidential bid they have no desire to increase their Afghan role. In fact, the Taliban’s recent campaign of violence has shaken European will to contribute any troops much less more to NATO’s Afghan mission.

Obama’s Afghan war plan must also address the politically sensitive issue of aggressively pursuing Taliban militias and al Qaeda terrorists that are taking refuge in Pakistan’s tribal areas. In 2007, Obama promised that “…if we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets” in Pakistan and that government “won’t act, we will.”

Recently, the US increased cross-border raids and drone missile attacks against enemy forces inside Pakistan. Those assaults have angered Pakistani officials such as Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Pakistan’s military chief, who promised to defend his borders at “all costs.” Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said US attacks were “…counterproductive and difficult to explain by a democratically elected government.”

During the presidential campaign, Obama promised to negotiate with rogue regimes such as North Korea and Iran. But does that include the Taliban enemy in Afghanistan, which is not a regime but a terrorist group seeking to regain power?

Obama should welcome news that Saudi Arabia has already hosted talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan officials. But he should be cautioned that any solution that returns control of Afghanistan to its pre-9/11 Taliban regime and its al Qaeda partners would be a dangerous, pro-terrorism outcome.

Obama promised to check the “resurgent and very aggressive Russia.”

In August, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev declared a new world order, rejecting the primacy of America in the international system and the re-emergence of Russia. He continued with this theme last week in a speech that justified Moscow’s aggressive behavior and outlined concrete actions to reorder East-West relations.

In a state of the nation speech, Medvedev justified Moscow’s aggressive foreign policy because the West was “testing our strength” by stationing a missile defense system in Europe, encircling “Russia with military bases,” and relentlessly expanding NATO into Russia’s sphere of influence.

Medvedev announced concrete actions to counter this “Western aggression.” He announced his intention to deploy Iskander missiles and electronic jamming equipment to the Russian Baltic Sea territory Kaliningrad as a military response to US plans to deploy missile defense facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic.

President Medvedev blamed America for Russia’s war with Georgia – an alleged American military outpost. He explained that Tbilisi sparked the war by “barbaric aggression” against Russia-backed South Ossetia. This was a consequence of “aggressive, selfish US policies,” Medvedev said.

The most foreboding aspect of the Russian’s speech was the possibility of extending the presidential term from four years to six. That announcement fueled speculation that Medvedev was paving the way for Vladimir Putin, the two-term former president who is now prime minister, to return to power. Putin is the author of Russia’s new militarism.
Medvedev said he holds no animus for Americans and hopes “…the US administration, will make a choice in favor of full-fledged relations with Russia.” But he didn’t backdown on any front to include expanding Moscow’s military activities in the Middle East, Northern Africa and the Caribbean where Russian bombers and warships recently visited Cuba and Venezuela.

President-elect Obama will need all the political savvy he can muster and allies to deal with a belligerent Kremlin. But he shouldn’t expect help from Europe because Russian energy markets tend to be European-based and Moscow will leverage them to make the European Union squirm.

Finally, Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, is realistic about the security challenges that could emerge during the presidential transition. “It’s pretty staggering the number of major incidents which have occurred in this time frame,” Mullen said. He cautioned, “I consider this a time of vulnerability.”

The post 9/11 security climate makes the president-elect’s transition a vulnerable time for America. It is complicated by ongoing wars and could become further problematic by emergent crises such as catastrophic terror attacks, a rekindled Middle East war and flare-ups by old nemeses like North Korea. That’s why Obama’s administration must be prepared to hit the ground running on inauguration day.

Mr. Maginnis is a retired Army lieutenant colonel, a national security and foreign affairs analyst for radio and television and a senior strategist with the U.S. Army.

* Olmert at Rabin memorial: We must cede parts of Jerusalem Prime Minister Ehud Olmert used a Jerusalem memorial ceremony for former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin to reiterate that Israel must be willing to cede parts of the capital.

* US, EU and Arab officials meet on Iran Senior US and European officials met with Arab leaders who are worried about the international community negotiating an agreement with Iran that would give it more power in the Middle East.

* Moscow to host Mid-East meeting The Quartet of Middle East mediators plan to hold a conference in Moscow early next year to push forward the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

* Obama Sends Advisor Malley to Cozy Up to Egypt and Syria President-elect Barack Obama has dispatched his “senior foreign policy adviser”, Robert Malley to Egypt and Syria to outline Obama’s policy on the Middle East.

* PA Official Claims Temple Mount is Not Jewish Top PA officials continue to deny Israel’s connection to Judaism’s most sacred spot in the world – the Temple Mount.

* Quartet backs Mideast peace talks Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams brief UN, US, and EU delegates on latest progress made in bilateral peace talks.

* UK’s Brown: Now is the time to build global society Prime Minister Gordon Brown will say Britain, the United States and Europe are key to forging a new world order.

* For Russia’s Putin, knockabout with Obama is just the ticket Still Russia’s dominant politician, Vladimir Putin can only relish the prospect of a new bout of Russian-US rivalry with American leader-in-waiting Barack Obama.

* Blair urges Obama to make Mideast peace a priority Quartet envoy: Talks on peace deal require ‘energy, commitment and dedication’ of new US president

* Jerusalem’s Looming Elections: A Tale of Two Cities On Nov. 11, Jerusalem residents will go to the polls to elect their next mayor and city council.

* Barak: All options open regarding Iran Israel is not ruling out any option when it comes to dealing with Iran’s nuclear program.

* Europe unveils its vision for global financial reform EU leaders have agreed on a set of principles that should guide future talks on the reform of the global financial architecture.

* Iran irked by Obama’s tough language Iran’s parliament speaker slammed on Saturday comments made by President-elect Barack Obama in which he said that a nuclear-armed Iran was “unacceptable.”

* Palestinians: IDF, Hamas exchange gunfire in Gaza Strip Israel Defense Forces soldiers exchanged fire with Palestinian gunmen on Saturday in the Gaza Strip.

* Sadr: ‘Beware’ of supporting Washington Influential Shiite clerics and lawmakers issued a variety of edicts in opposition to the long-term security arrangement with the United States.

* Meshal says Obama has no choice but to talk to Hamas Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshal told Sky News on Saturday that he is willing to hold talks with President-elect Barak Obama.

* Rice denies Annapolis peace push failed US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday denied the Israeli-Palestinian peace process sponsored by US President George W. Bush was a failure.

* Saudi king musn’t shake Peres’ hand at interfaith meet, pan-Arab newspaper editor says The editor in chief of the pan-Arab London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper is calling on Saudi King Abdullah to refrain from shaking hands with President Shimon Peres.

* Team Obama Begins to Take Shape President-elect Barack Obama named his first appointment Thursday, Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff.

* Hamas boycotts Palestinian talks The Palestinian militant group Hamas says it will boycott reconciliation talks with its Fatah rivals in Cairo.

By: Ehud Zion Waldoks – The Jerusalem Post

The Council of National Parks and Nature Reserves on Thursday approved exploratory drilling for oil in the Judean Desert Nature Reserve, where three companies – Ginko Oil Exploration, Delek Energy Systems, and Avner – believe there could be as much as 6.5 million barrels’ worth.

Drilling for oil in the Judean Desert was approved yesterday by the Council of National Parks and Nature Resserves.
Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski

The companies believe that Zuk Tamrur 4, just north of Route 31 from Arad to the Dead Sea, is the best chance Israel has to find oil. That many barrels of oil, while not enough to power the country for more than a month, would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The council’s okay followed approval by the Nature and Parks Authority’s (NPA) Assembly, its highest governing body. The 23-member council advises the Environmental Protection Ministry and the NPA on matters of policy. It includes government, environmental, academic and public representatives.

Ginko director Rami Karmin told The Jerusalem Post Thursday that the drilling, the equipment and environmental requirements would cost between $5 million and $7m.

Hebrew University Institute of Earth Sciences Raymond F. Kravis Professor of Geology (Emeritus) Zvi Garfunkel told the Post Thursday that the fact that oil had been found previously could mean there was more.

“In previous drillings, they found a little bit of oil. Indeed, this is Zuk Tamrur 4. There might be a larger reservoir [around there]. But drilling companies usually keep the results of their surveys private,” he said. “There is no smoke without fire, but how big the smoke is and how big the fire is – only the companies know.”

The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) vehemently opposed the decision because of its potential impact on the reserve’s fragile ecosystem.

“The state’s institutions are obligated to protect the open spaces, the nature reserves, and most certainly such a special reserve like the Judean Desert, where biodiversity and an ecological system exist almost in their entirety. Therefore we are distressed that this was the decision reached,” Shai Tachnai, SPNI’s southern district coordinator for the preservation of nature, said in a statement.

SPNI quoted the representative of the National Infrastructures Ministry saying at the meeting Thursday morning that there was a 15-percent chance of finding oil below the reserve.

“In the last decade, we have brought about a revolution and turned the Negev and the Judean Desert from a land of quarries to a land of machteshim (erosion craters) and natural attractions. A 15% chance of finding oil does not justify the irreversible damage expected to occur,” Tachnai said.

Regarding that number, Karmin said the companies had never published such an assessment, but “we are optimistic.”

While SPNI protested, the NPA and Environmental Protection Ministry’s representatives voted in favor of the drilling Thursday. During the negotiations for approval from the NPA’s assembly, it was agreed that if oil were found, the pumping would take place from outside the reserve and the companies would rehabilitate any damage caused.

To test for oil, the companies would drill a 2,000-meter hole over 1.25 acres.

Delek Energy Systems and Avner are both controlled by Yitzhak Tshuva.