* Turkish troops enter north Iraq Turkish ground forces have rolled across the border into northern Iraq to target Kurdish rebels said to be sheltering there, Ankara has said.

* Tear gas fired at Serbs in Kosovo protest Kosovo’s breakaway from Serbia provoked fresh violence Friday as U.N. police reportedly fired tear gas at Serb demonstrators in northern Kosovo.

* Sadr declares new Iraq ceasefire Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has ordered the renewal of the ceasefire his powerful militia has been observing for the past six months.

* World-Renowned Bernard Lewis Delivers Concluding Lecture The Jerusalem Conference concluded Wednesday night with a packed-house lecture by Bernard Lewis.

* State official: Act against Tehran before it’s too late Israel will seek to call a session of the United Nations Security Council to demand the tightening of sanctions against Iran.

* Bhutto party meeting to pick PM The party of Pakistan’s late former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, is to meet to pick the next prime minister after its victory in Monday’s polls.

* Worried Rice to discuss Gaza with Olmert in Japan Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice while both are in Japan next week.

* China defends arms sales to Sudan China has defended its sale of weapons to Sudan, amid growing criticism of its alleged failure to help resolve the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

* McCain, a supporter of Israel with a ‘Judeophile’ brother A little while after the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War, a group of Israelis visited Senator John McCain in his office.

* EU ministers consider Kosovo security forces amid unrest EU defence ministers are discussing the possibility of building a special security force in Kosovo.

By: Talia Zarbiv – Arutz Sheva

Rachel Ehrenfeld, Director of the American Center for Democracy, said at the Jerusalem Conference Tuesday that Saudi Arabian bankers are the main financiers of global terrorism.

“Sharia financing” corrupt banking practices legal under Islamic law, are a fairly new phenomenon, Ehrenfeld saod, and were first developed by the Muslim brotherhood in the 70s, following the financial power gained by Saudis during the oil boom.

”Saudis are using money in order to corrupt the West, to fund terrorism, and eventually to take over the West,” said Ehrenfeld. “For years, Saudi Arabia has been a main supporter of terrorism, both physically and financially, and their illegal activity is now causing many innocent investors to commit serious crimes without even the knowledge that they are doing so.”

According to Ehrenfeld, Saudi Arabian bankers have roughly $1 trillion ready to be invested through means of what she terms “financial Jihad.” The financial practices she refers to as “Sharia financing” are run according to Islamic law, governed solely by the Koran and making no distinction between public and private practices. “Legitimate financing goals are literally indistinguishable from immoral and illegal practices, causing unsuspecting companies and individuals to unknowingly fund terrorism.”

“Sharia financing means complete and total submission to Islamic bankers,” Ehrenfeld explained. “Investors give over all rights to choose what their money supports. They are virtually forced to divest from any company or concept that is not in agreement with Muslim ideology or belief, including any company that is even inconsequentially involved with Israel. Additionally, Saudi Arabian bankers have the right to list and delist companies as they please, without legitimate cause or legal course of action.

“Not surprisingly, these illegal banking practices do not have security, which comes at a very large price to investors, who are at great risk both of losing their money, endangering their shareholders, and being prosecuted by American banking laws, which strictly forbid the financial support of terrorism. Besides the money that is used to support Islamic agenda, twenty percent of funds, labeled ‘mandated charity’ go directly to foreign companies in support of terrorism.”

Ehrenfeld warns: “They are expanding fast, and are now in more than 80 countries, and more than 300 financial institutions around the world. This is really spreading like wildfire.”

* Ashkenazi warns of war on the horizon IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi warned the army on Wednesday to be ready for a new conflagration in the region.

* Saudi Arabian Bankers Fueling Global Islamic Jihad Rachel Ehrenfeld, Director of the American Center for Democracy, said at the Jerusalem Conference Tuesday that Saudi Arabian bankers are the main financiers of global terrorism.

* Barak to Assad: We’ll escalate fight against Hizbullah Defense Minister Ehud Barak conveyed a message to Syria during his visit to Turkey earlier this month, stating that Israel might escalate its military battle against Hizbullah and Hamas.

* Iranian official: Countdown to Israel’s destruction has begun Iranian Parliament Speaker Gholam Hadad has warned that the “countdown to Israel’s destruction has begun.”

* Map pinpoints disease ‘hotspots’ A detailed map highlighting the world’s hotspots for emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) has been released.

* Lebanon crisis threatens Arab League summit A conference of the Arab League scheduled for next month may be jeopardized if the power vacuum in Lebanon is not resolved.

* US ‘confident’ over satellite hit The US is confident that its shooting down of a disabled spy satellite with a missile managed to destroy its potentially toxic fuel tank.

* MEPs vote in favour of EU treaty Deputies in the European Parliament have voted strongly in favour of the EU’s latest treaty.

* Homosexual activity cause of earthquake, Shas MK says The recent earthquake that was felt across Israel was the result of the “homosexual activity practiced in the country”.

* Serbian FM says he is ashamed by EU’s actions on Kosovo Serbian foreign minister Vuk Jeremic has spoken to the European Parliament about the disappointment Serbs feel about the EU member states.

* Palestinians ‘may declare state’ A senior Palestinian official has said the Palestinians ought to unilaterally declare a state if peace talks with Israel do not succeed.

* Olmert: Jerusalem Not Discussed; Abbas: It Was Is the future division of Jerusalem being negotiated and discussed between Israeli and PA negotiating teams, or isn’t it?

* Ahmadinejad: Israel filthy bacteria In yet another verbal attack against Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the Jewish state a “filthy bacteria”.

* Musharraf rules out resignation Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says he has no plans to resign, despite a sweeping victory by the opposition in the country’s parliamentary elections.

* Netanyahu: Olmert planning to divide Jerusalem “Israel must not, under any circumstances, withdraw from Jerusalem and allow another terrorism base to be established in the heart of the country.”

* US envoy warns over Iraq pullout The US ambassador in Baghdad has cautioned of the dangers of over-hasty withdrawals of military forces in Iraq.

* US ship prepares for satellite shot A US warship is moving into position in the western Pacific in preparation to shoot down an out-of-control spy satellite.

* Saudi journalist lambasts Nasrallah In an unprecedented vitriolic attack on Hizbullah, a Saudi journalist on Wednesday called into question the Arab world’s approach to the organization’s chief.

* Oil prices retreat in Asia after closing above $100 a barrel Oil prices retreated Wednesday in Asia after closing above $100 a barrel for the first time overnight.

* Kadima officials call for national unity gov’t Key officials in the Kadima Party voiced support for a national unity government.

* Musharraf foes triumph at polls The main party backing President Pervez Musharraf has admitted defeat in Pakistan’s elections.

* Fayad says talks moving along too slowly for 2008 deadline Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians are making little progress.

* Fidel Castro announces retirement Cuba’s ailing leader Fidel Castro has said he will not accept another term as president, ending 49 years in power.

* Livni: I think of Temple Mount prayers during negotiations “The tears of the paratroopers at the Western Wall and the Temple Mount prayers accompany me in the negotiations room,” Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said.

* Russia warns US over Kosovo move Russia has warned the US that Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia endangers international stability.

* EU fudges Kosovo independence recognition EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday (18 February) adopted a common text in reaction to Kosovo’s proclamation of independence.

* Admiral: Al Qaeda in Iraq ‘killing off’ former allies Video provided to CNN shows an al Qaeda in Iraq firing squad executing one-time allies — fellow Sunni extremists — who were not loyal enough to the terror organization.

* Saboteurs may have cut Mideast telecom cables: UN agency Damage to several undersea telecom cables that caused outages across the Middle East and Asia could have been an act of sabotage.

* PM Olmert, PA’s Abbas Meeting in Jerusalem Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the leader of the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria, Mahmoud Abbas, are to meet Tuesday evening.

* Israel: UN official’s remarks encourage terrorism Israel accused UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes on Monday of encouraging terrorism.

By: Ed Horner

Several Middle Eastern countries were jolted by the regions most recent earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale. A 6 foot by 5 foot hole opened up on the platform of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as a result of the quake which originated in Lebanon. The quake was felt in the majority of northern Israeli cities extending as far south as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Although the damage was minimal in Israel, the quake reiterated Israel’s lack of preparedness for a large scale earthquake along the African Rift. The latest quake was a 5.3 on the Richter scale and originated north of the Lebanese city of Tyre on the Mediterranean coast. The effects were largely concentrated in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, but Syria and Jordan also reported minimal damage and tremors.

Israeli geologists have been warning the Israeli government that if an earthquake of 7.5 on the Richter scale or higher were to strike the African rift near Bet She’an or the Dead Sea, Israel could experience the death of at least 15,000 residents and over 400,000 would become homeless. Jerusalem would be specifically hard hit because the current residential structures could not withstand such a violent quake.

Archeologists have determined that Jerusalem’s old city has experienced several large earthquakes in the past several centuries and has survived with relatively minimal damage. They are convinced however that the Temple Mount would be extremely susceptible to a geologic disaster if one were to occur today. Recent excavations and expansion of the Al Aksa Mosque by the Islamic Waqf has weakened the entire platform supporting the Dome of the Rock and could prove to be a devastating mistake. The southern wall was near collapse when Waqf expansions began in 2004. The problem has been temporarily corrected, but archeologists fear that the solution would not withstand a large earthquake.

This week’s collapse of a portion of the platform when tremors from a Lebanese quake shook the Temple Mount is just further proof that the entire mount is under tremendous structural stress. The Islamic Waqf denies that they are responsible for the recent collapse and blames the Israeli excavations of the Mughrabi gate region as the source of the weakening. These claims are unfounded however because the Mughrabi gate excavations are outside of the Temple Mount complex and have never been part of the platforms structural support. The Temple Mount is weak today because of the tremendous amount of dirt that the Waqf carts off by the truckloads in an effort to extend the Al Aqsa Mosque underneath the platform.

Israeli geologists are convinced that Israel will experience a large earthquake in the near future. The extent of the damage will be devastating in many of Israel’s population centers and Holy places. Geologists continue to press the government for immediate action but the problem is complex and few viable solutions have been presented to ready the country for the pending quake. Geologists say the next large quake is far overdue and it is not a matter of IF but WHEN it will occur.

* Iran: ‘Cancerous growth’ Israel will soon disappear “The cancerous growth Israel will soon disappear,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Muhammad Ali Jafari wrote to Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the FARS news agency reported Monday.

* ‘A J’lem pullout will hasten our demise’ The current Israeli government is pursuing a “virtual peace” rather than a “genuine peace” and by advocating a withdrawal from east Jerusalem is bringing Israel closer to the possibility of being forced out of the region, Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu said Monday.

* Abbas: J’lem talks mustn’t be delayed “Peace talks are going very slowly and I cannot say that there has been any progress in the peace process,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday.

* Kosovo pushes for global recognition Kosovo on Monday began its campaign for global recognition a day after declaring independence from Serbia, but bitter divisions in the European Union and United Nations raised the specter of conflict over the Balkan territory.

* Split EU meets to debate Kosovo EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to seek a joint position on Kosovo’s independence declaration.

* Election count begins in Pakistan Ballot counting has begun in Pakistan after a key election which it is hoped will help end the country’s crisis.

* Official: Africa likely target for Hizbullah Israeli and Jewish institutions in Africa are likely targets for Hizbullah, which is working to avenge last week’s assassination of the group’s operations officer, Imad Mughniyeh, a senior defense official said Sunday.

* Rice in Kenya for peace push The US secretary of state has arrived in Kenya to bolster efforts aimed at ending the African nation’s post-election crisis.

* PA Defies Israel, Re-Opens PLO Headquarters in Jerusalem The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) ignored the government’s decision to extend the closure of PA institutions in the capital this week, and partially reopened Orient House, the official headquarters of the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem.

* Longest landing field in Middle East to be constructed in Nevatim Israel Air Force base soon to be converted into transport base, complete with 2.5-mile airstrip allowing planes to take off, land with far greater ease.

* Lebanese daily: Hizbullah raises alert Hizbullah has raised its alertness in southern Lebanon to a “high level” following Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s threat to avenge Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh’s assassination.

* Deadly blast at Pakistan meeting A suicide bomber has killed 37 people after a meeting of supporters of murdered ex-PM Benazir Bhutto’s party, Pakistan’s interior ministry says.

* Qurei: J’lem talks won’t be postponed “The issue of Jerusalem will not be postponed until the end of negotiations,” Ahmed Qurei, head of the Palestinian negotiating team was quoted.

* Lebanese PM: ‘Open war’ on Israel would harm Hezbollah Lebanon’s western-backed Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said that Lebanon has no interest in declaring an “open war” on Israel.

* Kosovo’s PM in independence nod Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has given the clearest indication yet that the province will declare independence from Serbia on Sunday.

* Oil prices approach 100 dollars per barrel World oil prices advanced on Friday towards 100 dollars per barrel, briefly topping 96 dollars.

* Syria ‘to name Mughniyeh killer’ Syria has said it will soon present “irrefutable” proof of who was behind the killing of Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh in the capital, Damascus.

* Peacekeeping head in Darfur plea More troops must be deployed in west Darfur, even if they don’t have their full equipment, the Sudanese area’s peacekeeping force commander has said.

* Missile Defense Future May Turn on Success of Mission to Destroy Satellite The order by President Bush for the Navy to launch an antimissile interceptor to destroy a disabled satellite before it falls from orbit carries opportunity.

* Islamic Movement blames Israel for quake-induced hole on Temple Mt. The 5.3-magnitute earthquake that jolted Israel on Friday shook open a large hole on the Temple Mount plaza.

* Hezbollah chief threatens Israel Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has warned that the militant group is ready for “open war” with Israel, after the killing of one of its leaders in Syria.

* ‘The issue of Jerusalem will not be postponed in talks’ “The issue of Jerusalem will not be postponed until the end of negotiations.”

* Serbian president Tadic vows to preserve Kosovo Boris Tadic was sworn in as president of Serbia on Friday, two days before Kosovo declares independence in Serbia’s most traumatic moment.

* Earthquake felt along Israel’s coast The earth shook in many areas in Israel at 12:37 p.m. Friday. The quake was felt mainly in coastline cities, including Haifa, Tel Aviv, Nahariya.

* France to push for intervention force created by EU big six French president Nicolas Sarkozy is spearheading an initiative to create an elite defence force made up of the six EU biggest states.

* ‘Assassination ruined hopes of peace’ Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on Thursday said that Syria will “prove beyond any doubt” who is responsible for the assassination of the Hizbullah arch-terrorist.

* Iran’s FM meets Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders in Syria Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met in Damascus on Friday with the leaders of two radical Palestinian groups.

* HIV vaccine research hits impasse Scientists are no further forward in developing a vaccine against HIV after more than 20 years of research, a Nobel Prize-winning biologist has said.

* In a First, Ahmadinejad To Visit Iraq Next Month Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will travel to Iraq next month in the first such visit by a leader of the Islamic Republic.

* Israel helps find new solar system A “twin” of our solar system has been discovered by an international team of scientists that includes astronomers from Tel Aviv University.

* Tension high for Beirut memorials Thousands of people from rival camps are taking part in key memorials amid heightened tension in Beirut.

* Ashkenazi to IDF: Be prepared in North IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen Gabi Ashkenazi on Thursday issued a statement ordering the Navy, IAF and ground forces to be prepared.

* Putin repeats threat on missiles Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeated his threat to target missiles at neighbouring states if they site parts of the planned US missile shield.

* ‘Assassination a severe blow to Hizbullah’ Syria and Hizbullah accused Israel of being behind the assassination of the top Hizbullah operative Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus and vowed to avenge his death.

* UN holds special Kosovo meeting The UN Security Council will hold a closed meeting on Thursday to discuss Kosovo, which is expected to declare independence from Serbia within days.

* ‘Iran’s centrifuges processing gas’ Iran’s new generation of advanced centrifuges have begun processing small quantities of the gas that can be used to make the fissile core of nuclear warheads.

* Russian president Putin says he will have sufficient powers as PM President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he has no reservations about becoming prime minister under Russia’s next president.

* Strong earthquake strikes Greece A strong earthquake has struck southern Greece, shaking buildings over an area from the southern Peloponnese region to the capital, Athens.

* US ‘not satisfied’ with Egyptian efforts to scrap tunnels Egypt is falling short in its efforts to stop Palestinians from allegedly trafficking weapons to the Gaza Strip through tunnels from Egypt.

* EU Kosovo mission to start Saturday morning The European Union has given its final “operational” go-ahead to the 1,800-strong mission of policemen, prosecutors and judges to be deployed to Serbia’s breakaway region of Kosovo.