By: Avi Yellin – Arutz Sheva

(IsraelNN.com) A breakthrough in the research of the Hebrew Scriptures has shed new light on the period in which the Bible books of the Prophets were written. Professor Gershon Galil of the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Haifa has deciphered an inscription dating from the 10th century BCE (the period of King David’s reign) and has proven the inscription to be ancient Hebrew, thus making it the earliest known example of Hebrew writing.
The significance of this breakthrough relates to the fact that at least some of the Biblical scriptures are now proven to have been composed hundreds of years before the dates presented today in research and that the Kingdom of Israel already existed at that time.

The inscription itself, which was written in ink on a 15×16.5cm trapezoid pottery shard, was discovered a year and a half ago at excavations that were carried out by Professor Yosef Garfinkel near the Elah valley, south of Jerusalem, and west of Hevron.

The researchers dated the inscription back to the 10th century BCE, which was the period of King David’s reign, but the question of the language used in this inscription remained unanswered, making it impossible to prove whether it was in fact Hebrew or another Semitic language.

Professor Galil’s deciphering of the ancient writing testifies to it being authentic Hebrew based on its use of verbs particular to the Hebrew language and content specific to Hebrew culture not adopted by other regional cultures at the time.

“This text is a social statement, relating to slaves, widows and orphans. It uses verbs that were characteristic of Hebrew, such as “asah” (did) and “avad” (worked), which were rarely used in other regional languages. Particular words that appear in the text, such as “almana” (widow) are specific to Hebrew and are written differently in other local languages. The content itself was also unfamiliar to all the cultures in the region besides the Hebrew society: The present inscription provides social elements similar to those found in the Biblical prophecies and very different from prophecies written by other cultures postulating glorification of the gods and taking care of their physical needs”

Galil added that once this deciphering is received at research centers, the inscription will become the earliest Hebrew inscription to be found, testifying to Hebrew writing abilities as early as the 10th century BCE. This stands opposed to the dating of the composition of the Bible in much current academic research, which does not recognize the possibility that the Bible or parts of it could have been written during this ancient period.

Galil also noted that the inscription was discovered in a provincial Judean town, explaining that if there were scribes in the periphery, it can be assumed that those inhabiting the central region and Jerusalem were even more proficient writers. “It can now be maintained that it was highly reasonable that during the 10th century BCE, during the reign of King David, there were scribes in Israel who were able to write literary texts and complex historiographies such as the books of Judges and Samuel.” He added that the complexity of the text, along with the impressive fortifications revealed at the site, refute theories that attempt to deny the existence of the Kingdom of Israel at that time.

The contents of the text express social sensitivity to the fragile position of weaker members of society and the inscription testifies to the presence of strangers within the Israeli society as far back as this ancient period, calling on native Hebrews to provide support for these strangers. It advocates care for widows and orphans and encourages the king – who at that time had the responsibility of curbing social inequality – to be involved in improving Israeli society. This inscription is similar in its content to Biblical scriptures (Isaiah 1:17, Psalms 72:3, Exodus 23:3, and others), but according to Galil it is not copied from any Biblical text.

The deciphered text:

[…………………………………]
1′ ’l t‘ś w‘bd ’[t ….…]
2′ špt [‘]b[d] w’lm[n] špt yt[m]
3′ [w]gr [r]b ‘ll rb [d]l w
4′ ’[l]mn šqm ybd mlk
5′ ’[b]yn [w]‘bd šk gr t[mk]

[……………………………………………………]
1′ you shall not do [it], but worship the [Lord].
2′ Judge the sla[ve] and the wid[ow] / Judge the orph[an]
3′ [and] the stranger. [Pl]ead for the infant / plead for the po[or and]
4′ the widow. Rehabilitate [the poor] at the hands of the king.
5′ Protect the po[or and] the slave / [supp]ort the stranger.

By: Jonathan Spyer – The Jerusalem Post

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday described the current situation in Yemen as “a threat to regional stability and even to global stability.” She was referring to the fact that Yemen is the latest failed state to become a haven for elements of the Sunni global jihad. Like Afghanistan and Sudan before it, Yemen is becoming a key regional base for al-Qaida.
Unlike in the other two countries, in Yemen this has come about not because of an agreement reached between the jihadis and the authorities; rather, the inability of the Yemeni authorities to impose their rule throughout their country, coupled with the close proximity ofYemen to Saudi Arabia – a key target for al-Qaida – has made the country a tempting prospect for the terrorists.

Al-Qaida is not the only major problem facing Yemen. In fact, it could be argued that the country manages to encapsulate in acute form the three main causes of political turmoil in the Middle East: a dictatorial government, vulnerability to Iranian subversion through local jihadis and the presence and activity of the Sunni global jihad.

Last January, the hitherto little-heard-of Yemeni franchise of al-Qaida merged with the Saudi franchise to form the so-called “al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula” (AQAP). The Saudi jihadis were facing an increasingly effective counterterror campaign by the Saudi authorities, and therefore decided to shift focus to lightly-governedYemen, where proper security fails to extend much beyond the capital city of San’a.

Through its organizing of the failed attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, AQAP has now entered the major leagues of the global jihad. Fears of an imminent second strike led to temporary closure of the US, British and French embassies in San’a over the last week.

YEMEN IS currently host to no less than three separate insurgencies. Each resembles one another in that they are being conducted by forces committed to some form of political Islam. There, however, the similarities end.
Probably the most politically and militarily significant of the three Islamist insurgencies is that of the Houthi rebels in the Saada district in the north. The Zaidi Shi’ite rebels of the al-Houthi clan have been engaged in an insurgency against the Yemeni authorities since 2004. Quelling the uprising has proved quite beyond the capabilities of the government of Ali Abdalla Saleh.

In the past few months, the Shi’ite Houthis have extended their activities across the border to Saudi Arabia. Their close proximity to the Saudi border makes them a useful tool for Iran to pressure Riyadh. Responding to rebel attacks in November, the Saudis struck back with aircraft and helicopter gunships, killing around 40 Houthis. Regardless, Iran is sending regular arms shipments to the Houthis, continuing to stoke the flames of the rebellion. The real possibility of further deterioration remains.

The second insurgency faced by the hapless Yemeni regime is a separatist campaign in the south. Yemen was only reunified in 1990, and has since suffered a brief civil war in 1994. The separatist insurgency, led by Islamist tribal leader Tareq al-Fadhli, again grew in intensity during 2009, with a number of stormy demonstrations and armed confrontations leading to deaths on both sides.

As if fighting insurgencies on two separate fronts was not enough, Yemen is also being hit hard by economic woes. The country’s steadily depleting oil reserves are unable to generate sufficient income for the government to maintain the tribal patronage system on which it depends. Gas exports are failing to make up the shortfall. AndYemen’s water supplies are also dwindling.

Like a parasite that spots, enters and exploits a weakening body, AQAP has now added its own particular brand of Islamist insurgency to this volatile situation.

The close proximity of Yemen to Saudi Arabia and to international shipping lanes makes the country’s instability a factor which the US and the West cannot afford to ignore.

This, however, raises a dilemma. The regime of President Ali Saleh is autocratic, inefficient and largely ineffectual. Its economic policies have failed to develop the country, leaving theregime sitting precariously on top of a boiling cauldron of poverty, illiteracy, extremism and discontent. To remain on its perch, theregime is now asking for ever larger contributions of US funding and assistance to counter the terror.

Since Yemen’s government rules in name only in large parts of the country, increasing the US commitment to combating al-Qaida in the country raises the possibility of US ground forces inYemen. President Barack Obama can ill afford yet another Middle East war, with its inevitable cost in American lives. Yet he also cannot afford to stand back and allow Yemen to play the role for al-Qaida that Afghanistan played in the late 1990s.

There are no simple answers. Washington may prefer to adopt the counterterror tactic of helping the Yemenis strike al-Qaida sites from the air, to avoid the sight of US soldiers deployed in a country so close to the Muslim holy city of Mecca.

But whichever option the US chooses, the real “root cause” of the proliferating insurgencies in Yemen, and the inability of the regime to adequately deal with them, is the ongoing dysfunctionality of the region’s political culture. All across the Middle East, failing, autocratic regimes face off against popular Islamist movements committed to a murderous and ultimately sterile political program.

Yemen offers an example of this situation in a particularly virulent form.

By: Haaretz

Iran and Syria plan to create a new world order, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday.

“Iran and Syria have a joint mission to create a new world order on the basis of justice, humanity and belief in God,” Ahmadinejad told visiting Syrian Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Abrash.

Syria is Iran’s main ally in the Middle East and both countries consider Israel to be their political arch-foe.
“At the current juncture, the role of Iran and Syria is historic and therefore bilateral cooperation should be increased,” Mehr news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.

The semi-official FARS news agency reported that Ahmadinejad said that “the resistance of nations including Iran and Syria has caused a deadlock in policies of Arrogant System in economic, political and military sections.”

He also turned to presence of bulling powers’ forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen and said, “The enemies’ plots will harm themselves.”

Iran’s president added that he felt that the United States would eventually be forced by the two states to stop interference in the region and withdraw its military personnel.

Mehr quoted the Syrian speaker as saying that Iran and Syria would side by side move towards continued resistance and fight against world imperialism.

Also on Thursday, Syria’s state-run news agency reported that Syria’s president Bashar Assad is urging the United States to play a stronger role in Mideast peacemaking.

Assad appealed to the U.S. on Thursday during a meeting with U.S. congressman Alcee Hastings in Damascus.

President Barack Obama has stepped up diplomatic efforts to improve ties with Syria and push the country away from its alliance with Iran and its support of militants like Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas.

Damascus wants to end its international isolation and hopes the U.S. can help boost its weak economy and mediate peace talks with Israel.

Assad also lashed out at Israel saying it was not ready for peace. The last round of Syria-Israel peace talks collapsed in 2000

By: Daniel Tauber – The Jerusalem Post

Most of the world thinks settlements are illegal. US President Barak Obama calls them “illegitimate.” Defense Minister Ehud Barak casts his crusade against settlers as mere “law enforcement.”
Appeasing such sentiments, the government approved the 10-month freeze on Jewish building in Judea and Samaria. But while the world calls the settlements illegal, the ban on settlement construction may itself violate Israeli law and its protections for human rights.

The country’s first law, the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, is also its first law dealing with human rights. The declaration states that Israel will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants, will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets, will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex. In the landmark case Kol Ha’am v. the minister of the interior, the Supreme Court held thatthe declaration was more than just a law – it was a law whose principles would be used in interpreting all other laws. This empowered the court to more strictly scrutinize and more easily strike administrative actions which violated human rights.

In 1992, the Knesset further entrenched legal protections for human rights, approving two semi-constitutional basic laws which stated that the basic rights of human beings are founded on the recognition of the worth of the human being, of the sanctity of his life and of the fact that he is free, and they shall be respected in the spirit of the principles in the Declaration on the Establishment of the State of Israel.

One of them, Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation, protects the right of “every citizen… to engage in any occupation, profession or line of work.” The other, Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, states that “the life, body and dignity of ahuman being must not be injured by virtue of the fact that he is a human being,” that “a human being’s property must not be harmed” and that “every person is entitled to the protection of his life, limb and dignity.”

BY 1995, on the basis of the new basic laws, the Supreme Court controversially held in Mizrahi Bank v. Migdal Village that it could review and strike laws approved by the Knesset. Right or wrong, that decision allowed Gush Katif residents and their supporters to seek judicial cancellation of the disengagement on the basis of the basic laws in the case of Gaza Shore Regional Council v. the Knesset. There,the court agreed that the disengagement “infringes the human dignity of evacuated Israelis… protected in… the basic law.”
The court described how the disengagement cuts the evacuated Israeli from his house, his surroundings, his synagogue, the cemeteries in which his dead are buried. It infringes on his personality. Indeed, at the foundation of human dignity as a constitutional right, “there stands the recognition that man is a free creature that develops his body and spirit according to his will… This right of a person to shape his life and his fate encompasses the essentials of his life, how he will live, with what will he work, with whom will he live, in what will he believe. This is central to the existence of every individual.”

The court further held that the disengagement violated the evacuees’ property rights and their right to engage in their chosen occupations under Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation.

Nevertheless, the court held that the Knesset-approved disengagement met an exception in the basic laws for “a law befitting the values of the State of Israel, enacted for a proper purpose, and to an extent no greater than is required.”

YET, DESPITE authorizing the expulsion of a particular class from an entire region, the court still affirmed that settlers have protected rights to their property, to choose their place of residence and make a home, family, community and life. This includes the right to physically accomplish those things – the right to build. The freeze violates that right exactly asthe court described it. Unlike the disengagement, however, it was not approved in law and does not meet the above-mentioned exception.

In addition, there is the Declaration of the Establishment of the State, whose “spirit” the basic laws are supposed to protect. The declaration speaks of the “natural right” of the Jewish people to “Eretz Yisrael” and approvingly how “Jews strove… to reestablish themselves in their ancient homeland,” “made deserts bloom,” “built villages and towns, and created a thriving community.” That community extended beyond the Green Line into the heart of the “ancient homeland.”

As discussed, the declaration also calls for equal protection and development of the country for all inhabitants, regardless of religion and race. As a restriction on Jewish settlement, the freeze utterly contradicts both the democratic and Zionistic values ofthe declaration.

In the final analysis, the question is therefore not whether the settlers have the right to build their houses, their communities and their lives, but whether that right will ever be vindicated by the government that violates it, or bythe court which only recently recognized it.

The writer, president of the American Legal Forum, recently made aliya.

* Jordan wants Dead Sea Scrolls back from Israel Jordan has complained to the United Nations in a bid to acquire the Dead Sea Scrolls from Israel, saying the Jewish state seized the ancient texts during the 1967 Six-Day War.

* Turkey may recall ambassador Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon’s apology for the “hazing” of Turkish ambassador Oguz Celikkol on Monday failed to calm the waters.

* Turkish producers working on anti-Israel film A Turkish news site reported Wednesday that the company, Pana Film, that produced the TV series “Valley of the Wolves” is already working on a film version of the show called “Valley of the Wolves – Palestine.”

* Massive biological attack drill begins Days after an acid attack in downtown Hong Kong, and in preparation for a non-conventional attack on Israel, the National Emergency Authority (NEA) will hold the largest-ever exercise to train security forces how to respond to a citywide biological attack.

* Haiti earthquake: Thousands feared dead Haitian President Rene Preval has said thousands of people are feared dead following a huge quake which has devastated the country’s capital.

* Doomsday clock to be moved by world’s top scientists tomorrow It was created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in 1947, two years after the U.S dropped the first atomic bombs on Japan in World War II.

* Ayalon issues second apology in Turkey row Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon sent a letter of apology Wednesday night to the Turkish ambassador to Israel.

* Islamic Movement leader: Not afraid to go to jail for sake of al-Aqsa Mosque The head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel on Wednesday said he did not recognize the prison sentence handed down to him by a Jerusalem court earlier in the day.

* Enlargement nominee backs Turkish EU membership Planting his flag firmly in the pro-Turkey camp, the European Commission’s incoming enlargement and neighbourhood policy chief, the Czech Republic’s Stefan Fuele, said Turkey could one day could become a full EU member.

* Turkey PM Erdogan in Russia for gas talks Turkey’s growing strategic importance as a gas transporter is the focus of talks in Russia between the countries’ leaders.

By: Robert Maginnis – Human Events

President Obama’s counterterrorism strategy is plagued by false assumptions that could prove fatal to our nation’s security.

Last week, Obama accepted responsibility for the failure to stop the al Qaeda underwear bomber before he boarded a plane bound for America on Christmas day. The president pledged to correct the “shortcomings” that contributed to that near miss and to prosecute the “…war against al Qaeda.”

Obama’s counterterrorism strategy to defeat al Queda must account for several tough realities that — so far — it ignores.

As to al Qaeda, the terror group’s purpose is to establish a global Islamic Caliphate and their method is to create the sense of insecurity using global franchises able to strike at unpredictable times and places. It – and the other groups like it — is fueled by an ideology that lives on the Internet, quickly morphs virtually anywhere and then hides among 1.6 billion Muslims that mostly hate America more than the extremists.

This cold reality warrants a tough strategy but Obama’s plans are flawed by five false assumptions.

The first and foremost false assumption, this conflict is not against al Qaeda alone. It is against both the nations that sponsor Islamic terrorism and the groups and individuals that carry it out. No strategy that doesn’t both recognize and premise action upon those facts cannot possibly succeed.

The second false assumption, America’s security / intelligence communities are failing to keep us safe. This is false because these communities have successfully stopped many would-be terrorists since 9/11, but there are weaknesses which he fails to grasp and some — such as his prohibition of the so-called “enhanced interrogation methods — which have weakened our ability to gather intelligence.

The president’s recent top-to-bottom security review concluded that our “first line of defense” failed to connect the dots that would have placed the suspect on the “no fly” list. Obama intends to make cosmetic corrections in these communities when we need at least three substantive changes.

We need more and better analysts. Obama admits we “…had the information … to potentially uncover the plot and disrupt the attack.” The task of discovering a threat from millions of seemingly random pieces of information rests on the shoulders of a small cadre of analysts, who tend to be young and inexperienced.

Our screeners should conduct behavior-based profiling like the Israelis do. Security at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport is cited as the best in the world because their screeners are top notch, college-educated and trained in behavior profiling. Our system is anchored on technology and “no fly” lists.

The State Department needs a cultural shift. Its currency is the issuance of visas, even to would-be suicide bombers. It must become far more discriminating when issuing visas and much faster at canceling them. The underwear bomber had a two year, multiple entry visa which was pulled only after he was indicted and weeks after his father told U.S. officials the son was involved in extremist activities.

The third false assumption, that the U.S. civil court system is a more appropriate venue for terrorists than military tribunals. Obama, who declared “We are at war.… against al Queda [a group which has declared war on America],” decided to try the admitted al Queda underwear bomber as an ordinary civilian criminal rather than as an “unprivileged enemy belligerent” in a military commission, as the 9/11 hijackers initially were and all combatants since the U.S. Civil War.

Sen. Joe Liberman (I –Conn.) said Obama’s decision was a “very serious mistake” because the bomber’s action “was an act of war.” Those who commit acts on behalf of al Queda are engaging in acts of war. They should be either declared POWs and detained or tried as enemy combatants, as the law currently allows. Criminals don’t conduct acts of war.

Obama’s use of the civil system to prosecute the underwear bomber and others like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the 9/11 mastermine now in New York awaiting trial, is linked to Obama’s misguided views about this war and his similarly naïve justification for closing the military prison at Guantanamo Bay (GITMO), Cuba, and the transfer of those detainees to a federal prison in Illinois.

“We will close Guantanamo prison, which has damaged our national security interests and become a tremendous recruiting tool for al Queda,” Obama said. “In fact,” the president said, “that was an explicit rationale for the formation of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP].” Obama’s statement is absolutely false.

AQAP existed long before GITMO became an issue. The first prisoners captured in Afghanistan were secretly moved to GITMO in 2002. AQAP formed years earlier in Saudi Arabia as confirmed by 2003 attacks on three compounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which killed 35. AQAP’s published motive for those attacks was the overthrow of the Saudi royal family and the establishment of a Caliphate.

The fourth false assumption, that allies will help defeat Islamic extremists. Last week, Obama declared “We intend to target al Queda wherever they take root, forging new partnerships to deny them sanctuary, as we are doing currently with the government in Yemen.” But counterterrorism partnerships are becoming more difficult to form.

We have 42 partners in Afghanistan. They are there primarily because of self- serving obligations such as NATO membership or because the U.S. otherwise leveraged their participation. Some of our best partners such as Canada are leaving.

Pakistan is a partner in the war against al Queda. In 2001, al Queda fled from Afghanistan to Pakistan where its leaders remain today. The U.S. has repeatedly asked Pakistani leaders to pursue al Qaeda in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. But in spite of more than $12 billion in aid since 2001, al Qaeda continues to operate from that area and the Pakistanis only do enough to keep the aid flowing.

Obama’s partnership with Yemen is tenuous as well. Terrorists have been present in Yemen since the 1980s where President Ali Abdullah Saleh tolerates their presence to bolster his credibility among Islamist hardliners.

Saleh will partner with Obama like Pakistan does only as long as the money flows. However, the little authority he does have will be used primarily to retain power and not to do America’s bidding.

The fifth false assumption, that the U.S. can persuade Muslim nations to reject extremism. Obama said “We know that the vast majority of Muslims reject al Qaeda. …We’ve sought new beginnings with Muslim communities around the world, one in which we engage on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect … to live in peace and security.”

Unfortunately, the U.S. can’t make Muslim nations reject extremism because we lack the tools for the ideological battle. Raymond Ibrahim, the associate director of the Middle East Forum and the author of The Al Qaeda Reader, described the Islamic worldview which Obama must overcome to persuade Muslims to reject extremism.

The Islamic worldview is “typified by cynicism and stoicism: a belief that humanity is intrinsically opportunistic, selfish, and warlike; that might not only makes right, but almost should; that those in the right do not apologize or appease, but rather assert; a survival-of-the-fittest mentality; and, above all, sheer contempt for perceived weakness and equivocation, or, in Islamic parlance, emasculate behavior.”

Ibrahim says the “Islamic world is the antithesis of the postmodern, ‘therapeutic’ worldview of the liberal West, where ‘feelings,’ ‘mutual respect,’ ‘toleration,’ and the ability to ‘express oneself’ are paramount.”

He says Obama should know that “feel-good” talk of mutual respect will have little effect on the people of the Islamic world. In fact, says Ibrahim, it will breed more contempt for America.

Al Queda is well acquainted with both the Western and Islamic worldviews, says Ibrahim. The terror group has made a point to speak a language the West understands (mutual respect, tolerance) and another that Muslims understand (jihad, conquest). The purpose of speaking diametrically opposed languages, says Ibrahim, is “to buy the Islamic world time to grow stronger and receive concessions, while lulling the West into thinking that all conflict will end with just a bit more respect and appeasement for Muslims.”

President Obama promises “…to be strong in the face of violent extremism.” That’s a refreshing pledge but the false assumptions that underpin his counterterrorism strategy are at best naïve and at worst fatally flawed.

* Israel and US behind Tehran blast – Iranian state media Iranian state media have accused Israel and the US of being involved in a bomb attack which killed an Iranian physicist in Tehran.

* ‘Hizbullah, Lebanese army the same’ Israel has launched a diplomatic campaign to impress upon countries providing military assistance to Lebanon that any equipment and technology it provides the Beirut government is likely to fall into Hizbullah’s hands.

* Ankara summons Israeli envoy for talks Amid yet more diplomatic tensions, Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Gabby Levy was called in for a clarification meeting in Ankara on Tuesday afternoon.

* Islamists loot and burn protestant church in Algeria Islamists looted and burned a Protestant church in Algeria, the congregation’s leader said Monday, suggesting they were inspired by a recent wave of religious intolerance in the Arab and Muslim world.

* Baidu hacked by ‘Iranian cyber army’ China’s most popular search engine, Baidu, has been targeted by the same hackers that took Twitter offline in December.

* Vatican says ‘Avatar’ is no masterpiece The Vatican newspaper and radio station have called the film “Avatar” simplistic, and criticized it for flirting with modern doctrines that promote the worship of nature as a substitute for religion.

* Israeli Robots Remake Battlefield Israel is developing an army of robotic fighting machines that offers a window onto the potential future of warfare.

* Russia to lease nuclear submarine to India – report Russia will lease one of its newest nuclear-powered submarines to India in the second half of this year.

* Netanyahu: Israel will never share Jerusalem with Palestinians Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday that Israel would never cede control of united Jerusalem nor retreat to the 1967 borders.

* EU’s new top diplomat remains cool under fire The EU’s new foreign relations chief, Catherine Ashton, was tough on Iran but cautious on Israel and Russia in a lively hearing with MEPs on Monday.

* Erdogan: Israel threatening ME peace Turkey’s prime minister accused Israel on Monday of threatening peace in the Middle East and using disproportionate force against Palestinians.

* Assad’s new regional strategy creates fresh options For some time now, Syrian President Bashar Assad has skillfully developed a new regional strategy.

* Why China matters Stepping out of the airport in Harbin in northeast China, you are greeted by a giant castle made completely of ice.

* Met to withdraw images of Muhammad Images of Islam’s prophet Muhammad may soon disappear from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent display, in a move aimed to avoid offending Muslims.

* Three more churches attacked in Malaysia in Allah feud Firebombs were thrown at two more churches in Malaysia early Sunday and another church was splashed with black paint, the latest in a series of assaults on Christian houses of worship following a court decision allowing non-Muslims to use “Allah” to refer to God.

* Why we are here Cast your mind back to before Muhammad destroyed the Jewish tribes of Arabia; before Islam expanded beyond the Arabian Peninsula reaching Jerusalem in 638.

* UK’s Ashton seeks ‘more credible’ EU The EU is now in a position to assume a “stronger, more credible role in the world,” the nominee for the EU’s top foreign policy post says.

* Egypt tombs suggest free men built pyramids, not slaves Tombs discovered near Egypt’s great pyramids reinforce the theory they were built by free workers rather than slaves.

* Pope says gay marriage threat to creation In address to diplomats, Benedict XVI slams laws that ‘strike at biological basis of difference between sexes.’

* China set to take top export spot China looks set to overtake Germany as the world’s largest exporter, with fresh customs data showing the Asian superpower sent goods valued at $1.2 trillion overseas in 2009.

* Ahmadinejad: Iran will not fall on its knees before the world Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed continued defiance to the threat of further sanctions on his country.

* Islamic Jihad: Israel provoking us A spokesperson from Al-Quds Brigades warned early Saturday morning that armed Palestinian groups would not hesitate to confront Israel if strikes on the Gaza Strip continue.

* US, Jordan pressure Israel, PA on peace The Obama administration on Friday laid out a bold shift in its Mideast peace strategy, stepping up pressure on Israel and the Palestinians to resume stalled talks.

* Arab World: Battleground Yemen US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday described the current situation in Yemen as “a threat to regional stability and even to global stability.”

* Spain to push for binding EU economic goals Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has said the EU’s new 10-year economic plan, set to be agreed over the coming months, should have binding goals.

* Togo withdraw from Africa Cup of Nations The driver and two non-playing staff have died. Two players were shot and injured in Friday’s attack in Cabinda.

* Palestinians downplay Hillary Clinton push for peace Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat has played down hopes of a resumption of peace talks with Israel.

* U.S. Has Few Resources to Face Threats in Yemen As the Obama administration confronts the latest terrorism threat in Yemen, its diplomatic and development efforts are being constrained by a shortage of resources.

* King David Era Pottery Shard Supports Biblical Narrative A breakthrough in the research of the Hebrew Scriptures has shed new light on the period in which the Bible books of the Prophets were written.

* Blair to Haaretz: Global terror is one battle, one struggle Without a doubt, it was Iraq that ended his career at 10 Downing Street.

By: Valentina Pop – EUobserver

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Herman Van Rompuy on Thursday (7 January) delivered his first official speech as president of the EU council at a party gathering of Bavarian conservatives, just days after the group caused a stir in Turkey with a paper underlining its opposition to the country’s membership of the EU.

Mr Van Rompuy explained his decision to attend the conclave of the Christian-Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, by saying that the EU “needs thriving national democracies.”

“Delivering a speech at a party gathering doesn’t make you a party man,” the centre-right Belgian politician argued, stressing that in his new EU capacity his “only master to serve” is the collection of EU leaders. The Bavarians had simply been quicker than other political parties to invite him, he added.

The CSU party is a long-standing opponent of Turkey’s full membership of the EU, with a position paper confirming its stance leaked ahead of Mr Van Rompuy’s visit.

The paper, published by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Tuesday, called for “an end to the painful EU accession negotiations” and replacing “Turkey’s membership perspective with a privileged partnership.”

Mr Van Rompuy’s speech avoided touching on the Turkey issue. He mentioned enlargement, but only in regard to Croatia and other Western Balkan countries.

Turkish newspapers and politicians have decried the CSU’s opposition to Ankara’s EU membership bid.

Mr Van Rompuy himself in 2004 said Turkey is not a part of Europe. But since being appointed EU president he has stressed that his personal opinions are “irrelevant,” as his job is to seek consensus among member states.

German foreign minister in Turkey

The CSU position paper caused problems for German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle, who embarked this week on a tour of Muslim countries.

The Liberal politician had to reassure his hosts of Germany’s commitment to Turkey’s EU bid, Die Welt reports.

“I have not come here as a tourist in shorts, but as foreign minister. What I say, counts,” Mr Westerwelle said in Ankara, while underlining that his governing coalition, of which the CSU is also a member, had pledged not to block the negotiation process.

Meanwhile, bickering between the Bavarian conservatives and the Liberals has prompted Ms Merkel to call for a crisis meeting this Sunday and for a “fresh start” for the governing coalition.