|
Prepared for the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in association with the Fairness Project by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
|
|||||
|
To contact the Presidents Conference: [email protected]
In-Depth Issue:
U.S. Weans Itself Off Mideast Oil
- Timothy Burn
The Bush administration is accelerating efforts to diversify America's sources of oil imports and reduce its dependence on the Middle East, strengthening ties with major producers like Russia and the Caspian Sea region. Yet, it will take several years and dramatic investment before Russian oil can be shipped directly to the U.S. in a cost-efficient manner.
(Washington Times)
Bethlehem on the Verge of Explosion - Arnon Regular and Amos Harel
During Monday's funeral of Mohammed Abiat from the powerful Ta'amra clan in the Bethlehem area, the marchers encountered Isa Kraka, a member of the Fatah steering committee and head of the Bethlehem branch of the Palestinian Prisoner's Society.
U.S. Navy Wants Harpoon Missiles Upgraded in Israel
The U.S. Navy supports an upgrade program for Boeing-made "Harpoon" missiles by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI).
IAI plans to replace the Harpoon's obsolescent target acquisition and guidance sensors. While the total upgrade program could reach $150 million, this would be less than buying new and improved missiles.
|
News Resources - North America and Europe:
15,000 Israeli emergency workers are being inoculated against smallpox. "For Israel in particular the concept that Jews may be killed by chemicals or viruses is one that the very nature of Israel was designed to prevent," says Professor Gerald Steinberg, who lectures in strategic studies at Bar-Ilan University. "Jews should not be killed without response. And in that case, 1991 was an aberration and should not expect to be repeated." (BBC) The Pentagon has taken numerous steps in recent weeks to position U.S. forces so as to reduce the time required to launch an attack on Iraq. In the latest such move, the Pentagon ordered the battle staffs of the Army's V Corps and the Marine Corps' 1st Marine Expeditionary Force to go to Kuwait. The V Corps, commanded by Lt. Gen. William Wallace, has 41,000 troops and includes the 1st Armored Division and the 1st Infantry Division, specifically trained for fighting in Europe or the Middle East. The battle staff of U.S. Central Command, which would have overall responsibility for war in Iraq, is planning to move to Qatar next month from its headquarters in Tampa. (Washington Post) Muhammad al-Mulaifi, head of the information department at Kuwait's Ministry of Islamic Affairs, broke into a broad grin when asked if he supported the terrorist attacks on the United States last year. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy about the attack," he said. His view is not an uncommon one among Muslims in this part of the world, but it is surprising coming from someone whose country the U.S. rescued from Iraqi domination just over 11 years ago. (New York Times) Mirroring close ties between India and Israel, leaders of Jewish organizations and Indian-American groups have been meeting in recent months to discuss hate-crimes legislation and political activism. A major catalyst for the cooperation is the perception that both communities face a common enemy in Muslim extremism. (Forward)
News Resources - Israel and Mideast:
Lebanon has agreed to pump only a predetermined quantity of water from the Wazzani River and to permit UN observers to oversee the pumping to ensure that this agreement is kept, the U.S. State Department's Charles Lawson told Israeli officials Monday. However, the Lebanese have not yet specified what quantity they have in mind. (Ha'aretz) Israel and the United States reached an understanding Tuesday over the supervision of the Palestinian Authority's finances, in order to enable the Israeli transfer of some NIS 2 billion of frozen tax revenues to the Palestinians. According to the plan, supervision will be imposed on PA income and expenditure in order to ensure monies are not used to fund terror. The Palestinians will be required to hand over a list of those to whom it pays salaries, and American and European officials will be stationed in the Palestinian Finance Ministry to oversee its economic activity. (Ha'aretz) Although Israel has its own reconnaisance satellite in space, the Jewish state is still dependent on Washington for crucial real-time warnings of missile launchings from Iraq, Moshe Arens, defense minister during the 1991 Gulf war, said Monday. At present, only the U.S. and Russia possess the capability of keeping a satellite fixed in orbit over Iraq. Israel's Ofek spy satellite passes over Iraq, but only periodically, he said. (Ha'aretz) See also Is It Really Deja Vu? - Moshe Arens (Ha'aretz)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis
(Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
Last week's elections in Pakistan resulted in huge gains for fundamentalists who are vehemently anti-American. The fundamentalist parties, which used to be a fringe element in Pakistani politics, now will control two of the country's four provinces. If we gain friendly governments in Afghanistan and Iraq but see the rise of an Islamist nuclear power in Pakistan, that will have been an appalling trade. (New York Times) Turkey's support in the war on terror is important, both symbolically and substantively. As our most prominent Muslim ally, it serves as proof that we are fighting a war on terror, not on Islam. Turkey's strategic location on Iraq's northern border makes it a key to our success in the coming campaign. Moreover, Turkey is now taking over the military peacekeeping task in Afghanistan, freeing up American troops for other duties. (Washington Times) Although Saudi Arabia has cooperated with the U.S. on several fronts in the war on terrorism, their education policies are evidence that the country's education system itself remains part of the problem, instead of part of the solution to international terrorism. It is past time for the U.S. to hold the government of Saudi Arabia to its promise to combat terrorism by calling on Saudis to address the terrorist influences at work within their own borders. (Christian Science Monitor) On October 4, in Geneva, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child decided that Israelis and Palestinians were engaged in "terror on both sides," thereby joining a long list of UN entities incapable of recognizing terrorism, and which use every Palestinian civilian casualty to thwart Israel's right of self-defense. The human-rights cover for a contrary political agenda has become something of a UN art form. (Jerusalem Post) Palestinians Must Change Their Regime - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon From the prime minister's speech on Oct. 14 opening the Knesset winter session:
To subscribe to the Daily Alert, please send a blank email message to: [email protected] To unsubscribe to the Daily Alert, please send a blank email message to: [email protected] |
||||