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Prepared for the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
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To contact the Presidents Conference: click here In-Depth Issues:
Iran Procures Missiles Capable of Hitting Europe - Ze'ev Schiff (Ha'aretz)
Sweden Rejects Air Force Exercise with Israel (Ha'aretz)
Syrians, Jordanian on Trial over Aqaba Rocket Attack - Suleiman al-Khalidi (Reuters)
Saudis Tackle Terrorists with Persuasion - Anton La Guardia (Telegraph-UK)
Foreign Ministry Website Big Hit with Arabs - Roee Nahmias (Ynet News)
Search Key Links Media Contacts Back Issues Fair Use
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
Bombers targeting Egyptian police and a U.S.-led multinational peacekeeping force killed only themselves in a pair of attacks Wednesday in northern Sinai. In the first attack, a man approached a vehicle operated by the Multinational Force and Observers which monitor Sinai and blew himself up. A second bomber, riding a bicycle, tried to block an Egyptian police car on its way to investigate the first explosion and blew himself up. No one else was hurt in the blasts. (Washington Post) See also Two Britons Injured in Dahab Blasts - Philippe Naughton, Stephen Farrell, and Devika Bhat Two Britons injured in the Dahab blasts on Monday were named as Henry Luce - a relative of Lord Luce, the Lord Chamberlain - and Sam Still, 24, a British free diver who is world champion in the sport of static apnea, in which contestants hold their breath underwater for as long as possible. (Times-UK) The conflict in Iraq has begun to spill over onto Saudi Arabia, breathing new life into the ancient rivalry between the country's powerful Sunni Muslim majority and the long-oppressed Shiite minority in one of the most oil-rich areas of the world. "Saudi Sunnis are defending Iraqi Sunnis, and Saudi Shiites are defending Iraqi Shiites," said Hassan Saffar, Saudi Arabia's most influential Shiite cleric. Many Saudi Shiites felt a surge of quiet hope when the U.S. arrived in Iraq three years ago. Emboldened by their Iraqi brethren's escape from the oppressive rule of Saddam Hussein, Saudi Shiites began to demand - and win - freedoms of their own. But today, Shiites are being accused of harboring links to Iran, a longtime nemesis of the Saudi government. (Los Angeles Times) The U.S. wants a new UN Security Council resolution on continued Syrian interference in Lebanon and Iran's backing of guerrillas there, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said on Wednesday. Bolton said the council should react to a recent report from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which urged a delineation of borders between the two countries, disarming the Iranian and Syrian-backed Hizballah militia in the south, and establishing formal diplomatic ties. (Reuters) See also New International Pressure on Syria over Lebanon Interference President George W. Bush ordered an asset freeze against any suspect found to be involved in the assassination last year of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri. (AFP/Khaleej Times-Dubai) News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
The IDF Tuesday arrested a Palestinian Fatah member on his way to carry out a suicide bombing in Israel, the army reported Wednesday. Acting on a tip, security forces set up roadblocks near Nablus and arrested a suspect in possession of a 6-kg. explosives belt. Another man, who the army believed was supposed to drive the would-be bomber to the site of the planned attack, was also arrested, Israel Radio reported. (Jerusalem Post) Ahmed Sa'adat, secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which carried out the assassination of Israeli cabinet minister Rehavam Ze'evi, will not be tried for his murder, but four other PFLP members suspected of direct involvement in the killing will face trial, the Justice Ministry decided Wednesday. Sa'adat was one of six Palestinians held for almost four years in a Palestinian Authority jail in Jericho under British and American supervision until they were captured on March 14 by IDF troops, after the U.S. and Britain ordered their guards home. While Israeli judicial officials concluded that there was not enough evidence to charge Sa'adat with Ze'evi's murder, he is to be put on trial before a military court on charges of involvement in security crimes. (Jerusalem Post) Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
Tehran officials, from the president down, bellow their nuclear efforts from the rooftops; on Monday an Iranian official posed with a vial of uranium gas, to confirm his boast that enrichment had occurred. True, the Iranians claim that all this work is merely in pursuit of civilian nuclear power. But it's hard to believe that a country drowning in oil is running short of energy. It is surely relevant that Iran is led by a man who cannot let a week go by without issuing an annihilationist threat to one of his regional neighbors. An alarming picture is forming of a state galloping towards a nuclear bomb, led by a messianist bent on destroying a nearby nation. Undenied, too, are Iran's links with terrorist organizations beyond its borders. In addition, a nuclear Iran would immediately trigger a rapid Middle Eastern arms race. Saudi Arabia would be quickest off the blocks, with Egypt and Turkey not far behind. If that kind of nuclear free-for-all ensued, then countries that have historically held back would suddenly reconsider their options, among them even unlikely players such as Japan, Brazil, and Germany. (Guardian-UK) Contrary to the thrust of a recent Robert Novak column, Israel's Christian population has prospered and quadrupled in size over the last half century, in sharp contrast to the dwindling Christian communities in other countries in the Middle East. The continued dwindling of Christian communities in the Palestinian areas can be directly traced to the constant harassment to which they have been subjected by Islamic extremists. Never in history have residents in Jerusalem enjoyed more freedom of access to the holy places as under Israel's sovereignty. Israel's founding ethos guarantees freedom of religion and conscience while safeguarding the holy places of all religions. Novak also neglected to mention Israel's security barrier was a last-ditch effort to halt the march of Palestinian suicide bombers on Israel's cities that resulted in the killing and maiming of thousands. The fact that the barrier has contributed to a remarkable decline in terrorist attacks - approximately 90% - is evidence of its effectiveness. In planning the route of the barrier, particularly in the vicinity of Jerusalem, Israel has demonstrated particular sensitivity to Christian concerns. The route was determined, and in several cases altered, after a comprehensive dialogue with representatives of the various church denominations. (New York Sun) Radical Muslim chaplains trained in a foreign ideology, certified in foreign-financed schools, and acting in coordination to impose an extremist agenda have gained a monopoly over Islamic religious activities in American prisons, establishing an Islamic radical regime over Muslim convicts. Imagine each prison Islamic community as a little Saudi kingdom behind prison walls. Wahhabis serve as chaplains at all levels of incarceration in America. Wahhabism teaches hatred of all non-Wahhabi Muslims, especially Shia Muslims and the spiritual Muslims known as Sufis. (Weekly Standard) Observations: Secretary Rice: Hamas Must Renounce Violence and Terrorism - Editorial (Voice of America)
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