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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:
UK Police Search for Chemical Bomb - Michael Holden and Katherine Baldwin (Reuters)
England Afraid to Fly Its Own Flag - Modi Kreitman (Ynet News)
Palestinian Goods Begin Steady Flow into Israel - Thanassis Cambanis (Boston Globe)
Al-Qaeda Chief Urges Sunni War on Shi'ites - Lee Keath
(AP/Boston Globe)
Palestinians Rise In Sunni Insurgency (Middle East Newsline)
Search Key Links Media Contacts Back Issues Fair Use
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
Seventeen Canadian residents were arrested and charged with plotting to attack targets in southern Ontario with crude but powerful fertilizer bombs, Canadian authorities said Saturday. The 17 men were mainly of South Asian descent. The Toronto Star said the group had a list that included the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa as well as the Toronto branch office of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). (New York Times) See also Plotters Caught in Police Sting - Michelle Shephard and Isabel Teotonio The delivery of three tons of ammonium nitrate to a group suspected of plotting terrorist attacks in southern Ontario was part of an undercover police sting operation. "If I can put this in context for you, the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people was completed with only one ton of ammonium nitrate," said RCMP assistant commissioner Mike McDonell. "They appear to have become adherents of a violent ideology inspired by al-Qaeda," said Luc Portelance of CSIS. Recruiters, or "ideological conditioners," for homegrown terrorists and what he dubbed the "jihad generation" have been actively seeking members in Toronto-area mosques, community centers, and schools since 2002, said John Thompson of the Mackenzie Institute. (Toronto Star) See also Multinational Inquiry Led to Canada Terror Arrests - Josh Meyer and Jason Chow The arrest of 17 terrorism suspects in Canada is part of a continuing, multinational inquiry into suspected terrorist cells in at least seven countries, a U.S. counter-terrorism official confirmed Sunday. "In this case, law enforcement and intelligence services from half a dozen places coordinated daily during a very complex investigation," a senior U.S. law enforcement official said. (Los Angeles Times) Hamas rejected an ultimatum from PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to sign on to a referendum plan that would implicitly recognize Israel. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas rejected Abbas' Tuesday deadline and called the referendum proposal illegal, setting up a head-on political confrontation between Hamas and Fatah after days of tension on the streets that have set off some armed clashes. "The local basic law and the advice which we got from experts in international law say that referendums are not permitted on the Palestinian land," Haniyeh said. Much of the Hamas leadership in Gaza as well as leaders living in Lebanon and Syria believe that accepting the plan would weaken the movement by abandoning its founding principles. (AP/Fox News) See also Five Dead in Hamas-Fatah Clashes - Avi Issacharoff and Gideon Alon Gun battles between Hamas and Fatah raged in the Gaza Strip Sunday night, leaving at least five Palestinians dead. (Ha'aretz) Syrian antiterrorism police fought Islamic militants near the Defense Ministry Friday in a gunbattle that killed five people and wounded four, the government said. The official Syrian Arab News Agency said all 10 militants were members of a "takfiri" group, with a Sunni Muslim extremist ideology followed by groups such as al-Qaeda. In previous clashes, security forces have confronted Islamic militants from "Jund al-Sham," or Soldiers of Syria, formed in Afghanistan by Syrian, Palestinian, and Jordanian militants with links to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. In March, Syrian security forces killed top Jund al-Sham militant Mohammed Ali Nasif. In December, Syrian anti-terrorist forces clashed with Islamic militants in Idlib, killing five. Three others, wearing explosives' belts, blew themselves up. Also in December, Syria announced it had uncovered a bomb-making factory in Aleppo, discovering plans for attacks on public buildings and security headquarters in Syria. (AP/Forbes) See also Syria Blames U.S., Israel for Attack - Samar Kassabli Syria's state-run media has implicitly blamed the U.S. and Israel for what Syrian authorities described as a failed attack in Damascus. (AP/Washington Post) See also Exiles Plot to Overthrow Syria's Baathist Regime - Richard Beeston Leading Syrian opposition figures, led by the country's former vice-president, gathered in London Sunday for a two-day conference to plot the overthrow of the Baathist regime of President Assad. (Times-UK) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, warned Sunday that Iran would disrupt oil shipments in the Gulf if the U.S. makes a wrong move in its dealings with Teheran. "You will never be able to protect energy supply in this region," he said. "If you make any mistake, definitely shipments of energy from this region will be seriously jeopardized." Condoleezza Rice, the U.S. Secretary of State, told Fox News, "We shouldn't place too much emphasis on a threat of this kind. After all, Iran is also very dependent on oil revenue; something like 80% of its budget comes from its oil revenue. Obviously it would be a very serious problem for Iran if oil were disrupted." (Telegraph-UK) See also Iran May Unleash Hizballah If Cornered - Katherine Shrader If cornered by the West over its nuclear program, Iran could direct Hizballah to enlist its widespread international support network to aid in terrorist attacks, intelligence officials say. Several Western intelligence officials said they have seen signs that Hizballah's fundraisers, recruiters, and criminal elements could be adapted to provide logistical help to terrorist operatives. Before 9/11, Hizballah was responsible for more American deaths than any other single terrorist organization. (AP/Washington Post) Thousands of costumed marchers danced and sang on Fifth Ave. in the Salute to Israel parade Sunday, celebrating the Jewish state's 58th anniversary with a festive show of solidarity. "It's important to show support for Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people, but also for a country who has been on the front lines in the war on terror," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who marched alongside Mayor Bloomberg. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) noted that the recent election of Hamas, a known terrorist group, to lead the Palestinian government raises the stakes for the region. (New York Daily News) News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Sunday in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. Olmert said, "I see in you Mr. President a real partner to bring peace to our region...[and] I am pleased with the cooperation between the countries on global terror." Mubarak replied, "The goal is to change the situation in the Middle East and direct it toward peace and security through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians." (Ynet News) Palestinians in Gaza fired two Kassam rockets that landed in the western Negev town of Sderot on Saturday, damaging two parked cars. (Ha'aretz) See also Kassam Rocket Hits Greenhouse A greenhouse near Mivtahim in the Negev was damaged on Sunday by one of two Kassam rockets that were fired from Gaza. (Jerusalem Post) Israeli troops on Friday killed two Egyptian policemen who had crossed the border in the southern Negev and opened fire at them. According to IDF officers, the Egyptians had crossed the barbed wire marking the border and were about 100-150 meters inside Israel. The Egyptians were the first to open fire and they began running toward the Israeli soldiers. Military sources said the policemen appeared to be intent on carrying out a terrorist attack, and that they apparently were acting on their own initiative. (Ha'aretz) Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
The terrorists aren't simply reacting against the American-led war in Iraq or against America's support for Israel. Canada sent no troops to liberate Iraq. At the UN on key votes it's likely to abstain rather than vote with Israel. What the Islamic extremists oppose in Canada is the mere fact that it is not a country governed by Islamic law. Canada, along with America, Britain, Spain, and Australia, was listed by Osama Bin Laden as a "Christian" nation that should be a target for terrorism. Nothing short of dropping Christianity and converting to Islam will satisfy the Islamist terrorists. Concessions short of surrender won't satisfy the enemy, as the example of Canada demonstrates. (New York Sun) Reza Pahlavi (son of the deposed shah of Iran) brought up the alternative strategy which Iranians, at home and abroad, have been urging deaf Western policy makers to adopt for years now: "That can only be internal pressure on the regime...support for proponents of democracy and human rights in Iran. There is no other answer." "There is no incentive that we can give the Islamic Republic to stand down....They need to do what they're doing, first and foremost because this is a totalitarian system. It has to keep the mood on the streets in its favor by continuing this process. If they are using the slogan of enrichment as a tool to keep these people mobilized, the minute they concede, they will lose their entire praetorian guard. Therefore, there's no way that they are going to concede on that point." The threat of sanctions or the promise of aid won't budge the regime either, he says. "There is no economic incentive that you can throw at them, because you are not dealing with a conventional state, in the sense that it is ultimately accountable and responsible and cares about the citizens living in that boundary." Pahlavi says "there is only one thing that the outside world can do, and that is to tell the regime: 'We are serious about supporting the people who are inside Iran who are against you.' That is the only thing that will make Mr. Khamenei [Iran's supreme leader] and everybody stand down. Because nothing else ruffles them. The only thing they are really scared of are the people themselves." (Wall Street Journal) Observations: Prince Hassan's Alarm - Arnaud de Borchgrave (Washington Times)
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