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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:
Israeli Prime Minister Denies Meeting Senior Saudi Official - Ronny Sofer (Ynet News)
CIA: Al-Qaeda Could Expand into Lebanon - Mark Trevelyan (Reuters)
Report: Russian Military Maneuver "to Protect Iran from Possible U.S. Attack" (MEMRI)
Egypt Bans European Papers for Comments on Islam (Reuters)
Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan Begins - Yoav Stern and Avi Issacharoff (Ha'aretz)
Search Key Links Media Contacts Back Issues Fair Use
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
Western nations foiled a bid by Arab and Islamic states on Friday to declare Israel's reputed nuclear arsenal a threat that must be removed in a politically charged vote at a UN atomic watchdog meeting. Canada sponsored a 45-29 "no-action" ballot that prevented International Atomic Energy Agency member states from voting on a motion demanding Israel use atomic energy only for peaceful purposes and help set up a Middle East nuclear arms-free zone. (Reuters/Washington Post) Among those supporting Israel were the U.S., France, Germany, and Britain. Those abstaining included China and Russia. (AP/Mytelus) Hizballah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, in his first major appearance since the war, told hundreds of thousands of supporters at a "victory" rally Friday that no army could disarm his militia. Nasrallah said his guerrillas have replenished their arsenal and have more than 20,000 rockets. (Chicago Sun-Times) See also Lebanese Christians Rally Against Hizballah Anti-Syrian Christian leader Samir Geagea dismissed Hizballah's claims of victory as tens of thousands of his supporters rallied Sunday. "I don't feel victory because the majority of the Lebanese people do not feel victory. Rather, they feel that a major catastrophe had befallen them and made their present and future uncertain," he said. "When we find a solution to (Hizballah's) weapons, then it will be possible to establish the state as it should be." (AP/CBS4-Boston) Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Daniel Ayalon on Friday accused the Council on Foreign Relations of making a "terrible mistake" by inviting President Ahmadinejad of Iran to a meeting with the group earlier this week. "Some of those upset with the council's decision have compared it to hypothetically inviting Hitler to a meeting in the 1930s," Ayalon wrote. "In fact, meeting with Ahmadinejad is worse: Hitler did not openly call for genocide in the 1930s, and today we have the lessons of the 1930s to guide us. Foremost among those lessons is that appeasing fanatics like Hitler and granting them legitimacy leads to genocide and war." (New York Times) See also Council on Foreign Relations Chief Explains - Richard N. Haass (Los Angeles Times) News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
Four armed Palestinian groups - the Popular Resistance Committees, al-Aqsa Brigades, Abu Rish Brigades, and the Tawhid Islamic group - issued a joint statement Sunday saying they would harm any PA government that would recognize Israel. (Ynet News) Palestinians fired two Kassam rockets from the northern Gaza Strip on Monday morning. One rocket landed near Kibbutz Mefalsim, causing damage to two cars. The other rocket landed near the town of Sderot. (Ynet News) See also Palestinians Fire Kassam Rocket at Ashkelon Palestinians fired a Kassam rocket from the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday that landed near the community of Mavkiim, south of Ashkelon. (Ynet News) Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
Even though the Arrow and Patriot batteries are capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, they would not suffice should massive, intensive barrages be fired at Israel's home front and military sites, as the Iranians and Syrians plan and prepare to do. And Israel has no response at all for medium- and short-range rockets. Israel has been living with this threat since the 1960s. Yet never before had its enemies possessed missiles and warheads at such quantity and quality, which present a new type of threat. Other countries in the Middle East may go through regime changes and join the axis of radical Islam, along with the weapons and modern missiles such countries possess. In light of this, the foremost national defense mission faced by Israel is to create a multilayered response to the problem of ground missiles and rockets, including the most primitive ones. (Ynet News) Members of the international force sent to help keep the peace in Lebanon say they cannot set up checkpoints, search cars, homes or businesses, or detain suspects. If they see a truck transporting missiles, they cannot stop it. Under their interpretation of the Security Council resolution that deployed them, they must first be authorized to take such action by the Lebanese Army. While there may have been some expectation that the international force would disarm or restrain Hizballah, or search for hidden weapons caches, the commanders on the ground say very clearly that those tasks are not their job for now. In Israel, skepticism about the effectiveness of the enlarged UN force has always been high, particularly about disarming Hizballah or enforcing the arms embargo on it. Israel also notes that UNIFIL is barely 5,000 troops now, just 3,000 more than the old UNIFIL, still a long way from the 15,000 foreseen in the UN resolution. (New York Times) See also After the War, Hizballah Reevaluates - Nicholas Blanford The deployment of foreign troops and Lebanese soldiers into south Lebanon, as well as tightened restrictions at Lebanon's sea and land entry points, suggests that Hizballah will be unable to revive its well-entrenched military presence along the border with Israel, casting into doubt a future role for its vaunted military wing. (Christian Science Monitor) The sanctions potentially available to the international community range from a freeze on financial transactions and cooperation agreements through restrictions on trade in sensitive materials and freezing of Iranian assets abroad all the way to a total economic embargo. A total embargo would inflict a heavy cost. Iran could withstand the sanctions for some time, but such an embargo would bring about a sharp drop in living standards. Iran needs to import gasoline because its refinery capacity to too small to satisfy local needs; an embargo would force Iran to cut back on gasoline consumption by about 37%. Moreover, sanctions would help prevent the import of raw materials and equipment for the development of non-conventional weapons and surface-to-surface missiles and would limit Iran's ability to export weapons. Iran would also be left with far fewer resources to support terrorist organizations and finance the export of the Islamic revolution to other countries, including Lebanon. (Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies-Tel Aviv University) In recent years, rather than recognize the prejudice of our detractors, we have devoted ourselves to attempting to understand and so justify the hatred they heap upon us. We tell ourselves we are hated because we are too strong - or because we are too weak. We are hated because we are too religious - or because we are not religious enough. We are hated because we insist on defending Israel - or because we are willing to compromise on Israel. Yet we are not hated because of what we do, we are hated because we are Jews. In light of this, the best way to defend ourselves, the best way to safeguard our freedom and our heritage, is to embrace and celebrate our identity as Jews. (Jerusalem Post) Observations: Delusion in Damascus - Editorial (Washington Post)
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