DAILY ALERT

In-Depth Issues:

Assad, Lebanon, and the Gemayel Assassination - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
    The assassination of Lebanese Christian minister Pierre Gemayel on Tuesday was intended to remind the anti-Syrian forces in Beirut that President Bashar Assad has not forgiven them for forcing him to pull his army out of Lebanon in a humiliating manner.
    Syrian military intelligence officers, who operate under the guise of businessmen, have infiltrated the Lebanese security branches and the political establishment in Beirut.
    With the help of remaining pro-Syrian elements such as Hizballah, the Syrians have embarked on a systematic policy of eliminating and terrorizing their critics. Gemayel was the fifth anti-Syrian figure to be killed in Lebanon in the past two years. Three other critics of the Syrian regime have been wounded in failed assassination attempts.
    The Gemayel assassination comes only days after reports in the U.S. media claimed that Washington was seeking Syria's assistance in ending the violence in Iraq.
    Gemayel's friends are convinced that the U.S. overtures toward Syria encouraged Assad to order the killing of another one of his foes in Lebanon.

Israeli Arab Convicted as Iranian Spy - Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)
    Jaris Jaris, 59, an Israeli Arab, was sentenced to a prison term of 34 months on Monday after being convicted of spying for Iran, it was released for publication on Tuesday.
    Jaris was arrested on December 12, 2005, after investigators discovered he had been recruited by Iran to infiltrate the corridors of power by making efforts to be elected to the Knesset.
    Security officials said "Jaris' interrogation reveals a web of Iranian espionage activity against Israel."
    "The efforts included attempts to infiltrate an Iranian agent into the Knesset with the primary goal of obtaining classified information and influencing government decisions."
    Police said that in 2005 the Shin Bet identified a significant rise in the number of Iranian attempts to recruit Israeli citizens as spies.

UN Commissioner for Human Rights Refuses to Meet Families of Kidnapped Israeli Soldiers - Jack Khoury (Ha'aretz)
    The families of kidnapped soldiers Eldad Regev, Ehud Goldwasser, and Gilad Shalit protested on Tuesday to UN representatives in Israel following the refusal of Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to meet with them.
    Arbour, who is on a five-day tour of the Palestinian territories and Israel, finally said "no" to a meeting after avoiding a direct answer for two weeks.

Chinese Delegation Arrives in Israel - Herb Keinon (Jerusalem Post)
    Liu Qi, a member of China's Politburo central committee and a former Beijing mayor, arrived Tuesday in Israel for a four-day visit, accompanied by 17 Communist Party members, and a delegation representing 14 of the leading companies in China.

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Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):

Observations:

Both Attacked and Condemned - Yoel Marcus (Ha'aretz)

• On April 16, 2001, Palestinians in Gaza fired the first Kassam rocket at Sderot. Experts called it "primitive." Two months later, this primitive rocket killed two inhabitants of Sderot, one a child.
• For more than five years now, this primitive rocket has been improving, both in power and range. They are nearing strategic sites on the outskirts of Ashkelon. The 20-second warning seems like a joke; the inhabitants run across the street as though racing against the second hand. One manages to find shelter, another is stricken with disaster and a leg is amputated.
• After the IDF bombardment of Beit Hanoun, in which 19 Palestinians were killed by mistake, a huge majority at the UN sees Israel as the cruel aggressor. Its apology was not accepted. But have you ever heard Hamas apologizing for killing women and children? Have they ever asked forgiveness for the firing on Sderot? They have been firing on a civilian locale for more than six years now, and it is Israel that is defined as the aggressor.
• Israel is the only country in the world in which one of its cities is a target for rockets every day. One wonders how France would react if Dijon and Rouen were under bombardment. No country would put up with the situation in which one of its cities is a permanent shooting range, and where crossing a street or going to the grocery store has become death poker.
• The Palestinians do not want to recognize Israel or come to terms with its existence. Instead of building up and developing the territory that Israel evacuated, like the Egyptians did in Sinai, they have turned Gush Katif into a base for firing daily at the inhabitants of the Negev, firing that is aimed at civilians, women and children.
• Israel is finding itself both attacked and condemned. The situation cannot continue like this. If Hamas continues to torpedo all discussions by not recognizing Israel and employing terror against its citizens, there will be no choice but to revert to the biblical method of an eye for an eye.