DAILY ALERT

In-Depth Issues:

Egypt to Launch First Spy Satellite - Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)
    Egypt plans to launch its first spy satellite - the Egyptstat 1 - on Tuesday from Kazakhstan to gather intelligence on Israel and other Middle Eastern countries.
    Using a high-powered multi-spectrum telescopic camera, it will be capable of transmitting black-and-white, color, and infrared images, spotting objects on the ground as small as four meters across.
    In April, Israel launched the Eros B spy satellite, which can spot images on the ground as small as 70 centimeters across.
    Iran launched its first satellite in October 2005 and plans to launch another in the near future.

Saddam Co-Defendants Hanged in Iraq - Joshua Partlow (Washington Post)
    Barzan Ibrahim, Saddam Hussein's half brother, and Awad Haman Bander, chief judge of Hussein's Revolutionary Court, were hanged to death at dawn on Monday for their participation in the killings of 148 men and boys from the Shiite town of Dujail in 1982.

Iranian President Visits Venezuela to Strengthen Ties - Simon Romero (New York Times)
    President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran arrived in Venezuela on Saturday for talks with President Hugo Chavez, his second visit in the past five months.
    Ahmadinejad will also visit Ecuador and Nicaragua, where leftist presidents aligned with Chavez are taking office this month.
    "Welcome, fighter for just causes," Chavez said in a speech before the National Assembly, describing Ahmadinejad as a "revolutionary" and a "brother."

Egypt Finds Explosives Cache in Northern Sinai (Reuters)
    Egyptian security forces discovered a cache of at least 500 kg. of explosives on Sunday near al-Arish, on Egypt's Mediterranean coast in the Sinai peninsula, where bomb attacks have killed more than 100 people since 2004.

SAS Hunts Fleeing Al-Qaeda Africans - Hala Jaber and Michael Smith (Sunday Times-UK)
    An SAS team is hunting down al-Qaeda terror suspects as they try to flee Somalia, trapped between invading Ethiopian troops - assisted by U.S. special forces and American mercenaries - and the Kenyan army and SAS troops acting as "training advisers," but who have been leading operations along the border, providing a "screen" to trap terrorists.
    Three key suspects, believed to be responsible for the bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and an attack on an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, were still on the run Saturday.
    The dramatic victory by Ethiopian troops was the culmination of months of preparation inside and outside Somalia by American and British special forces, and U.S.-hired mercenaries.
    According to a CIA source, American intelligence and military have been bankrolling the Ethiopians since the start of last year, as well as providing them with satellite surveillance, technical, military and logistical support.
    Kenyan counter-terrorism police said the wives and three children of two of the al-Qaeda main suspects were caught as they attempted to cross into Kenya.

News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:

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

Observations:

The Carter Board of Councilors Resignation Letter (FOX News)

• There are two national narratives contesting one piece of land. The Israelis, through deed and public comment, have consistently spoken of a desire to live in peace and make territorial compromise to achieve this status.
• The Palestinian side has consistently resorted to acts of terror as a national expression and elected parties endorsing the use of terror, the rejection of territorial compromise and of Israel's right to exist. Palestinian leaders have had chances since 1947 to have their own state, including during your own presidency when they snubbed your efforts.
• Furthermore, the comments you have made the past few weeks insinuating that there is a monolith of Jewish power in America are most disturbing and must be addressed by us. In our great country where freedom of expression is basic bedrock, you have suddenly proclaimed that Americans cannot express their opinion on matters in the Middle East for fear of retribution from the "Jewish Lobby." In condemning the Jews of America you also condemn Christians and others for their support of Israel.
• You repeatedly make false claims. You wrote that UN Security Council Resolution 242 says that "Israel must withdraw from territories," but you know the word "must" is not in the resolution. You said that since Mahmoud Abbas has been in office there have been no peace discussions. That is wrong. You wrote that Yassir Arafat told you in 1990 that, "The PLO has never advocated the annihilation of Israel." Given that their Charter, which explicitly calls for Israel's destruction, was not revised until the late 1990s, how could you even write such a claim?
• We can no longer endorse your strident and uncompromising position. This is not the Carter Center or the Jimmy Carter we came to respect and support. Therefore, it is with sadness and regret that we hereby tender our resignation from the Board of Councilors of the Carter Center, effective immediately.
• Sincerely,
  Alan Abrams, Steve Berman, Michael Coles, Jon Golden, Doug Hertz, Barbara Babbit Kaufman, Liane Levetan, Jeff Levy, Leon Novak, Ambassador William B. Schwartz Jr., William B. Schwartz III, Steve Selig, Cathey Steinberg, Gail Solomon

      See also Jimmy Carter's Own Words - Editorial
  Thanks to his book, Mr. Carter, the 2002 Nobel Peace honoree, has lost his once-credible standing in Middle East affairs. (Washington Times)