DAILY ALERT

In-Depth Issues:

Palestinians Got $1.7 Billion in Aid in 2008 (AFP)
    The international community has given $1.7 billion in aid to the Palestinian Authority over the last year, the French Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
    The amount was $600 million more than was promised at a major donor conference held last December in Paris, spokesman Frederic Desagneaux said.

Death Sentences Surge in West Bank, Gaza (Human Rights Watch)
    In 2008, Palestinian civil and military courts have sentenced 11 people to death.
    Seven of the 11 death sentences were issued by military courts, in breach of a commitment made by Mahmoud Abbas in June 2005 to refer all death penalty cases to civilian courts.
    Palestinian military and state security courts do not meet international fair trial standards. In two of the cases, before military courts in Jenin and Hebron, the trials lasted just one day.

Egyptian Court Says No to Gas Exports to Israel - Jonathan Wright (Reuters)
    A Cairo court on Tuesday overruled the Egyptian government's decision to allow exports of natural gas to Israel and said the constitution gave parliament the right to decide on sales of natural resources.
    A senior Egyptian official said the verdict did not require immediate implementation and the government would appeal against it.
    Judicial sources said the government could ignore the ruling, as it has done in many past cases.
    Gas started flowing to Israel through a pipeline for the first time in May under an agreement signed in 2005 for the supply of 1.7 billion cubic meters a year over 20 years.

French Muslim Leaders in Israel to Promote Understanding - Brenda Gazzar (Jerusalem Post)
    Fifteen French Muslim leaders are visiting Israel this week on a tour organized by the Washington-based Project Interchange, an institute of the American Jewish Committee.
    Combating anti-Semitic acts is a top priority among police officers in France, said Muhammad Douhane, a police commander in the Paris District and a French Muslim of Algerian descent.
    In recent years, the French government has launched programs to promote diversity and help France's Muslim youth identify as French citizens, so they understand that when they assault a Jew, they are assaulting a fellow French citizen.

On the Big Screen, Where All the Arabs Are Israeli - Dan Ephron (Newsweek)
    In HBO's ongoing miniseries "House of Saddam," the lead actor is Yigal Naor. One of his costars is Uri Gavriel, who portrays the depraved Chemical Ali.
    Israeli actors are often preferred, some in the industry say, because their English tends to be good and their acting style is Western - as opposed to the more florid, theatrical technique popular in Arab drama.
    Many Israeli actors grew up hearing Arabic and know something about the culture.
    Still, moviegoers across the Arab world must find it unsettling to see themselves so often depicted by their enemies.

News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:

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

Observations:

Israel to Face Huge Security Challenges in 2009 (Xinhua-China)

• A senior Israeli army officer warned Tuesday during a background briefing that the Jewish state would face "huge security challenges" in the coming year, listing three major threats to Israel: Iran's long-range attack capability, military organizations in neighboring countries, and asymmetric terrorism activities.
• The Middle East is divided into two camps: one camp, with the U.S. as its leader, comprises Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; the other consists of Iran, Syria, and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
• The Israeli officer accused Iran of being "on the way to becoming a nuclear country" and urged the international community to implement "decisive and timely" measures, such as more strict political and economic sanctions, to stop Iran's nuclear program.
• He cited intelligence reports saying that Iran so far had stockpiled about 300 kg. of low-enriched uranium. "At this pace, Iran will have enough nuclear material in two or three years." Moreover, Iran has long-range missiles including the Shahab 3 which can hit targets in a range of 2,000 kilometers, he warned.
• The officer predicted that Iran would be likely to provide a nuclear umbrella to military groups like Hamas in Gaza and Hizbullah in Lebanon.
• The Israeli officer stressed that Israel's continual military operations and blockade of Gaza are not punishment but effective defensive measures to prevent attacks. He said some 3,010 rockets and mortar shells have been fired at southern Israel by Palestinians this year.