The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
“I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.” (2 Samuel 22:4)
1. Bush stands firm with Olmert against Iran - NYT
The New York Times reports that US President George W Bush and visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stood firm towards Iran on Monday, again warning the Islamic Republic to drop its rogue nuclear ambitions. Israeli officials have repeatedly expressed their increasing fear that Bush will back off of Iran, especially as the democratic party takes more power in the US and her European allies seek Tehran's help in Iraq.
2. IDF: Hizbullah units are on border - Jerusalem Post
Exactly three months after a UN-brokered cease-fire ended Israel's war in Lebanon, IDF officers told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that Hizbullah gunmen disguised as civilians were back on the border and collecting intelligence on IDF positions.
3. Gaza: Make Israelis taste the pain of Palestinians - Ynet News
Palestinian terror groups are celebrating the lethal rocket attack in Sderot on Wednesday. The Islamic Jihad was quick to claim responsibility for the barrage, launched – of course - from Beit Hanoun where the IDF recently completed operation Autumn Clouds. The operation, meant to reduce the number of rockets fired at Israel from the area, was immediately followed by an errant shell which hit a house in the town.
4. 30 tons of explosives smuggled into Gaza since disengagement - Ha'aretz
Shin Bet security service chief Yuval Diskin said Tuesday that the government must prepare for a "military option" in Gaza, adding that Palestinians had smuggled 30 tons of explosives into the Strip since the IDF pulled out of Gaza last year.
5. U.N. sleuths find plutonium at Iran atom site: IAEA - ABC News
U.N. inspectors have found traces of plutonium, of possible use in atom bombs, at an Iranian nuclear waste site as Tehran pursues a nuclear program despite the risk of sanctions, an IAEA report said on Tuesday.
6. Al Jazeera to start international English broadcasts Wednesday - Jerusalem Post
Today, Al Jazeera International launched its network TV screens worldwide, in English. The new satellite station will operate 24/7, with broadcasts originating from Al Jazeera's home base in Doha, Qatar, as well as Washington DC, London, and Kuala Lumpur. Celebrating 10 years of on-air broadcasting and over 50 million viewers, Al Jazeera in Arabic has become the most influential Arab communications medium in history. The Post reports that as the Jerusalem- based Israel/Palestine bureau has been one of Al Jazeera's most watched news operations, so it will be for Al Jazeera International.
