china confidential
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Report: Israel Mulling Truce Offer
AP reports Israel is mulling a truce offer to Hamas.Israel is considering suspending its Gaza offensive to give Hamas militants an opening to halt their rocket fire, but the threat of a ground offensive remains if the truce does not hold, an Israeli defense official said Tuesday.
Israel's defense minister is to raise the proposal during a meeting of Israel's security Cabinet on Wednesday, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. Israel TV's Channel 10 also reported such a proposal.
At the same time, the security Cabinet will also be asked to consider various plans for a ground invasion, the defense official said.
The public rhetoric from Israeli officials has indicated they expect the operation to continue, and a Hamas spokesman said any truce was conditional on the opening of Gaza's borders.Mideast Moving Toward Nuclear War
Foreign Confidential....
Missile-mad Iran is close to acquiring atomic arms, which it intends to use against Israel.
Iran believes it can create a nuclear shield behind which Hezbollah can rain missiles down on Tel Aviv and Haifa, leveling the Israeli cities.
The conflict, Iran believes, will draw in Syria, which has a formidable arsenal of ballistic missiles and chemical warheads.
Iran also believes it can use Hamas rockets and suicide bombers--and an Israeli Arab insurrection--to bring down Israel.
Israel has a large nuclear force, which it will not hesitate to use (a) to prevent the destruction of the state, or (b) to retaliate for a nuclear attack by Iran.
israel is a one-bomb country--meaning, one nuclear weapon could wipe it out. But Israel has enough firepower to obliterate Iran and other foes.
At the same time, escalating tensions between Pakistan and India could bring these two nuclear powers to--and over--the brink of a horrific confrontation.
There has never been a more urgent need for smart, effective diplomacy.Iran Plans to Kidnap and Try Israelis and Jews
Foreign Confidential....
Countdown to conflict--with Iran.
The nuclear-arming, Islamist regime that runs oil-rich Iran has set up a court to try Israelis for Israeli air attacks on Gaza and is ready to try in absentia any people who Tehran says have committed "crimes," a judiciary official said on Tuesday.
"The court is in a special branch in Tehran and entrusted with the task of dealing with the executors, planners and officials of this (Israeli) regime who have committed crimes," judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi said.
He said the court was set up on the basis of a 1948 U.N. convention on the prevention of genocide to which Iran is a signatory.
Iran's top authority, Supreme (clerical fascist) Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called on all Muslims to defend Palestinians in whatever way they can.
Iran's Foreign Minister on Tuesday accused Israel of committing "genocide against humanity" in Gaza. He was speaking in a meeting with foreign envoys in Tehran that was broadcast and translated by Iran's English-language Press TV.
Jamshidi called on all Palestinians who have been affected by the Israeli operation in Gaza to file complaints. The Israeli officials could be tried in absentia, he added.
Jamshidi said Iran's judiciary chief, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi, was sending letters to his counterparts in all Islamic states seeking their cooperation with this court.
EARLY WARNING: China Confidential analysts suspect Iran intends to orchestrate the kidnapping of Israelis--and Jewish supporters of Israel--for televised show trials and executions.
The events could coincide with a nuclear breakthrough by Iran. It is hurtling towards acquisition of an atomic weapon and plans to use its newly developed nuclear shield to back an all-out proxy war of annihilation against Israel.Soybeans and Corn Climb on Dollar's Decline
Commodities Confidential....
Soybeans and corn rose as the dollar’s decline boosted the purchasing power of grain buyers using other currencies.
The dollar fell the most in almost two weeks against the euro as fighting in the conflict between Israel and Hamas raised concerns that Middle East oil supplies may be disrupted. U.S. agencies inspected 30.6 million bushels of soybeans for export in the week ended Dec. 25, a gain of 1.4 percent, from a week earlier and 18 percent more than a year earlier, government data showed.
“Strong Chinese import needs, gains in crude oil and the weak dollar” supported soybean futures, Li Jianlei, an analyst at Cofco Futures Co., wrote in an e-mailed research note today. Dry conditions in South America also underpinned prices, he said.
Soybeans for March delivery on the Chicago Board of Trade rose 9.5 cents, or 1 percent, to close at $9.55 a bushel in electronic trading. The most active contract has advanced 23 percent since touching $7.7625 a bushel on Dec. 5, the lowest since May 15, 2007.
More rain is needed to support crop development and remaining planting in the Brazilian provinces of Rio Grande do Sul and Parana Brazil, as well as parts of central Argentina, Meteorlogix LLC said in a report yesterday.
The U.S. is the world’s biggest soybean and corn exporter, followed by Brazil and Argentina.
Corn Climbs
Corn for March delivery in Chicago rose 5.5 cents, or 1.4 percent to $3.99 a bushel. The most traded contract has gained 30 percent since touching two-year low of $3.055 on Dec. 5. Wheat for March delivery advanced 0.6 percent to close at $5.955 a bushel.
The dollar slid 1.7 percent to $1.4165 per euro at 7:16 a.m. in New York, from $1.3927 yesterday, when it reached $1.4364, the weakest since Dec. 18. The decline pared this year’s advance to 2.9 percent.
A weaker dollar increases the purchasing power of grain buyers using other currencies.
- BloombergDollar Down Relative to Yen and Euro
The dollar declined against the euro on speculation the Federal Reserve’s zero interest rate will weigh on demand for the greenback.
The dollar also fell versus the yen as a report showed U.S. consumer confidence dropped this month to a record low, adding to concern the recession is deepening.
The euro rose to near an all-time high against the pound, heading closer to parity, on bets the Bank of England will cut interest rates faster than the European Central Bank.
- Bloomberg
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
Foreign Confidential....
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