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1. US Navy Intercepts Iranian Ship
by Avraham Zuroff
A U.S. Naval vessel in the Gulf of Aden has been ordered to search for suspicious Iranian ships containing weaponry heading for Gaza. Combined Task Force 151, which is keeping pirates at bay in the Gulf of Aden, has been ordered to track Iranian arms shipments, the Sunday Times reports.
Naval officers from the USS San Antonio, an amphibious transport dockship that serves as the headquarters for the taskforce, last week boarded a cargo vessel registered in Limassol and flying a Cypriot flag.
Upon boarding the ship in the Red Sea, the naval officers discovered numerous crates with the inscription “hazardous materials.” The naval officers asked Egyptian authorities to order the Iranian ship to proceed to an Egyptian port for a detailed search before allowing it to travel through the Suez Canal. According to unconfirmed reports, the navy found armaments. However, the U.S. has not confirmed the media reports.
Probably 'Covert Operation'
Prof. Raymond Tanter, president of the Washington-based Iran Policy Committee, told The Jerusalem Post, “It is not surprising that the U.S. Navy is reluctant to acknowledge the operation, which may have been covert,” adding that legal challenges are present when intercepting ships flying flags of a sovereign country. In last week’s seizure, the Iranian-owned ship was flying a Cypriot flag, “and the maritime law is less able to justify stop and search operations against such ships,” Tanter clarified.
Tanter said he feels that intelligence provided by friendly nations, such as Egypt, helped the U.S. intercept the Iranian boat. Due to concern in intelligence circles that Iran is attempting to ship a ‘dirty bomb’ to Gaza, the U.S. has taken strong measures to prevent the arms from reaching Hamas. Nonetheless, due to legal wranglings, the U.S. has covertly performed the operation, Tanter implied.
In recent weeks, at least two Iranian warships have entered the Gulf of Aden, officially as a means of fighting Somali piracy. Israel nevertheless claims that Iran is attempting to rearm the Hamas-run Palestinian Authority in Gaza.
Israel and the U.S. signed a political-military memorandum of understanding on January 16 regarding the joint tracking of arms smuggling from Iran into Gaza. The agreement includes the American obligation to act together with NATO and other agents in order to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza via the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and eastern Africa.
Although one of the IDF’s objectives in the Operation “Cast Lead” was to eliminate smuggling tunnels from Egypt to Gaza, Arab sources estimate that 20 percent of the pre-war total, or 100 tunnels remain open as a possible means to rearm the Hamas terrorist entity.
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by Avraham Zuroff
A U.S. Naval vessel in the Gulf of Aden has been ordered to search for suspicious Iranian ships containing weaponry heading for Gaza. Combined Task Force 151, which is keeping pirates at bay in the Gulf of Aden, has been ordered to track Iranian arms shipments, the Sunday Times reports.
Naval officers from the USS San Antonio, an amphibious transport dockship that serves as the headquarters for the taskforce, last week boarded a cargo vessel registered in Limassol and flying a Cypriot flag.
Upon boarding the ship in the Red Sea, the naval officers discovered numerous crates with the inscription “hazardous materials.” The naval officers asked Egyptian authorities to order the Iranian ship to proceed to an Egyptian port for a detailed search before allowing it to travel through the Suez Canal. According to unconfirmed reports, the navy found armaments. However, the U.S. has not confirmed the media reports.
Probably 'Covert Operation'
Prof. Raymond Tanter, president of the Washington-based Iran Policy Committee, told The Jerusalem Post, “It is not surprising that the U.S. Navy is reluctant to acknowledge the operation, which may have been covert,” adding that legal challenges are present when intercepting ships flying flags of a sovereign country. In last week’s seizure, the Iranian-owned ship was flying a Cypriot flag, “and the maritime law is less able to justify stop and search operations against such ships,” Tanter clarified.
Tanter said he feels that intelligence provided by friendly nations, such as Egypt, helped the U.S. intercept the Iranian boat. Due to concern in intelligence circles that Iran is attempting to ship a ‘dirty bomb’ to Gaza, the U.S. has taken strong measures to prevent the arms from reaching Hamas. Nonetheless, due to legal wranglings, the U.S. has covertly performed the operation, Tanter implied.
In recent weeks, at least two Iranian warships have entered the Gulf of Aden, officially as a means of fighting Somali piracy. Israel nevertheless claims that Iran is attempting to rearm the Hamas-run Palestinian Authority in Gaza.
Israel and the U.S. signed a political-military memorandum of understanding on January 16 regarding the joint tracking of arms smuggling from Iran into Gaza. The agreement includes the American obligation to act together with NATO and other agents in order to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza via the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and eastern Africa.
Although one of the IDF’s objectives in the Operation “Cast Lead” was to eliminate smuggling tunnels from Egypt to Gaza, Arab sources estimate that 20 percent of the pre-war total, or 100 tunnels remain open as a possible means to rearm the Hamas terrorist entity.
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2. Envoy Mitchell Arrives Wednesday
by Gil Ronen
U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy to the Middle East will come to Israel on Wednesday for talks on strengthening the Gaza ceasefire and reviving Mideast negotiations, an Israeli foreign ministry official said Saturday.
The official said George J. Mitchell would meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and senior Israeli officials.
According to the Associated Press, Mitchell will also visit Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad at their headquarters in Ramallah, an Israeli official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because Washington has not officially announced the trip.
The official said that Mitchell would discuss restarting Israel-PA talks after Israel's counterterror operation in Gaza, and ways to impose an effective arms blockade against Hamas which rules Gaza.
In Washington, the White House and State Department declined to comment, but diplomats familiar with Mitchell's travel plans said he would visit Israel and the PA with possible stops in Egypt and Jordan. Mitchell's Middle East tour, undertaken as Israeli elections near, could last eight to 10 days.
'We are not a U.S. colony'
Experience teaches us that Binyamin Netanyahu will not be able to withstand the pressure exerted upon him by the Obama administration, National Union leader Ya'akov “Ketzaleh” Katz warned Saturday night. “Unless Bibi is strengthened from the nationalist camp, he will fall into the arms of the Left again,” he added.
Ketzaleh said that Obama needed to be reminded that Israel is not an American colony or the 51st state. “I think it is great arrogance and even chutzpah on the part of the U.S. administration that it does not respect the Israeli public,” he said in an interview. “Although Olmert is ending his role, the administration is trying to 'close' things that it could not close over the past years. We hope that the Prime Minister and his ministers will explain to him that he should go home,” he added.
Yesha Council head Danny Dayan said Saturday evening that Mitchell's appointment is a “disturbing” one. He cited a report prepared by Mitchell during President Bill Clinton's term, in which he called for an end to all settlement activity “including natural growth.”
"Soon we will have to ask Obama for permission to have babies,” he told Ynet.
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by Gil Ronen
U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy to the Middle East will come to Israel on Wednesday for talks on strengthening the Gaza ceasefire and reviving Mideast negotiations, an Israeli foreign ministry official said Saturday.
The official said George J. Mitchell would meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and senior Israeli officials.
According to the Associated Press, Mitchell will also visit Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad at their headquarters in Ramallah, an Israeli official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because Washington has not officially announced the trip.
The official said that Mitchell would discuss restarting Israel-PA talks after Israel's counterterror operation in Gaza, and ways to impose an effective arms blockade against Hamas which rules Gaza.
In Washington, the White House and State Department declined to comment, but diplomats familiar with Mitchell's travel plans said he would visit Israel and the PA with possible stops in Egypt and Jordan. Mitchell's Middle East tour, undertaken as Israeli elections near, could last eight to 10 days.
'We are not a U.S. colony'
Experience teaches us that Binyamin Netanyahu will not be able to withstand the pressure exerted upon him by the Obama administration, National Union leader Ya'akov “Ketzaleh” Katz warned Saturday night. “Unless Bibi is strengthened from the nationalist camp, he will fall into the arms of the Left again,” he added.
Ketzaleh said that Obama needed to be reminded that Israel is not an American colony or the 51st state. “I think it is great arrogance and even chutzpah on the part of the U.S. administration that it does not respect the Israeli public,” he said in an interview. “Although Olmert is ending his role, the administration is trying to 'close' things that it could not close over the past years. We hope that the Prime Minister and his ministers will explain to him that he should go home,” he added.
Yesha Council head Danny Dayan said Saturday evening that Mitchell's appointment is a “disturbing” one. He cited a report prepared by Mitchell during President Bill Clinton's term, in which he called for an end to all settlement activity “including natural growth.”
"Soon we will have to ask Obama for permission to have babies,” he told Ynet.
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3. Pope Welcomes Holocaust Denier
by David Shammah
In a move that many Jewish community officials said would cause relations between Jews and Catholics to further deteriorate, the Vatican on Saturday lifted an excommunication ban against Bishop Richard Williamson, one of four bishops who were banned in 1988 for taking on the office of bishop against the wishes of then-Pope John Paul II.
Williamson is a Holocaust denier, and has repeatedly said that the gas chambers did not exist and that no more than 300,000 Jews were killed during World War II, mostly of starvation. In addition, Williamson has declared that the Jews are plotting to take over the world, and that the U.S. and Israel were behind 9/11.
In an interview with Swedish television conducted last November but broadcast last week, Williamson said that he believed that there were “no gas chambers."
“Between 200,000-300,000 perished in Nazi concentration camps, but not one of them by gassing in a gas chamber,” he said, adding, “I believe that the historical evidence is hugely against 6 million having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler.”
Back to Middle Ages
Williamson has had a long history of Holocaust denial. In a 1989 sermon in Sherbrooke, Canada, Williamson said that "there was not one Jew killed in the gas chambers. It was all lies, lies, lies. The Jews created the Holocaust so we would prostrate ourselves on our knees before them and approve of their new State of Israel... Jews made up the Holocaust, Protestants get their orders from the devil, and the Vatican has sold its soul to liberalism." In dozens of sermons and letters, Richardson reiterated the same theme, adding that Hitler “liberated” Germany from the Jews.
Richardson advocates a return to the Middle Ages, with the Inquisition the preferred model of the Catholic relationship to Jews. “As Catholic faith goes up, so Jewish power goes down, while as Catholic faith goes down, so Jewish power goes up. In the Catholic Middle Ages, the Jews were relatively impotent to harm Christendom. But as Catholics have grown over the centuries weaker and weaker in the faith, especially since Vatican II, so the Jews have come closer and closer to fulfilling their substitute-Messianic drive towards world dominion... When Spanish Catholics were truly Catholic, God granted them by 1492 to reconquer Spain from the Arabs, and then granted them to create a Catholic empire in the Americas.”
Jewish community officials have expressed serious concerns over the Pope's move. Rabbi Shmuel Ricardo Di Segni, the Chief Rabbi of Rome, told reporters that the rehabilitation of Williamson opens “a deep wound” in Catholic-Jewish relations.
The Anti-Defamation League, an anti-Semitism watchdog group, said that the reinstatement “could become a source of great tension between Catholics and Jews.” The umbrella group of Jewish communities in France called Williamson “a contemptible liar whose sole objective is to reawaken centuries-old hatred against the Jews.”
In a report, Reuters quoted Mordechai Lewy, Israel's ambassador to the Vatican, as saying that Israel “has no intention of interfering in the internal workings of the Catholic Church. However, the eagerness to bring a Holocaust denier back into the Church will cast a shadow on relations between Jews and the Catholic Church.”
A Vatican spokesman said that the lifting of the ban had nothing to do with Williamson's views. “It has nothing to do with the personal opinions of a person, which are open to criticism, but are not pertinent to this decree.”
Comment on this story
by David Shammah
In a move that many Jewish community officials said would cause relations between Jews and Catholics to further deteriorate, the Vatican on Saturday lifted an excommunication ban against Bishop Richard Williamson, one of four bishops who were banned in 1988 for taking on the office of bishop against the wishes of then-Pope John Paul II.
Williamson is a Holocaust denier, and has repeatedly said that the gas chambers did not exist and that no more than 300,000 Jews were killed during World War II, mostly of starvation. In addition, Williamson has declared that the Jews are plotting to take over the world, and that the U.S. and Israel were behind 9/11.
In an interview with Swedish television conducted last November but broadcast last week, Williamson said that he believed that there were “no gas chambers."
“Between 200,000-300,000 perished in Nazi concentration camps, but not one of them by gassing in a gas chamber,” he said, adding, “I believe that the historical evidence is hugely against 6 million having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler.”
Back to Middle Ages
Williamson has had a long history of Holocaust denial. In a 1989 sermon in Sherbrooke, Canada, Williamson said that "there was not one Jew killed in the gas chambers. It was all lies, lies, lies. The Jews created the Holocaust so we would prostrate ourselves on our knees before them and approve of their new State of Israel... Jews made up the Holocaust, Protestants get their orders from the devil, and the Vatican has sold its soul to liberalism." In dozens of sermons and letters, Richardson reiterated the same theme, adding that Hitler “liberated” Germany from the Jews.
Richardson advocates a return to the Middle Ages, with the Inquisition the preferred model of the Catholic relationship to Jews. “As Catholic faith goes up, so Jewish power goes down, while as Catholic faith goes down, so Jewish power goes up. In the Catholic Middle Ages, the Jews were relatively impotent to harm Christendom. But as Catholics have grown over the centuries weaker and weaker in the faith, especially since Vatican II, so the Jews have come closer and closer to fulfilling their substitute-Messianic drive towards world dominion... When Spanish Catholics were truly Catholic, God granted them by 1492 to reconquer Spain from the Arabs, and then granted them to create a Catholic empire in the Americas.”
Jewish community officials have expressed serious concerns over the Pope's move. Rabbi Shmuel Ricardo Di Segni, the Chief Rabbi of Rome, told reporters that the rehabilitation of Williamson opens “a deep wound” in Catholic-Jewish relations.
The Anti-Defamation League, an anti-Semitism watchdog group, said that the reinstatement “could become a source of great tension between Catholics and Jews.” The umbrella group of Jewish communities in France called Williamson “a contemptible liar whose sole objective is to reawaken centuries-old hatred against the Jews.”
In a report, Reuters quoted Mordechai Lewy, Israel's ambassador to the Vatican, as saying that Israel “has no intention of interfering in the internal workings of the Catholic Church. However, the eagerness to bring a Holocaust denier back into the Church will cast a shadow on relations between Jews and the Catholic Church.”
A Vatican spokesman said that the lifting of the ban had nothing to do with Williamson's views. “It has nothing to do with the personal opinions of a person, which are open to criticism, but are not pertinent to this decree.”
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4. IDF: We Created a New Reality
by Maayana Miskin
IDF Southern Command head Maj.-Gen. Yoav Galant published a letter this weekend praising IDF soldiers for their execution of Operation Cast Lead and describing the positive results of the campaign in Gaza. “After years of ongoing terror and attacks on residents of southern Israel, a new reality has been created when it comes to regional security,” Galant wrote.
Despite Hamas leaders' claims that the group was victorious, in reality the IDF succeeded in deterring attacks, Galant continued. “The enemy was badly hit, and it was made clear that we will not allow challenges to our presence in this area.”
Galant praised the soldiers who fought in the Gaza war, saying, “IDF soldiers on the ground, in the air and at sea acted out of faith in the justice in our cause, and demonstrated a firm spirit in battle, determination and dedication to their goals, camaraderie and the fraternity of soldiers.” Various forces' success in working together and the commanders who stood at the front in battle were a deciding factor in obtaining the operation's goals, he added.
Galant wrote in memory of the 10 soldiers killed in the operation as well. “Our right to live in our country in security and calm has once again exacted a heavy price,” he said.
He wished a speedy and complete recovery to the soldiers wounded in battle. Galant also mentioned Gilad Shalit, the soldier captured by terrorists in 2006. “We will do whatever we can to return the soldier Gilad Shalit to his family,” he promised.
The threats facing Israel have not ceased, but Israel is capable of self-defense, Galant said. “The fight for Israel's security is not over. We will direct our eyes to the challenges of the future, and we will overcome them, thanks to the justice of our cause and the strength of our spirit.”
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
IDF Southern Command head Maj.-Gen. Yoav Galant published a letter this weekend praising IDF soldiers for their execution of Operation Cast Lead and describing the positive results of the campaign in Gaza. “After years of ongoing terror and attacks on residents of southern Israel, a new reality has been created when it comes to regional security,” Galant wrote.
Despite Hamas leaders' claims that the group was victorious, in reality the IDF succeeded in deterring attacks, Galant continued. “The enemy was badly hit, and it was made clear that we will not allow challenges to our presence in this area.”
Galant praised the soldiers who fought in the Gaza war, saying, “IDF soldiers on the ground, in the air and at sea acted out of faith in the justice in our cause, and demonstrated a firm spirit in battle, determination and dedication to their goals, camaraderie and the fraternity of soldiers.” Various forces' success in working together and the commanders who stood at the front in battle were a deciding factor in obtaining the operation's goals, he added.
Galant wrote in memory of the 10 soldiers killed in the operation as well. “Our right to live in our country in security and calm has once again exacted a heavy price,” he said.
He wished a speedy and complete recovery to the soldiers wounded in battle. Galant also mentioned Gilad Shalit, the soldier captured by terrorists in 2006. “We will do whatever we can to return the soldier Gilad Shalit to his family,” he promised.
The threats facing Israel have not ceased, but Israel is capable of self-defense, Galant said. “The fight for Israel's security is not over. We will direct our eyes to the challenges of the future, and we will overcome them, thanks to the justice of our cause and the strength of our spirit.”
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5. #2 on Nat'l Agenda: Education
by Hillel Fendel
A poll commissioned by the “It’s All Education” movement shows that education runs a close second to the Israeli-Arab conflict in Israelis’ perception of the national agenda.
The poll was carried out by the Geocartographic Institute for “It’s All Education,” a movement whose goal it is to advance education in Israel.
Asked to grade various issues in terms of their importance, 22.1% of the respondents named the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the number-one issue. Following close behind was “education,” with 19.1%
The economic crisis and the war against traffic accidents were next, with 12.4% and 10.8%, respectively.
The problem of governmental corruption received an 8.5% rating, while the Iranian threat continues to receive little attention, with only 6.5%.
Placing Education First
The poll was conducted ahead of the “Placing Education First” seminar to be held Monday at Tel Aviv University. The leaders of Israel’s three largest parties – Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (Kadima), Defense Minister Ehud Barak (Labor), and Opposition Leader Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud) – will address the gathering. The three Prime Ministerial-hopefuls will speak on their respective educational visions and plans to improve Israel’s education network.
Rabbi Shai Peron, Director of “It’s All Education,” said in response to the poll, “We have received yet further support regarding the centrality of education in the public consciousness. The results place upon us a moral imperative to take the problems of our educational system seriously and deal with them firmly.”
“The fact that the Prime Ministerial candidates are willing to appear and present their educational platform,” Rabbi Peron continued, “proves the importance they attribute to this issue. I truly hope that after the elections, we will embark on a new path that will in fact place education at the top of our national agenda.”
New Horizon?
The poll also found a very low awareness rate in the public about the “New Horizon” reforms program in the educational network.
The “New Horizon” program seeks to bolster the status of teachers in Israel. According to its terms, their salaries rise by an average of 26%, while their actual classroom hours drop from 30 to 26 each week. They must, however, spend those “saved” four hours, plus an additional ten, in school - working with students, marking tests, and preparing lessons.
Over half of the respondents said they never heard of the plan, and another 21.6% said they know nothing about it. Half of those who know about it say it’s a positive development, compared to 14% who say the opposite.
Comment on this story
by Hillel Fendel
A poll commissioned by the “It’s All Education” movement shows that education runs a close second to the Israeli-Arab conflict in Israelis’ perception of the national agenda.
The poll was carried out by the Geocartographic Institute for “It’s All Education,” a movement whose goal it is to advance education in Israel.
Asked to grade various issues in terms of their importance, 22.1% of the respondents named the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the number-one issue. Following close behind was “education,” with 19.1%
The economic crisis and the war against traffic accidents were next, with 12.4% and 10.8%, respectively.
The problem of governmental corruption received an 8.5% rating, while the Iranian threat continues to receive little attention, with only 6.5%.
Placing Education First
The poll was conducted ahead of the “Placing Education First” seminar to be held Monday at Tel Aviv University. The leaders of Israel’s three largest parties – Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (Kadima), Defense Minister Ehud Barak (Labor), and Opposition Leader Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud) – will address the gathering. The three Prime Ministerial-hopefuls will speak on their respective educational visions and plans to improve Israel’s education network.
Rabbi Shai Peron, Director of “It’s All Education,” said in response to the poll, “We have received yet further support regarding the centrality of education in the public consciousness. The results place upon us a moral imperative to take the problems of our educational system seriously and deal with them firmly.”
“The fact that the Prime Ministerial candidates are willing to appear and present their educational platform,” Rabbi Peron continued, “proves the importance they attribute to this issue. I truly hope that after the elections, we will embark on a new path that will in fact place education at the top of our national agenda.”
New Horizon?
The poll also found a very low awareness rate in the public about the “New Horizon” reforms program in the educational network.
The “New Horizon” program seeks to bolster the status of teachers in Israel. According to its terms, their salaries rise by an average of 26%, while their actual classroom hours drop from 30 to 26 each week. They must, however, spend those “saved” four hours, plus an additional ten, in school - working with students, marking tests, and preparing lessons.
Over half of the respondents said they never heard of the plan, and another 21.6% said they know nothing about it. Half of those who know about it say it’s a positive development, compared to 14% who say the opposite.
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6. Report: Hamas Still in Hiding
by Maayana Miskin
Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud A-Zahar are still in hiding, a senior Egyptian official told Al-Hayyat on Friday. The two fear Israel still sees them as a target despite the conclusion of the Cast Lead operation in Gaza, he explained.
Haniyeh, A-Zahar and others went into hiding during the operation as the IDF targeted Hamas leaders and bombed hundreds of the terror group's buildings, weapons caches and tunnels. Among those killed were senior Hamas heads Nizar Rayyan and Said Siam.
The official reported that Israeli political-security official Amos Gilad told Egyptian diplomats that Israel was not interested in a temporary ceasefire deal like the six-month ceasefire (also known as the tahadiyah) in the second half of 2008. Hamas has drastically reduced attacks from Gaza for the time being following a unilateral Israeli ceasefire, but no agreement has been struck. Israel, which does not want to grant Hamas legitimacy as a partner for negotiations, refers to any possible deal as a hasdarah, or 'arrangement.'
Govt. Plans Security Deal
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and a number of senior defense officials met Thursday night to discuss the practical details of a security deal with Egypt. Amos Gilad attended the meeting as well and reviewed his meeting with Egyptian diplomats and Egypt's plans to prevent weapons smuggling to Gaza.
Defense officials discussed methods of preventing smuggling, including ways to stop smugglers and weapons from approaching the Gaza border through the use of checkpoints and a constant naval presence in the area.
Egypt Wants More Soldiers near Gaza
Egypt has asked to triple the number of its troops along the Philadelphi Route dividing Egypt from Gaza. Currently, 750 soldiers are present in the area. The number of Egyptian troops in the Sinai Peninsula is limited under the Israel-Egypt peace deal.
Egyptian officials reported Friday that Israel is expected to agree to increase the number of troops, but an exact number has not been determined.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud A-Zahar are still in hiding, a senior Egyptian official told Al-Hayyat on Friday. The two fear Israel still sees them as a target despite the conclusion of the Cast Lead operation in Gaza, he explained.
Haniyeh, A-Zahar and others went into hiding during the operation as the IDF targeted Hamas leaders and bombed hundreds of the terror group's buildings, weapons caches and tunnels. Among those killed were senior Hamas heads Nizar Rayyan and Said Siam.
The official reported that Israeli political-security official Amos Gilad told Egyptian diplomats that Israel was not interested in a temporary ceasefire deal like the six-month ceasefire (also known as the tahadiyah) in the second half of 2008. Hamas has drastically reduced attacks from Gaza for the time being following a unilateral Israeli ceasefire, but no agreement has been struck. Israel, which does not want to grant Hamas legitimacy as a partner for negotiations, refers to any possible deal as a hasdarah, or 'arrangement.'
Govt. Plans Security Deal
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and a number of senior defense officials met Thursday night to discuss the practical details of a security deal with Egypt. Amos Gilad attended the meeting as well and reviewed his meeting with Egyptian diplomats and Egypt's plans to prevent weapons smuggling to Gaza.
Defense officials discussed methods of preventing smuggling, including ways to stop smugglers and weapons from approaching the Gaza border through the use of checkpoints and a constant naval presence in the area.
Egypt Wants More Soldiers near Gaza
Egypt has asked to triple the number of its troops along the Philadelphi Route dividing Egypt from Gaza. Currently, 750 soldiers are present in the area. The number of Egyptian troops in the Sinai Peninsula is limited under the Israel-Egypt peace deal.
Egyptian officials reported Friday that Israel is expected to agree to increase the number of troops, but an exact number has not been determined.
Comment on this story
7. Israel Overhauls Air Safety Ops
by Hana Levi Julian
The State of Israel is beginning a massive overhaul of its air safety operations in the wake of a downgrade in its rating to Category 2 last month by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
The downgrade dropped Israel’s airports into the same classification as airports in Indonesia, Zimbabwe, Ukraine, Honduras and Bulgaria, among others. The FAA cited “severe security shortcomings in Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority” in its decision to downgrade Israel’s largest airport.
The Israel Airports Authority said in a statement Friday that it would allocate an unprecedented NIS 9.5 million toward a training program for its flight controllers as part of the rehabilitation effort toward regaining its former Category 1 standing. The course, to begin next month, will include a simulator module to be carried out in Canada as well as computerized refreshers in operational competency and a quality assurance seminar in safety systems.
“The Israel Airports Authority has embarked on a new road in the realm of flight-control training,” announced IAA Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ovadia Eli. He added that the main task would be to “upgrade safety in Israeli air space by massive investment in this area.”
Among the staff to be trained are all IAA flight controllers and operations specialists, as well as flight-control shift leaders, unit heads and quality control supervisory personnel.
On-the-job training for the flight controllers at their own work stations will also be conducted, in accordance with FAA training regulations. The IAA also plans to compile a new manual of flight-control procedures as well, to be submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority for approval.
Eli said the Authority will also invest NIS 3.7 billion to upgrade the infrastructure, security and safety systems at Ben Gurion International Airport.
It was not clear when the upgrades at Ben Gurion Airport would begin, however.
Comment on this story
by Hana Levi Julian
The State of Israel is beginning a massive overhaul of its air safety operations in the wake of a downgrade in its rating to Category 2 last month by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
The downgrade dropped Israel’s airports into the same classification as airports in Indonesia, Zimbabwe, Ukraine, Honduras and Bulgaria, among others. The FAA cited “severe security shortcomings in Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority” in its decision to downgrade Israel’s largest airport.
The Israel Airports Authority said in a statement Friday that it would allocate an unprecedented NIS 9.5 million toward a training program for its flight controllers as part of the rehabilitation effort toward regaining its former Category 1 standing. The course, to begin next month, will include a simulator module to be carried out in Canada as well as computerized refreshers in operational competency and a quality assurance seminar in safety systems.
“The Israel Airports Authority has embarked on a new road in the realm of flight-control training,” announced IAA Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ovadia Eli. He added that the main task would be to “upgrade safety in Israeli air space by massive investment in this area.”
Among the staff to be trained are all IAA flight controllers and operations specialists, as well as flight-control shift leaders, unit heads and quality control supervisory personnel.
On-the-job training for the flight controllers at their own work stations will also be conducted, in accordance with FAA training regulations. The IAA also plans to compile a new manual of flight-control procedures as well, to be submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority for approval.
Eli said the Authority will also invest NIS 3.7 billion to upgrade the infrastructure, security and safety systems at Ben Gurion International Airport.
It was not clear when the upgrades at Ben Gurion Airport would begin, however.
Comment on this story
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