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1. Day After: Coalition Talks Begin
by Hana Levi Julian
The heads of the two leading parties, Kadima and Likud, have begun efforts to court the heads of the next two largest parties, Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is Our Home) and Shas, as they race against time to form competing government coalitions.
Neither party emerged a clear winner in Tuesday's election, with Kadima winning only one mandate more than Likud – a slim majority that may well disappear after the votes are counted from soldiers, hospital shut-ins and members of the diplomatic corps abroad.
Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni met Wednesday with top party officials Chaim Ramon, Meir Sheetrit, Dalia Itzik, Tzachi HaNegbi and Avi Dichter to decide what to offer Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman as enticement to join forces. The five officials will comprise Kadima's coalition negotiating team.
Livni spoke with Lieberman early Wednesday afternoon at her office in the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem after meeting first with Meretz party chairman Chaim Oron. The dovish Meretz faction dropped to three Knesset seats after the polls closed. Yisrael Beiteinu, meanwhile, became the third largest party after receiving 15 mandates at the polls.
At the same time, Likud chairman MK Binyamin Netanyahu was meeting with the head of the Shas Sephardic religious party, Eli Yishai, to negotiate support for his Likud-led coalition.
Netanyahu is not wasting any time and has moved up his meeting with Lieberman, scheduled for Thursday, to later in the day on Wednesday to discuss the Likud's proposal for Yisrael Beiteinu to join a Likud-led coalition. Professor Yaakov Ne'eman will head the Likud's negotiating team, said Netanyahu.
Final election results won't be posted until February 18, after all the votes from soldiers and Foreign Service personnel are counted. President Shimon Peres will not begin coalition talks with political party heads until all of the results are clear, said his spokeswoman, Ayelet Frish.
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by Hana Levi Julian
The heads of the two leading parties, Kadima and Likud, have begun efforts to court the heads of the next two largest parties, Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is Our Home) and Shas, as they race against time to form competing government coalitions.
Neither party emerged a clear winner in Tuesday's election, with Kadima winning only one mandate more than Likud – a slim majority that may well disappear after the votes are counted from soldiers, hospital shut-ins and members of the diplomatic corps abroad.
Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni met Wednesday with top party officials Chaim Ramon, Meir Sheetrit, Dalia Itzik, Tzachi HaNegbi and Avi Dichter to decide what to offer Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman as enticement to join forces. The five officials will comprise Kadima's coalition negotiating team.
Livni spoke with Lieberman early Wednesday afternoon at her office in the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem after meeting first with Meretz party chairman Chaim Oron. The dovish Meretz faction dropped to three Knesset seats after the polls closed. Yisrael Beiteinu, meanwhile, became the third largest party after receiving 15 mandates at the polls.
At the same time, Likud chairman MK Binyamin Netanyahu was meeting with the head of the Shas Sephardic religious party, Eli Yishai, to negotiate support for his Likud-led coalition.
Netanyahu is not wasting any time and has moved up his meeting with Lieberman, scheduled for Thursday, to later in the day on Wednesday to discuss the Likud's proposal for Yisrael Beiteinu to join a Likud-led coalition. Professor Yaakov Ne'eman will head the Likud's negotiating team, said Netanyahu.
Final election results won't be posted until February 18, after all the votes from soldiers and Foreign Service personnel are counted. President Shimon Peres will not begin coalition talks with political party heads until all of the results are clear, said his spokeswoman, Ayelet Frish.
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2. Bibi Hoping Bloc-Win Will Help
by Hillel Fendel
With the apparent near-tie between Likud and Kadima, all eyes are now turned to the three venues in which the final determination of the elections will be decided: The soldiers’ votes, the preliminary negotiations among the parties, and President Shimon Peres.
Though Kadima has apparently won 28 seats, compared to the Likud’s 27, past experience shows that this is likely to change after the votes of soldiers, diplomats, hospital patients and those who are ship-bound are counted. These votes, placed in double-envelopes, must be hand-compared with national lists to ensure that the voters did not vote twice.
In the last elections, in 2006, six seats changed hands after the final count, giving Likud, Meretz and Kadima an extra seat, and subtracting one each from Shas, Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home), and Labor. In 2003, the Likud and the National Religious Party gained a seat each, at the expense of an Arab party and the now-defunct Am Echad party. It can thus be assumed that the current totals are not the final results.
One result that is not expected to change, however, is the clear majority of the nationalist/religious camp over the left-wing sector. The former won a clear victory with 65 Knesset mandates, compared to only 55 for Kadima-Labor-Meretz and the Arab parties.
This fact gives Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu a clear edge over Kadima leader Tzipi Livni in his ability to form a government. President Peres, who is entrusted with the task of choosing a Knesset candidate to form a government, is to meet in the coming days with the leaders of all the parties that will be part of the next Knesset, and will hear their recommendations.
Although he is a former member of both Labor and Kadima, Peres is expected to realize that Livni has slim chances of actually forming a viable coalition to rule the country. She can do so only as head of a “national unity government” with the Likud and Labor, an unlikely scenario, or if both Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party and Labor agree to join Kadima – similarly unlikely.
Netanyahu, on the other hand, has the straightforward option of forming a coalition with Lieberman, Shas, United Torah Judaism, the National Union and the Jewish Home, for a total of 65 seats. In addition, from this position of power, he can also offer Kadima the option of joining his own “national unity government.”
For many weeks prior to the elections, the Likud had been expected to receive some 35 Knesset seats – and it is likely that this then caused the drop in the Likud’s support. Netanyahu explained repeatedly over the past several days that he seemed to be a victim of his own success in the polls: “Everyone is sure that I will win, so they’re choosing to vote for smaller parties that will ‘strengthen’ Netanyahu.” He said that nationalist-camp voters must vote for the Likud, in order to enable the Likud to form a strong, stable government.
Many nationalist camp voters did not heed this call, however, for several reasons. For one thing, they were confident that the Likud would win, and feared that if parties such as the Jewish Home did not receive the minimum amount of votes needed to enter the Knesset – 2%, equivalent to 3 Knesset seats – then these mandates would be lost to the nationalist camp and to the Likud’s ability to “form a strong, stable government.”
In addition, some simply felt that Netanyahu could simply not be trusted, recalling his support for the Disengagement from Gush Katif and northern Shomron.
Whether Peres chooses Netanyahu or Livni, only once before in Israeli history has a smaller party formed a government - and it lasted only 18 months. It occurred in 1999 when Ehud Barak turned Labor into the One Israel party and led it to the nation’s smallest victory count ever - 26 seats. His coalition government fell apart in December 2000 and he was forced to call new elections after only a year and a half in office.
A third coalition option could be a Likud-Kadima government, with other parties joining in, and with Netanyahu and Livni sharing the Prime Minister’s chair in a rotation agreement. Such an arrangement was implemented in the 1980’s between the Likud’s Yitzchak Shamir and Labor’s Peres, but is not expected to be a viable option this time.
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by Hillel Fendel
With the apparent near-tie between Likud and Kadima, all eyes are now turned to the three venues in which the final determination of the elections will be decided: The soldiers’ votes, the preliminary negotiations among the parties, and President Shimon Peres.
Though Kadima has apparently won 28 seats, compared to the Likud’s 27, past experience shows that this is likely to change after the votes of soldiers, diplomats, hospital patients and those who are ship-bound are counted. These votes, placed in double-envelopes, must be hand-compared with national lists to ensure that the voters did not vote twice.
In the last elections, in 2006, six seats changed hands after the final count, giving Likud, Meretz and Kadima an extra seat, and subtracting one each from Shas, Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home), and Labor. In 2003, the Likud and the National Religious Party gained a seat each, at the expense of an Arab party and the now-defunct Am Echad party. It can thus be assumed that the current totals are not the final results.
One result that is not expected to change, however, is the clear majority of the nationalist/religious camp over the left-wing sector. The former won a clear victory with 65 Knesset mandates, compared to only 55 for Kadima-Labor-Meretz and the Arab parties.
This fact gives Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu a clear edge over Kadima leader Tzipi Livni in his ability to form a government. President Peres, who is entrusted with the task of choosing a Knesset candidate to form a government, is to meet in the coming days with the leaders of all the parties that will be part of the next Knesset, and will hear their recommendations.
Although he is a former member of both Labor and Kadima, Peres is expected to realize that Livni has slim chances of actually forming a viable coalition to rule the country. She can do so only as head of a “national unity government” with the Likud and Labor, an unlikely scenario, or if both Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party and Labor agree to join Kadima – similarly unlikely.
Netanyahu, on the other hand, has the straightforward option of forming a coalition with Lieberman, Shas, United Torah Judaism, the National Union and the Jewish Home, for a total of 65 seats. In addition, from this position of power, he can also offer Kadima the option of joining his own “national unity government.”
For many weeks prior to the elections, the Likud had been expected to receive some 35 Knesset seats – and it is likely that this then caused the drop in the Likud’s support. Netanyahu explained repeatedly over the past several days that he seemed to be a victim of his own success in the polls: “Everyone is sure that I will win, so they’re choosing to vote for smaller parties that will ‘strengthen’ Netanyahu.” He said that nationalist-camp voters must vote for the Likud, in order to enable the Likud to form a strong, stable government.
Many nationalist camp voters did not heed this call, however, for several reasons. For one thing, they were confident that the Likud would win, and feared that if parties such as the Jewish Home did not receive the minimum amount of votes needed to enter the Knesset – 2%, equivalent to 3 Knesset seats – then these mandates would be lost to the nationalist camp and to the Likud’s ability to “form a strong, stable government.”
In addition, some simply felt that Netanyahu could simply not be trusted, recalling his support for the Disengagement from Gush Katif and northern Shomron.
Whether Peres chooses Netanyahu or Livni, only once before in Israeli history has a smaller party formed a government - and it lasted only 18 months. It occurred in 1999 when Ehud Barak turned Labor into the One Israel party and led it to the nation’s smallest victory count ever - 26 seats. His coalition government fell apart in December 2000 and he was forced to call new elections after only a year and a half in office.
A third coalition option could be a Likud-Kadima government, with other parties joining in, and with Netanyahu and Livni sharing the Prime Minister’s chair in a rotation agreement. Such an arrangement was implemented in the 1980’s between the Likud’s Yitzchak Shamir and Labor’s Peres, but is not expected to be a viable option this time.
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3. Israeli Gas Find Even More Huge
by Malkah Fleisher
A massive natural gas find off the coast of Haifa which was lauded as capable of fueling all of Israel for 15 years is actually more than 60 percent larger than originally estimated, according to the American partner in the drill, Noble Energy Inc.
Israeli companies Isramco Negev 2, Delek Drilling, Avner Oil Exploration, and Dor Gas Exploration had the majority of the stake on the dig – named Tamar-1 – which is estimated at a potential of 5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. That estimate is up from January, at which time the partners believed the well contained 3 million cubic feet of gas.
The team will keep their drilling rig in the area for two more wells they believe may be present as well.
"The implications of this discovery to Israel cannot be overstated," said Noble Energy Chief Executive Officer Charles Davidson, in a statement issued after following the revision of the estimate.
Isramco shares, which have skyrocketed 736 percent since the start of the year, were 7.2 percent higher on Wednesday morning compared with declines of over 2 percent in the broader market.
Delek Drilling is up 6.4 percent as of Wednesday morning, with Avner up 4.8 percent. Conglomerate Delek Group (DELKG.TA), the parent of Delek Drilling and Avner, is up 5.9 percent.
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by Malkah Fleisher
A massive natural gas find off the coast of Haifa which was lauded as capable of fueling all of Israel for 15 years is actually more than 60 percent larger than originally estimated, according to the American partner in the drill, Noble Energy Inc.
Israeli companies Isramco Negev 2, Delek Drilling, Avner Oil Exploration, and Dor Gas Exploration had the majority of the stake on the dig – named Tamar-1 – which is estimated at a potential of 5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. That estimate is up from January, at which time the partners believed the well contained 3 million cubic feet of gas.
The team will keep their drilling rig in the area for two more wells they believe may be present as well.
"The implications of this discovery to Israel cannot be overstated," said Noble Energy Chief Executive Officer Charles Davidson, in a statement issued after following the revision of the estimate.
Isramco shares, which have skyrocketed 736 percent since the start of the year, were 7.2 percent higher on Wednesday morning compared with declines of over 2 percent in the broader market.
Delek Drilling is up 6.4 percent as of Wednesday morning, with Avner up 4.8 percent. Conglomerate Delek Group (DELKG.TA), the parent of Delek Drilling and Avner, is up 5.9 percent.
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4. Hamas Tortures Opponents in Gaza
by Hana Levi Julian
The ruling Hamas terrorist organization that has maintained a suffocating hold on Gaza is torturing its internal opponents into silence, according to the Amnesty International human rights organization.
The group noted in its report, released Tuesday, "At least two dozen [Palestinian Authority Ara men have been kneecapped, beaten or otherwise tortured or ill-treated." Most were kidnapped from their homes, although some were tracked down in hospitals. The human rights group accused the terrorist organization of "abductions, killings, torture, and death threats against those they accuse of 'collaborating with Israel', as well as opponents and critics."
The allegations came as the result of testimony from residents who themselves were victimized, although it was noted that many others refused to testify due to fears of retaliation.
Those who spoke out told the human rights organization that victims who were kidnapped were usually later released wounded, in isolated areas, or their bodies were dropped off at the local morgue. Some were shot to death while they were lying wounded in hospitals.
The eyewitness accounts were gathered by a fact-finding team that was present in Gaza during and after the IDF's Operation 'Cast Lead', which ran for three weeks, beginning on December 27.
Amnesty International called on Hamas to immediately end its campaign of internal terror and agree to an independent, impartial, and nonpartisan commission of inquiry.
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by Hana Levi Julian
The ruling Hamas terrorist organization that has maintained a suffocating hold on Gaza is torturing its internal opponents into silence, according to the Amnesty International human rights organization.
The group noted in its report, released Tuesday, "At least two dozen [Palestinian Authority Ara men have been kneecapped, beaten or otherwise tortured or ill-treated." Most were kidnapped from their homes, although some were tracked down in hospitals. The human rights group accused the terrorist organization of "abductions, killings, torture, and death threats against those they accuse of 'collaborating with Israel', as well as opponents and critics."
The allegations came as the result of testimony from residents who themselves were victimized, although it was noted that many others refused to testify due to fears of retaliation.
Those who spoke out told the human rights organization that victims who were kidnapped were usually later released wounded, in isolated areas, or their bodies were dropped off at the local morgue. Some were shot to death while they were lying wounded in hospitals.
The eyewitness accounts were gathered by a fact-finding team that was present in Gaza during and after the IDF's Operation 'Cast Lead', which ran for three weeks, beginning on December 27.
Amnesty International called on Hamas to immediately end its campaign of internal terror and agree to an independent, impartial, and nonpartisan commission of inquiry.
Comment on this story
5. IDF Votes Hold the Key
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Voters gave Kadima 28 mandates in the next Knesset, one more than Likud, with almost all of Tuesday's ballots counted but not including votes of diplomats and soldiers, whose votes will be counted on Wednesday and Thursday. Their ballots are equal to five mandates.
Following is the current number of estimated MKs for each party following the counting of 99% of the available votes:
Kadima 28
Likud 27
Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) 14
Labor 13
Shas 11
United Torah Judaism (UTJ) 5
Ichud Leumi (National Union) 4
Jewish Home 3
Meretz 3
Arab parties 12
The votes of the armed forces usually tilt to the nationalist and religious parties, and are likely to create at least a tie and may even put Likud in the lead. The votes of diplomats overseas and soldiers changed the results in the last election by taking one Knesset seat away from Kadima. The number of Arab MKs also will likely be reduced after the soldiers' ballots are counted.
Kadima, headed by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, pulled ahead of the Likud by one MK, in a surprise finish. The biggest losers are the Meretz and Labor parties, while Arab parties are currently projected to place three more legislators in the Knesset than they currently have.
The Likud has the potential backing of 64 MKs, and the chances of Livni's forming a national unity government appeared nil after Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman spelled out his conditions that it would not join a government that does not want to bring down the Hamas government in Gaza. The party also strongly favors pledging Israeli citizens to a loyalty oath, a move that Kadima rejects.
Livni has declared victory by virtue of apparently winning the most mandates, but Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu and Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman each said that the votes for the nationalist and religious parties clearly give them the right to control the next government.
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by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Voters gave Kadima 28 mandates in the next Knesset, one more than Likud, with almost all of Tuesday's ballots counted but not including votes of diplomats and soldiers, whose votes will be counted on Wednesday and Thursday. Their ballots are equal to five mandates.
Following is the current number of estimated MKs for each party following the counting of 99% of the available votes:
Kadima 28
Likud 27
Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) 14
Labor 13
Shas 11
United Torah Judaism (UTJ) 5
Ichud Leumi (National Union) 4
Jewish Home 3
Meretz 3
Arab parties 12
The votes of the armed forces usually tilt to the nationalist and religious parties, and are likely to create at least a tie and may even put Likud in the lead. The votes of diplomats overseas and soldiers changed the results in the last election by taking one Knesset seat away from Kadima. The number of Arab MKs also will likely be reduced after the soldiers' ballots are counted.
Kadima, headed by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, pulled ahead of the Likud by one MK, in a surprise finish. The biggest losers are the Meretz and Labor parties, while Arab parties are currently projected to place three more legislators in the Knesset than they currently have.
The Likud has the potential backing of 64 MKs, and the chances of Livni's forming a national unity government appeared nil after Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman spelled out his conditions that it would not join a government that does not want to bring down the Hamas government in Gaza. The party also strongly favors pledging Israeli citizens to a loyalty oath, a move that Kadima rejects.
Livni has declared victory by virtue of apparently winning the most mandates, but Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu and Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman each said that the votes for the nationalist and religious parties clearly give them the right to control the next government.
Comment on this story
6. Rabbi's Guard Attacked Synagogue
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A former security guard who was responsible for protecting a Caracas rabbi has been charged with using his knowledge to help stage the January 31 attack on the house of worship where the rabbi officiated.
Venezuelan minister Tareck el Aissami said that the man and one other guard cut electricity cables to the synagogue's electronic fence, allowing more than a dozen others, including eight policemen, to attack the synagogue without touching off the alarm system.
The vandals damaged religious articles, sprayed "Jews - Get out" on the walls of the synagogue and stole a computer with the names and addressed of Jews in the country. The damage prohibited the congregation from praying in the Tiferet Israel synagogue the following Sabbath.
The bodyguard had stopped working for the rabbi in December, when he joined the Caracas police force.
Aissami said it was clear that the attack was an inside job because there was no evidence of a break-in. He added that the vandals were trying to implicate the Chavez government several weeks after he broke off diplomatic relations with Israel to protest Operation 'Cast Lead' against Gaza terrorists.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters in Washington, "We expect that the government of Venezuela will do what it can to make sure that that type of activity doesn't continue and to... arrest any perpetrators who may have carried out any type of anti-Semitic activity."
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A former security guard who was responsible for protecting a Caracas rabbi has been charged with using his knowledge to help stage the January 31 attack on the house of worship where the rabbi officiated.
Venezuelan minister Tareck el Aissami said that the man and one other guard cut electricity cables to the synagogue's electronic fence, allowing more than a dozen others, including eight policemen, to attack the synagogue without touching off the alarm system.
The vandals damaged religious articles, sprayed "Jews - Get out" on the walls of the synagogue and stole a computer with the names and addressed of Jews in the country. The damage prohibited the congregation from praying in the Tiferet Israel synagogue the following Sabbath.
The bodyguard had stopped working for the rabbi in December, when he joined the Caracas police force.
Aissami said it was clear that the attack was an inside job because there was no evidence of a break-in. He added that the vandals were trying to implicate the Chavez government several weeks after he broke off diplomatic relations with Israel to protest Operation 'Cast Lead' against Gaza terrorists.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters in Washington, "We expect that the government of Venezuela will do what it can to make sure that that type of activity doesn't continue and to... arrest any perpetrators who may have carried out any type of anti-Semitic activity."
Comment on this story
7. Australian Fires Set by Jihadis?
by Gil Ronen
As more than 31 major fires continued to rage in the Australian state of Victoria and the death toll approached 200, there was speculation on Tuesday that some of the blazes may have been set by Islamists waging a "holy war", or jihad.
No official has come out and voiced this suspicion, and most of the fires were attributed to lightning strikes during one of Victoria's hottest days on record. However, investigators have determined that some of the fires were deliberately set by arsonists, prompting Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to say that whoever was responsible for lighting the fires had committed "mass murder".
But bloggers have pointed to a report from September 2008 which warned that Australia had been singled out as a target for a "forest jihad" by a group urging Muslims to deliberately light bushfires as a weapon of terror.
According to the report in The Age five months ago, "U.S. intelligence channels earlier this year identified a website calling on Muslims in Australia, the U.S., Europe and Russia to 'start forest fires,' claiming 'scholars have justified chopping down and burning the infidels' forests when they do the same to our lands.'"
The website, reportedly run by a group called the Al-Ikhlas Islamic Network, "argues in Arabic that lighting fires is an effective form of terrorism justified in Islamic law under the 'eye for an eye' doctrine."
'This Terror Will Haunt Them'
The posting instructs jihadis to remember "forest jihad" in summer months. The article in The Age reported, "It says fires cause economic damage and pollution, tie up security agencies and can take months to extinguish so that 'this terror will haunt them for an extended period of time.'"
"Imagine if, after all the losses caused by such an event, a jihadist organisation were to claim responsibility for the forest fires," the website allegedly says. "You can hardly begin to imagine the level of fear that would take hold of people in the United States, in Europe, in Russia and in Australia."
The September report in The Age added that "Australian intelligence agencies are treating the possibility that bushfires could be used as a weapon of terrorism as a serious concern" and that "Attorney-General Robert McClelland said the Federal Government remained 'vigilant against such threats,' warning that anyone caught lighting a fire as a weapon of terror would feel the wrath of anti-terror laws."
The internet posting claimed the idea of forest fires had been attributed to imprisoned Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab Al-Suri. It said Al-Suri had urged terrorists to use sulphuric acid and petrol to start forest fires.
181 Deaths
The fires which began February 8 have so far resulted in at least 181 deaths, and 100 people have been admitted to hospitals across Victoria with burns. At least 20 are in critical condition.
The fires occurred during an exceptional heat wave, on a day when several localities across Victoria experienced their highest temperatures since records began in 1859. The numerous fires are largely the result of lightning strikes – but some are suspected to be the result of arson.
These suspicions led police to declare more than half of the state a crime scene.
Forensic teams of investigators are now moving into burned out houses and farms, looking for evidence of how the infernos were started, and who could have lit them.
Prime Minister Rudd suspended parliament and toured the affected region. "What can you say? What can you say?" asked a shaken Rudd. "There are no words to describe it other than mass murder," he said.
Closing in on a Suspect
But police say they are closing in on an arsonist thought responsible for the Churchill-Jeeralang fire in Gippsland and other fires at nearby Boolarra, which killed at least 22 people. Specialist teams used in the aftermath of the Bali bombings have been recruited for the locating and identifying victims of the fires.
Police believe a man who lit fires around Boolarra last month, destroying 29 houses, is the same person responsible for the Churchill blaze. They intend to release an image of a man sought for questioning over the fires.
"We'll soon be in a position to provide face images of people we believe responsible," Morwell Detective Sergeant Brett Kahan said.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
As more than 31 major fires continued to rage in the Australian state of Victoria and the death toll approached 200, there was speculation on Tuesday that some of the blazes may have been set by Islamists waging a "holy war", or jihad.
No official has come out and voiced this suspicion, and most of the fires were attributed to lightning strikes during one of Victoria's hottest days on record. However, investigators have determined that some of the fires were deliberately set by arsonists, prompting Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to say that whoever was responsible for lighting the fires had committed "mass murder".
But bloggers have pointed to a report from September 2008 which warned that Australia had been singled out as a target for a "forest jihad" by a group urging Muslims to deliberately light bushfires as a weapon of terror.
According to the report in The Age five months ago, "U.S. intelligence channels earlier this year identified a website calling on Muslims in Australia, the U.S., Europe and Russia to 'start forest fires,' claiming 'scholars have justified chopping down and burning the infidels' forests when they do the same to our lands.'"
The website, reportedly run by a group called the Al-Ikhlas Islamic Network, "argues in Arabic that lighting fires is an effective form of terrorism justified in Islamic law under the 'eye for an eye' doctrine."
'This Terror Will Haunt Them'
The posting instructs jihadis to remember "forest jihad" in summer months. The article in The Age reported, "It says fires cause economic damage and pollution, tie up security agencies and can take months to extinguish so that 'this terror will haunt them for an extended period of time.'"
"Imagine if, after all the losses caused by such an event, a jihadist organisation were to claim responsibility for the forest fires," the website allegedly says. "You can hardly begin to imagine the level of fear that would take hold of people in the United States, in Europe, in Russia and in Australia."
The September report in The Age added that "Australian intelligence agencies are treating the possibility that bushfires could be used as a weapon of terrorism as a serious concern" and that "Attorney-General Robert McClelland said the Federal Government remained 'vigilant against such threats,' warning that anyone caught lighting a fire as a weapon of terror would feel the wrath of anti-terror laws."
The internet posting claimed the idea of forest fires had been attributed to imprisoned Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab Al-Suri. It said Al-Suri had urged terrorists to use sulphuric acid and petrol to start forest fires.
181 Deaths
The fires which began February 8 have so far resulted in at least 181 deaths, and 100 people have been admitted to hospitals across Victoria with burns. At least 20 are in critical condition.
The fires occurred during an exceptional heat wave, on a day when several localities across Victoria experienced their highest temperatures since records began in 1859. The numerous fires are largely the result of lightning strikes – but some are suspected to be the result of arson.
These suspicions led police to declare more than half of the state a crime scene.
Forensic teams of investigators are now moving into burned out houses and farms, looking for evidence of how the infernos were started, and who could have lit them.
Prime Minister Rudd suspended parliament and toured the affected region. "What can you say? What can you say?" asked a shaken Rudd. "There are no words to describe it other than mass murder," he said.
Closing in on a Suspect
But police say they are closing in on an arsonist thought responsible for the Churchill-Jeeralang fire in Gippsland and other fires at nearby Boolarra, which killed at least 22 people. Specialist teams used in the aftermath of the Bali bombings have been recruited for the locating and identifying victims of the fires.
Police believe a man who lit fires around Boolarra last month, destroying 29 houses, is the same person responsible for the Churchill blaze. They intend to release an image of a man sought for questioning over the fires.
"We'll soon be in a position to provide face images of people we believe responsible," Morwell Detective Sergeant Brett Kahan said.
Comment on this story
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