Israeli-Arab War

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http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...114188,00.html


Arab League: Israel-Egypt peace treaty isn't sacred
Nabil Elaraby endorses amendments to 1979 Camp David Agreement, says it can be annulled if one side violates accord. 'It's not the Koran or the New Testament,' Arab League chief says
Published: 08.26.11, 12:45 / Israel News

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said Friday that all peace treaties are subject to the Vienna Convention which stipulates that if one side violates the agreement, the other can reserve the option to amend or annul the agreement.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya TV, Elaraby said that the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt can be amended, noting that the accords are "not sacred - they are not the Koran or the New Testament." In a jab addressed at ousted President Hosni Mubarak he noted that no one ever told Israel off under the old regime. "There were violations and they were ignored," he said.

Meanwhile, Egypt gears for a mass anti-Israel demonstration scheduled to be held outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo later on Friday. It is estimated that only several thousands will show up for the protest rather than the one million declared on Facebook. The protesters will demand that the Israeli ambassador be expelled from Egypt.

The Muslim Brotherhood announced it will take part in the rally. Egyptian newspaper Al-Youm Al-Sabe'a reported that several political movements are opposed to the demonstration.

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Obama's Mideast foreign policy strategy takes shape...

Hundreds rally in Cairo to demand Israeli ambassador's expulsion

Number of protesters is far fewer than the 'million' called for in preparations for the demonstration.

By DPA, Avi Issacharoff and Barak Ravid

Hundreds of Egyptians gathered Friday outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo calling on the government to expel Israel's ambassador over the border incident last week when five Egyptian policemen were killed by the IDF.
The police deaths occurred on August 19 during a shootout with militants near the Egyptian border, following attacks on a bus and other vehicles killed eight Israelis.

	Egyptians protesting outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo on Sunday August 21, 2011.
	Photo by: Reuters

In preparation for the demonstration, it was called "Million-man demonstration to expel the Israeli ambassador," and most of the protest groups have announced that they would participate, but the protesters who actually arrived were far fewer in number.

"The people want the right of our martyrs in Sinai be regained," protesters, holding the Egyptian flags, chanted outside the embassy amid tight security. Others shouted: "The people's first demand is to have the ambassador evicted."

One of the protesters shot in the air and managed to leave the scene before police could arrest him, according to witnesses.

A 23-year-old Egyptian, Ahmed Shahhat, climbed to the roof of the 13-story apartment building housing the embassy early Sunday morning and removed the Israeli flag from the roof, replacing it with an Egyptian flag he had carried with him.

Shahhat, who became an instant folk hero in Egypt, said his action had come in protest against the killing of the three Egyptian soldiers. A resident in the building opened his balcony door for Shahhat, who made the rest of the way down by elevator and was welcomed by thousands of protesters who have been demonstrating outside the building with calls to suspend the Israel-Egypt peace treaty.

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http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPol...aspx?id=235544


Egyptian official: Israel agrees to Sinai troop increase
By REUTERS AND JPOST.COM STAFF
08/26/2011 19:27

High-ranking Cairo security official says initial agreement between Egypt and Israel to deploy more Egyptian troops in Sinai region reached; claims long-running talks accelerated by Eilat terror attacks.

Egypt and Israel have agreed to increase the number of Egyptian troops in the Sinai border region after an eruption of violence in the area, a high-ranking security official told Reuters on Friday.

"After continued negotiations there is now an initial agreement between Egypt and Israel to deploy more Egyptian troops in the Sinai region," the Egyptian security official said, asking to remain anonymous.

The agreement was reached during long-running talks over border security. But the official said negotiations were pushed along by a deadly attack by gunmen last week, who killed eight Israelis. Israel said the attackers infiltrated from Gaza via the Sinai region.

The Egyptian offcial's comments would appear to confirm a report in The Economist on Friday which quoted Defense Minister Ehud Barak as saying Israel would agree to an increase in Egyptian troops in the Sinai to tighten security.

An Egyptian intelligence official told Reuters that Israel had become more responsive to Egypt's demands for deploying more troops and weapons there but could not confirm the report.

"Sinai is Egyptian land and yet our army has no control over it because of a decades-old peace treaty that limits Egyptian troops. Israel has no right to wag its finger at Egypt for security problems at the border unless it is willing to keep an open mind and negotiate amendments with Egypt," said Ali Abdullah, 31.

In response to the report in The Economist, Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin instructed the Knesset's legal adviser Eyal Yinon to examine whether the option of deploying thousands of IDF troops in Sinai would require Knesset approval.

"It is quite possible that the permission to allow the introduction of Egyptian forces in Sinai, which is defined as a demilitarized zone as part of the peace agreement, will require the approval of the Knesset," said Rivlin. "It is not enough that there is an agreement between the defense minister and prime minister, without the approval of the government."

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http://thedailynewsegypt.com/egypt/i...ys-report.html


Israel to OK thousands of Egyptian troops in Sinai, says report
By Maayan Lubell / Reuters August 26, 2011, 4:15 pm

JERUSALEM: Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak will agree to let Egypt deploy thousands of troops in the Sinai to tighten security after a deadly border attack by gunmen that strained relations between the two countries, the Economist reported on Friday.

Their 1979 peace treaty allows only a small presence of lightly armed Egyptian border guards in a demilitarized Sinai and also curbs Israeli deployment on its side of the frontier.

The Economist reported that Barak said Israel would also allow Egyptian helicopters and armored vehicles into Sinai but no tanks other than one battalion already stationed there.

Officials in the Israeli defense ministry and prime minister's office declined comment on the report by the London-based weekly news magazine.

The killing last week of eight Israelis near the southern seaside resort of Eilat by militants whom Israel said infiltrated from the Gaza Strip via the Sinai stoked Israeli fears of Cairo losing its grip on the sprawling desert peninsula since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak in February.

With Israel's agreement to temporary reinforcements, Egypt had already beefed up its forces in the Sinai and had been waging an offensive against militants in the area before the cross-border assault.

Barak's latest reported comments appeared to go a step further, suggesting open-ended deployment.

An Egyptian intelligence official told Reuters that Israel had been more responsive recently to Cairo's demands for increasing its troops at the Sinai border, after rejecting such requests in the past.

"Following recent violence at the border, Israel has become more understanding of the security situation we are dealing with in Sinai," the official said speaking on condition of anonymity.

He added that Israel and Egypt have been holding discussions on altering security arrangements in Sinai and Egypt boosting the number of its troops there.

Five Egyptian security men were killed in clashes between Israeli troops and the gunmen, seven of whom were killed.

Israel has offered to conduct a joint investigation into the deaths of the Egyptians in the incident, which triggered anti-Israeli protests in Cairo.

In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Barak was cautious about the effect a bolstered Egyptian military presence would have on securing Sinai. "I am not very optimistic that it will all change in a matter of weeks," Barak said.


Additional reporting by Marwa Awad in Cairo

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http://thedailynewsegypt.com/egypt/m...gypt-ties.html


Militants eye new border attacks to 'harm Israel-Egypt ties'
By Agence France-Presse August 26, 2011, 4:31 pm

JERUSALEM: Militant groups are planning a number of attacks along the Israeli-Egyptian border in order to damage ties between the two countries, an Israeli security source told AFP on Thursday.

"There are very serious intelligence warnings that in order to harm Israel-Egypt relations, more attacks are being planned," he told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In a statement issued late Thursday an anti-terrorism committee answerable to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Israelis not to visit the Sinai and urged those who were there to return home as quickly as possible.

The remarks came a week after gunmen infiltrated Israel's southern Negev desert from the Sinai and carried out a coordinated series of shooting attacks on buses and cars on a road which runs alongside the Egyptian border some 20 kilometers north of the Red Sea resort of Eilat.

Eight Israelis were killed and at least 26 wounded when militants armed with explosives, guns and grenades opened fire in a series of ambushes which took place over several hours.

During the hunt for the killers, five Egyptian policemen were shot dead by Israeli fire, sparking a diplomatic crisis between Egypt and Israel, with Cairo insisting that the Jewish state apologize.

However Egypt's information minister denied Thursday a state television report last week that Cairo had decided to recall its ambassador to Israel in protest.

During Thursday's hunt for the gunmen, defense officials were "certain" that nine gunmen involved in the attacks had been killed "in Israeli territory or on the border," the source said.

Officials had earlier said seven gunmen were killed — three of them who died in Israeli territory, and four who were shot dead on the Egyptian side of the border by Israel and Egyptian troops.

Up to 20 gunmen are thought to have been involved in the attack which Israel has blamed on the Gaza-based Popular Resistance Committees (PRC).

"They definitely were sent by PRC," the source said, but had no information about media reports suggesting a number of the attackers were Egyptian nationals.

"It is clear to the Israeli security establishment that between five and six Egyptian policemen were killed," he said, indicating the attackers were firing from an area "very close" to an Egyptian border post.

Despite a 1979 peace treaty with Israel, many Egyptians still view their neighbor with hostility and there have been calls to revise the peace agreement after a popular revolt ousted president Hosni Mubarak in February.

The military, which took power after Mubarak's overthrow, has said it would honor the treaty.


AFP

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http://www.13wham.com/news/world/sto...w.cspx?rss=105


Ahmadinejad: No place for Israel in region
Published: 11:35 am
Updated: 11:39 am

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's president says there will be no room for Israel in the region after the formation of a Palestinian state.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments reflect his typical anti-Israeli rhetoric, He drew international condemnation when he said in 2005 that Israel should be "wiped off the map."

He spoke at a ceremony Friday following nationwide pro-Palestine rallies marking Quds Day. Quds is the Arabic word for Jerusalem.

The annual demonstration is an occasion for Iranian officials to show their support for Palestinians and condemn Israel.
Ahmadinejad says establishment of a Palestinian state should be the first step in the liberation of entire Palestine.
Iran's Islamic leadership is hostile to Israel and backs anti-Israel groups like Palestinian Hamas.


©2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomac...salem-1.380896


Palestinians clash with IDF soldiers over access to Temple Mount in Jerusalem
Muslims demanding entry to Jerusalem to pray at the al-Aqsa mosque on last Friday of Ramadan, but only older men and women are permitted entry.
By DPA
Published 16:20 26.08.11
Latest update 16:20 26.08.11

Palestinians prevented by the IDF from attending Friday prayers in Jerusalem clashed with soldiers at the Qalandia checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, witnesses and an IDF spokesperson said.

Thousands of West Bank Palestinians over 50 years of age and younger women were allowed through the checkpoint to attend the last Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites, in Jerusalem's Old City.

But the IDF prevented the entry of younger male West Bank residents, prompting them to hold prayers at the checkpoint and later clash with the soldiers after pushing and shoving to cross the checkpoint into Jerusalem.

The protesters quickly dispersed after soldiers fired tear gas and stun grenades in their direction, causing several to suffer from gas inhalation.

Authorities had feared disturbances following Friday prayers, given the tensions on the Gaza border in the past week, which saw the IAF conduct a series of air raids on the Gaza Strip and militants in the Gaza launch around 170 rockets at Israel, resulting in deaths on both sides.

Palestinian, Israeli and international activists participated in the protest at Qalandia checkpoint demanding freedom of access for Muslims of all ages to Al-Aqsa Mosque for the Friday prayers.

Under the slogan "Knocking on Jerusalem Doors," the protesters hoisted Palestinian flags and signs calling on Israel to end its strict control over Jerusalem and to open it up to all Palestinians.

Israeli activist Jonathan Pollak told the German Press Agency DPA that the protest intended to "challenge the claim that Israel has the right to deny people access to Jerusalem."

He claimed there was just a "slim chance" that Israel would ever again allow free access for West Bank residents to Jerusalem for prayer at its Muslim or Christian holy sites, and that their protest was intended to challenge that.

Muslim officials at al-Aqsa Mosque estimated the number of worshippers at over 250,000, way short of the normal figure of half a million who normally attend the last Friday of Ramadan worship there.

While security forces beefed up its presence in the city and around the mosque, the prayers ended without incident.

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http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-e...state-1.380916


Nasrallah: Palestinians must not give up on 'grain of sand or drop of water' in fight for state
Anti-Israel protests held throughout Muslim world on 'Jerusalem Day' to show support for Palestinian cause.
By Jack Khoury
Published 19:03 26.08.11
Latest update 19:03 26.08.11

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called on the Palestinians not to give up on a “grain of sand or drop of water” in its fight for a state, as Jerusalem Day anti-Israel protests were held throughout the Muslim world on Friday to show support for the Palestinian cause.

The late supreme leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, declared the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan to be Quds, or "Jerusalem Day" and called for annual mass rallies against Israel and in support of the Palestinians.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah addressed an anti-Israel rally in the Lebanese city Maroun al-Rass on Friday, saying “Jerusalem is becoming more and more Jewish every day, but as far as we are concerned, Palestine is from the [Mediterranean] ocean to the [Jordan] river, and no one has any right to give up one grain of its land or one drop of its water.”

The Islamist leader continued, saying that Maroun al-Rasshas, site of Nakba Day clashes earlier this year, has become a symbol of the struggle against the Israeli occupation.

Nasrallah then called on the Arab League and leaders of the Muslim world to recognize the Palestinian right to Jerusalem.

The Hezbollah leader said that the entire occupation of Palestine is the core of the problem, adding that the focus must be on expelling Israel. Nasrallah claimed that “Gadhafi served Israel and the West’s interests”, and commended the Libyan rebels for their efforts to oust him.

Iran also held an anti-Israel rally in Tehran Friday, in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the Holocaust was a "big lie" used to justify establishment of the state of Israel.

"The Zionist regime's establishment was based on numerous deceptions and lies and one of the biggest lies was the Holocaust," Ahmadinejad said in a speech after the rally in Tehran and other Iranian cities.

"On the one hand we have the Zionist regime as the global axis of thieves and murderers and on the other hand we have the Quds Day which is the axis of those seeking freedom, justice and end of suppression," the president reiterated Friday at Tehran University.

The crowd at the university greeted the president's remarks with cries of Allah Akbar, meaning God is great, and by chanting anti-Israel slogans.

According to state television, millions of people attended the state-run anti-Israel rallies throughout the country to voice their support for Palestinians and its liberation from what they called Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

Ahmadinejad on Wednesday called for the eradication of Israel, saying that Iran would "never ever withdraw from this standpoint and policy."

[BRVoice]

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPol...aspx?id=235634


PA set on UN statehood bid unless Israel meets their terms
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
08/27/2011 22:21

Abbas says that if Israel accepts two-state solution along 1967 lines, and agrees to stopping settlement construction, Palestinians won't go to UN for recognition, statehood bid not mean to "isolate" Israel.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday set two conditions for abandoning his plan to ask the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state in September: acceptance of the 1967 lines as the basis for a two-state solution and a cessation of settlement construction.

"Without this we will continue going to the UN," Abbas said.

Addressing a group of Muslim religious leaders in Ramallah, Abbas said that the statehood bid was not aimed at "isolating" Israel or clashing with the US.

"We want to fulfill our dream of achieving official recognition of our Palestinian state with full sovereignty over the territories occupied in 1967 and a full membership in the UN." Abbas said that the statehood bid would lay the foundations for peace, justice and coexistence "instead of repression and aggression."

The Palestinians, he added, "want to put an end to the conflict and the occupation, which is the longest in modern history."

He accused Israel of turning the West Bank into separate cantons, "destroying any dream of a contiguous and independent Palestinian state." Abbas said that failed peace talks and ongoing construction in east Jerusalem were the main reason behind the PA's decision to go to the UN in September.

The US Consulate in Jerusalem, meanwhile, denied that Consul-General Daniel Rubenstein had threatened "punitive measures" if the Palestinians went ahead with plans to upgrade their status at the UN.

PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat claimed last Friday that the consul made the threat during a meeting with him.

The consulate, in a statement, said that Erekat's account of the meeting in Jericho was "not an accurate portrayal of the US position." The statement said that Washington's position was to encourage a return to negotiations with Israel.

A spokeswoman for the consulate was quoted by the Maan news agency as saying that "initiatives throughout the UN will not bring about the two-state solution and enduring peace, which both the parties and the US seek."

She said that the US Administration continues to oppose initiatives by the Palestinians in the UN because "there is no substitute for serious and substantive negotiations between the parties, and that remains our focus."

Erekat had claimed after the meeting that Rubenstein threatened that the US would cut off aid to the Palestinians if they insisted on going to the UN.

On Saturday, Erekat repeated his claim, adding that the Americans have threatened to veto the PA statehood bid and cut off financial aid to the Palestinians.

Erekat stressed that the Palestinians were nevertheless keen on avoiding confrontation with the US Administration over the statehood plan.

He said that the Palestinians were going to the UN after having conducted "thorough" consultations with experts and politicians, as well as Arab countries.

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http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=235606


'Israel nixes Haniyeh assassination at Egypt's request'
By JPOST.COM STAFF
08/27/2011 14:52

Egypt, Palestinian Authority pressure Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Palestinian Resistance Committees not to escalate tensions.

Israel planned to assassinate Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh following the terrorist attacks near Eilat, but canceled those plans at Egypt's request, Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram quoted an "informed Palestinian source" as saying Saturday.

According to the report, Egypt, with the assistance of the Palestinian Authority, also pressured the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement and Palestinian Resistance Committees (PRC), groups considered largely responsible for the recent rocket attacks on Israel, not to escalate tensions and to allow the situation to return to a state of calm, despite assassinations of PRC leadership by the IDF in the Gaza Strip.

On Thursday, an Egyptian official claimed that Cairo had prevented a large-scale IDF military operation from occurring in the Gaza Strip, as Israel reportedly "sought revenge" following the attacks in Eilat which left eight people dead, Ma'an quoted Egypt's envoy to the Palestinian territories, Yasser Othman, as saying.

Othman claimed that Egypt told Israel that it would not allow an operation to take place and Israel heeded the warning because of fear of the Egyptian people's reaction to such an operation.

Egyptians have been protesting outside of the Israeli embassy in Cairo and the Israeli consulate in Alexandria for a number of weeks, following the deaths of five Egyptian security forces during an exchange of fire between the IDF and gunmen who carried out the Eilat attacks.

Relations between Egypt and Israel became tense following those attacks, with reports - though later refuted - that Egypt had recalled its envoy from Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem refusing to issue an official apology for the deaths of the soldiers before conducting an investigation of the incident. Some protesters in Egypt have been demanding Cairo nix the Camp David Accords, which ended decades-long hostilities between Egypt and Israel, and cancel diplomatic relations with Israel.

With Egyptian president elections approaching - the date is set for Novemeber of this year - the issue of Egyptian-Israeli relations will likely become a tool for candidates, given the popularity of the matter amongst Egyptians.

[BRVoice]

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.p...out-2011-08-26


US watches as China raises Mideast clout
Friday, August 26, 2011
TAYLAN BİLGİÇ / ANALYSIS
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

Strengthened by its growing clout in the global economy, China is flexing its muscles in the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and elsewhere, posing a new challenge for the traditional dominance of the United States in regions of key strategic importance.

One day after it boycotted – together with Russia – the U.N. Security Council talks on a Western proposal to impose sanctions on the Syrian government, China took new aim at U.S. policies in the Middle East, reportedly announcing that it will vote in favor of Palestinian statehood when the matter is presented to the Security Council next month.

According to Palestinian news agency WAFA, a message to that effect from Chinese President Hu Jintao was delivered to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday.

China has “always supported the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state” on all of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, WAFA quoted Hu as saying.

This statement surely will increase pressure on U.S. President Barack Obama, who previously spurred high hopes that he may solve the Mideast problem during his presidency. More than 30 months after Obama took office on Jan. 20, 2009, Israel and the Palestinians are as far from a solution as ever. Naturally, hopes that Obama could make a difference in the region have been evaporating rapidly.

China’s rising confidence in the face of “voids of influence” left by the retreat of U.S. foreign policy owes much to Beijing’s global position of “lender of last resort” – it has more than $3 trillion of foreign reserves, mostly invested in U.S. government paper. In a massive public development drive, Beijing plans to build 221 cities with more than 1 million inhabitants by 2025, according to an Asia Times story. Chinese companies are busy investing throughout the globe, from Africa and the Middle East to Latin America and Southeast Asia. The nation’s outward foreign direct investment stock reached $246 billion in 2009 – up from $28 billion in 2000 and just $4 billion in 1990.


Making Davutoğlu jealous

This rising profile is reflected in global institutions as well – the deputy head of the International Monetary Fund and the senior vice president at the World Bank are Chinese nationals. China also maintains good relations with antagonistic rivals such as Iran, Israel and Saudi Arabia – probably triggering jealousy on the part of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, whose “zero problems with neighbors” policy has had “mixed results” at best.

And Beijing’s military development drive, which includes the theater of space, is raising eyebrows everywhere. The Asian giant earlier this year said military spending would rise to 601.1 billion yuan ($91.7 billion) in 2011.

On Friday, China dismissed a U.S. report on its military expansion as “completely groundless.” The U.S. defense department’s annual report to Congress, which the Hürriyet Daily News extensively covered, said China was increasingly focused on naval power and had invested in high-tech weaponry that would extend its reach in the Pacific and beyond. State news agency Xinhua said the U.S. analysis amounted to “interference” in China’s internal affairs.

As a ravaging crisis transforms the economic and political landscape in the West, a pragmatic China is finding ample opportunity to turn its “soft power” into a hard one. It remains to be seen whether the rise of Beijing’s clout in international diplomacy and economy will be a sustainable one.

[BRVoice]

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPol...aspx?id=235690


PM: Changes to Egypt peace deal need cabinet approval
By JPOST.COM STAFF
08/28/2011 12:04

Netanyahu responds to reports that thousands of Egyptian troops are to be deployed in Sinai, says "not something that we have to rush into."

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that any decision to increase the number of Egyptian troops in the Sinai border region must be approved by the cabinet. He was responding to reports that Egypt and Israel had agreed to let thousands of Egyptian troops, helicopters and armored vehicles into Sinai following an escalation in violence along the border.

The move to deploy troops in Sinai would change details outlined in the peace agreement with Egypt and the prime minister said this is not something that Israel should "rush into."

"Security arrangements must be dealt with, and we must invest more resources in building the barrier on the border with Egypt," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu made the comments during a forum of Likud ministers before the weekly cabinet meeting.

The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) said in response that "by law, the committee must approve changes to the agreement with Egypt and permitting more Egyptian troops in Sinai."

"The diplomatic level must make the decisions and we must approve them," he said.

An Egyptian security official said on Friday that after continued negotiations, an initial agreement between Egypt and Israel had been reached to deploy more Egyptian troops in the Sinai region."

But the official said negotiations were pushed along by a deadly attack by gunmen last week, who killed eight.

The Egyptian official's comments would appear to confirm a report in The Economist on Friday which quoted Defense Minister Ehud Barak as saying Israel would agree to an increase in Egyptian troops in the Sinai to tighten security.

In response to the report in The Economist, Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin instructed the Knesset's legal adviser Eyal Yinon to examine whether the option of deploying thousands of Egyptian troops in Sinai would require Knesset approval.

"It is quite possible that the permission to allow the introduction of Egyptian forces in Sinai, which is defined as a demilitarized zone as part of the peace agreement, will require the approval of the Knesset," said Rivlin. "It is not enough that there is an agreement between the defense minister and prime minister, without the approval of the government."

Reuters contributed this report.

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http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...113939,00.html


Hosni Mubarak's revenge
Op-ed: Anti-Israel Mubarak, who encouraged Jew hatred, must be savoring Sinai catastrophe
Moshe Dann
Published: 08.28.11, 11:35 / Israel Opinion

For three decades, Hosni Mubarak tried to undermine the peace process that his predecessor, Anwar Sadat, set in motion. Except for one visit – for Yitzhak Rabin's funeral – he never visited Israel and viciously attacked Israel whenever possible.

He taught his people to despise Israel and, along with Saudi Arabia and others, was a purveyor of Jew-hatred. Egypt was a major publisher of Hitler's Mein Kampf and the notorious Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and promoted this poison throughout the Arab world.

On trial in Cairo for crimes against his own people, at least he can savor his legacy of hatred for Jews and Israel, watching the Sinai Peninsula becoming the dagger of his revenge.

He might also remember his accomplices in the US, Europe, and even in Israel who refused to challenge his ruthlessness and his policies. Although an unsavory partner, he was willing to keep minimal contractual agreements with Israel to supply natural gas, as long as the golden eggs from that goose fell into his pockets.

Mubarak played a delicate game of subterfuge regarding Israel. He understood that defeating Israel on the battlefield was not possible; indirect means were more effective.

Allowing the Sinai Peninsula to be used as a transit area for weapons and terrorists, for example, was easy; it provides revenue for Bedouins and Egypt was not held responsible. Israel's interception of the Karine A, a ship filled with weapons for Palestinian terrorists headed for Sinai proved how the system worked. No one blamed Egypt.

Indeed, according to intelligence sources weapons flow freely from Libya, Iran and Sudan through Egypt into Sinai and the Gaza Strip.

Mubarak measured his hostility towards Israel – like other regional dictators – to placate his American and European supporters. But he also needed to pay attention to his domestic rivals, extremist Islamic groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, an indigenous Egyptian organization with wide popular support. Cracking down on them was tolerated by the West and the Egyptian power elite as the price of stability.

Heavily dependent on tourism, Egypt needed to maintain an aura of peace; terrorism against domestic targets, especially tourists, was a knife in the heart of Egypt's economy.

Israel went along with Mubarak's charade of peace because it meant no war. Mubarak understood this weakness and used it shrewdly, condemning and undermining Israel and supporting Israel's enemies - called "cold peace."


Sinai an extension of Gaza

Two events changed the game: Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the revolution in Egypt.

With Israel no longer in control of the border area known as the Philadelphia Corridor, Gazans were in direct contact and sometimes conflict with Egypt. Massive tunneling under the border required Egyptian compliance and cooperation; it also meant Egyptian responsibility for trade with Gaza. When Hamas took over, it provided the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist and Jihadist groups with a de facto semi-sovereign territorial base directly on Israel's borders. The Sinai Peninsula became the critical land bridge for terrorists between Egypt and Gaza to launch attacks on Israel.

Once Mubarak was overthrown, therefore, all nominal restraints on terrorists disappeared. Sinai became hostile and lawless territory, controlled by an estimated 350,000 Bedouin who don't consider themselves Egyptians, or under Egypt's authority. A few thousand Egyptian police, their number severely limited by the Camp David Agreements, were and are no match for the Bedouin.

The Sinai has now become an extension of the Gaza Strip with one main difference: It is under Egyptian sovereignty. In order to regain control Egypt will have to deploy a massive number of troops to subdue the Bedouin, Hamas, Islamists, Jihadists, etc. Their hands full with domestic turmoil, it's doubtful they can, or want to do it, since Israel is the primary victim of semi-anarchy.

Israeli leaders who ignored these developments were either grossly incompetent or politically motivated. Once Hamas took over in the Gaza Strip, the imperative of building a fence along the Egyptian border should have been the highest priority. It was not.

Egypt's ability and commitment to supply Israel with natural gas is now in doubt. Infiltration and smuggling are increasing. The vulnerability of this border is the most serious threat to Israel's security today. Egyptian politicians and Islamists are calling for an end to peace treaty with Israel and may soon have the power to abrogate it.

Although Israel has no control over what happens in other countries, it does have the right to protect itself. According to international law, respecting the sovereignty and/or integrity of another country or entity becomes invalid when that country or entity is unable or unwilling to prevent attacks from its territory, or is a sponsor or co-sponsor of attacks.

The first obligation of a government is to protect its citizens. If it cannot, or is willing to do so, it has forfeited its mandate and should resign.


The author is a historian and journalist living in Jerusalem.

[BRVoice]

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPol...aspx?id=235728


Mofaz accuses coalition of 'silencing' report on UN bid
By LAHAV HARKOV AND GIL HOFFMAN
08/28/2011 16:43

FADC chairman slams gov't for voting not to release report on fallout of Palestinian UN statehood bid: "PM doesn't want to hear c'tee's opinion, which is that he failed in his handling of the strategic process."

Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) slammed the coalition on Sunday, accusing them of attempting to silence him by voting against a report on the consequences of the Palestinian UN statehood bid.

"The coalition is attempting to shut my mouth and prevent the report from being published," Mofaz said, following the vote. "The coalition has a majority, but it should not be used to silence the committee that is responsible for overseeing the work of the heads of the country."

The Kadima MK called the results of the vote "scandalous" and potentially harmful to Israel. However, the opposition and the coalition agreed to keep the contents of the report classified.

He explained: "This report is intended to prevent oversight on the part of decision-makers."

"The coalition tried to say this is my personal report, and not the committee's, but I haven't been talking to myself for the past months. This is not a political report."

Mofaz and the subcommittee headed by MK Yohanan Plesner (Kadima), spoke to top IDF officers, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, as well as Mossad, Shin Bet and National Security Council officials, before compiling the report.

"The prime minister doesn't want to hear the committee's opinion, which is that he failed in his handling of the strategic process," the committee chairman said.

Although the report will not be distributed to the press, as was previously announced, copies will be sent to Netanyahu, Barak, Lieberman and IDF officers, so they can respond to it before the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Mofaz called upon those receiving the report to "read it and take it seriously."

"The committee will continue to supervise the processes before and after September," Mofaz added. "Otherwise we would not be doing our job properly."

MK Arye Eldad (National Union) voted with the coalition, explaining that "Mofaz's image consultants must have told him to write an essay about 'what I did on my summer vacation,' and then publish it in the name of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee."

"Mofaz's point of view on the need to establish a Palestinian state and divide Jerusalem are well-known, but his hutzpah reached new heights when he attempted to wrap his ideas in the guise of a professional, objective report," Eldad added.

Mofaz, however, insisted that "there is nothing personal – it's a terrific report," but its findings cannot be published because it is "mostly based on classified information."

Plesner explained that "the report actually passed the censor, but we decided it wouldn't be right to publish it, because it would be diplomatically embarrassing for Israel."

[BRVoice]

Palestinian injures five in Tel Aviv

See in the link:

http://youtu.be/IJtBmXFp4Yo

[BRVoice]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...115022,00.html


Gantz orders IDF reinforcement in South after terror alert
Islamic Jihad terrorist cell is believed to have left Gaza and entered Sinai; defense establishment informs Egypt of alert
Published: 08.29.11, 08:21 / Israel News

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz has ordered a reinforcement of army presence near the southern Gaza Strip and the Israel-Egypt border following a terrorist alert indicating that the Islamic Jihad was planning to perpetrate an attack in the area.

It is estimated that the terrorist cell has already left the Gaza Strip to Sinai, which has become a hotbed of terrorist activity in recent months. The defense establishment has also passed on details of the alert to Egypt.

Army officers stressed again on Monday that they view Hamas as the responsible party for any terrorist activity in Gaza or that originates in Gaza.

Gantz's directive was issued after some tense two weeks in the sector following the terrorist attack in which eight Israelis were killed.

After the attack, the IDF had confirmed that despite an alert that came from the Shin Bet, it preferred to open Highway 12, which runs along the border with Egypt towards Eilat, especially in light of the estimate that terrorists would not try to infiltrate the border in daytime. Since the attack, the highway has been closed.

[BRVoice]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...115216,00.html


Aharonovich: Students, remain vigilant
Interior security minister visits scene of Tel Aviv terror attack, lauds police officers, security guards for 'swift response that prevented a much graver attack against teenagers'
Roi Kais
Published: 08.29.11, 14:01 / Israel News

Only a few dozen meters and a security barrier separated between a Palestinian terrorist and a stolen taxi – and the thousands of teenagers partying on the streets of Tel Aviv.

Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch on Monday visited the scene of the overnight terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, in which eight Israelis were wounded, and lauded the swift response of the police officers and security guards who were injured in the incident.

"The officers' reaction prevented a much graver attack against teenagers," he said, adding that "the message of this event is that the police officers are the bullet-proof vest that prevents terror attacks against teenagers."

Three people are still hospitalized in Tel Aviv's Sourasky Medical Center; two are in serious condition and one sustained moderate to serious injuries.

According to an initial investigation, the terrorist – a 20-year-old man from Nablus – planned the attack on his own, purchased a knife and carjacked a taxi near the Tel Aviv central bus station.

The interior security minister said that the scenario of a lone attacker is known but very hard to predict. He also stressed that security forces try to prepare for such events as much as possible.

Aharonovitch entered the 'HaOman 17' club, where the attack took place, and called on students about to begin the new school year to "remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to the police."

Earlier on Monday, Tel Aviv police chief Aaron Aksol said, "There is no doubt that the border police checkpoint prevented a much graver catastrophe. Our preparedness following terrorist warnings has proven itself."

Israel police chief Yohanan Danino also arrived at the scene of the attack and praised the border police preparedness. He explained that police forces were on alert ahead of the end of Ramadan and that's why the checkpoint was set up near the nightclub.

[BRVoice]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...115374,00.html


PA condemns Tel Aviv terror attack
Palestinian Authority blasts vehicular terror attack outside Tel Aviv nightclub. Nablus sources: This was act of a lone individual. PA does not support terror
Elior Levy
Published: 08.29.11, 18:33 / Israel News

The Palestinian Authority has officially censured the terror attack which took place outside Haoman 17 nightclub in Tel Aviv overnight.

Eight people were wounded in the terror attack, which took place in the small hours of Monday morning. The 20-year-old perpetrator was arrested after he rammed into a Border Guard roadblock stationed near the nightclub and stabbed several police officers and security guards.

"The Presidency condemns any attacks on civilians, including the one early this morning, Ramallah said in a statement.

In the same breath, however, the Palestinian Authority also condemned the IDF strikes in Gaza and the raids conducted by Israeli security forces in the West Bank and in east Jerusalem.

The terrorist is believed to be a resident of the West Bank city of Nablus. Despite the arrest, a senior source in the office of the Governor of Nablus told Ynet that it is still unclear who is behind the attack: "We’ve managed to obtain the names of two people who could, potentially, be behind the attack, but one of them is not listed as a resident of Nablus."


According to the source, the District Coordination Office gave us a third name from a village south of Hebron, but we couldn’t find him there."

Nablus residents, he added, were stunned by the reports suggesting that a resident of their city had perpetrated such an attack.

"People here no longer support terror attacks. This was done by one lone individual and he couldn’t have been sent by a terror group, because the overall air in the Palestinian Authority is against terror attacks," he said.

A senior source in the Palestinian security forces reiterated that there were still no new details about the terrorist's identity.

[BRVoice]

http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Ar...aspx?id=235852


Barak: We won't let terror attacks affect our daily lives
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND YAAKOV LAPPIN
08/29/2011 13:18

Defense minister says security on high alert following terror attack outside south Tel Aviv club, intelligence of attack near Gaza.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday assessed the current security situation following a terror attack in Tel Aviv and the threat of another attack near Gaza and said terrorism would not be allowed to affect life in Israel.

"The Shin-Bet (the Israel Security Agency), police and IDF are primed and prepared to prevent terrorists from disrupting daily life in Tel Aviv and within our cities," Barak said during a visit to Ashkelon. "We are resolved in our intent to strike those who carry out attacks," he added.

Barak said security forces were on high alert in the South "with the potential of a further terror attack similar to the one that took place ten days ago," Barak said.

Commenting on raised tensions on the Gaza border and the renewed threat of rocket fire from the coastal territory, Barak said Israel was moving "full speed ahead" on development and deployment of the Iron Dome rocket defense system.

"We will have a third Iron Dome system within ten days, which will be able to defend Ashdod, beyond those already defending Ashkelon and Beersheba," he said, noting that a fourth battery was expected by year's end, and nine were to be operational within the next two years.

Eight people were injured in south Tel Aviv early Monday morning, when a terrorist from the West Bank carjacked a taxi and rammed it into a police road block protecting a nightclub, before going on a stabbing spree.

Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch on Monday afternoon visited the scene of the attack and said that the police reaction prevented a huge tragedy that would have badly affected a number of children.

Aharonovitch said that this kind of attack carried out by a lone terrorist is a well known scenario but is hard to forecast. Therefore, Aharonovitch said, it is important to prepare for every possible outcome in situations like this.

"The main message of the attack is that the police acted as a security shield and prevented teenagers from being hurt," he continued.

Police said the terrorist, a 20-year-old Nablus resident, entered a taxi near the beginning of Salameh Street, and hijacked the vehicle, stabbing the driver in the hand. He then drove for approximately a kilometer down Salameh Street towards the Haoman 17 nightclub, which was filled with high school children at an end-of-summer party. At the time of the attack, almost all of the teenagers were inside the club.

Border Police had set up a precautionary road block ahead of time at the entrance to the club on Abarbanel Street, in Tel Aviv's Florentine neighborhood. The terrorist rammed the road block, and struck a number of civilians and a border policeman.

[BRVoice]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...115259,00.html


Report: Israel allows 1,500 Egyptian troops into Sinai
Former Egyptian ambassador to Israel says amendment to peace treaty with Israel allowed army to reinforce presence in Peninsula ahead of wide-scale military operation, al Hayat newspaper reports
Roee Nahmias
Published: 08.29.11, 15:12 / Israel News

1,500 Egyptian soldiers deployed across the Sinai Peninsula on Monday following an agreement between Israel and Egypt to increase the number of Egyptian troops in the peninsula's areas B and C, the London-based al Hayat newspaper reported on Monday.

According to the report, the sides are currently negotiating an agreement to deploy additional troops in the area.

Former Egyptian Ambassador to Israel Muhammed Basioni told the newspaper that "the Egypt-Israel peace treaty provides in clause 4 that each one of the sides can amend the security arrangements if the other side agrees to it.

"Egypt relied on this article – which prohibits the entrance of Egyptian military forces into area C and allows only police force presence – in order to amend its deployment arrangements in the area," he said.

According to Basioni, "In 2008, Palestinians infiltrated Egypt from the Gaza Strip. Egypt then asked for the deployment of 750 border guard officers and the request was granted.

"Following recent security developments in Sinai, the authorities decided to launch a wide-scale security operation with large military and police forces, and to that end we requested to scour the area between Rafah, al-Arish and Sheikh Zawid," the former ambassador said.

"We've reinforced our deployment to 1,500 soldiers and armored vehicles in areas B and C," stated Basioni without saying when the forces entered the area.


Peace treaty amendment

Meanwhile, a senior Egyptian military official said that Cairo was "considering amending clauses in its peace treaty with Israel relating to deployment of forces, their scope and equipment stationed in the Sinai Peninsula in order to maintain security in the area," the Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported.

According to the report, the military council is reevaluating the clauses to adapt them to Egypt's new foreign policy following the January 25 revolution.

At the beginning of the year, the Israeli government unexpectedly decided to allow the Egyptian army to deploy 800 soldiers in the peninsula, for the first time since signing the peace agreement more than three decades ago.

In the 1979 peace treaty, the Sinai Peninsula was declared as a demilitarized zone and was divided into areas A, B and C, with the latter only open to international peacekeepers and Egyptian civilian police forces.

Meanwhile, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz has ordered a reinforcement of army presence near the southern Gaza Strip and the Israel-Egypt border following a terrorist alert indicating that the Islamic Jihad was planning to perpetrate an attack in the area.

It is estimated that the terrorist cell has already left the Gaza Strip to Sinai, which has become a hotbed of terrorist activity in recent months. The defense establishment has also passed on details of the alert to Egypt.