THE CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST



The Western Wall - Old Jerusalem

Below follows News, Info, Links and Articles on the crisis in the Middle East.



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Wedn, May 30 -- 2001 : Bomb explodes in Netanya -- (16:15) A car bomb exploded in Netanya's old industrial area minutes ago. At least two people were injured, both lightly. More on JPostRadio.

Tue, May 29 -- 2001 : Two women killed in terror attack -- A 50-year-old woman and a 20-year-old woman were killed in the shooting attack near Neveh Daniel in Gush Etzion on Monday afternoon. More on JPostRadio.

Tue, May 29 -- 2001 : Rage, gunfire at Zar funeral -- (20:30) Mourners at the funeral for Gilad Zar, who was killed in a shooting attack this morning, came under fire themselves. One mourner says people are vowing to take matters into their own hands, and they are willing to pay any price. More on JPostRadio.

Sun, May 27 -- 2001 : Car bombs explode in Jerusalem -- Some 20 people have been treated for shock and very light injuries after two bombs exploded in the capital. More on JPostRadio

Sat, May 26 -- 2001 : Muslim states take stand against Israel -- DOHA, Qatar (CNN) -- Muslim states agreed Saturday to move toward halting political contacts with Israel to pressure it to end eight months of deadly clashes with the Palestinians. More on CNN

Fri, May 25 -- 2001 : Dozens wounded in Hadera car bombing -- The two people killed in a Hadera terror attack about one hour ago were most likely the suicide bombers, according to police reports. Almost 40 Israelis have been evacuated to Hadera-area hospitals or received treatment at the scene of the bombing. Two Israelis were moderately wounded in the attack and most of the remainder are suffering from light wounds and shock. The bombers' car reportedly was able to enter into the platform area of Hadera's central bus station. (Source: WENT )

Fri, May 25 -- 2001 : Large terror explosion prevented in Gaza -- IDF troops detonated a large bomb planted by Palestinian forces adjacent to the boundary fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip early this morning. The bomb was planted along the boundary road between the Nahal Oz and Karni border crossings. Not long after dawn, IDF reserve soldiers identified the bomb and closed the road to traffic. The bomb was detonated in a controlled explosion, preventing what the IDF Spokesperson called a 'major disaster' in an area that sees a significant amount of pedestrian and commercial vehicle traffic. (Source: WENT )

Fri, May 25 -- 2001 : Reports: 12 injured in Hadera bomb -- More details on the latest terror act on JPostRadio

Thu, May 24 -- 2001 : Gunfire and anger in Gilo -- (19:00) For the fourth night in a row, Palestinian gunmen have opened fire on the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, and residents say they've have had enough, reports The Jerusalem Post's Etgar Lefkovits.

Thu, May 24 -- 2001 : IDF shoots down Lebanese plane -- A Lebanese man, who was not allowed to fly without a trainer on board, piloted a Cessna airplane into Israel's airspace on Thursday morning. Israel's air force attempted to signal the pilot to get him to turn around or to land, but he refused to acknowledge the signals. Helicopters then shot down the Cessna near Michmoret, which is between Netanya and Caesarea. More on JPostRadio

Wedn, May 23 -- 2001 : Catastrophe averted in Southern Gaza; Israeli bomb squad dismantle 20 Russian made landmines -- IDF officials are now reporting that bomb squad technicians successfully dismantled a complicated and powerful string of explosive devices that included twenty Russian made landmines. The technicians worked over a period of hours. The explosives were spotted by trackers in the area of the old hothouses of the community of Morag. (Source: WENT )

Wedn, May 23 -- 2001 : PA rejects Israel's cease-fire offer -- The Jerusalem Post's Palestinian affairs correspondent, Lamia Lahoud, reports on the Palestinian reaction to Israel's offer of a cease-fire. More

Wedn, May 23 -- 2001 : Sharon calls for ceasefire, Ben-Eliezer for halt to offensive operations -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has called on the PA to agree to an immediate ceasefire. Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer has ordered the IDF to halt all operational actions against the Palestinians. More on JPostRadio.

Mon, May 21 -- 2001 : More than 30 large dams and drainage of Tigris & Euphrates Rivers leaving wasteland behind -- Intensive damming and drainage of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers has transformed the southern Iraqi marshland at the heart of the Fertile Crescent into a salt-encrusted wasteland, a U.N. study said on Friday based on newly released satellite images from NASA. More

Mon, May 21 -- 2001 : Kicking the water habit. -- Latest surveys show the water crisis is even worse than expected. The Jerusalem Post's David Rudge says Israel will have to stop its wasteful water habits to survive the summer. More

Mon, May 21 -- 2001 : Violence continues in territories -- A bomb exploded this afternoon by an Israeli schoolbus near Einav east of Tulkarm, while two mortar shells were fired at Netzer Hazani in the Gaza Strip. More on JPostRadio

Sun, May 20 -- 2001 : Arab League urges suspending Israeli political contact -- Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Cairo, Egypt, have recommended that the group's member nations suspend political contact with Israel as long as "aggression and occupation" continues. More on CNN.

Fri, May 18 -- 2001 : Israeli jets hit back after suicide bombing -- JERUSALEM (CNN) -- For the first time in the seven-month conflict, Israeli fighter jets were used against Palestinian targets Friday, after a suicide bomb killed six outside a crowded mall. More

Fri, May 18 -- 2001 : Bomb rocks Mideast resort -- At least 30 people are injured and some are killed in an apparent suicide bomb attack in the Israeli coastal resort of Netanya. CNN's Mike Hanna said police believed a man detonated the bomb attached to his body at the entrance of a shopping center after being refused entry today. More on CNN.

Wedn, May 16 -- 2001 : Bombs explode in Jerusalem, Gaza Strip -- A bomb exploded on a main thoroughfare in eastern Jerusalem a short time ago. No one was wounded when the device exploded near a Palestinian transit stop on Nablus Road. A small explosive device in a plastic bag went off outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, but no one was hurt, Israeli police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said. A Palestinian man saw the suspicious package on the ground and threw it into an open grassy area, where it exploded, said witness Omar Julani. (Source: WENT )

Wedn, May 16 -- 2001 : Ukrainian Jews coming to Israel -- JERUSALEM, May 16 (UPI) -- A Jewish community of 50 people recently discovered in southwestern Ukraine by a Jewish agency is moving to Israel, reports said Wednesday. More

Wedn, May 16 -- 2001 : Ben-Eliezer issues warning to Syria -- Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer is advising Syrian President Bashar Assad that the time has come for him to rein in Hizbullah in southern Lebanon. Syria, says Ben-Eliezer, is responsible for everything that happens in Lebanon and will pay the price for Hizbullah's actions. More on JPostRadio

Tue, May 15 -- 2001 : Five Palestinians die in 'Al-Nakba' clashes -- Dozens are injured in clashes on the day Arabs commemorate The Great Catastrophe - the creation of the State of Israel. More

Mon, May 14 -- 2001 : Israeli attack kills five Palestinian police -- JERUSALEM -- Five Palestinian police officers were killed in an Israeli attack in the West Bank early Monday morning, Palestinian officials have confirmed. More on CNN.

Sun, May 13 -- 2001 : IDF kills Fatah activist in Jenin -- Israeli helicopters fired rockets at Fatah and Tanzim activists in a parked car in Jenin over the weekend. Two passengers managed to escape, while the third man, Mo'tassem al-Sabbah, 26, was killed. More on JPostRadio

Thu, May 10 -- 2001 : Gaza bombing claims second victim -- A second Romanian worker has died following the roadside bombing in Gaza. More on JPostRadio

Wedn, May 9 -- 2001 : Hamas: "The Third Temple is on the Way" -- A Hamas terrorist organization communique released this week repeated a common Arab theme this week when it wrote that "Zionist premier Ariel Sharon is expected to hold a special discussion with two of his ministers ... on the establishment of the alleged Jewish temple in the Aqsa Mosque." More

Tue, May 8-- 2001 : European sources: Sharon prepares for war -- The Kuwaiti daily al-Seyasah issued in Kuwait on Monday quoted well-informed European sources as saying that following the change in the French attitude, the looseness of the Russian position and the internal split in Lebanon, the Israeli prime minister is preparing to launch a limited war against Syria.More

Tue, May 8-- 2001 : International community condemns Israel -- Russia and Denmark are accusing Israel of using excessive force against Palestinian violence. Their criticism coincided with the funeral of four-month-old Iman Hijo's funeral, who was killed by an IDF tank shell on Monday afternoon. More on JPostRadio

Mon, May 7-- 2001 : Jewish Prayer on Temple Mount Discussed -- Public Security Minister Uzi Landau insists that a way must be found for Jews to be able to pray on the Temple Mount, and a meeting is being held this morning on the matter. In attendance are Prime Minister Sharon, Jerusalem Affairs Minister Eli Suissa, and Landau. The illegal Waqf construction on the holy site is also on the agenda. (Source: Arutz Sheva)

Mon, May 7-- 2001 : Pope leaves resounding message of inter-faith harmony, regional & political peace -- Pope John Paul II wound up his historic visit to Syria Monday, leaving a resounding message of inter-faith harmony and regional peace, with the political realities of the region inevitably featuring alongside. More

Mon, May 7-- 2001 : Israel captures Katyushas bound for Gaza -- The Israeli navy has captured a fishing boat that was carrying a huge cargo of weapons, including Katyusha rockets, anti-aircraft missiles, and rocket-propelled grenades. The fishing boat, which came from Lebanon, was bound for the Gaza Strip. More on JPostRadio

Sun, May 6 -- 2001 : Pope makes historic mosque visit -- DAMASCUS, Syria -- Pope John Paul II has become the first Pontiff to enter a mosque during his groundbreaking pilgrimage to Syria. More on CNN

Sat, May 5 -- 2001 : Pope appeals for Mideast peace -- Pope John Paul II has begun a groundbreaking visit to Syria with an appeal for a lasting peace in the Middle East.more on CNN

Thu, May 3 -- 2001 : Government is in bind at Temple Mount, warns ex-police chief -- Security officials face a Catch-22 in their bid to prevent what they fear is a rising risk of Jewish extremists carrying out an attack at Jerusalem's Temple Mount, says Arieh Amit, former Jerusalem police commander. More.

Thu, May 3 -- 2001 : Syria: Israel worse than the Nazis -- Syrian President Bashar Assad has once again accused Israel of being more "racist" than Nazi Germany. Assad first made the comparison at the Arab League summit in Amman earlier this year. More on JPostRadio.

Mon, April 30 -- 2001 : Seven Palestinians, 1 Israeli killed in renewed violence -- JERUSALEM (AP) -- Explosions, one near Yasser Arafat's headquarters, killed six Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank on Monday. A seventh Palestinian died in a clash with Israeli soldiers More

Sat, April 28 -- 2001 : Bin Laden said to have nukes -- Fugitive Saudi terrorist-sponsor Osama bin Laden is now known to have nuclear weapons, putting to rest previous speculation that left the possibility open, according to a weekly intelligence newsletter. More on WorldNetDaily

Sat, April 28 -- 2001 : Prepare for expected offensive by militant Islamic forces as Russia and China team up in Asia -- Led by Russia, the newly independent republics of Central Asia are gathering themselves for one of the greatest battles the region has ever faced -- against militant Islamic forces, reports DEBKAfiles intelligence sources. More

Thu, April 26 -- 2001 : EU prepares to punish Israel over Gaza attacks -- THE European Union is preparing to strip Israel of privileged trade access as a punishment for the use of 'excessive force' against the Palestinians. For more on this story see link to the 'Crisis in the Middle East. More

Wedn, April 25 -- 2001 : Sharon Says Iran's Secret Base Poses Threat to Israel -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says Iran is building a rocket base for militant Islamic guerrillas based in Lebanon. Mr. Sharon says the base will allow Hezbollah guerrillas to fire Katyusha rockets capable of hitting targets deep inside the Jewish state. More

Tue, April 24 -- 2001 : A city for 'end times' Is Petra hiding place for Israeli remnant during Armageddon? -- PETRA, Jordan -- Carved from the rock that served as a base for Esau -- the father of the Edomites -- Petra is a magical and mysterious ancient city that illuminated the imaginations of mankind through the millennia and now serves as a key location for many scholars tracking so-called "end-times" events. More on WorldNetDaily

Mon, April 23 -- 2001 : Three bomblasts rock Mideast -- Three separate bomb blasts rocked the Middle East today, a day after a suicide bomber in Kfar Saba killed himself and an Israeli doctor. More on CNN

Sun, April 22 -- 2001 : Two die in Israel bomb blast -- JERUSALEM (CNN) -- A suicide bomb attack at a bus stop near Tel Aviv has killed two people and injured 36 more. More on CNN

Wedn, April 18 - 2001 : Iraq: Iran has fired 56 Scud missiles at our camps; Western media claims missiles missed their targets and landed in cities -- Iraq said Wednesday Iran had fired 56 Scud missiles at camps inside Iraq belonging to the Iranian rebel People's Mujahideen Organization. The Mujahideen said one of its members had been killed along with several Iraqi civilians, and several others were wounded. The Mujahideen opposes Iran's clerical rulers and launches frequent attacks from Iraq, where it maintains bases near the border equipped with tanks, heavy guns and helicopter gunships. More

Wedn, April 18 - 2001 : Mortars fired at Gaza settlement hours after IDF pullout -- Palestinian gunners firing mortars shelled Neve Dekalim settlement overnight, only hours after IDF troops withdrew from a swath of land they captured the day before, Army Radio reported Wednesday. More on Ha'aretz

Tue, April 17 - 2001 : Syrian army placed on alert; Damascus promises retaliation -- The Syrian military has been placed on alert in wake of an Israeli attack on a Syrian radar position in Lebanon. An official Syrian source said the military was placed on alert on late Monday. But in Tel Aviv, Israeli military sources said Israel has not detected any exceptional movement by Syrian troops either in Lebanon or Syria. More

Tue, April 17 - 2001 : IDF: Our stay in PA-controlled area is temporary -- The IDF is denying it intends remaining in Palestinian-run territory for good. More on JPostRadio

Mon, April 16 - 2001 : Europe, Arabs blast Israel for attack on Syrian targets -- There is widespread condemnation of Israel's overnight retaliatory attack on Syrian targets in Lebanon. St.-Sgt. Elad Litvak, the IDF tank commander killed by a Hizullah missile on Saturday, was laid to rest this evening.More on JPostRadio

Mon, April 16 - 2001 : Israel attacks Syrian positions -- BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- The Israeli air force has fired on Syrian targets positioned in Lebanon, Israeli and Lebanese officials said. More on CNN

Sun, April 15 - 2001 : A Model of the Temple Brought to the Temple Mount Part #1 -- A Model of the Temple Brought to the Temple Mount During Pesach Pilgrimage of the Faithful Movement. In part...
For the first time since the destruction of the temple, a model of the temple was brought to the Temple Mount by The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement. It was, firstly, a message to the G–d of Israel that His end-time servants, the Faithful Movement, are ready for the rebuilding of His house on the Temple Mount, both spiritually and physically, and that the efforts for the architectural plans will continue even more intensively in the near future. More onWENT

Sat, April 14 - 2001 : Two bombs explode in Kfar Saba, Israel -- Two bombs exploded in Kfar Saba on Saturday night. The first explosion was at the intersection of Herzl and Hameyasdim streets. There were no reports of injuries. It appears that an explosive device was placed in between two vehicles although police are still investigating the possibility of a car bomb. A second bomb exploded a short time later injuring one person seriously.

Sat, April 14 - 2001 : Hezbollah hits IDF tank at Har Dov -- Quoting a broadcast on the Hezbollah television station al-Manar, Reuters reported that Hezbollah forces hit an IDF tank in a heavy exchange of gunfire at Har Dov along the Lebanese border. More on Ha'aretz

Sat, April 14 - 2001 : Israeli planes hit Lebanon after guerrilla attack -- KFAR SHOUBA, Lebanon, April 14 (Reuters) - Israeli warplanes raided south Lebanon on Saturday after Hizbollah guerrillas attacked an Israeli position on the Lebanese-Israeli border, witnesses said. More on ABCnews.com

Fri, April 13 - 2001 : Baghdad says U.S., British jets bomb southern Iraq -- Reuters BAGHDAD - Iraq said Friday that American and British planes from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait attacked targets in the south of the country Thursday, but no casualties were reported. More

Thu, April 12 - 2001 : IDF, Palestinians in day-long clashes -- Southern Gaza and Judea were the focal points for clashes throughout the day. The numbers of injured on both sides remained low. More on JPostRadio

Tue, April 10 - 2001 : Heavy-weapon battles rage all day in Gaza -- Palestinians fired mortar shells on several Jewish communities in Gaza, with the IDF firing missiles at Palestinian military targets in response. More on JPostRadio

Mon, April 9 - 2001 : EU warns against new Jewish settlements in territories -- LUXEMBOURG - European Union Foreign Ministers on Monday warned Israel to stop building Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, saying violence in the region would not end without such a move. More on Ha'retz

Mon, April 9 - 2001 : Gissin: PA attacks are bringing Israel to the brink of war -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's senior spokesman Ra'anan Gissin, says the PA are initiating hostile activities and if they continue Israel will respond without warning and impose continued military pressure. More on JPostRadio

Sun, April 8 - 2001 : Palestinians: Israeli helicopters fire on Gaza village -- GAZA CITY -- (CNN) -- Israeli helicopters fired on four houses in the Palestinian-controlled Gaza village of Beit Lahaya Sunday night, Palestinian sources told CNN. More on CNN

Sat, April 7 - 2001 : Hamas: No Israeli Jews in holy site -- GAZA, April 7 (UPI) -- Islamic resistance movement Hamas warned Israeli Jews Saturday against visiting the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's old city, calling upon Palestinians, Muslims and Arabs to prevent 'by all means' their entrance into the area known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary. More

Sat, April 7 - 2001 : Mideast battles rage on -- JERUSALEM -- Gun battles between Israelis and Palestinians raged into Saturday in the West Bank and Gaza. Three Palestinian policemen were wounded -- one critically -- in Gaza fighting, in which Israeli naval boats and tanks fired on a security post. More on CNN

Sat, April 7 - 2001 : Report: N. Korea has sold 540 missiles to Middle East clients -- TOKYO — North Korea has sold more than 500 missiles over the last 15 years to such Middle East clients as Egypt, Iran, Iraq and Libya, a South Korean government institute said. More on WorldTribune.com

Fri, April 6 - 2001 : Palestinian targets under fire -- JERUSALEM (CNN) -- -- Israeli forces opened fire with tanks Friday on a Palestinian Authority police installation and training ground after four mortar shells landed near Netzarim in northern Gaza. More on CNN

Thu, April 5 - 2001 : Palestinians shell Israeli coastal village -- Palestinian gunmen launched a mortar attack on an Israeli community inside the pre-1967 border just north of the Palestinian Authority-controlled Gaza Strip. More on the Jerusalem Post

Thu, April 5 - 2001 : Sharon: Let Jews to pray on Temple Mount -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wants Israel's security services to find ways of letting Jews worship on the Temple Mount. The Palestinians say Sharon's visit to the holy site last September caused the intifada. More on JPostRadio

Thu, April 5 - 2001 : Overview of a tragedy -- Margot Dudkevitch reports on the IDF tragedy in which five soldiers were killed and a sixth critically wounded when their armored personnel vehicle overturned near Hebron yesterday. More

Wedn, April 4 - 2001 : Syrian daily warns of 'explosion' in Middle East -- DAMASCUS: Syria's ruling party daily al-Baath said on Tuesday 'an explosion' in the Middle East appears inevitable, accusing the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon of abrogating all commitment to the peace process. More

Wedn, April 4 - 2001 : U.S. 'Terrorist' for Backing Israel - UAE Official -- ABU DHABI (Reuters) - A senior United Arab Emirates official on Wednesday accused the United States of "terrorism" for offering what he called unlimited support to Israel against Palestinians. More on abcNews.com

Mon, April 2 - 2001 : Islamic Jihad activist reported killed in Israeli attack -- RAFAH GAZA -- (CNN) -- An Israeli helicopter attack Monday killed a senior member of the radical Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, Palestinian officials said. More on CNN

Sun, April 1 - 2001 : Levy to Sharon: Evacuate Hebron or take over Palestinian areas -- National Religious Party leader Yitzhak Levy is calling on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to make a "brave decision" and either evacuate the Jewish area of Hebron or allow the IDF to take over Palestinian areas in the city in order to protect the lives of Hebron's Jewish citizens. More on JPostRadio

Sat, Mar 31 - 2001 : EU to formulate new Mideast policy -- The Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported that European Union (EU) heads decided last week in Stockholm to meet to formulate a new Mideast policy, Israel Radio reported Saturday. More

Fri, Mar 30 - 2001 : Israeli Army Pounds Hebron in Heaviest Fighting -- HEBRON, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli tank shells and heavy machinegun fire pounded Palestinian neighborhoods in Hebron on Friday in the most intensive fighting in the West Bank town since the start of the Palestinian uprising six months ago.More on Reuters

Fri, Mar 30 - 2001 : 5 killed in protests on Palestinian 'Land Day' -- Clashes in West Bank, but some towns peacefully mark day of commemoration. More on CNN

Thu, Mar 29 - 2001 : Sharon receives authorization for more strikes; Palestinians expected to send killer squads -- After this week, talk of returning to peace talks with Arafat sounds absurd on either side. Indeed both are well primed for battle. The Palestinians burn with hate and a thirst for revenge - Islamic militants vowed to keep up and intensify their campaign of terror Thursday morning - while Israelis, frustrated with long government inaction against systematic Palestinian violence, want nothing more than a commitment from Sharon not to desist from his current joust with Arafat before the final victory. More

Thu, Mar 29 - 2001 : Arafat: The intifada will continue -- Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat says neither Israel's air attacks nor its internal blockades in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will stop the Palestinian people. More

Thu, Mar 29 - 2001 : Mubarak: Arafat alliance with Iraq could spark regional war -- AMMAN — Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has warned the Palestinians not to form an alliance with Iraq and Syria, Middle East Newsline is reporting. More on World Tribune.Com

Thu, Mar 29 - 2001 : IDF Responding With Tank Fire In Hevron --(IsraelNationalNews.com) IDF forces in Hevron a short time ago fired tank shells and heavy machineguns against terrorists that continue to fire at the Jewish Quarter residents of the city from the Shalhevet (Abu Sneineh) Hills. More

Wedn, Mar 28 - 2001 : One killed as Israeli attacks Palestinian targets -- A member of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat's personal guard was killed and at least six people were injured today when the Israel Defense Forces launched attacks against targets in Gaza and the West Bank town of Ramallah. The attacks come in retaliation for three bombings over two days that killed four people and wounded dozens more. More on CNN

Wedn, Mar 28 - 2001 : Three die in Mideast bus stop blast -- Three people are dead and four injured after a suicide bombing near an army checkpoint in central Israel. More on CNN

Tue, Mar 27 - 2001 : Arafat manufactures story at Arab summit: Israel was behind burst Negev dam to drown Palestinians -- When the Palestinian leader stepped off the plane in Amman Monday, he had no really shocking evidence to present to the Arab rulers meeting there of Palestinian victimization at Israeli hands, beyond the abstract accusation of 'a 100-day campaign' in preparation against his people. A few hours later 3 million sq.cu. of precious desert water poured out of the Nahal Oz kibbutz reservoir in the Negev, flooding the kibbutz and spilling as far as the edge of Gaza City. Arafat had his theme: Israel was drowning Palestinians and this was its 'gift' to the Arab summit. More

Tue, Mar 27 - 2001 : Israel Must Return Golan Heights to Syria, Says Putin -- MOSCOW, -- (Agence France Presse) Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that peace in the Middle East could only come if Israel returned the Golan Heights to Syria.More

Tue, Mar 27 - 2001 : Pressure on Sharon for military response grows after 3 bomb attacks and the shooting death of a Jewish infant in less than 24 hours -- Having come to power on a pledge of restoring security to nerve-jangled Israelis, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was under growing pressure to step up the army's response to Palestinian attacks after a car bomb exploded in Jerusalem Tuesday morning and a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up next to an Egged bus in northern Jerusalem early Tuesday afternoon. Those attacks came after an infant was shot dead in the Jewish enclave of Hebron by a Palestinian sniper Monday, and a bomb exploded Monday evening near a felafel stand in Petah Tikva. More

Tue, Mar 27 - 2001 :Two killed in Jerusalem attack -- We report from the scene of this afternoon's bomblast in Jerusalem's French Hill district. More

Tue, Mar 27 - 2001 : Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for Talpiot bomb -- Islamic Jihad has admitted to planting this morning's car bomb in Jerusalem's Talpiot industrial zone. Seven people were injured in the blast. More on JPostRadio.

Mon, Mar 26 - 2001 : The War In Gaza Intensifies -- (IsraelNationalNews.com) As reported earlier, three mortar rockets were fired at the southern Gaza community of Morag. The attack is the third involving mortars in as many days. There were no casualties. Residents were ordered into bomb shelters. More on Arutz

Mon, Mar 26 - 2001 : Arafat: Prepare for 'One hundred days conflict' -- Palestinians should prepare for one hundred days of conflict with Israel, Palestinians Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat said yesterday. More on the Jerusalem Post

Sat, Mar 24 - 2001 : Israeli Army Concentrates Troops on Northern Border Ready for Large-Scale Exercise Sunday - Syrian Army and Hizballah Placed on Alert. More

Wedn, Mar 21 - 2001 : ISRAEL GETS U.S. BACKING TO STRIKE ARAB ALLIANCE -- In their get-acquainted encounter in the White House Tuesday, President George W. Bush responded affirmatively to Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon's request for American endorsement of an Israeli military crackdown against Palestinian terrorists - provided the Israeli Army did not step beyond limits set forth in the plan of action he submitted to the administration prior to the visit. This is reported by DEBKAfile's American sources. More

Wedn, Mar 21 - 2001 : Iran wants grand alliance to drive out Israel -- Iran said Wednesday it was seeking a broad alliance of Arab and Islamic countries to drive Israel out of occupied Arab lands, including Jerusalem, just as Hizbollah guerrillas drove the Israelis from Lebanon last year. Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said on a visit to Damascus that Tehran wanted to build on and expand the alliance between Syria, Lebanon and Iran that had backed the guerrillas. More

Wedn, Mar 21 - 2001 : Wrangling over the Wakf -- The Knesset Education Committee met this morning to discuss the ongoing unsupervised excavations on the Temple Mount by the Islamic Wakf. Etgar Lefkovits was there. More

Tue, Mar 20 - 2001 : Sharon: Halt the violence, then we can make peace - Addressing AIPAC in Washington last night, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he believed Israel can make peace with the Palestinians if PA Chairman Arafat halts the violence. More on JPostRadio.

Thu, Mar 15 - 2001 :Three Tanzim terror cell members arrested -- The three men admitted to Israeli security forces that they intended to carry out a large terror attack in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Neveh Ya'acov. Security forces arrested the men in the Ramallah area over the last few days, prompting the internal closures in the area. The suspects say they were acting on orders from senior Palestinian security officials. More on JPostRadio

Wed, Mar 14 - 2001 : West Bank measures enrage Palestinians -- Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer says he's working to lift the internal blockades of Palestinian towns and cities in the West Bank. Meanwhile, more Palestinians are apparently considering extreme measures like terror attacks in response to the IDF's strict measures. The Israeli left is condemning the government's blockades, suggesting they breed fury, not security. More

Tue, Mar 13 - 2001 : Arafat hopes summit will reunite Arab ranks -- Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat said Tuesday that he hoped a forthcoming Arab summit would provide financial aid and support for the Palestinians involved in the Intifada. More

Tue, Mar 13 - 2001 : Temple Mount to be Opened to Jews -- Public Security Minister Uzi Landau plans to reopen the Temple Mount to Jewish visitors. He said this morning that if the police and Waqf allow everyone else to enter the holy site, he cannot understand why Jews should be any different. General Security Service head Avi Dichter also supports this position, according to Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert. Olmert said last night that Dichter told him a few days ago that he fears the ramifications of the continued closure of the site to Jews. (Source: Arutz )

Tue, Mar 13 - 2001 : Middle East could erupt in fireball, warns Holbrooke -- THE resurgence of Iraq and the collapse of Arab-Israeli peace poses the most serious threat to world stability in nearly four decades, Richard Holbrooke, the recently departed US ambassador to the United Nations, said yesterday. More

Wedn, Mar 7 - 2001 : Sharon declares Jerusalem "eternal capital" of Jews -- Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon, presenting his government to parliament Wednesday, called Jerusalem the Jewish people's "eternal capital." "Jerusalem is the dream that Jews have dreamed of for all generations. Jerusalem was and will be our eternal capital," Sharon said. Reciting from the biblical book of the Psalms, Sharon said: "If I forget thee, oh Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its cunning." Sharon was bitterly opposed to his predecessor Ehud Barak's offer to the Palestinians of some control of Jerusalem. Editor's note: Amen! (Source: WENT)

Tue, Mar 6 - 2001 : Egyptian military reportedly bracing for Israeli invasion of Palestinian areas -- Arab diplomatic sources report that the Egyptian military is bracing for the prospect of an Israeli invasion of the Palestinian Authority areas. The London-based Al Zaman asserted that Egypt's military has begun mobilizing reserves for training in what was termed as preparations for a war against Israel. More

Mon, Mar 5 - 2001 : Police: Wakf damaged remnants from Second Temple period -- Unbeknownst to the police, the Wakf [Islamic religious trust] damaged remnants on the Temple Mount during the past month, according to a declaration given today to the High Court of Justice by the police.The damaged remnants are from the Second Temple period. More

Sun, Mar 4 - 2001 : Israeli military historian: War will erupt in spring of 2001 involving not only PA and Hizbullah, but also Egypt, Syria and Iraq -- -- Military historian Dr. Aryeh Yitzchaki was asked today how he reads the reported Egyptian decision to call up its reserves for "exercises." His response: "All the classic warning signs are there, and it is clear that we are poised for war, possibly within two months. I don't want to scare anyone, but as opposed to IDF Military Intelligence, my opinion for the last two years has been that war will erupt in the spring of 2001, and it will involve not only the Palestinian Authority and Hizbullah, but also Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. More

Sun, Mar 4 - 2001 : Security forces on high alert following suicide bombing -- In the wake of this morning's bomb blast in Netanya, in which four people died and 67 were injured, nine people have been arrested in connection with the blast. Security sources believe Hamas or Islamic Jihad are responsible for the attack, although responsibility has not yet been claimed by any organization. More on JPostRadio

Thu, Mar 1 - 2001 : RUSSIA IS DEVELOPING SYRIAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM -- WASHINGTON [MENL] -- Russia is quietly launching steps to develop Syria's nascent nuclear program. The CIA said Moscow has already laid the groundwork for this cooperation and could provide nuclear expertise to Syria over the next few years. Last year, Russia's Cabinet approved a draft cooperative program with Syria that included civil use of nuclear power. More on Middle East Newsline

Thu, Mar 1 - 2001 : To Israelis, Violence Becoming Untenable -- Officials Consider Retaking Territory -- By Lee Hockstader Washington Post Foreign Service. Thursday, March 1, 2001; Page A01 JERUSALEM, Feb. 28 -- After five months of violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israeli military and civilian officials have concluded that the situation is no longer tenable and they will have to do something about it soon. Among options being discussed is the possibility of reoccupying territory controlled by Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority, according to Israeli security sources.More

Mon, Feb 26 - 2001 : Sharon: A plan to strike Iraq -- The British "Sunday Times" daily reported in its Sunday's issue, reporting Israeli military sources that the Israeli prime minister elect Ariel Sharon gave his instructions to the Israeli army chief of staff Shaoul Mofaz to prepare for directing an early strike to the missile- launching area in the west of Iraq. The Israeli radio quoted these sources as saying to the British paper that Sharon is planning to deploy neutron ( tactical) bombs to target this Iraqi area and destroy it, as intelligence information reported that Iraq is about to attack Israel by mass-annihilation weapons. (Source: WENT)

Sun, Feb 25 - 2001 : Defectors say Iraq tested nuclear bomb -- DISTURBING new evidence has emerged about Saddam Hussein's nuclear arsenal as tension rises in the Middle East over an increasingly aggressive Iraq. More

Sat, Feb 24 - 2001 : WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS -- On the precipice of Armageddon -- All-out conflagration nearly engulfed Mideast this week -- A new report claims a regional war in the Mideast was on the brink of "exploding" into reality this week, only days after U.S. and British warplanes struck an Iraqi radar command-and-control site Feb. 16. More

Fri, Feb 23 - 2001 : Israel's Military Urges Imminent Offensive -- Israel's military is urging Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon to approve plans for an offensive against the Palestinian Authority and the Hizbullah in Lebanon. Military sources said Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Moshe Yaalon and several leading generals said such an offensive is required to prove to the Palestinians, Arab states and Iran that Israel is capable of defeating any military coalition. The sources said Yaalon is concerned that what they term Israel's restraint policy is encouraging Iraq and Syria to consider launching a war against the Jewish state. (Source: Middle East Newsline)

Thu, Feb 22 - 2001 : Arafat prepared to flee to Baghdad -- Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat may flee to Baghdad with his close associates if violence in the territories continues to escalate. Arafat has not paid his staff for two months and Palestinian opposition figures are gaining influence among the general population, according to Jane's Foreign Report. The Palestinian leader sent some of his senior advisers to Baghdad last month, ostensibly to discuss general Iraqi support for the Palestinians. More

Thu, Feb 22 - 2001 : IDF prepares north for possible attacks -- The Home Front Command yesterday told local authorities in the northern parts of the country to prepare for the possible launching of long-range rockets from Lebanon at targets in Israel. Also yesterday, an electronic control system that opens the doors to the bomb shelters of Kiryat Shmona was officially made operational. More on Ha'retz

Tue, Feb 20 - 2001 : Mofaz on intifada: This is war -- "As far as the IDF is concerned, what we are talking about is a war in every sense of the word," IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz said today, regarding the conflict with the Palestinians. More

Sun, Feb 18 - 2001 : The clock is ticking for the Middle East time bomb -- Israel is overconfident in its belief that military might will contain its neighbors -- By Jonathan Power -- There are three great current fault lines running through the Middle East: the unsettled, no longer negotiated, issue of the Israeli possession of the Syrian territory of the Golan heights; the now suspended negotiations over the future and nature of a Palestinian state; and the long unresolved threat from Saddam Hussein to both the peace of the Middle East and to the world. More

Sun, Feb 18 - 2001 : Israel considering large scale retaliation against Hizbullah; attack could lead to conflict with Syria -- Latest News -- Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz today said he holds Syria and Lebanon responsible for the Hizbullah anti-tank missile attack on an IDF patrol on the northern border last Friday. Mofaz hinted that Israel will not put off much longer retaliating on a larger scale. More onn the Jerusalem Post

Thu, Feb 15 - 2001 : ARAFAT FEARS ISRAELI ATTACK -- GAZA [MENL] -- Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat has fled Gaza amid concern of an Israeli attack in retaliation for the Palestinian killing of eight Israelis. Palestinian sources said Arafat left on an unannounced trip to Ankara hours after a Palestinian rammed an Israeli bus into a hitchhiking station near Tel Aviv. Eight people, all but one soldiers, were killed. Another 18 were injured.More

Wedn, Feb 14 - 2001 : Violence flares in Middle East -- Israel claims the Iranian backed Hezbollah has brought in heavy weapons to settlements in the West Bank, as heavy violence flares in retaliation for the killing of a Palestinian security official. The United States has also expressed concern at the situation, saying the situation is threatening to spiral out of control. More on ABC News Online


Wedn, Feb 14 - 2001 : Eight Israelis killed in busattack -- A bus driven by a Palestinian has plowed into a group of Israeli military and civilians killing 8 people and injuring 19 others, including three seriously.More on CNN

Tue, Feb 13 - 2001 : PA: Israel a 'lawless and terrorist' state -- The Palestinian Authority has condemned Israel's killing of Massoud Iyyad during the IDF's aerial attack near the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza. However, Likud Knesset Member Yuval Steinitz, who supports the attack, says it's time for the IDF to get even more aggressive. More on JPostRadio

Mon, Feb 12 - 2001 : Israeli army injures at least 50 in Khan Yunis bombardment -- Some 50 Palestinians were injured Monday when the Israeli army blasted with heavy weapons the Khan Yunis refugee camp near a Jewish settlement in the southern Gaza Strip, witnesses and hospital officials said. Officials at Nasr hospital in Khan Yunis said 38 people, many of them women and children, were injured by bullets and shrapnel in the attack against the camp which is near the settlement of Neve Dekalim. More on WENT

Sat, Feb 10 - 2001 : Sharon, Barak Talk Coalition Government Amid Renewed Violence -- Just as Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon and his predecessor, Ehud Barak, talked Friday about setting up a coalition government, intense confrontations erupted between Israeli troops and Palestinians in the West Bank. More

Fri, Feb 9 - 2001 : World Church Council calls for putting an end to Israel's occupation to Palestinian territories, Golan, Shebaa farms. -- The Central Committee of World Church Council wrapped up its proceedings on 5th of February in Berlin. It issued a significant statement on international issues, inclduding both the intifada (uprising) against Israeli occupation and the blockade imposed on Iraq. More

Fri, Feb 9 - 2001 : US, Barak: Clinton proposals are not binding -- Both the US State Department and outgoing premier Ehud Barak say the peace proposals put forward by former US President Bill Clinton at Camp David are effectively null and void. More on JPostRadio.

Thu, Feb 8 - 2001 : Prodi: Middle East war would be a tragedy, urges Sharon to resume with peace talks where they left off -- Latest News -- European Commission President Romano Prodi Thursday said Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon should be judged on his actions and called on him to resume peace talks with the Palestinians from where they left off in Taba, saying 'remarkable progress' had been achieved there. But in an ominous sign earlier Thursday, a top aide to Sharon rebuffed Palestinian calls for talks to resume where they broke off with Ehud Barak's outgoing administration. More

Thu, Feb 8 - 2001 : The End of Oslo -- An open letter to Ariel Sharon -- More

Thu, Feb 8 - 2001 : "WAR IS IN THE WIND ... ISRAELIS ARE LEANING FORWARD IN THEIR FOXHOLES, THEIR TROOPS ARE LOCKED AND COCKED" -- COLONEL DAVID HACKWORTH -- Subtitle: Events in the Middle East are ratcheting up again. And, now, U.S. Troops are on the move . Col. Hackworth issues this urgent warning in his recent email. The world seems it might be heading soon into the planned World War III. Please, read on

Wed, Feb 7 - 2001 : Saddam forms army 'to liberate Jerusalem' -- President Saddam Hussein has started to form an army "to liberate Jerusalem" from Israeli rule, a senior Iraqi official announced Wednesday. "At the orders of President Saddam Hussein, we have started to form the first brigade of volunteers in the Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) Army to liberate Jerusalem," Ali Hassan al-Meguid, a member of the decision-making Revolutionary Command Council, told reporters. Iraq has already announced the mobilisation of more than 6.5 million volunteers for a jihad, or Muslim holy war, against the Jewish state. (AFP)

Wed, Feb 7 - 2001 : Sharon looking to unite Israel. -- Israel's designate prime minister Ariel Sharon is heading into office trying to unite his country and its fractious parliament after his landslide election victory.More on CNN

Wed, Feb 7 - 2001 : Barak resigns Prime Minister Ehud Barak announces his resignation as Labor leader and Knesset member. More on JPostRadio.

Tue, Feb 6 - 2001 : Exit Polls predict Sharon landslide -- Israeli television is projecting a landslide for Ariel Sharon, based on exit polls. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat reacted cautiously, saying the peace process should continue on several tracks. Meanwhile, incumbent Prime Minister Ehud Barak has yet to respond to Sharon's call to join a unity government. More on CNN

Fri, Feb 1 - 2001 : Mitchell committee: PA failed to live up to ALL agreements -- While various government officials talked all week about being "closer than ever" to an agreement with the Palestinians, the Foreign Ministry yesterday released a damning indictment of the Palestinian Authority's failure to live up to its various commitments since the Oslo process began in 1993. More on WENT

Fri, Jan 26 - 2001 : Sharon far ahead of Barak -- With less than two weeks before the election, Likud leader Ariel Sharon leads Prime Minister Ehud Barak by a wide margin in the opinion polls. More on JPostRadio.

Fri, Jan 26 - 2001 : Moslem leadership said Temple Mount Jewish -- An English-language booklet published in 1930 by the Supreme Moslem Council, which predated the current Wakf, said the Temple Mount's Jewish identity is "beyond dispute." The Jerusalem Post's Etgar Lefkovits has the exclusive story. More on JPostRadio.

Wedn, Jan 24 - 2001 : Top cop: 'State of war' -- Insp.-Gen. Shlomo Aharonisky says there is a state of war between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. More on JPostRadio.

Sun, Jan 21 - 2001 : Leading Israelis protest against Temple Mount construction -- Public figures, intellectuals and archaeologists sent a sharp letter of protest to Prime Minister Ehud Barak at the weekend, condemning what they say are serious violations by the Waqf on the Temple Mount site that endanger important archaeological evidence.More on Ha'aretz

Sun, Jan 21 - 2001 : Marathon talks to start in Egypt -- Israel and the Palestinian Authority will begin marathon talks tonight aimed at reaching a framework agreement for a final status agreement before the February 6 elections for prime minister.More here

Thu, Jan 18 - 2001 : TROUBLE IN THE HOLY LAND -- Next Mideast war in the offing? Reports say U.S., Britain, Israel making preparations for battle -- U.S. military forces in Europe, which are currently at threat condition "Bravo,"p; are set to be upgraded to condition "Charlie" by Jan. 20, while other elements of U.S. European theater forces -- as well as British special forces troops -- may be headed to Israel "within a few weeks," sources have told WorldNetDaily. More here

Wedn, Jan 17 - 2001 : Saddam Hussein calls Arab countries to enable his army to pass through to fight Israel -- Iraqi President Saddam Hussein called for the annihilation of the state of Israel and for the establishment of a "Palestine state from the river to the sea", in a televised speech marking the Gulf War's 10th anniversary. Saddam emphasized his support of the Palestinians in their struggle against Israel. Saddam also called on the Arab states to enable his army to pass through their land on its way to annihilate Israel. Many Palestinians consider Saddam a hero for resisting the powerful U.S.-led military coalition which ejected Iraqi troops who had invaded neighboring Kuwait. Palestinian babies are named after him. They called on the Iraqi leader to repeat the Scud missile strikes he launched against Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities during the Gulf War. "Dear Saddam, hit Tel Aviv, " they said. (Source: WENT)

Wedn, Jan 17 - 2001 : Head of Palestinian TV assassinated -- Three masked gunmen shot and killed Hisham Miki, 54, as he was leaving a Gaza City hotel. More on JPostRadio.

Tue, Jan 16 - 2001 : Israeli military chiefs battle for reserve call-up -- Israel's military chiefs are pressing the government for a major mobilization of the reserves to allow many combat units of the standing army to leave the West Bank and Gaza Strip and train in preparation for a regional war.More on Middle East Newsline

Mon, Jan 15 - 2001 : 'Jerusalem Syndrome' strikes man near Temple Mount -- A man claiming to be the Messiah arrived at one of the gates near the Temple Mount earlier this afternoon. Dressed in white, he was riding a donkey and requested to enter the walled compound. More on The Jerusalem Post

Sun, Jan 14 - 2001 : Milo resigns from cabinet -- Health Minister Roni Milo says he will not be part of any government that will hand over sovereignty of the Temple Mount to the Palestinians.More on JPostRadio.

Sat, Jan 13 - 2001 : Palestinians executed -- Two Palestinians convicted of collaborating with Israel have been executed by firing squad. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat ratified the death sentences after Palestinian security courts found both guilty of providing Israel with information that led to the killing of Palestinian activists. (Source: WENT)

Fri, Jan 12 - 2001 : Top Palestinian urges leading role for Europe in Mideast peace -- A minister from the Palestinian Authority called for Europe to play a leading role in the Mideast peace process Friday, at a time when the US is recovering from, and Israel has entered, a time-consuming election period. More on Weekend News Today

Fri, Jan 12 - 2001 : ISRAEL WARNS EUROPE THAT MIDEAST VIOLENCE MAY ENGULF ENTIRE MEDITERRANEAN -- The London Times reported: 'Israel issued a warning that the daily running street battles between Israelis and Palestinians could erupt into a regional conflict that would engulf the Middle East and stretch across the Mediterranean to Europe. More on Jack Van Impe Intelligence Briefing.

Thu, Jan 11 - 2001 : Right-wingers in violent disturbance in Old City -- Members of right-wing groups participating in a demonstration organized by Zo Artzenu opposite the Mugrabi Gate entrance to the Temple Mount, near the Western Wall plaza in the Old City of Jerusalem, attempted to break through the gate and enter the Temple Mount compound around 18:00. According to reports, Zo Artzenu had originally planned a 30-minute silent demonstration opposite the gate. But events took a violent turn when several members of various more extreme right-wing groups, including Yehuda Etzion's "Chai Vekayim" movement and the outlawed Kach and Kahane Chai, joined the demonstration and attempted to break through the Gate onto the Temple Mount. Police on the scene were compelled to use considerable force to push the demonstrators back from the gate. At least five demonstrators have been detained. (Source: WENT)

Wedn, Jan 10 - 2001 : Israel reinforces northern border for war -- Israel has brought in massive reinforcements for what Western defense sources term as preparations for the outbreak of war along the northern border with Lebanon. Western defense sources said Israel has deployed up to 100 tanks and armored vehicles along the northern border with Lebanon. They said the military has also brought troops and other equipment to the area. The sources said the reinforcements are meant to prepare for massive retaliation to any attack by the Lebanese Hizbullah. More here

Tue, Jan 9 - 2001 : Clinton says, 'Divide land' -- Dear friends: Unknowlingly, Bill Clinton used prophetic, biblical terminology yesterday, as reported by the Associated Press. He has also become an unwittingly instrument of prophecy fulfillment. More here

Sun, Jan 7 - 2001 : Clinton weighs international peace conference -- US President Bill Clinton is considering convening either an international conference or a White House summit to issue a presidential statement formalizing his Middle East peace proposal. Clinton would then seek endorsement for the draft from world leaders as a basis for future negotiations, diplomatic sources in Washington said yesterday. For more see our link to the 'Crisis in the Middle East.More here

Sat, Jan 6 - 2001 : Syria, Iraq, and Iran form military coalition as Israeli army calms war fears -- In the wake of an earlier warning by Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Israel Defense Force commanders moved to quell fear among Israelis that war in the Middle East is imminent. IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Ron Kitri said Thursday that, despite Barak's dramatic order to prepare for war in the area, 'What came out in the media this week was really out of proportion,' adding that as far as Israeli military and intelligence sources could tell, there had been no new developments. The Jerusalem Post said that earlier in the week, on Monday, news of Barak's warning 'to prepare for a serious deterioration in the security situation that could lead to all-out war,' was leaked from a meeting he held with senior Israeli generals. More here

Tue, Jan 2 - 2001 : Barak to IDF: Prepare for war -- Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak instructed the General Staff yesterday to prepare for an outbreak of regional war. More on Jerusalem Post Internet Edition.

Sun, Dec 31: Kahane's killing raises fears of extremist violence aimed at Arabs - or maybe even the Temple Mount -- The growing fear in recent days that Jewish extremists might commit violent acts - in a desperate bid to head off a possible Israeli-Palestinian peace deal - moved up several notches Sunday with the killing of Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane. Kahane, the son of assassinated extreme right-wing leader Meir Kahane, and his wife, Talya, were shot by Palestinian gunmen while driving south of the West Bank settlement of Ofrah. Five of the couple's children who were traveling in their white van were injured, one of them seriously. More on Ha'retz

Sun, Dec 31: Israeli security services suspect Jewish zealots may have plans to blow up Temple Mount -- Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv -- AMID eleventh-hour attempts to rescue a Middle East peace deal, the Israeli security services have launched an undercover operation to infiltrate groups of Jewish zealots feared to be planning to blow up the contested Haram al-Sharif, or Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City. More here

Sat, Dec 30: Elect me or face war, Barak tells voters -- (Reuters) -- Prime Minister Ehud Barak said Saturday that his country faced a stark choice in looming elections - re-elect him or face war. In a pre-recorded interview broadcast on Russian state television, Barak said forging a peace deal with the Palestinians was more important than his personal destiny. More here

Sat, Dec 30: Iran threatens 'astounding' retaliation if Israel attacks Syria or Lebanon. -- The Associated Press 12/30/00 8:46 AM KUWAIT (AP) -- If Israel were to attack Syria or Lebanon, Iran would retaliate in an 'astounding and unexpected' way, Iran's defense minister said in remarks published Saturday. More here

Thu, Dec 28: Four Israelis injured in Gaza bomb blast -- A bomb exploded close to the point where Israel, Egypt and the Gaza Strip meet. One of the injured was in critical condition. More on JPostRadio

Thu, Dec 28: At least 13 hurt in Tel Aviv blasts -- Three blasts in and around a bus on a commuter route in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv today have injured at least 13 people -- one seriously. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosions. The blasts came as Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo today to discuss Middle East peace proposals after plans for a summit with Israel collapsed. More on CNN

Wedn, Dec 27: Clinton says Israelis, Palestinians 'closer than ever' to peace settlement. -- U.S. President Bill Clinton said Wednesday that the Israelis and Palestinians are closer than ever in reaching a peace settlement. More on CNN

Fri, Dec 22: Suicide bomber killed, 3 Israeli soldiers hurt in blast -- A suicide bomber killed himself and three Israeli soldiers were wounded in an explosion today at a restaurant in a Jewish settlement in the northern tip of the West Bank, Israeli police said. More on cnn.

Wedn, Dec 20: U.S monitors new Iraqi Troop Movement -- The incoming administration of President-elect George W. Bush might have its first crisis as soon as it enters office -- Iraq. U.S. intelligence sources have confirmed reports that Iraqi troops have again moved west toward the Syrian border. They said more than a division appears to be deploying with several hundred tanks but without air power. The sources said the Iraqi deployment demonstrates the eagerness of President Saddam Hussein for an Arab war against Israel. The Saddam regime has criticized the Palestinian Authority for its resumption of peace negotiations with Israel. More on Middle East Newsline.

Sun, Dec 17: Arafat: Peace talks to start soon -- Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat says the renewed talks will take place in Washington. More on JPostRadio.

Sat, Dec 9: Israeli Prime Minister Barak resigns -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said on Israeli television today that he will submit his resignation tomorrow. Soon, more on CNN

Fri, Dec 8: Eight Killed in Israeli-Palestinian Clashes -- JERUSALEM (Reuters) - At least eight people were killed in the strongest spasm of Israeli-Palestinian violence in weeks on Friday, a 'day of rage' in which Palestinians daubed their defiance in blood on walls inside Jerusalem's Old City. Israeli soldiers killed three Palestinian policeman and a civilian near the West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian officials said. Earlier, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian in a clash in the West Bank and another in protests in Arab East Jerusalem.More here

Thu, Dec 7: Rabbis offer to share Temple Mount -- A group of Rabbis in Israel are proposing that the Temple Mount be shared with the Muslims. More on Hal Lindsey's site

Sat, Dec 2: U.N. General Assembly adopts resolution condemning Israeli dominance over Jerusalem -- The U.N. General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling Israel's imposition of 'its laws, jurisdiction and administration' on Jerusalem illegal. The assembly voted 145-1 to adopt the resolution. Only Israel voted against it, and the United States abstained together with Nauru, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Angola. Source: Weekend News Today

Dec 2000 : Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement -- The Beginning of the End-Time Gog and Magog War Against Israel and the Battle Against Jerusalem. Read full article here

Wedn, Nov 29: Christian leaders arriving to support Israel. (November 29: 13:15) More than 100 Christian leaders will arrive on Sunday, declaring they support Israel and that the media is unfair in its portrayal of the conflict. Clarence Wagner, the director of Bridges for Peace, the organization bringing the leaders here, talks to Jerusalem Post Radio.More on JPostRadio.

Tue, Nov 28: **FLASH** PM Barak gives green light for early elections (NOV.28 – 21:20-IST) -- More on IsraelWire

Sun, Nov 26: Washington's lame duck

By Daniel Bloch (Jerusalem Post) -- For the first time since 1948, Russia has tried to play a positive role in the Middle East conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin succeeded on Friday in bringing Yasser Arafat and Ehud Barak together in a phone conversation with the hope of resuming their political dialogue. It will take a few days to evaluate the outcome of this trilateral call. Until then, one thing is clear - there is a diplomatic vacuum in the Middle East. America is now too occupied by its internal affairs and cannot fill the role of mediator between Israel and the Arab World. Read more here

Comment EIW: Please note the last paragraph of this article: "Now we are in urgent need of an objective and honest broker who shares the confidence of all sides to bring us to the negotiating table, while reducing tension and violence. America cannot do it, Russia has no serious clout. The solution must be found elsewhere, perhaps in one of the European Union countries. Someone must present both sides with a way out before it is too late for a peaceful solution."

Could this "broker" perhaps be "the Beast from the sea ?" (Rev. 13:1-10)


Sun, Nov 26 : Israeli air raids follow Hezbollah bomb attack -- JERUSALEM -- Arab-Israeli violence re-opened on the Israeli border with Lebanon when Hezbollah guerrillas set off a roadside bomb, wounding three Israeli soldiers. Israeli warplanes immediately responded with raids on south Lebanon shortly after Sunday's roadside bomb went off near an Israeli patrol on the Lebanese-Israeli border, wounding several soldiers. More on cnn.


Fri, Nov 24 : Israel Rockets Bethlehem Despite Truce Talks -- By Mark Lavie (AP)

JERUSALEM — An Israeli tank shelled a hotel in biblical Bethlehem on Friday, after Palestinian gunmen fired at Israeli troops at an enclave in the West Bank town. The exchange came despite high-level Israeli-Palestinian truce talks. More here


Wedn, Nov 22 : PALESTINIAN CAR BOMB TERRORIST ATTACK KILLS 2 -- (Source: Israel Internet News Agency)

A terrorist car bomb exploded on a busy street in the central Israeli town of Hadera at rush hour today, killing at least two people and wounding at least 55.It was stated at first by witnesses that the terrorist suicide car bomber drove up alongside Hadera local bus number 7 and then detonated the explosives. Israeli officials later said that the bomb was detonated by remote control in rigged car parked in front of a pizza restaurant. Shortly after 5:20 p.m. as the bus pulled out of Hadera's central bus station the blast ripped through the bus and set several nearby stores on fire. The blast was powerful enough to lift the bus off the ground and throw it into a nearby bakery. The city of Hadera is located between the cities of Tel Aviv to the south and Haifa to the north. Police, emergency medical, I.D.F. and security personnel are presently on the scene. Read more here





ANTI-ISRAELI NEWSCOVERAGE ?


I received the following email from 'The Temple Institute' the other day: A(nother) case of anti-Israeli newscoverage ?

The New York Times exposed.

You need to look at the attached picture before you read this!

Subject: To the Editor
Date: Mon, 02 Oct 2000 00:15:07 -0500
From: aaronnoach aaronnoach@21stcentury.net
To: letters@nytimes.com

Regarding your picture on page A5 (Sept. 30) of the Israeli soldier and the Palestinian on the Temple Mount - that Palestinian is actually my son , Tuvia Grossman, a Jewish student from Chicago. He, and two of his friends, were pulled from their taxicab while travelling in Jerusalem, by a mob of Palestinian Arabs and were severely beaten and stabbed.

That picture could not have been taken on the Temple Mount because there are no gas stations on the Temple Mount and certainly none with Hebrew lettering, like the one clearly seen behind the Israeli soldier attempting to protect my son from the mob. Aaron Grossman, M.D. 6737 N Richmond Chicago, IL 60645 (773) ###-####

Subject: (no subject)
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2000 14:54:39 EDT
From: Heshygiss@aol.com
To: letters@nytimes.com
CC: aaronnoach@21stcentury.net, JPeditor@aol.com

Dear Editor, Even the typically biased and slanted NY Times middle east reporting has hit a new low. Since the Times wishes to convey the belief that the Palestinians are all innocent lambs being tormented by an aggressive oppressor, it can not even conceive that the wounded and injured are NOT Palestinians. The current case in point is very personal to me. In the Saturday's Times on page A6, the picture of the "wounded Palestinian" is, in fact, my nephew, Tuvia Grossman, an AMERICAN Jewish student learning in Israel. His only crime was being Jewish. He was not in "crossfire" but merely the target of Palestinian lambs who stoned his cab, dragged him from the vehicle, smashed his head with stones and stabbed him in the leg. The Israeli soldier, whom you obviously wished to portray as victimizing the poor, wounded Palestinian was actually saving my nephew's life. A casual look at the background of the picture can tell anyone that it's not the Temple Mount at all. I believe that a retraction, in a prominent position in the paper, is necessary and an apology to the parents, forthcoming. Howard Gissinger 2809 Avenue S Brooklyn, New York 11229 718-###-####




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