ISRAEL - SYRIA ON ALERT

1-Major Colorado snow storm. 2-Rising Seas and Stronger Storms Threaten New York City. 3-Peres Warns EU Minister Regarding Iranian Nuclear Weapon. 4-EU Demanding Compliance With Roadmap Plan. 5-Israel en route to defense pact? 6-3-D vision of solar storms. 7-Israel, Syria heighten alert for possible war. 8-This Week with Rabbi Eckstein. 9-EU's Solana: Mideast Road Map Peace Plan
Stalled.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Major Colorado snow storm W. Verno, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel
Thu Oct 26, 6:36 AM ET

West

A significant snow storm is taking shape over central Colorado this morning. Snow, heavy at times, has been developing, as a storm system deepens and pulls in colder air. Winds will begin to increase over the area as well, and this in combination with the snow, will result in blizzard conditions in a few locations. Blizzard and winter storm warnings have been posted for parts of central Colorado through today. During the afternoon, the storm system will begin to move into the central Plains, allowing temperatures to warm over Colorado. This will result in snow mixing with, and changing over to rain in a few spots, before ending later today.

Conditions will significantly improve by Friday and the weekend, as high pressure builds across the area. Meanwhile, offshore winds will continue to be strong over southern California, continuing the threat for fires there. A new storm system will generate a few showers over the Pacific Northwest.

South

A storm system will move out into the central Plains today, deepen, and continue moving east. Abundant Gulf moisture will be pulled northward resulting in widespread rain, heavy at times, across the Mid-South, and Mississippi Valley today. There will be a potential for flooding, particularly across the Lower Mississippi River Valley, as the heavy rains move over areas where rivers are still running high, or still at flood from previous rains. High pressure should hold most of the rain west of the Southeastern states today, but overnight tonight, and into Friday, heavy rain will spread eastward. The storm system will begin to track northeast toward the Mid-Atlantic by Saturday, pushing a cold front east through the southern states. This will clear the rain out, and allow for cooler conditions. By early next week, a warming trend will be in store for the south.

Midwest

A disturbance moving across the Middle Mississippi and Lower Ohio River Valleys this morning has been triggering rain. This wave of rain will push north and east, while a strong system advances into the central Plains, bringing more rain back into the area. Rain, heavy at times, will cover much of the Midwest and central Plains. Winds will also increase over the central Plains, with gusts possibility reaching over 40 mph in a few locations. The northern Plains, and Upper Midwest should remain rain free, as the storm system will remain south of that area. The threat for rain will shift east of the area by the weekend, as high pressure builds across the area. More rain will be in the forecast, mainly for the northern tier, as a new storm system approaches.

Northeast

High pressure will dominate most of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast today, with partly cloudy skies and cool afternoon highs in the middle 40s to lower 50s. The only exception will be northern New England where a few rain and snow showers may occur. Changes are on the way, as clouds will gradually increase later today, moving up the Ohio River Valley, as a new storm system advances toward the area. Rain will overspread parts of the Mid-Atlantic, including Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Washington by Friday, then the rest of the Northeast by Saturday. This will be a strong storm system, with heavy rainfall possible, along with increasing winds, especially over New England. This storm system should move out of the area by the start of next week, allowing cooler conditions to filter in.

Rising Seas and Stronger Storms Threaten New York City Ker Than
LiveScience Staff Writer,LiveScience.com ,Wed Oct 25, 5:15 PM ET

Global warming could substantially raise sea levels around New York City over the next century and put the Big Apple at greater risk of being flooded by hurricane waves, a new computer model predicts.Sea level around the city could jump 15 to 19 inches by 2050 and by more than three feet by 2080, according to the model.With sea levels at these higher levels, flooding by major storms would inundate many low-lying neighborhoods and shut down the entire metropolitan transportation system with much greater frequency, said study team member Vivien Gornitz of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University in New York.

Hurricane risk

While rare, hurricanes have hit New York City before. The strongest was a Category 4 hurricane at its peak in the Caribbean, which made landfall at Jamaica Bay on Sept. 3, 1821 with a 13-foot storm surge that flooded much of lower Manhattan. Also, the Category 3 Great Hurricane of 1938 tore through central Long Island and ripped into southern New England on Sept. 21, 1938. The storm, which killed at least 600 people, pushed a wall of water up to 35 feet high in front of it, sweeping away protective barrier dunes and buildings.Officials have long warned that a similar storm striking Manhattan would be devastating today. Of particular concern: massive subway flooding.

Frightening future

If sea levels rise as predicted, New York City would face an increased risk of flooding by hurricane storm surge, the researchers say. Storm surge is an above normal rise in sea level caused by a hurricane. The new model used data collected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Hurricane Center to calculate the amount of damage hurricane-induced storm surges would inflict on the city. A previous study in 1995 predicted that a Category 3 hurricane could create surges of up to 25 feet at JFK Airport, 21 feet at the Lincoln Tunnel entrance, 24 feet at the Battery and 26 feet at La Guardia Airport. The estimates did not include the effects of tides or boosted wave heights on top of the surge.Even an increase of as little as 1.5 inches in normal sea level could contribute to flooding many parts of the city if a Category 3 hurricane were to strike, said Gornitz and fellow researcher Rosemary Rosenzweig. Hurricanes are ranked from 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest and most destructive.

Areas that could potentially be flooded [image], the researchers said, include the Rockaways, Coney Island, much of southern Brooklyn and Queens, portions of Long Island City, Astoria, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, lower Manhattan and eastern Staten Island, from Great Kills Harbor north to the Verrazano Bridge.The findings will be presented this week at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Philadelphia.

Already rising

Sea levels around the world have been rising steadily, by fractions of an inch, during most of the 20th century, but the rate of increase has nearly doubled, to 0.12 inches per year, within the last decade. Scientists believe warming of the world's oceans and melting glaciers caused by global warming are to blame.

A 2001 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that a global warming of 1.4 to 5.8 degrees Celsius (2.5 to 10.4 degrees Fahrenheit) could raise sea levels 4 inches to 3 feet by the end of the century.Recent studies have also linked human-caused global warming to increases in hurricane strength and duration, but some scientists attribute the changes to natural cycles in global weather patterns.

Peres Warns EU Minister Regarding Iranian Nuclear Weapon
15:35 Oct 26, '06 / 4 Cheshvan 5767

(IsraelNN.com) Vice Premier Shimon Peres in a meeting in Israel with European Union (EU) Foreign Minister Javier Solana that if Iran successfully develops a nuclear weapon, it will find its way into terrorist hands.Peres warned that stern measures must be taken to prevent the continuation of the Iranian nuclear program. Solana will be leaving Israel on Thursday evening, traveling to PA (Palestinian Authority) autonomous areas to meet with leaders. In Israel, Solana met earlier on Thursday with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni

EU Demanding Compliance With Roadmap Plan
13:31 Oct 26, '06 / 4 Cheshvan 5767

(IsraelNN.com) Meeting with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Jerusalem on Thursday, European Union (EU) Foreign Minister Javier Solana stated that from the EU’s perspective, America’s Roadmap Plan is still relevant and the EU expects compliance from Israel and the PA (Palestinian Authority).Solana expressed concern over the government’s inactive policy regarding the removal of unauthorized Yesha outposts.The crisis surrounding Iran’s ongoing nuclear program was also discussed.

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.

DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.

REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)

Israel en route to defense pact?
Israeli membership in NATO has advantages and disadvantages
Uzi Arad Published: 10.25.06, 19:13 (Ynet)

On October 16th, Israel and NATO established a new cooperation agreement. Israel is the first non-European nation which NATO has chosen to work with in the frame of its Individual Cooperation Program (ICP).

The program specifies 27 areas of cooperation including response to terrorism, intelligence sharing, political dialogue, and a host of military and civilian issues including search and rescue operations.The boost in cooperation provides an opportunity to further enhance the relations that evolved in the past year, and comes just weeks ahead of NATO's upcoming summit in Riga. As part of the burgeoning NATO-Israel relationship, NATO's Secretary General visited Israel last year, and his deputy concluded a visit to the area Tuesday. Addressing the Atlantic Forum of Israel, the latter noted that with the new agreement, the bilateral relationship has acquired a strategic value in its own right.

Both parties have been advancing the upgrade in their relations gradually and cautiously. The trend however, is clear: Israel wants an official partnership with the organization. NATO has two basic forms of associations partnership and membership. As an alliance, NATO membership is first and foremost a mutual and collective defense pact. In the past, partnership served as an interim phase towards membership.

End goal: Membership?

The question is whether Israel's aspirations for a partnership signal an end goal or an interim phase after which Israel will pursue membership in NATO. The answer to this is based on an assessment of the efficacy of a formal alliance. This can be achieved bilaterally with the United States or multilaterally with NATO. These options reveal Israeli considerations and misgivings, since mutual defense pacts have both advantages and disadvantages, such as the limiting of one's freedom of action. Israeli membership in NATO entails an American formal defense guarantee and renders superfluous a bilateral defense pact. There are those in the US who contend that Israel must strive for a relationship similar to that of the US-UK special relationship NATO allies that maintain a parallel strategic bilateral relationship governed by written and implicit arrangements and understandings.Israel can of course concentrate on achieving a defense pact with the US alone, perhaps even without delay, utilizing the last term of the friendly Bush administration. Conversely, considering the misgivings of a defense pact, it is also possible to forego both possible NATO membership and a defense pact with the US.

There are Americans, such as Dr. Ronald Asmus, or Europeans, such as former Prime Minister of Spain José Maria Aznar, who contend that it is in NATO's interests to achieve a pact with Israel in order to tackle jointly global threats and to maintain regional stability.

Assessing the benefits

Israel will assess the efficacy of joining the Alliance considering what it foresees in the geopolitical arena, as well as threats stemming from the possible nuclearization of Iran.If Israel reaches the conclusion that an alliance will provide it with an additional layer of deterrence above and beyond its current level it will then have to decide whether to pursue the multilateral option (with NATO) or the bilateral one (with the US), or perhaps even both. In any case, either option will require a considerable Israeli effort to overcome misgivings and inhibitions, as well as active, energetic and sophisticated statecraft leveraging its capabilities to obtain its goals. If these goals prove to be out of reach, or if Israel opts to be satisfied merely with advanced levels of cooperation, then a
deepening of relations within the existing frameworks must be realized to its fullest potential, either with NATO and the new ICP or with the United States, or both.It is worthy to note that the last generation of Israeli prime ministers, at times discreetly and at times overtly, aspired to achieve a formal defense pact and alliance with the US. It seems that within the anticipated strategic reality, it is
wise to consider such an upgrade.

Operatively speaking, it would be most appropriate to utilize the final two years of the responsive Bush administration to achieve a defense pact with the United States. But if such an option will not come to fruition, because of practical political reasons or otherwise, then the NATO route will be the one to pursue.Prof. Arad of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya chairs the Atlantic Forum of Israel

LUKE 21:25
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations,

3-D vision of solar storms
Thursday 26 October 2006, 8:21 Makka Time, 5:21 GMT

The US has launched a space mission to study potentially disruptive solar storms by taking three-dimensional pictures of the Sun.The rocket carrying the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, or Stereo a pair of solar probes lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Wednesday.Stereo will take pictures of the solar outbursts so that scientists can, for the first time, pinpoint where the storms are heading.The eruptions, called coronal mass ejections, can shut down communications and navigational satellites, affect aircraft and disrupt electricity supplies as billions of tonnes of charged particles are sent streaming into space.

Part of one of the solar probes during assembly (Nasa)

Right now we can only see the Sun, essentially, in just two dimensions, said Terry Kucera, Stereo's deputy project scientist. We can't tell in some cases whether coronal mass ejections are moving towards us or away from us. That's pretty fundamental.With 3-D, we'll be able to tell basic things like how fast is it going, is it speeding up or slowing down? These are important things that we need to know if we're going to be able to predict what the impact of a particular event is going to be.The satellites were launched on a Boeing-built Delta rocket, which lifted off at 8:52pm local time (0052 GMT).They were placed in a temporary, looping orbit around the Earth. On December 15, lunar gravity will slingshot the first spacecraft into a solar orbit just ahead of Earth's path.

The transport cannister will carry both probes into orbit (Nasa)

The second satellite will be flung into an orbit lagging Earth on January 21. From the perspective of the Sun, the spacecraft will orbit 45 degrees apart, providing enough distance to work like a pair of human eyes that can see in three dimensions.A massive solar storm in 1989 damaged a power grid in Canada, shutting off electricity for six million residents. Three years ago, Japan lost contact with a satellite after a series of solar eruptions.In terms of space-weather forecasting, we're where weather forecasters were in the 1950s, said Michael Kaiser, a Stereo project scientist. They didn't see hurricanes until the rain clouds were right above them.

FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Israel, Syria heighten alert for possible war
Military presence boosted as Assad warns of looming conflict over Golan
Posted: October 26, 2006,9:55 a.m. Eastern,By Aaron Klein,© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

GOLAN HEIGHTS /Israel has visibly beefed up its military presence here in the Golan Heights while neighboring Syria reportedly has placed its army on high alert and has warned it is preparing for a possible war with the Jewish state. The Israeli Defense Forces yesterday carried out the second in a series of scheduled military exercises in the Golan. IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz earlier this week made a surprise visit to the mountainous territory, which the army here said was intended to test the operational readiness and capabilities of local divisions. Since the end of Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon in August, Syrian President Bashar Assad has given a series of interviews in which he warned of possible confrontations with Israel. He has stated several times he views Hezbollah's victory over Israel as proof military tactics bring results.

In recent weeks, Assad said the Syrian army was preparing for war, claiming he was worried Israel would attack his country first. We must remain ready at all times.

We have begun preparations within the framework of our options, Assad told the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anba. He said Israel could attack Syria at any moment and that Israeli leaders have abandoned the peace process and are seeking a war.Yossi Beyditz, head of research for the IDF's intelligence branch, told the Israeli cabinet last week the Jewish state has indications Assad is preparing his army for a confrontation with Israel. Assad has not returned the army to its pre-Lebanon war positions,Beyditz said.

Israeli officials here claim the IDF alert level in the Golan Heights has not been raised in response to Assad's recent statements and to the new Israeli intelligence estimates. They say Israel has maintained the same heightened state of alert in the Golan Heights that has been in effect since clashes with Hezbollah broke out July 12. But a tour of the Golan Heights finds multiple new army positions local residents and soldiers stationed here say were established within the past three weeks. More tanks have been patrolling the area, with several tanks setting up shop in strategic positions, according to soldiers. Makeshift military outposts have
been erected and Golan checkpoints fortified. A fence that runs along parts of the Golan-Syrian border also has been fortified, with a series of surveillance cameras newly installed. Residents in one border town told WND the new cameras were installed along the border fence two weeks ago.

Syria has noticed the beefed up IDF presence and in response has heightened its own alertness even more, according to yesterday's edition of the Qatari newspaper, Al-Watan. The newspaper said Syrian Defense Minister Hassan Turkmani ordered troops in the area to be on the ready. Syrian sources said Damascus was closely monitoring IDF activity in the Golan. The Golan Heights is strategic mountainous territory captured by the Jewish state after Syria used the terrain to attack Israel in 1967 and again
in 1973. The Heights looks down on major Syrian and Israeli population centers. Military officials here have long maintained returning the Golan Heights to Syria would grant Damascus the ability to mount an effective ground invasion of the Jewish state.

Damascus prepping public for war

Security officials here told WND there have been indications the past few weeks Syria is seeking to launch a provocation. Besides Assad's statements, the officials say state-run Syrian media have been broadcasting regular warlike messages unseen since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, in which Syria and Egypt launched invasions from the Golan and the Sinai desert. The tone [in Syria] is one of preparing the public for a war,said a senior security official. He said any Syrian provocation would likely be coordinated with Iran. Tehran and Damascus, which both support Hezbollah, have signed several military pacts. Reuven Erlich, a Syrian expert and director of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at Israel's Center for Special Studies, told WND Assad's threats are to be taken seriously. Assad's support for terrorism, for the insurgency in Iraq, for Hezbollah and his alliance with Iran are all indication of the direction in which Syria is headed. Assad needs to demonstrate he is willing to sue for peace, but everything seems to indicate the opposite. Especially following the war in Lebanon,Erlich said.

Reports: Syria to form own Hezbollah

In July, WND first reported Syria is forming its own Hezbollah-like guerrilla organization to attack Israeli positions in the Golan Heights, according to a senior Baath party official. The Baath official told WND Syria learned from Hezbollah's military campaign against Israel that fighting is more effective than peace negotiations with regard to gaining territory. Hezbollah claims its goal is to
liberate the Shebaa Farms, a small, 12-square-mile bloc situated between Syria, Lebanon and Israel. The cease-fire resolution accepted by Israel to end its military campaign in Lebanon calls for negotiations leading to Israel's relinquishing of the Shebaa Farms. The official told WND Syria's new Front for the Liberation of the Golan Heights was formed in June and that the group consists of Syrian volunteers, many from the Syrian border with Turkey and from Palestinian refugee camps near Damascus. He said Syria held registration for volunteers to join the Front in June.

One week after the WND article detailing the claimed group was published, state-run Al-Alam Iranian television featured an interview with a man who identified himself as the leader of the new Front for the Liberation of the Golan. The man, whose features were blocked out, said his new group consists of hundreds of fighters who are training for guerrilla-like raids against Israeli positions in and near the Golan. He claimed the Front has opened several training camps inside Syria. Last month, Amos Yadlin, head of the IDF's intelligence branch, told the Knesset Syria is in the early stages of forming a Hezbollah-like group.

This Week with Rabbi Eckstein
October 26, 2006

Dear Friend of The Fellowship,

In the past couple of weeks, I've been asked about the implications of North Korea's test of a nuclear weapon. I'm convinced it represents a significant threat to free nations around the world, including Israel. Let's look at the facts. It is well-known that North Korea supplies weapons to terrorists and terror supporting countries worldwide. One of these is Israel's neighbor, Iran, whose leader, president Ahmadinejad, repeatedly calls for the destruction of the Jewish state. For this reason, Israel which understands fully the threat posed by a nuclear Iran has been working hard to rally opposition to North Korea, knowing that a strong response could deter Iran from its deadly pursuit of nuclear weapons, while a weak one could embolden it. There is another piece to this puzzle. Just as North Korea supplies Iran, Iran regularly funnels arms and provides financial aid and training to terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. These in turn launch their attacks against Israel from her own back yard that is, Gaza and Lebanon. The threat of newer, more powerful, even nuclear, weapons in the hands of the terrorists next door poses a grave danger to Israel's security.

Today, the threat from North Korea and Iran extends beyond Americans concern for Israel, one of its closest allies. For a long time, Americans felt immune from attack on our own soil. But 9/11 changed all that. While some question whether a North Korean missile could reach the U.S., in this day and age such a strike wouldn't even be necessary the same thing could be accomplished by having terrorists infiltrate the U.S with a portable nuclear weapon. The horrors of 9/11 would pale in comparison to such a deadly attack.

In light of these sobering realities, I ask you today to continue your prayers for the peace of Jerusalem, America and the entire world. Even as government officials work through diplomatic channels to alleviate the threats of North Korea and Iran, and our armies stand poised to protect us, let us remember none can give us more protection than the true Guardian of Israel, God Himself the One of whom it is said, He who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:4).

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews

EU's Solana: Mideast Road Map Peace Plan Stalled
By Jim Teeple ,26 October 2006

Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief held talks Thursday with senior Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Mr. Solana says Mideast peace efforts are stalled. Javier Solana urged Israeli leaders to stop building illegal settlements in the West Bank, reopen a crucial border crossing, and expressed concern over comments made to him by an Israeli politician about the permanence of West Bank settlements. The EU foreign policy chief says there is no question that mideast peace efforts are now stalled. As far as the Israeli Palestinian peace process, we have the feeling that it is now stalled, he said. We would very much to see if we can with cooperation of all the parties to see if some movement can be put in place to give not only hope for the people but also realities on the ground.

Solana urged Israel to reopen the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, which Israel has closed for security reasons. He also said he is concerned about comments made to him by member of the Israeli cabinet who reportedly told the EU diplomat that Israel has no plans to remove West Bank settlements or outposts, as called for under the road map peace plan. Solana was apparently referring to Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of a far right political party that advocates annexing the settlements and expelling large numbers of Israeli Arab citizens. Lieberman who held talks with Solana on Wednesday joined Israel's cabinet this week. Under the road map plan, Israel is to stop building settlements and Palestinians are to stop terrorist attacks against Israelis measures aimed at leading to negotiations toward a two-state solution.Solana's comments came at a news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who said Israel is still committed to the road map peace plan, but Israelis are increasingly concerned about whether they will ever have a reliable partner for peace in the Palestinian territories.

Unfortunately the situation on the ground in the Gaza Strip sends the wrong message to Israelis to those who supported disengagement I believe those Palestinians who want to live in a state of their own and who believe in a two-state solution should take responsibility and act in order to help us and help all those moderates in the region,she said. Following his talks with Israeli officials, Solana traveled to the West Bank city of Ramallah for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Aides traveling with the EU diplomat said he would urge the Palestinian leader to move forward with plans to create a Palestinian unity government which could begin to receive international aid. Nearly all international aid to the Palestinians has been suspended since Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel, took control of the Palestinian Authority following parliamentary elections earlier this year.