6 DRS QUESTIONED IN TERROR PLOT

STILL FLOODING IN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. THE FIRES ARE UNDER CONTROL NOW BUT THE CAPTURED TERRORISTS FROM THE ATTEMPTED BOMBINGS REACHES 8 PEOPLE, INCLUDING 6 THAT ARE DOCTORS. INTERESTING THEY CLAIM TO SAVE LIVES WHEN IN PRIVATE THEY WANT TO KILL ALL NONE MUSLIMS.

THIS WOMAN PASTOR IS TOO MUCH A MUSLIM AND CHRISTIAN GOOD LUCK.

Inclusion Run Amok: A Muslim/Episcopal Priest
Contact: Loralei Coyle 202-682-4131, 202-905-6852 cell, lcoyle@ird-renew.org; Radio Interviews: Jeff Walton, jwalton@ird-renew.org; both with the Institute on Religion and Democracy

WASHINGTON, June 20 /Christian Newswire/ -- An Episcopal priest in Washington state recently announced that she is both a Christian and a Muslim. The Rev. Ann Holmes Redding of Seattle made her profession of faith in Islam in March 2006. Episcopal Church Center employees told the Seattle Times that a person of dual faiths can serve as Episcopal clergy at the diocesan bishop's discretion. The Rt. Rev. Vincent Warner, bishop of the Diocese of Olympia, reportedly accepts Redding's dual faiths; consequently, she remains a priest in good standing within the diocese.

Ralph Webb, Director of the IRD's Anglican Action program, commented:

The Episcopal Church continues to find new, creative ways to allow for heterodox faith variations at the local level. First, there was a local option for same-sex blessings in the Episcopal Church. Now there's apparently an unofficial local option for clergy who profess dual faiths.

Rev. Redding certainly is free to pursue a spiritual path of her own choosing. But when she was ordained as an Episcopal priest, she accepted a charge to boldly proclaim the gospel of salvation; and rightly administer the sacraments of the New Covenant. How can she boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ's death on the cross for the sins of the world and subsequent resurrection when Islam denies both events? How can she rightly administer the sacraments of [a] … covenant antithetical to Muslim beliefs, which see Jesus only as a prophet, not the savior of the world? Rev. Redding, Bishop Warner, and the Episcopal Church need to take such questions seriously.

Even the Episcopal Church's baptismal service asks all Christians to [c]onfess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share with us in his eternal priesthood. The idea that a person can become a Muslim while remaining an Episcopal priest in good standing trivializes both faiths.

The blurring of Christian distinctives is evidence of a spiritual confusion that can only harm Episcopalians. And while it's been said that all politics are local, Bishop Warner's acceptance of Rev. Redding's syncretism compromises the whole church. The Episcopal Church's unofficial acceptance of clergy with dual faiths represents inclusion run amok. It clearly illustrates the overwhelming gap in faith and practice between the Episcopal Church and the majority of the Anglican Communion—not to mention the universal Christian Church.

Commentary: Blair welcome, even if not the messiah
Yossi Alpher July 3, 2007

Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, has been appointed the Quartet's representative to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace. Since hearing this news, my reaction has moved from dismay via detached analysis to the warmest of welcomes.

Firstly, dismay. Here is the man whose brilliant understanding of Middle East issues led him, nonetheless, to commit British prestige and resources to supporting the George W. Bush administration's failed policies in Iraq, and to Washington's disastrous effort to democratize the region.

This is the leader who recently told an audience in Pakistan that Islamist extremism in that part of the world was generated by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and on whose prime-ministerial watch the United Kingdom produced a home-grown generation of angry Islamists, as well as, most recently, an epidemic of petty and despicable anti-Israel boycotts. Further, Blair, like US President Bush, cites his religious beliefs as inspiration for his Middle East policies. I harbor a profound mistrust of religious motivation - whether Christian, Muslim, or Jewish - for strategy and statesmanship in our part of the world.

My second reaction was a more analytical look at Blair's new job. His predecessor, James Wolfensohn, sought to exploit Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza two years ago to promote economic development and wellbeing. While his efforts failed, he can hardly be blamed for Palestinians' inability or unwillingness to keep the peace in Gaza, and make good on the infrastructure left behind by Israel and the generous aid he recruited. Nor is former prime minister Ariel Sharon's unwillingness to even attempt to coordinate withdrawal with the Palestinian Liberation Organization-Palestinian Authority Wolfensohn's fault.

But Blair is a politician, not an economist. The Quartet - composed of the US, EU, Russia, and the UN - has commissioned him to help develop Palestinian political institutions. In view of his energy and passion for the issue he will, undoubtedly, push for a broader mandate to foster options for a peace process; indeed, Bush may already envision Blair's mission in precisely this expanded context. Yet how can either mission work when both the Palestinians and the Quartet are hopelessly divided, and the international playing field so congested?

The American and European members of the Quartet continue to boycott Hamas in Gaza. The Russians and the United Nations are unhappy with this policy - which they feel was imposed on them by the US - believing it to be counterproductive, and helping to bring about the Hamas coup in Gaza last month. They seek contact with Hamas, as do Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Which Quartet policy will Blair represent? Which government will he help reorganize?

Then, too, Blair will not be alone: the EU, Russia, and the UN all have their own representatives working to alleviate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The EU's Javier Solana and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are also very active here, while Blair's fellow Europeans, whose backing he needs, consider him too American, and complain they were never consulted regarding his appointment. The EU has already tried, at least once, to help Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas organize his office, with no appreciable results. Blair will have his work cut out for him merely in trying to avoid repeating the failed efforts of his predecessors, and tripping over his fellow global peacemakers.

Inevitably, my ultimate reaction to the Blair appointment was to look for the bright side, the silver lining. Blair is a talented and energetic man; by and large he has been quite fair and evenhanded in his attitude toward Israel. He probably won't do any harm; he may even do some good. At worst, he'll throw in the towel after a year or two and go home, disabused of all his illusions. At best, his legendary persuasive powers and charm will achieve real results.

So, why begrudge him his appointment? Welcome to the fray, Tony Blair. You are almost certainly not the messiah we've all been waiting for. But then again, there hasn't been a messiah in this part of the world for 2,000 years.

Yossi Alpher is the Israeli Co-Editor of the bitterlemons family of Internet publications. He is former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, and was a special adviser to former prime minister Ehud Barak. This commentary was featured on bitterlemons.org. Acknowledgement to bitterlemons.org.

Trade minister called EU deal a con July 3,07
Sir Digby Jones

The Conservatives have claimed that a new Foreign Office minister does not support the EU constitutional treaty. Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, shadow Europe minister Mark Francois quoted Sir Digby Jones as saying that the deal agreed by EU leader's last month was a con. Former CBI director general Sir Digby was brought in from outside Parliament last week to be trade and investment minister in both the Foreign Office and Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in Gordon Brown's government of all the talents. As an outspoken critic of the government in the past, he will now take the Labour whip in the House of Lords.

However Francois pointed to comments that may prove uncomfortable for him and his new colleagues as he continued Tory calls for a referendum on the replacement for the EU's failed constitution. The Conservative spokesman said Sir Digby told the Economic and Research Council that it is a con to call this a treaty, it is not, it is exactly the same, it is a constitution. Wasn't the new minister for trade and investment exactly right? he asked. However Europe minister Jim Murphy said that he did not agree. It said in the reform treaty loud and clear, the constitutional concept is abandoned, he argued. Earlier business secretary John Hutton also told the Financial Times that he was not in the least bit worried about having the vocal figure in his team.

THIS IS JUST A SHOW BY PUTIN RUSSIA AND IRAN ARE WORKING TOGETHER FOR NUCLEAR WEAPONS, RUSSIA DOES ANYTHING TO DECIEVE AMERICA AND IT ALWAYS WORKS TO.

Bush, Putin vow unity over Iran By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer
Mon Jul 2, 1:59 PM ET

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine - President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin projected a united front Monday against Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program. When Russia and the United States speak along the same lines, it tends to have an effect and therefore I appreciate the Russians' attitude in the United Nations, Bush said. We're close on recognizing that we got to work together to send a common message. Putin predicted that we will continue to be successful as they work through the U.N. Security Council.

Security Council members have begun discussing a U.S. proposal for sanctions against Iran because of its refusal to stop enriching uranium. The U.S., Russia and their fellow permanent U.N. Security Council members, however, have told Iran they will hold off on new sanctions if it stops expanding its enrichment activities while they seek to restart talks about the program with Tehran. Diplomats say the Iranian government has not yet responded to the proposal. Putin suggested there would be further substantial intercourse on this issue. It was unclear whether the leaders had agreed on methods or merely wanted to gloss over for public consumption any differences on strategy. Bush and Putin have contrasting views on democracy and missile defense, NATO expansion into Russia's backyard and independence for Kosovo. They both want to stymie Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions, but haven't seen eye-to-eye on how tough to get with Tehran or even whether Iranian missiles currently pose a threat.

On the prickly missile issue, Putin proposed transforming U.S. plans for an Eastern European missile shield into a broader system that would incorporate a radar system in southern Russia and bring more European nations into the decision-making process.
The relationship of our two countries would be raised to an entirely new level, Putin said, standing alongside Bush on the lawn of the Bush family summer home overlooking the craggy Atlantic shoreline. Washington is planning to build a new missile defense system based in Poland and the Czech Republic. Putin had said the United States overstepped its national borders in every way and has threatened to reposition Russian rockets in retaliation.

Last month, Putin surprised Bush in Germany by proposing a Soviet-era early warning radar in Azerbaijan as a substitute for the radar and interceptors the United States wants to place in Poland and the Czech Republic. Washington has been clear it doubts the Azerbaijan facility is up to becoming a substitute. Bush called the Russian leader's latest missile defense idea very sincere and very innovative. However, the president said, I think the Czech Republic and Poland need to be an integral part of the system. Earlier, Bush and the Russian leader piled into a powerful speedboat navigated by Bush's father — former President George H.W. Bush. Under a bright morning sunshine, Putin and the Bushes roamed close to the shoreline around the Bush family's oceanfront estate for about an hour and a half.

I JUST CAN NOT BELIVE THE ISRAELIS ARE RELEASING TERRORISTS JUST FLOORS ME.

Israel Readies List Of Fatah Prisoners To Be Released

(RTTNews) - The Prime Minister's Office has completed a list of 250 prisoners from the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, to be released as per Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's promise to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Sharm e-Sheikh last week.The list will be discussed with the Justice Ministry director-general on Wednesday, and it will be brought before the cabinet for approval on Sunday. Olmert made the offer as a gesture of goodwill towards the Palestinians in a four-way summit at the Red Sea resort in an effort to ease the tense situation in the Palestinian territories and activate the stalled Mideast peace process.For comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com

Hamas Tried To Take Control of Temple Mount
by Hana Levi Julian (JULY 3,07 INN)

The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and police revealed Monday morning a sting operation that resulted in the arrest of 11 Hamas officials who led an effort to take over the Temple Mount from the Jordanian Wakf. Ten of those arrested possess cards identifying themselves as Israeli citizens. One of the detainees is 39-year-old Nasser Yaakuv Abu S’oud, who carried out money transfers for Hamas and other activities for the group on the Temple Mount . Abu S’oud was not directly involved in weapons-related activities, nor was 47-year-old businessman Amin S’wini. He was also involved in funds transfers and other Hamas activity in the capital.Their goal is to gain full control over the Temple Mount , a security official said, adding that the Hamas terrorist party has built a bathroom and expanded its library and prayer rooms at the Temple Mount . Hamas, funded by Syria , Iran and other Arab nations, has invested millions of dollars in the Temple Mount site, where it has conducted tours and preached Hamas ideology.

The terrorist organization has provided social services support to low-income Arabs living in eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods, thus cementing its support in the population. Shin Bet sources reported Hamas terrorists have used the identity cards to operate throughout Israel, gaining grassroots support among the Palestinian Authority and Israeli Arab population, which it uses to recruit new members.Covert surveillance by security personnel has revealed that the terrorist organization, which took over Gaza in a bloody civil war with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah organization, is working actively to consolidate its control over the Temple Mount complex. If it wasn’t for this operation, Israel could have been dealt a harsh blow, said a senior Shin Bet official.

Jordan secretly buying land accessing Temple Mount
Kingdom said to be solidifying control of Judaism's holiest site
July 3, 2007 Aaron Klein - WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – Jordan has been quietly purchasing real estate surrounding the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in the hope of gaining more control over the area accessing the holy site, according to Palestinian and Israeli officials.

Israel's Maariv daily newspaper reported a member of the Jordanian royal family has been leading efforts to purchase properties near the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – as part of the kingdom's plan to solidify its already strong presence there.

The Maariv story was first reported by WND four months ago in an exclusive report revealing Jordan has used shell companies during the past year to purchase several apartments and shops located at key peripheral sections of the Temple Mount.

Israeli and Palestinian officials told WND Jordan also set up a commission to use the shell companies to petition mostly Arab landowners adjacent to eastern sections of the Temple Mount to sell their properties. They said profits from sales at any purchased shops would be reinvested to buy more real estate near the Mount and in eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods. The Jordanian shell companies at times have presented themselves as acting on behalf of the Waqf, the Muslim custodians of the Temple Mount, WND has learned. Sheik Azzam Khateeb, who was installed in February as the new manager of the Waqf, is known to be close to the Jordanian monarchy. The previous Waqf manager, Sheik Adnon Husseini, was loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party and had relations with Israel and some Jewish groups. Khateeb answers directly to Jordan, a Fatah official told WND.

Israeli and Palestinian officials said Jordan recently placed a bid to purchase Jerusalem's Intercontinental Hotel, which is situated on an important road that leads to an ancient cemetery on the Mount of Olives, adjacent to the Temple Mount. Informed sources tell WND the hotel is owned by groups representing the Israeli government and is leased every 10 years to a new company. The last lease was signed in 1997 and expires later this year. It was not immediately clear whether Jordan's bid was accepted. The Mount of Olives is the site of many biblical events and is considered important to Judaism and Christianity. Real estate ownership in Jerusalem's Old City is widely considered a sensitive matter. Previous Israeli-Palestinian peace proposals tentatively divided parts of the city based on Jewish or Arab residence.

Jordan previously controlled eastern Jerusalem and the Temple Mount from 1948 until Israel liberated the territory in the 1967 Six-Day War. During the period of Jordanian control, Jews were barred from the Western Wall and Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest sites, and hundreds of synagogues were destroyed. Jordan constructed a road to the Intercontinental Hotel that stretched across the Mount of Olives, bulldozing hundreds of Jewish gravestones. Jordan the past few months has boosted its public profile on the Temple Mount. The appointment of Khateeb as the new Waqf manager for the Temple Mount was widely seen as a nod to Jordan.

In January, Israel granted Jordan permission to replace the main podium in the Al Aqsa Mosque from which Islamic preachers deliver their sermons. The podium is considered one of the most important stands in the Muslim world. Muslims believe it marks the exact spot their prophet Muhammad went up to heaven to receive revelations from Allah. The new stand bears the emblem of the Jordanian kingdom. It replaces a 1,000-year-old podium believed to have been shipped to Jerusalem by the Islamic conqueror Saladin. That stand was destroyed in 1969, when an Australian tourist set fire to the Al Aqsa Mosque. In February, WND first reported Prime Minister Ehud Olmert granted permission to Jordan to construct a large minaret at a site on the Temple Mount where Jewish groups here had petitioned to build a synagogue. According to Israeli diplomatic sources, an announcement on the minaret has been stalled.

A minaret is a tower usually attached to a mosque from which Muslims are called to the five Islamic daily prayers. There are four minarets on the Temple Mount. The new minaret will be the largest one yet. It will be the first built on the Temple Mount in more than 600 years and is slated to tower over the walls of Jerusalem's Old City. It will reside next to the Al-Marwani Mosque, located at the site of Solomon's Stables. A top leader of the Waqf told WND Olmert's granting of permission to build the minaret in the synagogue's place confirms 100 percent the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) belongs to Muslims. This proves Jewish conspiracies for a synagogue will never succeed and solidifies our presence here. It will make Muslims worldwide more secure that the Jews will never take over the Haram al-Sharif, the Waqf official said.

Hamas plans for Temple Mount takeover thwarted

The reports of Jordan gaining Temple Mount control come as Israeli security officials revealed yesterday they foiled a Hamas plan to take control of the Temple Mount and spread the terror group's ideology and recruit new members in Jerusalem.
During a year-long operation, Israel's Shin Bet Security Services revealed it arrested 11 Hamas officials based in Jerusalem, 10 of whom are Israeli identity cards holders. Hamas's Jerusalem headquarters were reportedly funded by Hamas headquarters in Syria, as well as a chain of charity institutions based in Saudi Arabia. Shin Bet officials said Hamas invested large sums of money in construction on the Temple Mount, including the building of a public bathroom facility and enlargement of a library and several prayer halls in a massive mosque that was built in a southeast Mount area known as Solomon's Stables. The area had been called Solomon's Stables since Crusader times, when it was used by the Crusaders as horse stables. [Hamas'] goal is to gain full control over the Temple Mount, a high-ranking security officer told the Jerusalem Post yesterday, adding Hamas also tried to infiltrate its members into the Temple Mount as maintenance staff, in addition to its religious leaders who preach, give tours and teach Quran classes there.

Jews Mourn, Fast on 17th Day of Tammuz
by Hillel Fendel (JULY 3,07 INN)

The Three Weeks of gradually-increasing mourning over the destruction of the Holy Temples and Israel's exile begin Tuesday, with the fast day of the 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz. This is the day on which Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian forces breached the walls of Jerusalem, after many months of siege on their way to destroying the Holy Temple. The Three Weeks end on the 9th of Av - Tisha B'Av - the date on which both the First and Second Temples were destroyed, roughly 2,500 and 2,000 years ago, respectively. The 17th of Tammuz is also the date on which Moses, having descended Mount Sinai and seeing the people sinning with the Golden Calf, broke the first set of Ten Commandments. During the First Temple Era, the priests were forced on this day - a year before the Temple's destruction - to stop offering the daily sacrifice due to the shortage of sheep.

In addition, the Talmud tells us, on this date some decades earlier, the evil King Menasheh had an idol placed in the Temple's Holy Sanctuary. Later, during Second Temple times, a Roman general placed an idol in the same place and publicly burned the Torah.

Excerpts from the morning selichot prayers:

We rebelled against Him Who dwells in heaven, therefore we were scattered in all directions... We acted rebelliously before Thee with slandering tongues, therefore our tongues were made to learn to utter lamentation... The tempest-tossed afflicted people were utterly broken up and dispersed; the dry land became a boat wrecked for lack of a captain; she received [punishment] for her sins with principal and double interest, with mourning and moaning... Their adversaries assailed them on that day and... drove the nation like a chased gazelle, and there was none that sought to protect it... Turn to us, O Thou that dwellest on high, gather our dispersed from the four corners of the earth; say to Zion, Arise! And we shall arise. Convert the 17th of Tammuz into a day of salvation and comfort. (translation by Rev. Abraham Isaac Jacob Rosenfeld)

In honor of the day, and in view of the difficult situation Israel faces, the Chief Rabbinate issued the following call:

It is a time of trouble for Israel: Israel's enemies sound off and lift their heads in arrogance and conceit, opening their mouths wide with threats and terrorization. They boast of their desire to destroy the Jews; they have consulted together with one another and made a pact against G-d... saying, Let us cut off Israel (Psalms 83), and wish to war with us even as we are geared for peace. We are in dire need of G-d's mercy and salvation; we have none on whom to lean except for our Father in Heaven. We must redouble our Torah study and observance of the Torah's commandments, with even greater strength and greater devotion - for they come with chariots and horses, but we come calling in the Name of G-d (Psalms 20).

We therefore hereby call upon the Nation of G-d to gather in synagogues on Tuesday, the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz, an hour and a half before the afternoon Mincha prayer, for the recitation of selichot [penitential prayers] and Psalms. Let us cry out with all our strength, and call to our G-d and the G-d of our fathers from the depths of our heart - for "G-d is close to all who call upon Him in truth (Psalms 145).

May our cries arise before Him, and may G-d arise from His chair of strict justice and sit upon the chair of mercy. May He guide and lead us with compassion and kindness, for G-d's salvation can come in the blink of an eye. And may we see the fulfillment of this verse: I will give peace in the Land, and you will lie down to sleep without fear... and no sword will pass through your Land. May this occur speedily in our days, Amen.

Signed and sealed:
Shlomo Moshe Amar, the Rishon LeTzion, the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel
Yona Metzger, the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel

Chief Rabbinate Begins Phasing Out Controversial 7th-Year Sale
by Hillel Fendel (JULY 3,07 INN)

As the upcoming Shemittah [Sabbatical] year approaches - it begins on Rosh HaShanah, September 13 - farmers and rabbis are preparing to deal with the unique Halakhic [Jewish legal] issues involved in the Biblical ban on working the fields in the Land of Israel.

The Chief Rabbinate plans to Kosher-certify fruits and bananas only if they are grown in accordance with special regulations (see below). The Rabbinate will instruct the public as to how to treat these fruits with special Shemittah sanctity. Neither fruits destined for export nor vegetables are included in this arrangement.

The Torah's agricultural ban occurs once every seven years, in accordance with Exodus 23 and Leviticus 25. Today, these Shemittah regulations retain only Rabbinic, and not Biblical, authority, due to the lack of a majority of the Jewish People in the Land of Israel [see Lev. 25,2]. For this reason and others, rabbis in the mid-19th century ruled that Jews in Israel could sell their fields to non-Jews and continue performing many otherwise forbidden farming activities. This arrangement was known as the Heter Mechirah [the Sale Dispensation].

Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of the modern-day Land of Israel, promulgated the Heter Mechirah on a national scale, in order to prevent the collapse of the agricultural economy.

The Heter Mechirah increasingly became a matter of controversy between religious-Zionist circles, which largely accepted it, and the hareidi-religious sector, which did not. The farmers of the latter were largely supported by communal funds during Shemittah years, while hareidi-religious consumers purchased fruits and vegetables either from Arab sources or from outlying areas of the Land of Israel not bound by Shemittah laws.

This latter approach, however, strengthens the Arab share of the agricultural market not only during the Shemittah year, but in the following years as well.

In fact, in the last Shemittah, seven years ago, 50,000 dunams (some 12,500 acres) of new agricultural farms were developed in Jordan to meet the consumption needs of those who wished to buy non-Jewish produce. Rabbi Neriah Gutel, the Dean of Orot College who has written widely on the topic, writes that not only were these farms not dismantled afterwards, but they continue even now to compete with Jewish farms in Israel.

A third approach to Shemittah that has been increasingly making inroads is the Otzar Beit Din, or Public Treasury. It is based, inter alia, on the idea that Shemittah fruits are forbidden to be sold, but not to be eaten - and in fact have a sanctity that renders their consumption extra meritorious. To this end, and in order to enable everyone to enjoy the fruits of the Land - another Shemittah objective - harvesting, fruit distribution, and land upkeep is carried out not for commercial profit, but by a public body appointed by a court of Jewish Law acting as the public's representative.

The Chief Rabbinate has decided to implement the Otzar Beit Din method on a national scale for fruits and bananas. Accordingly, all fruits and bananas sold throughout the country under the certification of the Chief Rabbinate - which includes most large supermarkets in Israel - will not be Heter-fruits, i.e., from lands exempted from Shemittah by virtue of having been sold to a non-Jew, but rather raised in a permitted manner in accordance with Lev. 25, 6: The produce of the land shall be food for you...

In a letter to municipal rabbis and kashrut inspectors this week, the Chief Rabbinate writes, Our universally agreed upon goal is to reach a point where we will not need the Heter at all, just as Rabbi Kook wrote... in order that we may observe this commandment in all its glory. Accordingly, the Chief Rabbinate Council has decided to reduce the use of the Heter as much as possible. For several months we have been in personal contact with every farmer... Similarly, the Heter will be implemented only in cases where other solutions - such as Otzar Beit Din, early seeding, raised platforms, and the like - cannot be used.

The ramifications for the public are two-fold: Special care will be taken to ensure that the price of fruits and bananas is not raised arbitrarily, but will rather cover only normal costs and expenses, including a fair and normal salary for those involved. In addition, signs will be placed in the fruit sections instructing the public that the fruits must be treated with special Shemittah sanctity. Specifically, the fruits must be used only in their normal manner (generally eating or drinking), and their remnants must not be thrown out in a degrading fashion.

To this end, Rabbinate officials said that an educational campaign would be undertaken, though its extent and framework have not yet been determined.

Most vegetables will not be included in the above arrangement.


Barroso warns member states against unravelling treaty deal
02.07.2007 - 17:07 CET | By Honor Mahony

EUOBSERVER / PORTO - The European Commission and the newly minted Portuguese EU presidency has dismissed Poland's attempts to reopen a key part of a new agreement on a future union treaty as a misunderstanding and warned member states generally that unanimous deals cannot be re-opened just days after being agreed. None of the issues which we agreed upon are going to be opened, said commission president Jose Manuel Barroso on Monday at a press conference in Porto to introduce Portugal's six month tenure of the EU. Referring to the EU leaders summit ten days ago where member states agreed a mandate for negotiating a new treaty for the bloc, he said it can't be that member states start putting into question what they all unanimously agreed upon.

Portuguese prime minister Jose Socrates was equally clear. He noted that the mandate does not say oh by the way you can revise the mandate.We hailed that agreement he said, adding that he did not see any countries that want to question it.

Poland dismissed

Meanwhile, both politicians used similar phrasing to dismiss Polish attempts to put the highly contentious voting issue back on the table. There have been a few ambiguous statements put forward, but these were a misunderstanding, said Mr Barroso while Mr Socrates noted it can't be anything but a little misunderstanding here.Mr Socrates implied that Poland had already got so much from the summit – it secured an extension of the current voting system until at least 2014, with the option to further use it until 2017 – that it had no reason to be making waves now. We think Poland will be one of the most co-operative because they were so fundamental to the agreement, he said

Putting the cat firmly among the pigeons, Warsaw last week indicated it would like a gentleman's agreement made in the late hours of the ill-tempered 21-22 June summit to be honoured. It said it was told the mandate would contain a mechanism to delay EU decisions for up to two years if the blocking minority formally required was not quite reached. But opening this issue would probably result in Portugal's overall timetable for agreement unravelling. Lisbon has said it would like a fully formed treaty agreement in October. If Warsaw is seen as allowed to revisit the negotiating document - already a patchwork of opt-outs, footnotes and protocols - it could have a knock-on effect. Portuguese diplomats already fear that the longer member states have to think about the mandate, the more creative member states will be in their interpretations of it.

Terror plot hatched in British hospitals
By Kim Sengupta, Ian Herbert and Cahal Milmo
Published: 03 July 2007

A suspected secret cell of foreign militants, believed to be linked to al-Qa'ida and using British hospitals as cover, are being questioned over the terrorist attacks in London and Glasgow. Five of the eight people under arrest last night are said to be doctors. Another of those detained is the wife of one of the doctors, who is a medical assistant working for the NHS. The home of a sixth doctor is said to have been searched by police. Late last night an Australian television network reported that a suspect wanted in connection with the attacks had been arrested in Brisbane.
Attention has been focused on a group of nationals from the Middle East, who had not previously attracted the interest of security agencies. Until now, cases of Islamist terrorism have involved mainly Muslims who were born and brought up in Britain. The alleged arrival of teams from abroad to carry out attacks, their identities unknown to the domestic law agencies, adds another dimension to the terrorist threat being faced in the United Kingdom.

Following the link between the attacks in London and Glasgow, control of the investigation was transferred to Scotland Yard. With the security alert staying at the highest possible level and warnings that another attack may be imminent, police carried out 19 raids across the country, arresting nationals from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Among those arrested was Mohammed Jamil Abdelqader Asha, a 26-year-old neurologist who was born in Saudi Arabia but is of Palestinian origin and was travelling on a Jordanian passport. He and his 27-year-old wife, a medical assistant, were arrested on the M6 in Cheshire, in connection with the attempted bombings in London. Also under arrest was Bilal Talal Abdul Samad Abdulla, an Iraqi from Baghdad who arrived in the UK in April 2006. He is said to have been one of the two men in the Cherokee Jeep in the Glasgow airport attack, and is suffering from third-degree burns. His companion, under arrest, is also from Iraq, while two other men, aged 25 and 28, arrested in Paisley yesterday, were said to be doctors from Saudi Arabia. Police carried out a controlled explosion on a blue Vauxhall car yesterday at Royal Alexandra Hospital, in Paisley, near Glasgow, where Dr Abdulla worked and where he is being treated for his injuries. It was the second such detonation at the hospital, following a white BMW on Sunday. Strathclyde Police said the two vehicles were connected with the airport attack.

Dr Asha, 26, has been in Britain since 2005 and had worked at the North Staffordshire Hospital, where his office was being searched yesterday following a raid at his home at Sunningdale Grove in Newcastle-under-Lyme. There were police searches in the same town two miles from Dr Asha's home at Priam Close, Bradwell, which, according to neighbours, was rented by another doctor and his wife.
Further searches were carried out in Liverpool at the home of a man who had been arrested after being disabled with a taser gun after police surrounded his car. According to neighbours, the man was a doctor from India who worked at Halton Hospital in Cheshire. A colleague told the newspaper, Muslim News, that the man may have been detained because he was using the mobile telephone and internet account of another man who has recently left Britain. Last night Dr Asha's father, Jamil Asha, asked King Abdullah of Jordan to intercede on behalf of his son. He vehemently stressed to journalists in Amman that his son was not involved in any terrorist activity.

All he wanted to do was get on with his life. He prays like any good Muslim but was certainly not a fanatic, said Mr Asha. He was planning to visit us on 12 July. He called me three days ago to check the body sizes of his six brothers and two sisters. My son wanted to buy them gifts from Britain before his departure. Dr Asha's brother, Ahmed, said he was surprised by news of his arrest. The first news we heard of this was broadcast by an Arabic satellite channel. It's nonsense because he has no terror connections. Dr Abdulla, who had qualified in Baghdad in 2004, a year after the US-led invasion, has been in Britain since August 2006. He is said to have lived in Jordan before arriving in the UK.

The failed car bomb attacks in London early on Friday morning involved two Mercedes saloons. They had been packed with gas cylinders, petrol and nails with two mobile telephones acting as detonators. The bombers had, according to a security source, tried to detonate the car outside Tiger Tiger bar with four phone calls. Two calls had been made to the car in Cockspur Street, which was later towed away to a car pound. The bombs failed because of a technical mistake. Detectives believe that a Mercedes involved in the failed attacks in London came from Scotland. They have tracked part of the car's route south last week using number-plate recognition technology mounted in cameras along the M6.

The raids and arrests across the country which followed are said to have resulted mainly from clues gathered from the two cars, including calls made to the mobile telephones.

Homegrown cells

* OPERATION CREVICE

Five men plotted to blow up the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent and the Ministry of Sound nightclub in London with massive fertiliser bombs. MI5 were watching the ringleaders when, in February 2004, a supervisor at a London self-storage reported three men stashing 600kg of ammonium nitrate fertiliser. Cell member Jawad Akbar was recorded discussing the nightclub attack: No one can put their hands up and say they are innocent. Fearful the gang would attack, the police launched a series of raids. Akbar, Omar Khyam, Waheed Mahmood, Anthony Garcia and Salahuddin Amin - British citizens - were convicted at the Old Bailey in April of conspiracy to cause explosions.

* 7 JULY 2005

As the morning rush-hour ended, Shehzad Tanweer, Jermaine Lindsay and Mohammad Siddique blew up the explosive-packed rucksacks they were carrying on London Underground trains at Russell Square, Edgware Road and Aldgate. An hour later, Hasib Hussain detonated his on a number 30 bus in Tavistock Square. They were all from Yorkshire, except Lindsay, who lived in Aylesbury. The four men were motivated by fierce antagonism to perceived injustices by the West against Muslims, according to the Government report into the bombings.

A total of 52 people were killed and more than 770 were injured.

* 21 JULY 2005

A fortnight to the day after the 7 July attacks, four attempted bombings took place in central London. Faulty bombs were found on trains at Oval, Warren Street and Shepherds Bush stations and on a bus in Hackney, gifting the police a wealth of forensic evidence. The trial at Woolwich Crown Court of six men, who deny conspiracy to murder, heard that the bombs were made using chapatti flour and hydrogen peroxide. The six, Muktar Ibrahim, Manfo Asiedu, Hussein Osman, Yassin Omar, Ramzi Mohammed and Adel Yaha, are all originally from Africa. The trial jury went out to consider its verdict on 28 June. The jury is still out.

* DHIREN BAROT

Indian-born Barot plotted to create carnage on an unprecedented scale . His plans included blowing up a Tube train in a tunnel beneath the Thames. Barot, from London, was jailed for at least 40 years in November for conspiracy to murder. There was no evidence he had acquired the materials to carry out his attacks, but his plans were found on his computer.