RUSSIAS NEW ARMS DEAL WITH IRAN

FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Joseph's Tomb synagogue destroyed by Israeli forces
Prime Minister Olmert orders razing of structure built so Jews can pray at Judaism's 3rd holiest site - July 31, 2007 - By Aaron Klein - WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – Security forces acting on orders from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday destroyed a synagogue used by Jews to worship near Joseph's Tomb, Judaism's third holiest site and the believed burial place of the biblical patriarch Joseph – the son of Jacob who was sold by his brothers into slavery and later became the viceroy of Egypt. Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, which granted nearby strategic territory to the Palestinians, Joseph's Tomb was supposed to be accessible to Jews and Christians. But following repeated attacks against Jewish worshippers at the holy site by gunmen associated with then-PLO leader Yasser Arafat's militias, Prime Minister Ehud Barak in October 2000 ordered an Israeli unilateral retreat from the area.

The tomb is located near the modern day West Bank city of Nablus, or biblical Shechem. Currently, Jewish pilgrimage to Joseph's Tomb is legal only several times per year in convoys protected by the Israel Defense Forces. Still, some Jews regularly attempt clandestine visits to the holy site. Jewish students last year built a structure on the West Bank's Mount Gerizim, which is just outside the tomb area. The structure was used as a synagogue and was constructed on the Mount so Jews can pray and study Torah as close to the tomb site as possible. Dozens of Jewish students congregated daily at the makeshift synagogue. But Olmert's office and Israeli government officials deemed the structure – which they refused to call a synagogue – illegal since it was built without a government permit. Building at Joseph's Tomb site after Palestinian Authority took control in 2000.

Yesterday, under direct orders from Olmert, the Israel Civil Lands Administration destroyed the structure. Just before the synagogue was bulldozed, one Jewish student told the Israel National News website, If the synagogue is destroyed, it will be rebuilt.Olmert's decision to single out for demolition the synagogue near Judaism's third holiest site has been called into question by religious leaders here. While Jewish construction projects deemed illegal in Jewish cities in the West Bank is regularly bulldozed by the government, Olmert's office has taken no action against hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in illegal outposts in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

WND previously exposed the Israeli government has allowed Palestinians and the United Nations to build illegally on hundreds of acres of Jewish-owned lands in Jerusalem purchased by the Jewish National Fund, a U.S.-based Jewish organization, using Jewish donors funds solicited for the purpose of Jewish settlement. Tens of thousands of Palestinians live on the Jewish-owned Jerusalem land, which was recently isolated from Jewish sections of Jerusalem by Israel's security barrier.

Yeshiva at third holiest site turned into mosque

The Torah describes how Jacob purchased a land plot in Shechem, which was given as inheritance to his sons and was used to re-inter Joseph, whose bones were taken out of Egypt during the Jewish exodus. Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, are also said to be buried at the site. As detailed in the Torah, shortly before his death, Joseph asked the Israelites to vow they would resettle his bones in the land of Canaan – biblical Israel. That oath was fulfilled when, according to the Torah, Joseph's remains were taken by the Jews from Egypt and reburied at the plot of land Jacob had earlier purchased in Shechem, believed to be the site of the tomb. Modern archeologists confirm Nablus is the biblical city of Shechem

Yehuda Leibman, who until the Israeli retreat from Joseph's Tomb in 2000 was director of a yeshiva constructed there, explained, The sages tell us that there are three places which the world cannot claim were stolen by the Jewish people: the Temple Mount, the Cave of the Patriarchs and Joseph's Tomb.There is evidence suggesting for more than 1,000 years Jews of various origins worshipped at Joseph's Tomb. The Samaritans, a local tribe that follow a religion based on the Torah, say they trace their lineage back to Joseph himself and that they worshipped at the tomb site for more than 1,700 years. Israel first gained control of Nablus and the neighboring site of Joseph's Tomb in the 1967 Six-Day War. The Oslo Accords signed by Arafat and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin called for the area surrounding the tomb site to be placed under Palestinian jurisdiction but allowed for continued Jewish visits to the site and the construction of an Israeli military outpost at the tomb to ensure secure Jewish access.

Following the transfer of control of Nablus and the general area encompassing the tomb to the Palestinians in the early 1990s, there were a series of outbreaks of violence in which Arab rioters and gunmen from Arafat's Fatah militias shot at Jewish worshipers and the tomb's military outpost. Six Israeli soldiers were killed and many others, including yeshiva students, were wounded in September 1996 when Palestinian rioters and Fatah gunmen attempted to over take the tomb. Eventually, Israeli soldiers regained control of the site. The Palestinians continued to attack Joseph's Tomb with regular shootings and the lobbing of firebombs and Molotov cocktails. Security for Jews at the site increasingly became more difficult to maintain. Rumors circulated in 2000 that Barak would evacuate the Israeli military outpost and give the tomb to Arafat as a peacemaking gesture. In early 2000, the Israeli army began denying Jewish visits to the tomb on certain days due to prospects of Arab violence.

Following U.S. mediated peace talks at Camp David in September 2000, Arafat returned to the West Bank and initiated his intifada. During one bloody week in October 2000, Fatah gunmen attacked the tomb repeatedly, killing two and injuring dozens, prompting Barak to order a complete evacuation of Judaism's third holiest site on Oct. 6. Gravestone at traditional burial site for biblical patriarch Joseph after it was ransacked by Palestinian mobs. Within less than an hour of the Israeli retreat, Palestinian rioters overtook Joseph's Tomb and reportedly began to ransack the site. Palestinian mobs reportedly tore apart books, destroying prayer stands and grinding out stone carvings in the Tomb's interior.

Palestinians hoisted a Muslim flag over the tomb. Amin Maqbul, an official from Arafat's office, visited the tomb to deliver a speech declaring, Today was the first step to liberate (Jerusalem). One BBC reporter described the scene: The site was reduced to smoldering rubble – festooned with Palestinian and Islamic flags – cheering Arab crowd. Palestinians on Oct. 10 began construction of a mosque on the rubble of the tomb's adjacent yeshiva compound. Workers painted the dome of the compound green, the Islamic color. In a WND exclusive interview, Tariq Tarawi, a Fatah lawmaker who in 2000 served as chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group in the vicinity of the tomb, said the Palestinians would never allow Israel to rebuild a yeshiva or synagogue at Joseph's Tomb. The Brigades carried out most of the attacks against the tomb site. A yeshiva is an institution, said Tarawi. An institution can be the beginning of claiming rights and these claims can bring once again the Israeli army to establish a base in the place, and we can not accept this. If the Jews try to build a yeshiva, we will shoot at them.

Olmert looking at Jordan troops for West Bank: report Mon Jul 30, 3:51 AM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is in favour of Jordanian forces deploying in the occupied West Bank to help Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas fight extremists, a report said on Monday. What Olmert has in mind and what has been raised in recent meetings with Jordan's King Abdullah II... (is) regular Jordanian army troops, Bedouin who have experience fighting terrorism, said the English-language Jerusalem Post, citing unnamed sources.Government spokeswoman Miri Eisin dismissed the report, calling it speculation.

But she said that Olmert is not opposed to the idea of deployment of foreign troops, including from Arab countries, in the West Bank with a view to combating the terrorists of Hamas.The Islamist Hamas overran troops loyal to the moderate Abbas in the Gaza Strip on June 15, splitting the Palestinians into two separate entities, with the Western-backed president ruling over the West Bank and the Western-shunned Islamists in control of Gaza.Following the takeover, Israel has taken several steps aimed at bolstering Abbas in the West Bank and isolating Hamas, which does not recognise the Jewish state.Israeli media reports in recent months have speculated Jordan's Badr Brigade, made up of 1,500 to 2,000 Palestinians who receive their salaries from the Palestine Liberation Organisation, would be deployed in the West Bank.But Olmert is leaning toward the regular Jordanian troops instead, the Post said.

Visiting Spanish minister sees will to end crisis in Lebanon
By Rym Ghazal Daily Star staff - Tuesday, July 31, 2007

BEIRUT: Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos ended his two-day visit to Lebanon and traveled to Damascus on Monday, as Spain added its efforts to those of the French in trying to resolve Lebanon's nine-month-old political deadlock. There is a Lebanese will to end the crisis, Moratinos told reporters on Monday after his meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.Following in the footsteps of French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Moratinos met with leading Lebanese politicians before heading to Syria later in the day on Monday.Syria is part of the solution and is part of the problem in Lebanon, Moratinos said.Moratinos is expected to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad and other senior Syrian officials after pledging in Lebanon to help the Lebanese bring an end to the crisis.

During his two-day visit here, Moratinos also met with Hizbullah number two Sheikh Naim Qassem, Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri, former President Amin Gemayel, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt and Palestine Liberation Organization representative in Lebanon Abbas Zaki.Moratinos came to Lebanon to inquire about the Lebanese situation and help better understand the means of finding solutions to the ongoing political crisis, Geagea told reporters after meeting with Moratinos.The same sentiments were echoed by Gemayel, who added that hopefully there are no fears of a new civil war in Lebanon because of Syrian and Iranian interference.http://www.dailystar.com.lb

The Lebanese are committed to finding a solution, he said. At the same time, Zaki requested from Moratinos European support for the rebuilding of the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in North Lebanon, where the Lebanese Army has been battling militants of Fatah al-Islam for more than two months.It is critical to assist the displaced refugees from the camp with monetary and practical support for the rebuilding of the camp, to allow the displaced to return home as soon as possible, said Zaki.In return, Moratinos expressed his understanding for the Palestinians' plight and said he would try his best to garner European support for the displaced.

In addition to meeting with local politicians, Moratinos also visited the Spanish contingent of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), based in South Lebanon.On Sunday, Moratinos said Spain was strongly engaged both politically and militarily in Lebanon through its contribution to UNIFIL.He said his country had paid a heavy price with the death of six of its soldiers in a car-bomb attack in the South last month, but that it would continue to assume its responsibilities.The six members of the Spanish contingent were killed on June 24 when a booby-trapped car exploded as their armored personnel carrier passed. Under UN Resolution 1701, which ended last summer's 34-day war with Israel, more than 13,000 peacekeepers have been deployed in South Lebanon.

Syria condemns US arms deals
31/07/2007 18:02 - (SA)

Damascus - Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem condemned the multi-billion-dollar US arms packages for Washington's Arab allies and Israel on Tuesday as dangerous.
We are before an international conference (proposed) by President Bush. He who wants to make peace does not start out with an arms initiative which is dangerous for the region, Muallem said in reference to the US administration. He who wishes to see a level playing field cannot be partial to one party and isolate another. He has to win the confidence of all the parties concerned, the minister added. Muallem's comments came as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates kicked off a regional tour in Egypt seeking to unite Arab allies.

Their visit was preceded by announcements of military packages for key Arab allies and Israel. The pacts are worth $20bn for Saudi Arabia, $13bn for Egypt and $30bn for Israel. Muallem said the move to boost Israeli defence aid by 25 % shows that the United States continues to seek to apply its policy of constructive chaos in the Middle East.

Guarantees of success

US President George W Bush proposed on July 16 holding an international conference on the Middle East peace process, which is expected to be held in September. Muallem said that this proposal needed clear objectives and guarantees of success. Syria, for her part, wants security and stability in the region, he said. We will support any serious effort for peace and stability, but we will resist every effort to liquidate the Palestinian cause, he added following talks with visiting Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.

Judicial Watch seeks access to meetings of Security and Prosperity Partnership meetings in August - Chad Groening - OneNewsNow.com - July 31, 2007

The public-interest group Judicial Watch has filed a notice with Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez that it wants to attend the upcoming meetings of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) in Canada. The group, which investigates and prosecutes government corruption, believes the American people have a right to know what's going on inside what it describes as a shadowy organization. The August 20-21 meetings will be conducted in Montebello, Quebec, Canada, by the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC), which is the business arm of the SPP. According to Judicial Watch (JW) spokesman Chris Farrell, his group notified the Commerce Secretary that they are seeking access to the records of the NACC and want to attend its meetings under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) -- the federal open meetings law.

We want to be there, attend [the meetings], take notes, see what's going on -- because essentially they've been operating in secret, Farrell charges. They're all documents that are produced after the fact, but we're not sure that they're full, complete, or accurate; nor have we been privy to the actual meetings themselves, the give-and-take, the conversation, the negotiation that goes on in the meetings.
Farrell says the American public has a right to know what is going on during those meetings. The meetings themselves should be open to the public, he asserts. That's why we put Secretary Gutierrez on notice about: that it is our intention to attend and we need him to abide by the law. These folks need to operate in the sunlight and not in the shadows.

Farrell contends the SPP wants to harmonize rules and regulations and laws among Mexico, Canada, and the United States -- something he believes would have an adverse effect on U.S. sovereignty.[Under the SPP] there's one system, one standard, one regulation, one law, one political entity, the JW spokesman explains. It's much more efficient for them, and they can make a lot more money faster and that's really what's driving this initiative.It goes back to sovereignty, he continues. That undermines or calls into question what the United States stands for and who and what we are as a nation.Judicial Watch has requested confirmation of their admittance -- and that of the general public -- to the meetings in Quebec by Friday, August 3. Farrell explains that his group is prepared to go to court in order to have access to those meetings.

JW's request for the NACC's records -- reports, transcripts, minutes, appendixes, working papers, drafts, studies, agenda, etc. -- seeks those records in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.American Family News Network.

Jul 31 2007 6:20PM
IAEA faces nuclear dilemma
By Jean-Michel Stoullig, AFP

VIENNA - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has celebrated its 50th anniversary as it continues to face the dilemma of preventing the spread of nuclear technology for military purposes while condoning it for civilian purposes.In a congratulatory note to IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei posted on the agency’s website, United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: the IAEA has strived to accelerate and expand its contributions to security and development. I applaud the ceaseless efforts made by the IAEA towards this end.Pope Benedict XVI also praised the UN watchdog’s work: now more than ever, (it is) current and urgent to encourage the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, to promote progressive and negotiated nuclear disarmament and to favour the peaceful and secure use of nuclear technology for the good of people and the environment.The Vienna-based IAEA, which counts 139 member states, was set up in 1957 to ensure the peaceful use of nuclear energy.It monitors compliance with the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has carried out verification missions in over 70 countries.In 2005, ElBaradei and the IAEA received a Nobel Peace Prize for their work.

But the agency faces a fundamental dilemma as voiced by IAEA Deputy Director General David Waller in a recent speech: On the one hand to develop and facilitate the application of those promising beneficial applications of nuclear technology, and, on the other, to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.The West, especially the United States, suspects Iran for instance of seeking nuclear bombs under the cover of a civilian nuclear power programme and the UN Security Council has already imposed two rounds of sanctions on Tehran to get it to suspend enrichment of uranium, a potential material for atom bombs.Iraq, an NPT signatory state, also developed a secret nuclear weapons programme under Saddam Hussein, Waller pointed out in his speech.

But the IAEA scored some successes in 2003 when Libya decided to abandon its nuclear weapons programme and this month when North Korea welcomed agency inspectors back into the country for the first time since December 2002 to monitor the shutdown of its main nuclear reactor at Yongbyon.Besides the five acknowledged nuclear powers - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - four other countries have or are believed to have nuclear weapons: India, Israel and Pakistan, which have not signed the NPT, and North Korea.ElBaradei was keen to point out at a conference in South Korea earlier this month however that the IAEA also carries out work in other areas, such as in agriculture and health, using radiation to develop new crop varieties and eliminate insect pests like the tsetse fly.The agency also monitors some 437 nuclear power reactors in 30 countries, which supply about 15.2 percent of the world’s electricity, he said.Special events and exhibits were organised in the run-up to the anniversary but the day itself was celebrated without pomp and circumstance.

Iran biggest threat to Mid-East JULY 31,07

Ms Rice says Iran, not the US is the region's main problem US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has warned that Iran poses the biggest threat to US Middle East interests, as she begins a major regional tour. Ms Rice and US Defence Secretary Robert Gates are meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Arab ministers at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The tour is aimed at uniting US allies against Iran, Syria and Hezbollah. It is also trying to win support for a Mid-East peace conference planned for later this year, correspondents say.

Iran spurs US move

Ms Rice held talks with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, and Rice their said discussions included the situations in Iraq and Lebanon, and the prospects for a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. Ms Rice said the US was making sure its allies in the region were well protected after Iran accused the US of trying to spread fear and mistrust. The United States is determined to assure our allies that we are going to be reliable in helping them to meet their security needs. We have a lot of interests in common in this region: in the fight against terrorism and extremism; in protecting the gains of peace processes of the past and in extending those gains to peace processes of the future, she said. Earlier, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini accused the US of tarnishing good relations between countries in the region.

Iran's nuclear programme and influence among Shia Muslim militant groups have long been sources of US concern. During a stopover in Shannon, Ireland, Ms Rice told reporters: There isn't a doubt, I think, that Iran constitutes the single most important, single-country challenge to... US interests in the Middle East and to the kind of Middle East that we want to see.The trip is the two officials' first joint tour of the region. They will visit Egypt and Saudi Arabia together, and other countries separately.

Mr Gates told reporters travelling with him that US officials wanted to reassure all of the countries that the policies that (US President George W Bush) pursues in Iraq have had and will continue to have regional stability and security as a very high priority.

Congressional opposition

The meetings come after Washington confirmed plans for a massive arms deal for the region. The main beneficiaries of the deals are Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
The $30bn aid to Israel over 10 years represents a 25% increase from present levels.

US ARMS DEAL BENEFICIARIES
Israel - $30bn
Egypt - $13bn
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and UAE - to share $20bn

The Jewish state said the package would allow it to maintain its military qualitative edge in the region. The sale of satellite-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia, the first such sale to any Arab country, is thought to be part of the proposed $20bn arms deal with the kingdom and other Gulf states - the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. During their lobbying tour of the region, Ms Rice and Mr Gates are expected to ask Saudi King Abdullah to do more to support the Iraqi government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, has gone as far as accusing Saudi Arabia of undermining efforts to stabilise Iraq. The weapons deals need to be approved by Congress, and appear set to encounter opposition. Two Democratic congressmen, Anthony Weiner and Jerrold Nadler of New York, said at the weekend they would introduce legislation to block military aid to Saudi Arabia.

RUSSIA'S NEW ARMS DEAL WITH IRAN
By Joel C. Rosenberg

(DENVER, COLORADO, July 31, 2007) -- Russia and Iran continue to strengthen their military ties, while Vladimir Putin and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continue to draw closer as strategic allies.

In December 2005, Russia sold Iran $1 billion worth of missiles, after years of selling submarines and other advanced weapons systems to the radical Islamic regime. The latest reports indicate that Russia plans to sell 250 advanced long-range Sukhoi-30 fighter jets to Iran in an unprecedented billion-dollar deal. What's more, the Jerusalem Post indicates that in addition to the fighter jets, Teheran also plans to purchase a number of aerial fuel tankers that are compatible with the Sukhoi and capable of extending its range by thousands of kilometers. Israeli defense officials say the deal will give the radical Iranian regime enhanced long-range offensive capabilities.

The U.S., meanwhile, has offered Israel some $30 billion in new weapons over the next ten years, an increase in military aid from $2.4 billion to $3 billion a year. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice says the U.S. is also offering military aid packages to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and several Gulf states (the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman) to bolster forces of moderation and support a broader strategy to counter the negative influences of Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran she said. Israeli officials, however, are concerned by the U.S. offer of $20 billion in weapons to the Saudis. They note that should there be an overthrow of the current Saudi regime, such advanced weaponry could fall into the hands of radical Islamic jihadists.

Russia's arms sales to Iran should raise alarms inside the White House and among Congressional leaders. Russia under Putin's leadership has joined the Axis of Evil, selling dangerous weapons systems not just to Iran but to North Korea in recent years as well. But is something else happening, too?

As we explain in the new Epicenter DVD, a growing number of evangelicals are concerned that the intensifying military and political alliance between Russia and Iran could be a sign of the approaching fulfillment of the prophecies found in Ezekiel 38-39, what Bible scholars describe as the War of Gog and Magog. After all Ezekiel 36-37 foretold the rebirth of the State of Israel in the last days, the Jewish people returning to the Holy Land after centuries of exile, and the rebuilding of the ancient ruins in the Promised Land. Sure enough, all of this has come true in the past six decades, thus raising the possibility that Ezekiel 38-39 could come true in our lifetime as well.

Let me be clear: I believe it is too soon to draw such a definitive conclusion that the fulfillment of these prophecies are immiment. Still, it is true that until now, Russia and Iran have not had an alliance of the sort the Bible foretold in the 2,500 years since Ezekiel wrote the prophecies. It is also true that this alliance is heating up quite quickly now. It is not surprising, therefore, that interest in these prophecies are growing. It's a story worth watching closely.