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http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/138511
by Fern Sidman, INN NY Correspondent
"Welcome to New York City, Mr. Prime Minister" was the rallying cry of the day as several hundred zealously pro-Israel supporters gathered outside the Council on Foreign Relations on Manhattan's upper east side on Thursday afternoon, July 8th, despite the blistering heat, to greet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he delivered an address on Israel's role in the global community.

"The State of Israel wants peace and has done everything in its power to achieve it, but the only thing standing in the way are such purported "peace partners" as Hamas and Hezbollah who have vowed to obliterate Israel with the help of their financial backers such as Iran", said Avi Posnick, New York City chapter chairman of Stand With Us.

Posnick's comments come only a day after Prime Minister Netanyahu met with President Barack Obama in closed door meetings at the oval office of the White House. Responding to reports of the demise of the U.S.-Israel relationship, Netanyahu said they are "flat wrong."

In contrast to the icy reception accorded the Israeli prime minister by the US president back in May of this year, the two leaders presented a united front with President Obama telling reporters, "The United States is committed to Israel's security. We are committed to that special bond. And we are going to do what's required to back that up, not just with words, but with actions."

For the Israeli leader's part, Netanyahu said of the seemingly intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict, "We're committed to that peace. I'm committed to that peace."

Hinting at the possibility of circumventing proximity talks with Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority and resuming direct face-to-face talks that stalled in December of 2008, Netanyahu said he and Obama discussed specific steps that could be taken in the coming weeks to move the peace process forward, without elaborating. "When I say the next few weeks, that's what I mean," he said. "The president means that too."

"My question is: Who is the real Barack Obama?" declared New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D) who represents the 48th assembly district in Boro Park, Brooklyn. Hikind, a featured speaker at the demonstration is also a longtime Jewish activist. "There is nothing like an election year that would serve as an impetus for the President of the United States to actually treat the Prime Minister of Israel with respect" Hikind declared. "It is Hamas who has publicly proclaimed its commitment to violence and it is Israel who has many every effort towards a long range peace with the Palestinians including making the most painful decision to evacuate Jewish residents of Gush Katif in 2005" he said.

Holding aloft signs saying, "Israel Has a Right to Defend Herself" and "Iran Is The Impediment to Peace", the demonstrators waved Israeli flags and chanted "Am Yisroel Chai" (the nation of Israel lives) as a formidable contingent of anti-Israel and pro-Hamas apologists stood directly across the street in opposition. Some 40 members of the anti-Zionist Chareidi organization Neturei Karta stood shoulder to shoulder with members of The New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel, American Jews for a Just Peace, Adalah - NY (funded by The New Israel Fund), Jews Say No! and the WESPAC Foundation as they called for an "end to the siege on Gaza".

Holding Palestinian flags and chanting, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free", the demonstrators called Prime Minister Netanyahu "a war criminal" for his role in the May 31st Turkish flotilla controversy.

"The Palestinian people in Gaza are living in squalor; without food, medicine and basic supplies because of Israel's blockade. We are demanding that President Obama and world leaders call for an international war crimes tribunal against the leaders of the Israeli government for their brutal execution of humanitarian activists on the Marvi Mamara" said Ahmed Husseini of the Muslim Students Foundation.

"Don't believe for even a moment that there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza" said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman and CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. "There is no shortage of food and medicine in Gaza. Every week Israeli allows tens of thousands of pounds of food and other essential staple items into Gaza", he said.

"We, too, want to end the 'siege' on Gaza. We, too, want to end the siege that has been imposed on the Palestinian people of Gaza by the Iranian proxy terrorist organization Hamas. We, too, want to see a 'free' Gaza. A Gaza that is free of rockets, missiles and deadly explosives that are smuggled in by the kinds of people who were aboard the IHH sponsored flotilla" he intoned.

Referring to the counter-protestors, Hoenlein said, "Despite the signs they hold that designate themselves as humanitarians, the clearly stated objectives of these people is the annihilation of Israel. We must let the world know that those who are enemies of Israel are also enemies of freedom, democracy, justice and liberty and they threaten Western civilization as we know it."

Hoenlein also called upon Hamas to release Sgt. Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who has been held captive by Palestinian terrorists since 2006. "Both Gilad Shalit and Jonathan Pollard should be released from their respective prisons and we will not stop working towards their freedom is assured", he said. Prime Minister Netanyahu said on CNN's Larry King Live that he would offer 1000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the freedom of Gilad Shalit. "While the majority of these Palestinian prisoners will be freed only to kill and maim both Israeli soldiers and civilians, some kind of deal must be struck to secure Gilad Shalit's freedom", said Dov Hikind.

The demonstration of support for Israel was spearheaded by the campus advocacy organization, "Stand With Us" along with the endorsement of other such organizations as American Friends of Likud, American Zionist Movement, AMIT, Dor Chadash, Emunah of America, Zionist Organization of the Conservative Movement, the National Council of Young Israel, the Northern New Jersey Region of Hadassah, the Queens Jewish Community Council, The AISH Center of NY, the West Side Sephardic Synagogue and the Women's League for Conservative Judaism.

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Libyan ship to sail for Gaza
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND REBECCA ANNA STOIL
07/09/2010 12:43

Organization headed by Gaddafi's son to send blockade busting vessel.
The Libyan Embassy in Greece announced that a ship carrying humanitarian aid from Libya and Greece to Gaza is scheduled to set sail from Greece on Friday, AFP reported.

The ship, which will carry large amounts of food and medicine, is being funded by an organization headed by the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

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The Moldova-flagged cargo ship Amalthea will leave no later than Saturday from the port of Lavrio, south of Athens, carrying 2,000 tons of food and medical supplies, officials from the organization told The Associated Press. There will be 27 people on board.

Amalthea's journey to Gaza is expected to take up to 80 hours. Aid on the Amalthea included sacks of rice and sugar, and corn oil and olive paste mostly donated from Greek companies and charities, organizers said. The ship will also carry pro-Palestinian activists who are interested in breaking the blockade of Gaza.

"I am scared, but our lives are in God's hands," head volunteer Adburaufel Jaziri said. "Our job is to help anyone who needs it. We don't care if they are Catholics or Muslims or whatever. Now we are helping the people of Gaza who are suffering."

Israel "can check our cargo and certificates, of course they are free to do this," Jaziri said. "If we cannot deliver the aid, we will let (Israel) deliver it."

Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Tuesday that the IDF had received information that preparations were under way for another flotilla from Libya, but that enthusiasm for a similar endeavor in Iran has significantly cooled.The navy's May 31 boarding of the Mavi Marmara, he added, had a deterrent effect, and the Israeli decision to limit the scope of the naval blockade "increased the legitimacy of Israel's actions and reduced the international legitimacy of future flotillas."

Ashkenazi noted that there were three possible scenarios regarding the participants in future flotillas: They could be international peace activists, pro-Palestinian activists planning to meet forces with violence and stiff opposition, or terrorists with suicidal intentions planning to meet IDF forces with bomb belts and automatic weapons.

The chief of staff told MKs that in the case of the May flotilla, "we knew that there would be violence, but not intent to kill," and that forensics experts were currently examining the origins of bullet casings found on the Mavi Marmara that did not come from any of the IDF-issued weapons used by the naval commandos.

Ashkenazi said the IDF was conducting an internal probe into the events, in addition to the official inquiry being carried out by Maj.-Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland. Most of the conclusions, he said, pointed to the fact that the soldiers acted "bravely, professionally and proportionally."

Nevertheless, neither Israel nor any NATO allies have yet developed a way to stop ships at sea without causing damage to the ships themselves or to their passengers and crews, Ashkenazi noted.

Associated Press contributed to this article.

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Moscow to have Iran's Bushehr reactor running by September
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report July 8, 2010, 10:59 PM (GMT+02:00)

Iran's first nuclear reactor at Bushehr
Moscow and Tehran have announced that the nuclear reactor Russia is building Iran at Bushehr - its first - has completed all its test-runs and will be up and running in early September - ahead of schedule.
debkafile's military sources reported several times in recent months that the Iranian reactor at Bushehr is not just a power plant but also has military applications. Chief among them is the reuse of its fuel rods to produce plutonium as atomic weapon fuel.

Wednesday, July 7, Ali Akbar Salehi, chairman of the Iranian Atomic Energy Commission, said: "Today we passed the hot water test, one of the Bushehr power plant's most important and final tests before its inauguration."
He admitted UN, US and European sanctions would slow the pace of the Iranian nuclear program - but not affect the activation of the Bushehr reactor.

Thursday, July 8, Atomstroyexport, the Russian company building the Iranian reactor, confirmed this: "Efficiency tests of the reactor equipment and supporting technological systems were held," said the firm's spokesman in Moscow. "We finished the so-called hot operational testing that was the final stage before launch."

The Russian company did not mention when the reactor would go on stream, but back on March 18, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said at a summit of senior Russian officials in southern Russia: "The first reactor at Iran's nuclear power plant in Bushehr is to be launched already in the summer."
Since he made this remark while US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Moscow, it was taken as a Russian signal to Washington that while willing to support expanded UN sanctions, Russia had no intention of abandoning its nuclear cooperation with Tehran.
Clinton's response was: "In the absence of those reassurances (from Iran regarding the nature of its nuclear program), we (the Americans) think it would be premature to go forward with any project at this time."

And indeed, on June 9, Russia voted with 11 UN Security Council members in favor of the US motion to expand sanctions against Iran for failing to comply with international obligations on its nuclear program.
At the same time, Moscow remained opposed to unilateral sanctions outside the world body.
This was stated by special emissary to Tehran, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, after the European Union and the United States imposed their own sanctions, including President Barack Obama's signature on an embargo on refined fuel products and a ban on business with Iranian banks.
Thursday, July 8, Moscow then leaned further in Tehran's favor, calling for the world powers to consider Iran's proposals for a compromise on their nuclear controversy, not just their own, when negotiations are resumed.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that the negotiations can only begin in September.
It would therefore seem that the concatenation of the two events - diplomacy and the launching of the Bushehr reactor - points to Russia's new emphasis on improving its relations with Iran and willingness to take its side in the forthcoming nuclear dialogue.

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PA wants guarantees for direct talks
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND LAHAV HARKOV
07/09/2010 18:00

Officials accuse Israel of pressuring PA into talks without purpose.
On Friday, Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Israel of pressuring the Palestinians into joining direct talks without meeting the basic condition for moving forward, freezing the expansion of the settlements, Army Radio reported.

"The manner of the talks is not important, just their content. The keys are in Netanyahu's hands. The talks will continue the moment he agrees to freeze building in the settlements," said Erekat.

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Senior Palestinian officials also told the London-based al-Hayat newspaper on Friday that the American government had asked Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas to participate in direct talks with Israel because of the difficulties Special Mideast Envoy George Mitchell had experienced in mediating talks.

"Abbas wants American and Israeli guarantees so that the goal of the conversations will be clear," the officials were cited by Army Radio as telling the newspaper.

The guarantees the officials mentioned included, "the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the lands captured in the 1967 war and small territory exchanges to solve the problem of the settlements."

A poll of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, released Wednesday, showed that most Palestinians do not want a renewal of violence.

Arab World for Research and Development, an institute located in Ramallah polled 1,2000 Palestinians - men and women, refugees and non-refugees - in 16 towns at the end of June.

Two-thirds of those surveyed believe Hamas should renew its ceasefire with Israel after it expires in September, and it should not resume use of missiles against targets in Israel. However, nearly half oppose direct talks with Israel.

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High threat-level for Israelis abroad
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
07/09/2010 01:21

Security Council tells Israeli travelers to be on high alert.
The National Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued a general advisory Thursday calling on all Israelis traveling abroad to increase alertness, citing a "concrete, high risk" of terrorist attacks.

While the warning was aimed at all Israelis traveling overseas, the bureau mentioned in particular businessmen and former public officials as possible targets.

Citing solid intelligence, the bureau explained that "threats continue to exist against Israelis abroad, particularly business people and former officials of the security apparatus who are at a high risk for kidnapping or murder."

Israeli travelers are asked to keep on high alert, to turn down unplanned business offers and to avoid secluded areas.

The bureau believes Israelis may be the targets of revenge operations planned by terrorists.

Hizbullah is still seeking vengeance against Israel for the alleged assassination of arch-terrorist Imad Mugniyeh in 2008, it said. Teheran has also blamed Israel for the alleged assassination of a local nuclear scientist.

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British Ambassador Praises Terrorist Sheikh

by Maayana Miskin
Hizbullah spiritual leader Sheikh Mohammed Fadlallah, who authorized suicide bombings and other attacks killing hundreds of people, was "a true man of religion" whose death last week left Lebanon "a lesser place," according to British Ambassador to Lebanon Frances Guy. The world "needs more men like him," she said.

"People in Lebanon like to ask me which politician I admire most... I usually avoid answering by referring to those I enjoy meeting the most and those that impress me the most. Until yesterday my preferred answer was to refer to Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, head of the Shia clergy in Lebanon and much admired leader of many Shia Muslims throughout the world," Guy wrote on her blog on the website of Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Guy's comments were condemned by terrorism victims' groups and by Israel's Foreign Ministry. Fadlallah inspired the terrorists of Hizbullah and gave approval to mass-casualty terrorist attacks, including a 1983 suicide bombing at a U.S. Marine barracks that killed more than 300 people, they stated.

"Fadlallah inspired the hostage takers, suicide bombers, and wanton violence of Hizbullah. But the British ambassador thinks he was a man of peace and the world needs more of him, and the British ambassador 'is an honorable woman'," said Foreign Minister spokesman Yigal Palmor. Palmor's choice of words was an allusion to Mark Antony, who when eulogizing Julius Caesar in Shakespeare's play of that name, sarcastically says that the murderer Brutus "is an honorable man."

Guy's blog entry has since been pulled from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website. However, the British Foreign Office has yet to condemn her statements.

A senior CNN editor was fired this week after expressing respect for Fadlallah on the Twitter website. "Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah... One of Hezbollah's giants I respect a lot," editor Octavia Nasr said.

Nasr later referred to her message as "an error of judgement," and said her respect for Fadlallah was due to his stance on women's rights, and not his support for terrorism.

Fadlallah held views on women's rights that are relatively liberal in the context of the Middle East Muslim world's treatment of women. He opposed "honor" murders, in which Muslim families kill women suspected or accused of tarnishing the family's reputation. He also told men not to beat their wives, and issued a fatwa (religious decree) saying that women who are physically attacked have the right to self-defense.

One of Fadlallah's last fatwas gave blanket approval to the use of suicide bombing attacks.

(IsraelNationalNews.com)

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NPT Targets Israel as Nuclear 'Bad Guy'
Iran's nuclear program is of less concern to the world than Israel's | Ryan Jones

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NUCLEAR AMBIGUITY: Israel's nuclear reactor in DimonaThe international community took another step toward reversing the roles of Israel and Iran, and turning the Jewish state into the Middle East's nuclear "bad guy," when the 189 member states of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty met in New York. The month-long meeting produced an agreement calling for a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East. The document stipulated that in 2012, a conference would be held to enforce the decision.

On the face of it, the idea sounds reasonable. But Israeli officials decried the fact that Israel was mentioned repeatedly both during the meetings and in the agreement, while Iran was ignored.

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