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May 31 - June 3, 2005
- SECURITY
- Iran Tests New Missile Technology
- Two Attacks Planned by Islamic Jihad Thwarted
- Syria Test-Fires Scud Missiles
- ISRAEL PALESTINIAN DIALOGUE
- Israel to Free 400 Palestinian Prisoners as Goodwill Gesture
- PM Sharon to Meet Palestinian Leader Abbas on June 21
- DISENGAGEMENT PLAN
- Unauthorized Outposts to Be Evacuated After Pullout Completion
- DIPLOMACY
- Katsav in Germany: Islamists Could Use Neo-Nazis in Terror
- Israeli Embassy Staff Leave Uzbekistan
- PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
- Hamas and Fatah Agree to Election Delay
- Abbas to Name Deputy in Wake of Health Scare
- Intra-Palestinian Violence Rises as PA Police Officers Storm Parliament
- HOME
- Dan Halutz Takes Over as IDF Chief of Staff
- ECONOMY
- Israeli Exports to Iraq to Reach Almost $1 Million
SECURITY Iran Tests New Missile Technology
Wednesday, June 1, 2005Iran has successfully tested a solid fuel motor for its medium-range Shihab-3 ballistic missile, a technological breakthrough in Iran's military industries, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The Shihab-3 is a weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and reaching Israel and U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Israel Defense Forces officials declined to comment on the reported test.
Military experts said that the advantage of solid fuel was its stability over liquid fuel. It also allows almost instantaneous launch, while liquid fuel rockets usually must be filled up prior to launch.
Intelligence sources said the Shihab-3's range was believed to be between 1,200 to 1,300 kilometers. Israeli intelligence sources have said that the Iranians did not have the ability yet to arm the Shihab-3 with a nuclear warhead. Full story
Two Attacks Planned by Islamic Jihad Thwarted
Thursday, June 2, 2005Five Islamic Jihad terrorists who planned to kidnap an Israel Defense Forces soldier stationed in the Jerusalem area were arrested by security forces today, YNEY reported. During questioning, the five admitted to also planning to fire an RPG rocket at an IDF post. In addition, IDF troops arrested two Palestinians south of the West Bank town of Hebron after they were caught trying to smuggle weapons into Israel.
Meanwhile, security officials announced Wednesday they had foiled an Islamic Jihad double suicide bombing in northern Jerusalem. The terror plot was thwarted following a series of arrests at the beginning of the week in the Bethlehem and Jerusalem areas. So far, IDF troops have arrested six members, who are believed to belong to the terror cell behind the last suicide bombing at the Stage nightclub in Tel Aviv.
Following the arrests, forces recovered bags containing explosive charges placed in cardboard boxes. The explosive material was supplemented by nails and shrapnel in order to increase the damage to victims. Full story
Syria Test-Fires Scud Missiles
Friday, June 3, 2005Syria test-fired three Scud missiles late last week, reinforcing Israeli worries about Damascus' ability to launch a missile-borne chemical attack against Israeli civilian targets, YNET reported. The New York Times quoted today Israeli military officials as saying that one of the missiles broke up over Turkey.
All three missiles were launched from northern Syria, near Minakh, north of Aleppo.
Israeli security officials said the missiles Syria launched last week included one older Scud B rocket, with a range of about 300 kilometers (185 miles), and two Scud D's, with a range of about 700 kilometers (435 miles). Full story
ISRAEL PALESTINIAN DIALOGUE Israel to Free 400 Palestinian Prisoners as Goodwill Gesture
Wednesday, June 1, 2005Israel will free 400 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday in what Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has called an attempt to boost moderate Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas ahead of a Gaza withdrawal, HA'ARETZ reported. The Israel Defense Forces said today the mass release, to be carried out in cooperation with the Israel Prison Service and the PA, stemmed from an approval granted earlier this week by the cabinet and reflected "ongoing cooperation with the Palestinian Authority."
The prisoners, residents of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, will include some members of the Islamic movements but the majority will be Fatah members. None of the prisoners slated for release on Thursday were convicted of attacks that killed or wounded Israelis, officials said. Full story
PM Sharon to Meet Palestinian Leader Abbas on June 21
Thursday, June 2, 2005Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on June 21, HA'ARETZ reported. While a location for the meeting has not yet been determined, Israel would like to hold the parley in Jerusalem. The two sides will hold a number of preparatory discussions ahead of the summit. The announcement of the meeting was made on Wednesday, one day before the planned release of 400 Palestinian prisoners by Israel, in accordance with the Sharm el-Sheikh summit understanding from last February.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Abbas hoped to shore up the truce with Israel and discuss using the unilateral Gaza pullout in August as a springboard for new peace talks under the road map plan. "On the agenda is sustaining the cease-fire," Erekat said. "We will exert every possible effort to ensure the summit is successful." Full story
DISENGAGEMENT PLAN Unauthorized Outposts to Be Evacuated After Pullout Completion
Thursday, June 2, 2005Senior advisor to the Prime Minister Dov Weisglass said today that after the disengagement from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank was complete, Israel would begin the evacuation of unauthorized outposts in the West Bank, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. There is a limit to the traumas that one government, one army and one police force can undertake at the same time, Weisglass said. However, as soon as the withdrawal is completed in the fall, the government will move on to tackle the problem of the outposts.
"We promised the U.S. government to get rid of the illegal outposts," Weisglass said, "and we stand behind our obligations."
"We were hoping to rely on the Council of Settlements in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip (Yesha) in this matter, but the council is not helping us and so we must make do ourselves," Weisglass commented. Full story
DIPLOMACY Katsav in Germany: Islamists Could Use Neo-Nazis in Terror
Tuesday, May 31, 2005President Moshe Katsav made an historic speech in Hebrew today at the Reichstag in Berlin in which he warned German parliamentarians of a potential link between radical Islamic terrorists and neo-Nazis, HA'ARETZ reported. "Let us not be surprised if one day terror organizations use neo-Nazis to carry out terrorist attacks," said Katsav, who is on a three-day trip to Germany to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Israel and Germany.
"We are today witnessing a wave of resurgent anti-Semitism not seen since the end of the Second World War," Katsav said. In particular, he expressed concern over "the growing legitimization of neo-Nazi forces" which he said were "increasingly anchored in the German public."
The number anti-Semitic crimes rose in Germany last year to 1,346 reported cases, up from 1,226 in 2003, according to German Interior Ministry statistics. Full story
Israeli Embassy Staff Leave Uzbekistan
Friday, June 3, 2005Staff at the Israeli embassy in Uzbekistan and their families have been instructed to leave the country owing to heightened security concerns, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. According to HA'ARETZ, only ambassador Ami Mel and security guards will be left in the capital, Tashkent.
The U.S. State Department warned on Thursday of potential terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan and gave permission to some if its embassy staff and their families to leave the country.
A State Department statement named the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, al-Qaida, the Islamic Jihad Union and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement as among the groups active in the region.
Last month, a man carrying fake explosives was shot to death by security guards outside the Israeli embassy in Tashkent. Full story
PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS Hamas and Fatah Agree to Election Delay
Tuesday, May 31, 2005Palestinian groups meeting in Gaza on Monday agreed to delay general elections in the Palestinian Authority until after Israel carries out the disengagement plan, YNET reported. In addition, representatives decided to establish a joint observation committee to oversee the elections, and ensure the process is conducted fairly. The vote, which was to be held July 17, is now expected to take place towards the end of the year.
Elections have caused significant friction between the parties, and were the reason behind the massive mortar attack on Gush Katif and Sderot in early May. Full story
Abbas to Name Deputy in Wake of Health Scare
Friday, June 3, 2005Returning to the West Bank following a heart procedure, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said today that he planned to appoint a deputy, HA'ARETZ reported." Abbas told Al-Arabiya television that the PA had discussed the issue of a possible successor, however he did not offer specific names of possible candidates. Information Minister Nabil Shaath said Abbas had been considering appointing a deputy since his election in January.
Abbas, 70, underwent an angioplasty in Jordan on Wednesday. "I feel good," Abbas said a few hours after the operation.
Abbas has no known history of heart ailments, but Palestinian officials said he has high blood pressure. In the past, he battled cancer and eye ailments. Full story
Intra-Palestinian Violence Rises as PA Police Officers Storm Parliament
Friday, June 3, 2005For the second day in a row, Palestinian Authority security officers demonstrated Thursday in the Gaza Strip against PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas's decision to reconstruct the dozen or so Palestinian security services, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Thursday's protest turned violent when hundreds of officers belonging to the PA's Military Intelligence Force went on a rampage inside the Palestinian Legislative Council building and exchanged gunfire with policemen in Gaza City.
On Wednesday, some 50 members of the same force blocked main roads and raided PA institutions in some parts of the Gaza Strip.
PA officials in Ramallah accused the ousted commander of Military Intelligence, Gen. Musa Arafat, of standing behind the unrest. Gen. Arafat, a cousin of Yasser Arafat, was dismissed from his post two months ago. Full story
HOME Dan Halutz Takes Over as IDF Chief of Staff
Thursday, June 2, 2005Dan Halutz officially became the Israel Defense Forces' 18th Chief of Staff following a ceremony at the Prime Minister's Office today, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Halutz was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general by outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon.
"The country is about to embark on a significant plan with regard to its future - the disengagement plan. The decisions reached by the government and the Knesset will be carried out with the uttermost sensitivity but with the required resolve," Halutz said in his address.
Halutz also thanked Yaalon for his service. "You are a fighter, commander, a man of thought and action. You lead the army towards unprecedented achievements against Palestinian terrorism. In the name of the IDF, I salute you and say 'thank you'," he said.
In his farewell speech, Yaalon spoke of his desire to return all IDF servicemen declared missing in action. "I am willing to make all efforts to complete this task," he said.
Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz thanked Yaalon for his service but also referred to his controversial decision not to extend the chief of staff's tenure. "Boogie, even if we did not see everything eye to eye, it does not diminish my gratitude to you for your service and contribution to the security of the State of Israel. I wish you all the best," he said. Full story
ECONOMY Israeli Exports to Iraq to Reach Almost $1 Million
Thursday, June 2, 2005By the end of this year, Israel should have exported about $1 million-worth of goods to Iraq, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. According to statistics published Wednesday by the Israel Export Institute, there is an overall increase of 8.3 percent in Israeli exports to Arab states (totaling $42 million) in the first quarter of 2005, compared with last year's figures for the same period.
However, exports to most Arab countries are still much lower in comparison with pre-Palestinian violence levels. In 1998, Israel exported $108 million worth of clothes, chemicals and plastic materials, mechanical equipment, food and agricultural products to Arab countries from the United Arab Emirates to as far as Morocco. About a quarter of those exports - $26 million - went to Jordan.
In the first quarter of 2005, Israel trucked $29 million of goods to Jordan. That amount accounts for a large portion of the total $42 million worth of goods bound for Arab countries in that period. Full storyNote: Israel Line was not published on Monday, May 30, 2005, Memorial Day.
