Acclaimed Israeli author Amos Oz has been named winner of the 2013 Franz Kafka Prize in Prague, Czech Republic. The prize, awarded by the Franz Kafka Society, is given in recognition of an author’s entire body of work and honors those whose “work addresses readers regardless of their origin, nationality, and culture, like the work by Franz Kafka.” Winners receive $10,000.

Born Amos Klausner, he changed his surname to “Oz”—meaning strength in Hebrew—after his mother committed suicide. In 1963, he graduated from Hebrew University after studying philosophy and Hebrew literature.

After publishing articles in his kibbutz’s newsletter and the newspaper Davar, Oz published his first book in 1965, a collection of short stories entitled Where the Jackals Howl. Since then, Oz has published 18 novels and numerous non-fiction articles and essays. His most popular works include the novels The Black Box and My Michael along with his memoir, A Tale of Love and Darkness. He has also published multiple works of non-fiction on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

His latest novel, Between Friends, was published in English earlier this year.

The Kafka Prize was first awarded in 2001 and has been awarded annually since. It is seen as an indicator for future Nobel Prize winners: the 2004 and 2005 Kafka Prize laureates, Elfriede Jelinek and Harold Pinter, went on to win the Nobel later those same years. Other past winners of the Kafka Prize include Philip Roth, Haruki Murakami, and John Banville, all of whom are considered perennial candidates for the Nobel.

Oz, whose other awards include the Goethe Prize and the Prince of Asturias Award in Literature, has been a possible Nobel Prize contender before, even being the favored candidate back in 2009. Could the Franz Kafka Prize have given Oz the stepping-stone he needs to finally win the Nobel?

To date, only one Israeli has been awarded the Nobel Prize: novelist S.Y. Agnon, who won it in 1966 in a joint award with Jewish German poet and playwright Nelly Sachs. Other notable Jewish Nobel Prize laureates include Saul Bellow, Imre Kertesz, and I.B. Singer. Could Oz, like Jelinek and Pinter, win the award in the same year he won the Kafka Prize? The Nobel Prize in Literature is slated to be announced early in October.

Oz is already expecting an exciting October, though. The Franz Kafka Society released a statement saying Oz has agreed to come to Prague with his wife for a ceremony in October to receive the prize.

Image credit: Blaues Sofa via Flickr

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Geopolitical chaos procreating a chaotic leaderless world is sucking the literal life out of human hope. The tentacles of austerity measures and quantitative easing are the primary catalyst of all the madness. One way or another every government financier around the world is determined to cultivate the appearance that the good times are still rolling. The only problem is that the natural rate of failure refuses to participate in the economic facade. Fiat currencies’ purchasing power dwindles, the pounding drum beat of war beckons, and an open ended hegemonic polarity struggle for commodities ensues.

While serving as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in 2002, current U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke gave the world a glimpse into the past, present, and future all at once. In his speech, entitled “Deflation: Making Sure ‘It’ Doesn’t Happen Here,” Ben Bernanke stated:

“Although a policy of intervening to affect the exchange value of the dollar is nowhere on the horizon today, it’s worth noting that there have been times when exchange rate policy has been an effective weapon against deflation. A striking example from U.S. history is Franklin Roosevelt’s 40 percent devaluation of the dollar against gold in 1933-34, enforced by a program of gold purchases and domestic money creation.”

Today the infamous 40 percent strikes again, as Cyprus agreed to the terms of a European Union bailout in which banks will seize 40 percent of uninsured bank depositors’ wealth.

Moody’s Investors Service was quoted in Bloomberg as saying, “The seizure of larger deposits may spark tensions with Russia, the source of an estimated $31 billion in holdings in Cypriot banks.”

Proxy wars have gone beyond the spectrum of arming rogue militants and allied nations in dispersed pockets of the globe, graduating to the realm of state sponsored economic terrorism. As “Gerald Celente” consistently and aptly states, “Currency wars + Trade Wars = Real Wars.”

All of the economic wheeling and dealing continues on as the “Arab Spring” explodes into a caballing year round inferno engulfing the entire Middle East. Daily at the United Nations, permanent Security Council members China, Russia, France, United Kingdom, and the United States spar over regional influence with each passing veto and resolution.

This is most apparent in Syria where Russia opposes any intervention as it struggles to prop up the government of its last remaining ally in the Mediterranean region. Russian naval forces stationed at Tartus, Syria may be the last line of repellent preventing NATO intervention.

The lines of frienemy engagement get blurrier with every passing engagement.

Simultaneously as the United States prepares to implement its own austerity measure policy that has carefully been repackaged and marketed to the public under the label sequestration, it is arming rebels in Syria. All claims of being in financial dire straits gets immediately lost within the noise of controlling key choke points around the globe.

One cannot forget less than two years after watching the Al Qaeda flag being proudly raised in the Libyan city of Benghazi, that America’s new found ally the Free Syrian Army are the protégés of Al Qaeda.

The life cycle of keyboards do not possess the durability to correctly and fully analyze threats posed by the uncontrollable Kim Jong Un ruled North Korea. The isolated peninsula nation even managed to startle its longtime ally China into voting in favor of U.N. Security Council resolution 2094. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang was quoted as saying;

“China supports the UN Security Council’s necessary and moderate response to the nuclear test of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).”

Barely beyond two weeks later newly appointed Chinese President Xi Jinping, warned the West not to meddle in Syria’s civil war while on his first visit to Russia.

Not even the mythical country of Chimerica can rescue the too big to fail world from the natural rate of failure. Governments around the world are taking sides now under the cloak of every global economic and geopolitical conflict, because nations know that a hegemonic storm is coming with no evacuation routes or shelter in sight. Once more, honesty of time is proving that which cannot last forever won’t.

Image courtesy: European Parliament

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The Israel-Gaza Conflict has existed for almost a decade and while there are many sides to this tumulus relationship, one young man took a stand when he posted a message on his Facebook page.

Waheed Elsamra is an Egyptian supporter of the Palestinian city of Gaza, wanting to do his part in informing people of the truth behind Israel’s plight with Gaza and dared them to respond to the Massacre.

“The destruction of Gaza is not about stopping Hamas, it’s not about stopping rocket fire in Israel, it’s not about achieving peace, the Israeli decision to rain death and destruction on Gaza by the use of lethal weapons of the modern battle field on a large defenseless civilian population is the final phase of the decades long campaign to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians,” Elsamra said.

The battle between Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinian militants is not a level playing field. “Israel uses sophisticated attack jets and naval vessels to bomb densely crowded refugee camps, schools, apartment blocks, mosques, and slums. They attack a population who has no air force, no air defense, no navy, no heavy weapons, no army, no ground defense, no artillery units, no command, and they call it a war,” Elsamra said.

There is an ethic to war; this ethic states that one army is battling another army. “These people (Palestinians) have no army, so you target busy neighborhood streets and kill innocent civilians and pedestrians,” Elsamra said.

The reason that Israel has so much military power at its hands is because they are using American weapons. Elsamra noted that America gave Israel 300 billion dollars for the Gaza Massacre a few years back.

According to Congressman Paul Ryan, in an interview from 2009, he clarified the level of support the Bush administration has given Israel. “Certainly, the president has said nothing to diminish it. As a matter of fact, he justifies it on moral grounds, saying, oh, they have a right to do this, without ever mentioning the tragedy of Gaza.”

As far as the monetary support, Cong. Ryan had no issue speaking on that, “ you know, if Israel has a problem, they have to deal with it. I don’t think it should be any of our business. It’s just that it’s our business and we will be blamed because we support Israel blindly, so. And we give them the money and we give them the weapons. That should be the contention that we approach here and Congress should know about it and the American people should know about.”

The same battle that Israel and Gaza were facing three years ago are no different than what is going on today. Elsamra has been trying to do the Palestinian people justice by spreading the truth via social media and recently speaking out at a “Free Palestine” protest rally that took place in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“My duty right now is to educate the people that lack these facts and try to let them understand that I am an American and I’m not against them but I’m not for, what they are for, and what they are for is proven in these facts that I have stated,” Elsmra said.

The efforts to achieve a truce, as the attacks have ceased between Israel and Gaza,  have been somewhat successful but this is only the end of one battle, the war is still going on and it seems as if there is no end in sight.

Image Courtesy : Derivative work: Adambro (talk):Brocken Inaglory [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

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At the time of writing this Israel and Gaza have declared a ceasefire. By the time this article has been published this may no longer be the case. Already there are reports on Twitter that rockets are being fired out of Gaza. How long the ceasefire will last, we do not know. However, unless further steps are taken both groups will be at war again soon.

On the 20th peace talks were held in Egypt, with the press saying that a truce deal was to be announced later that day. That time never came however. Talks were resumed on the 21st and it was announced by Hilary Clinton and Mohamed Morsi. Following the announcement there were celebration’s in Gaza, where civilians are celebrating surviving the conflict. While in Israel there were protests with Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to agree to a ceasefire proving to be very unpopular.

While a ceasefire has been called by both sides, it is not be enough. This is simply a calm in the fighting while both parties attempt to reach a longer agreement. Until such an agreement could be reached any ceasefire will be short lived and it is likely we will soon find ourselves in exactly the same position again.

What is needed now is a way to stop this completely. No half measures.

Simply agreeing to a ceasefire and hoping that this time it lasts will not work. For a few years, maybe more, the peace would last, the amount of rockets fired by both sides would die down, for a while. But all that would happen is that both sides would quietly lick their wounds and restock their armories. Then another event would stoke the embers and cause all the old tension and anger to rise up again. Then we would find ourselves in the exact same position yet again.

Hamas have been firing rockets at Israel for over 10 years. The Israel Defense Forces has entered Gaza already with Operations Summer Rains and Cast Lead. If, like last time a ceasefire is announced, and nothing more, then both these things will happen again. These two groups are locked in a perpetual war that can only fully end if one of them was to be totally destroyed, or if they were to compromise and sort out their disputes over the region.

Which way would we rather the endless fighting end? With the destruction of Hamas or Israel? Obviously this way would result in many more people dying, soldiers and civilians. It would also take a very long time to happen. Already this war has gone on for years with no end in sight. Hamas are not strong enough to wipe out Israel, much as they might wish to. While Israel have the military strength to wipe out Hamas, they can not do so without angering the international community and possibly dragging other countries into the conflict.

But if an agreement could be made where both groups were happy, perhaps if Jerusalem was to be made an International city, with independent Jewish and Arab states established like was proposed many years ago. Then finally this war between Hamas and Israel could end properly, rather than endlessly going on punctuated with the occasional short lived ceasefire.

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New York, U.S.A. — U.S. designation of Hezbollah as a primary supporter of the Assad regime’s brutality “is another important step in efforts to confront the murderous Syrian regime,” said David Harris, executive director of AJC, the global advocacy organization. The U.S. government announced the new designation of Hezbollah in a conference call with reporters.

Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, the State Department’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism, one of the U.S. officials announcing the new designation, said “it serves the very, very important purpose of making clear to parties around the world – both domestically and internationally – the true nature of Hezbollah’s activities.”

The U.S designation states that Hezbollah has been training Syrian government personnel inside Syria, facilitating training of regime forces by Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and actively helping to expel Syrian opposition forces from some areas of Syria.”Hezbollah’s actions in Syria are particularly egregious, extending and prolonging this deadly conflict,” said Ambassador Benjamin.

“The Syrian people are suffering and dying at the hands of this unholy alliance of Hezbollah, Iran and the Assad regime,” said Harris. “State terrorism at its worst is playing out on the streets of Aleppo, Damascus and many other Syrian cities and towns.” The U.S. designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in 1999. Canada, the United Kingdom and Israel have similarly labelled the group.

Several years ago, an attempt to secure European Union designation came close, but ultimately failed because a few European leaders maintained that Hezbollah, with representatives in the Lebanese Cabinet and Parliament, was a “legitimate” political organization.

“Serving at the highest levels of a government does not facto legitimize a terrorist organization,” said Harris. “Hezbollah should not be allowed to have it both ways — on the one hand, maintain its own militia and global terrorist apparatus, while, on the other hand, being recognized as a legitimate political force.”

Hezbollah, created with Iran’s aid nearly 30 years ago, is one of the world’s most dangerous terrorist organizations with a record of deadly attacks and foiled attempts in Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. Most recently, Hezbollah has been implicated in terrorist plots in two EU countries — Bulgaria andCyprus — as well as in other attempts from Kenya to Thailand.”

AJC last week sent letters to the foreign ministers of all 27 EU member states, the first step in a renewed campaign to encourage the EU to formally designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.”European nations should be among the very first to understand the true nature of Hezbollah and the regional and global threat it continues to pose,” said Harris. “It’s deadly involvement in Syria, as underscored by the new U.S. designation, only further underscores the point.”

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To the United States Israel is different: both countries have a special relationship since the creation of the Israeli State in 1948. It is not an insignificant fact that during a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition, Mitt Romney promised that the first country he would visit if he was elected President, would be Israel.

Jim Zanotti, specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs, wrote in a CRS Report for Congress dedicated to the relations between the United States and Israel: “Since Israel’s founding in 1948, successive U.S. Presidents and many Members of Congress have demonstrated a commitment to Israel’s security and to maintaining close U.S.-Israel defense, diplomatic, and economic cooperation. U.S. and Israeli leaders have pursued common security goals and have developed close relations based on common perceptions of shared democratic values and religious affinities.”

Both nations signed a free trade agreement in 1985, and the United States is Israel’s most important trading partner. Israel is the United States’ most important ally in a very conflictive area of the world, the Middle East.

But in recent years relations have become less fluid and even tense during some periods, like in 2011 when the United States government tried to press Israel to fulfill their promise of Palestinian independence within the next few months.

The United States didn’t get the expected reaction from Israel: Prime Minister Netanyahu’s response was an absolute no, so all hopes that Palestinian independence might finally come, simply vanished. This did not bode well in the White House, even though President Obama told Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, that the United State would veto any United Nations proposals to recognize Palestinian statehood.

The last diplomatic struggle between the United States and Israel concerns Iran and its nuclear program. Prime Minister Netanyahu is pressuring the United States for a stronger policy against an Iranian nuclear program, based on economic sanctions to force immediate shut-down of the nuclear program. Israel demands that Iran agree to halt all its enrichment of uranium in the country, a demand that Iran is not willing to meet. The White House also rejected the Israeli demands and decided to stick with the economic sanctions plan.

The United States’ support of Israel has caused an anti-American reaction in some Arab countries, like Jordan, Lebanon and Sudan, were American flags have been burned and diplomats have even been killed. Even with all the political and economic cost it carries, the United States will still support Israel, which is proven by the Pentagon’s announcement in May to send $70 million dollars to Israel to help it enhance its missile defense system.

Image Courtesy of   World Economic Forum

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As of July 1, new sanctions against Iran are taking effect, effectively banning crude oil imports to the EU, which accounts for some 18% of Iranian crude oil exports. These new sanctions are coming into play as talks between the Iranian regime and the so called P5+1 nations (the U.S., U.K., China, Russia, and France plus Germany) are not making much headway.

Neither the May 23 meeting in Bagdad nor the June 23 meeting in Moscow resulted in anything substantial. Arguably, Iran is moving closer to the “point of no return” with threats being handed out on all sides and the rhetoric growing fiercer. Although a military solution seems to become more and more likely, there are compelling reasons why an air strike should be avoided at all costs.

An air strike on Iran is neither going be as easy as the Israeli strike on Iraq’s Osirak reactor in 1981, nor the strike on Syria’s reactor near al-Kibar in 2007. Iran, having learned a lesson or two from history, has gone to great lengths to protect their enrichment plants – spread out all over Iran – composing at least a dozen different sites. A top US air-force planner estimates that at least 400 targets would have to be hit, and that at least 75 would require the use of penetrating munitions (such as so called “bunker buster bombs”).

Furthermore, these sites are buried deep under ground, (such as the enrichment plant at Fordow which is located under a mountain), and are protected by sophisticated Russian-made air defence systems.

The air strike would have to be massive, continuous and surgical – and the problem is, it would do nothing but postpone the Iranian nuclear venture, (with some 2-5 years according to analysts). And detriment to the whole cause, a strike would naturally add enormous incentive for Iran to actually acquire the bomb, instead of keeping to peaceful uranium enrichment.

Following an Israeli strike, the Iranians would undoubtedly counterattack. Such a strike would be delivered both by means of conventional weapons such as ballistic missiles towards Israel (Iran has got the biggest stock of ballistic missiles in the Middle East), and also by the use of proxy forces such as Hezbollah who could target Israel with rocket strikes from the neighbouring Lebanon.

Other notable proxy strikes would come from the powerful warlord Moqtada al-Sadr, commander of the Shiite Mahdi Army, who’s openly promised to strike back at U.S. coalition forces in Iraq in the case of a U.S./Israeli strike against Iran.

If such a scenario unfolds, the U.S. would undoubtedly launch its own strike against Iran. The U.S., having built up a presence of some 125,000 troops in close proximity to Iran according to recent CENTCOM figures have the ability to hit some 10,000 targets inside Iran overnight.

However, the aftermath of a potential U.S. strike could prove to be very dangerous, as it would galvanize the other pro-Iranian powerhouses China and Russia, active in the region, and, in a worst case scenario, spark a new cold war.

Furthermore, a U.S. strike would have to be continuous and conducted over a long time span, in order to quell any resumed Iranian nuclear efforts, putting further strain on an already badly overstretched U.S. army, not to mention its economy. And all the while, soaring global oil prices would put the final nail in the coffin of an already badly beaten Western economy.

This is simply a scenario, but makes a rather convincing case why a military strike should be avoided at all costs. But amidst the threats and the gloomy outlooks, there are some positive notions.

Although the conflict has seen some escalations, such as cyber attacks on Iranian enrichment plants, as well as several mysterious and dramatic deaths of leading Iranian nuclear scientists, it has mostly been a war of words up to this point.

Historically, Israel has shown that when they are really intent on striking, such as in the cases of Iraq and Syria, it was done in the quiet, without any warning. The current amount of warnings and threats is thus a sign that Israel is content at keeping it “a war of words,” at least for now. But this rather precarious stalemate is not going to last forever.

Image Courtesy of  Mahmoud Ahmadinejar 

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Israel has begun an “emergency plan” to battle its illegal immigration problems that will involve interning and deporting thousands. So far authorities have arrested sixty-two African migrants in on-going raids. Most of the migrants are from South Sudan, with some from the Darfur region. The government hopes to repatriate 60,000 African refugees. The immigrants are being detained at the Red Sea resort of Eilat.

After two months of heated debate, the Israeli government has declared that the African migrants have become a threat to the Jewish character of the state and that they are here illegally. Many illegal immigrants have also caused problems with labor and work, similar to those in the United States.

The main area being targeted for removing these African refugees is in the poor area to the south of Tel Aviv. Israelis living in the south of Tel Aviv claim that the wealthy northern residents of Tel Aviv can afford to be liberal and support the plight of the African refugee because their jobs are not being threatened by these Africans.

The decision has also arisen after a wave of hostility has arisen against blacks in general. A recent opinion poll in Israel showed that fifty-two percent of Israelis think that Africans are a “cancer” according to the Times of Israel. According to Jacob Berri, a Sudanese refugee at a protest, the refugees are “being called a cancer and an AIDS virus on the Israeli people, by politicians.” Berri claims that many in the South Sudanese community recognize they are not wanted and will leave as long as they are guaranteed refugee status and are helped by the UN.

African migrants marched on Sunday to the UN Refugee Agency offices in Tel Aviv to protest the mistreatment of refugees. Several protests have occurred due to these decisions including one with five hundred Sudanese men. These men chanted “we are refugees, not criminals” due to allegations that Africans are preying on Israeli citizens and raping Israeli women.

The rhetoric used against these immigrants suggests some personal bias. Interior Minister Eli Yishai stated, “this is only a small group of infiltrators…I’m not acting out of hatred of strangers but love of my people and to rescue my homeland.” According to Reuters, “infiltrators” is the the same word often used to describe Palestinian militants.

Many Israelis are worried that the deportations could damage Israel’s international image; in previous years, Israel was considered a champion of human rights and protector of these African refugees. Israeli human rights and activist groups are on the side of the African refugees, whereas the right wing and certain religious parties are against them.

Some of these refugees have lived in Israel for years – some of their children only know of Israel as home and only speak Hebrew – but these individuals have lived in legal limbo for too long.

An Israeli court upheld the government’s decision of internment and deportation of all migrants of South Sudanese origin. The government and courts agree that although South Sudan is still at war with Sudan, the region is safe enough for the refugees to return. The government has also claimed that all of the immigrants are in Israel looking for work when many are there to escape persecution and violence. Israeli activists have urged the government to consider each case individually rather than indiscriminately sending people back.

The Israeli government has offered financial incentives to all of those who leave voluntarily. Since many refugees recognize that their deportations are inevitable, they have begun registering to leave. The Interior Minister Eli Yishai has claimed, “whoever comes forward will get his grant…from the moment you come to immigration authorities and say you will pack up, from that moment you will be given an opportunity to pack up, and the grant of 1,000 euros.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is completely behind the new immigration policy, although he has urged Israelis to not harm the African refugees. Netanyahu claimed, “we are a moral people and we will act accordingly. We denounce violence; we denounce invective. We respect human rights…[but] Israel cannot accept infiltrators from an entire continent.”

According to Reuters, migration into Israel from Africa has been increasing since 2006, but the past year has seen an incredible increase in the number of refugees. The revolution in Egypt has prevented the Egyptian government from policing the border of the Sinai peninsula which has allowed the Bedouin people-smugglers to increase their operations.

In response to these high levels of immigration, Israel has built a high fence along its border to Egypt. Netanyahu said in a May 29th speech, “my policy with regard to the illegal infiltrators seeking work is clear… first of all, to stop their entry with the fence and at the same time to deport the infiltrators who are in Israel.” Netanyahu also claimed that in transition the African refugees would be held in “detention facilities with thousands of units.” The prime minister justified his actions by claiming that these migrants are threatening “the character of the country.”

Image Courtesy of  John Kropewnicki / Shutterstock.com

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WASHINGTON, U.S.A. – The following is being released by the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy:

Declassified files from long-running investigations of the Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation (NUMEC) over alleged illegal diversions of US government-owned weapons-grade uranium to Israel are now available online at http://www.IRmep.org/ila/numec

The 733 pages of information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act for the new book Divert! NUMEC, Zalman Shapiro and the diversion of US weapons-grade uranium into the Israeli nuclear weapons program include:

A 1980 FBI interview of an eyewitness (PDF) of NUMEC executives stuffing U-235 canisters into sealed equipment shipped to Israel.

CIA Director of Operations Carl Duckett’s 1978 testimony about NUMEC (PDF) before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Atomic Energy Commissioner Glenn T. Seaborg’s reaction (PDF) to news that traces of Portsmouth U-235 of the type supplied to NUMEC had been picked up in Israel.

NUMEC corporate correspondence (PDF) with the AEC claiming that undercover Israeli intelligence agents Rafael Eitan and Ephraim Beigun visiting NUMEC in 1968 were merely energy scientists.

National Security Advisor Zbigniew Bresinski’s 1979 order (PDF) that Senator John Glenn not be given direct access to a top secret memorandum about “missing material from the NUMEC plant in Apollo, PA.”

Deputy Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti’s confidential letter (PDF) to President Jimmy Carter to “establish a plan for coordinated interagency action to detect and investigate the theft or diversion of nuclear material in the future.”

A 1978 congressional interview transcript (PDF) with NUMEC President Dr. Zalman Shapiro.

National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger’s 1969 strategy document (PDF) about how the US should respond to Israel’s clandestine nuclear weapons program.  “There is circumstantial evidence that some fissionable material available for Israel’s weapons development was illegally obtained from the United States by about 1965.”

FBI wiretap (PDF) of a 1969 toxic spill at NUMEC caused by improper storage.

According to a 2001 Department of Energy report, NUMEC lost 269 kilograms of highly enriched uranium between 1957 and 1968—the highest in the US and enough for dozens of atomic weapons.  The former NUMEC factory site is currently undergoing a toxic cleanup the US Army Corps of Engineers estimates could cost taxpayers between $250-$500 million.

The newly published book Divert! (available in paperback and Kindle) presents additional evidence that NUMEC—unable to complete US government contracts or protect workers and the environment—was originally established as a nuclear smuggling front.

Image Courtesy of  Wutthichai / Shutterstock.com

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New York, U.S.A. – From a village near Jenin that borders on the 1967 line, OneVoice Palestine youth activists and locals released into Israel hundreds of helium balloons carrying the text of the Arab Peace Initiative on Saturday, April 28 drawing attention toward this historic opportunity.

Hundreds of locals, wearing flag caps of countries supporting the regional peace plan, participated in the activity, which was co-sponsored by Jenin’s governor and the municipality, to mark the document’s tenth anniversary.

They called on all Israelis to pressure their politicians into accepting the initiative as a framework for serious regional negotiations to achieve the two-state solution and end the Arab-Israeli conflict. Jenin Deputy Governor Ahmad al-Qassam, Minister of Prisoner Affairs Ashraf al-Ajrami, Fatah spokesman Mahmoud Labadi, and other municipal officials also attended the headline-grabbing event.

“We’re urging the Israeli public to demand from their government a real response to the Arab Peace Initiative,” said Samer Makhlouf, executive director of OneVoice Palestine. “The document has never been withdrawn or rejected by any Arab state, but despite its apparent resilience, we cannot expect it stay on the table forever.”

Exactly 10 years ago, the 22 Arab League member states came together in Beirut to propose a peace plan to end the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Arab Peace Initiative offered a comprehensive resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the normalization of relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors. It represented an abrupt about-face, from the League’s refusal to engage with Israel to the potential for a new era of regional stability and cooperation. While not an end-point for negotiations, the document sets a positive new starting point.

Unfortunately, Israel never accepted the Arab Peace Initiative as a basis for peace discussions. Among Ariel Sharon’s 14 reservations to the 2003 Road Map, reservation #10 explicitly rejected the Arab Peace Initiative. Since then, it has lain dormant.

“Accepting the Arab Peace Initiative as a framework for serious regional negotiations is a far better approach than outright rejection wrapped in unsupportable assertions that Israel has done everything it can for peace over the past 64 years and the Palestinians have only been obstructionist,” said OneVoice CEO Howard Sumka.

The event is part of OneVoice Palestine’s campaign, launched in February, demanding the Israeli government to halt its settlement policy and return to negotiations on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative. From tree plantings in Hebron and Bethlehem and distribution of flyers and bumper stickers across the West Bank, to an online campaign with banners on top local news sites – OneVoice Palestine is creating momentum for the peace plan.

Separately, OneVoice Israel is complementing the effort though parallel action, igniting conversations about the Arab Peace Initiative across their eight university chapters, from Haifa to Sderot. Next month, they will mobilize people in the heart of Tel Aviv, bringing prominent public figures to make soap-box speeches while a giant ice cube containing the Arab Peace Initiative text slowly melts away. Working with the growing Two-State Solution Caucus, they will then deliver their message loudly in the Knesset.

OneVoice is an international grassroots movement that aims to amplify the voice of Israeli and Palestinian moderates, empowering them to demand a two-state solution. The movement educates and trains Israeli and Palestinian youth in leadership skills, non-violent activism, and democratic principles.

Image Courtesy of   Ryan Rodrick Beiler / Shutterstock.com

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As the United States has removed itself from one extended military conflict in the Middle East – in Iraq – another one possibly looms on the horizon, brought on by Iran’s suspected nuclear program and, among other things, Israel’s desire to abolish it. The U.S. has a tricky and nuanced road to navigate, made only more complicated by Israel’s role, the rising price of oil, and the presidential election in November. When Americans were asked about various items related to the potential conflict with Iran, the responses reflect the complicated nature of the issue.  Seven in ten Americans agree that Iran’s nuclear capabilities pose a threat to the United States (72%), yet what action the United States should take in response is less clear.

Over half of U.S. adults say that if Israel takes action against Iran’s nuclear program that the U.S. should support Israel (56%), yet fewer than half of Americans say Israel should take action to destroy Iran’s nuclear program (45%) and fewer believe that the U.S. should take this action themselves.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,451 adults surveyed online between March 12 and 19, 2012 by Harris Interactive .

While a majority of all U.S. adults agree that Iran’s nuclear capabilities pose a threat to the United States this belief is stronger among older generations; 77%-79% of Baby Boomers (ages 48-66) and Matures (ages 67+) agree, compared to 63%-71% of Echo Boomers (ages 18-35) and Gen X (ages 36-47) who do.  The older generations are in similar agreement about the U.S. supporting Israel if Israel takes action against Iran’s nuclear program: over three in five Baby Boomers (63%) and Matures (68%) say the U.S. should support Israel, yet just 55% of Gen X and 45% of Echo Boomers respectively say the same.  There is a less strong opinion on whether Israel should take military action to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities.  Approximately half (47%-51%) of Gen X, Baby Boomers and Matures say Israel should, although just 38% of Echo Boomers agree.  If Americans are uncertain about how Israel should act, they are even more uncertain about what the U.S. should do:

• Overall 45% of U.S. adults agree that the United States should NOT take military action to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, 39% disagree and 16% are not at all sure;
• Matures (aged 67+) are most likely to say that the U.S. should not take action against Iran and Gen X is least likely to say this (40%).

Political Differences
Military engagements and involvement with Israel are usually politically charged issues, but that sense is even more escalated in an election year. Republicans, Democrats and Independents show a different mind when considering Iran’s nuclear situation:

• While a majority of all political parties say that Iran’s nuclear capabilities pose a threat to the United States and that if Israel takes action against Iran the U.S. should support Israel, Republicans are the most likely to say these things (83% say Iran poses a threat and 70% want the U.S. to support Israel). Democrats and Independents agree that Iran poses a threat (70% and 73% say so respectively), yet these groups are less strongly in favor of supporting Israel taking action (51%-57% agree the U.S. should do so);
• When asked directly if Israel should take military action against Iran’s nuclear program Republicans agree they should (59%), yet significantly fewer Democrats and Independents say the same (40% and 45%);
• On the other hand, a majority of Democrats say that the U.S. should not take military action to destroy Iran’s nuclear program (52%), yet fewer than half of Independents (46%) and Republicans (37%) agree.

Taking a more philosophical look, interestingly a majority of Americans — in all political parties — disagree that Iran has the right to continue working on its nuclear program (65%-71% of Republicans, Democrats and Independents say this).

So What?
Although most reports indicate that neither Israel nor the U.S. is likely to take immediate military action against Iran – the results of which could be enormous and costly — the continued discussion and analysis on what each country should do might have consequences of its own, particularly if Iran sees the ongoing discussion as provocation unto itself.  It will be interesting to see how President Obama handles the discussions and decisions moving forward — it seems unlikely that he would want to enter into a new military engagement, yet the potential threat from Iran is felt by Americans, the pro-Israel lobby is strong, and the U.S. demand for oil continues to be pervasive.

Methodology
This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between March 12 and 19, 2012 among 2,451 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The Harris Poll  #39, April 10, 2012
By Samantha Braverman, Sr. Project Researcher, Harris Interactive

Image Courtesey of  Steve Rhodes

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US president Barack Obama recently approved fresh sanctions against Iran in a crucial step to mount pressure on Iran over its nuclear weapons programme, and re-open the gates of diplomacy.

The pressure of economic isolation by imposition of laws and restrictions that hinders or distracts economic activity leading to convulsion of social, financial and economic problems may bring a nation back into dialogue.

Tensions are flaring high enough between US and Iran over the Iranian ambition for nuclear programme that could potentially frazzle down peace and tranquility of the life of millions of people in the region.

Incessant Iranian nuclear activity has raised suspicion as to the heights of military power that Iran is interested in reaching. Through enrichment of uranium that may ultimately assist the development of nuclear weapons, over the years, this has translated into a threat to global peace and economic security.

Barack Obama lashed back at the Iranian stubbornness when he vowed to go ahead with tough sanctions on Iran, saying that there is enough oil in the world markets to allow countries like India and China to reduce their dependence on Iranian imports.

President Obama said in his speech: “There is a sufficient supply of petroleum and petroleum products from countries other than Iran to permit a significant reduction in the volume of petroleum and petroleum products purchased from Iran by or through foreign financial institutions.”

Major portion of Iranian revenue comes from oil; any attempt to drag down oil exports for Iran will have a detrimental effects on its economy.

Currently, Tehran is facing its toughest round of sanctions since 2002, when it was discovered that the authorities had been hiding an 18-year-old programme for strategic mastering of nuclear work, enrichment of uranium to fuel power reactors or to produce an atomic bomb.

From the beginning, it seems there had been deterrent reluctance from Iran to disclose their true ambition behind this programme, which eventually solidified in ground for concern on behalf of the international community.

War may not be the right answer to this crisis, because the world is  already at economic war, battling it out within national economies, originally because the US housing market bubble erupted and swallowed the Lehman Brothers in 2008. Even after four years of consolation in terms of amendments to laws overlooking financial industry, bailouts, and austerity packages, the global economic future seems bleak.

War may devastate Iran’s dream of nuclear power, and invites to consequences hard to imagine as well. It will become a major source of complications for global economy, hurting trade, force a decline in growth rate, and fiscal deficits. War may fetch great success to those who see no other alternative, but it will plunder the hope of stability and peace in the region, affecting millions of lives, ruining sources of livelihood, and demolishing the will to survive.

The objectives for this war may be different, but history stands witness to the fact that war kills humanity and from an economic perspective during a recession period, war is turmoil. The international community should push as strong as possible to avoid conflict, and try to nourish the dream of diplomacy.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/presidenciaecuador/

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On March 25 , during the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, US President Barack Obama said that there is still time for a peaceful and diplomatic solution of the recent dispute that has risen between Israel and Iran, “I believe there is a window of time to solve this diplomatically, but that window is closing,” declared Obama. He also added that although world leaders are ready to give a helping hand to the rebellious nations, they may not wait for too long.

According to his words, the American government is trying to undo some of the political friction between the Middle Eastern countries. Earlier, it was said that the United States intended to provide Israel with military munitions and aerial refueling tankers, on the condition that the Canaan state will not start warlike actions against Iran.

As a whole, the leaders of G8 are putting all their efforts in keeping the present international situation, because a future nuclear conflict in the Middle East could have a destructive effect on the rest of the world.

The strife between Israel and Iran started at the beginning of the new century, when the world media was flooded with sharp remarks, exchanged between the heads of the two states (can you be more specific? what event led to sharp remarks between the heads of state?). Since then, problems in these parts of Asia at one moment subsided, at another intensified again. (this is very generic and has no information value – I’d rather see you focus on explaining the bad relations between the two nations, why they have it out for each other)

The conflict became increasingly volatile in the first months of 2012, when the Israeli embassies in India and Georgia were targeted by Iranian terrorism. Thankfully, due to the fast interference of the police, the car bomb in Georgia was not able to explode. However, in India four people were seriously wounded.

In addition, Iranian agents were arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, after trying to put a bomb on the car of an Israeli official. Even journalists are involved in the bitter war between the Middle Eastern countries. In March this year, Syed Mohammed Kazmi, an Indian journalist, was arrested in New Delhi in connection with the terrorist attacks there.

The old dispute between Israel and Iran is reaching its climax, and will soon burst out in violent and bloody actions, which poses a threat to the safety of the world community. Experts in international and military relationships stated that this future war between Tehran and Jerusalem could turn into a Third World War, which will be much more destructive this time, because it may involve nuclear weapons.

For the time being, the main mission is to find a peaceful solution in the crisis between the two countries. However, recent speculations say that Israel is preparing for military actions in the near months. Their training and preparations will take time, which risk speculators believe is used by the Iranian Air Forces on preparing for the attacks.

No one can be sure of what will be the future development of the Israel-Iran conflict, but one thing is obvious: it will have an annihilating effect at a global level, at least according to specialists in this field.

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The Mineta Transportation Institute (transweb.sjsu.edu) has published a report that presents 16 case studies of attacks against Israeli bus targets between 2000 and 2005, along with detailed statistical data.

Security Awareness for Public Bus Security: Case Studies of Suicide Attacks Against the Israeli Public Bus System could help increase understanding of what can happen and of what can deter, prevent, and/or mitigate terrorist attacks against bus transit. Principal investigators were Bruce Robert Butterworth, Shalom Dolev, and Brian Michael Jenkins. The 104-page report is available for free PDF download from transweb.sjsu.edu/project/2978.html

The statistical data come from Mineta’s (MTI) proprietary Database on Terrorist and Serious Criminal Attacks against Public Surface Transportation. The report also analyzes the effectiveness of different improvised explosive devices and methods for delivering them, and it raises questions for further discussion.

“Public surface transportation has been and remains a primary target for terrorists throughout the world,” said Mr. Butterworth. “MTI’s database records 2,287 attacks against public surface transportation betweenJanuary 1, 1970 and November 1, 2011, in which 7,581 people were killed and 29,212 were injured. Of these attacks, 65 percent were against buses, bus stations, and bus stops. They accounted for 51 percent of the fatalities and 41 percent of the injuries resulting from terrorist attacks during this period.”

Some key findings include:

• Suicide delivery was the dominant method of attack. In 12 cases, devices were worn by or carried by the attacker. In one case, a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) was detonated by a suicide driver alongside a bus. In three cases, bombs were concealed in bags or other items left behind.
• The two most lethal and successful attacks, one of which was the suicide VBIED attack,  each killed 17 people. Among the other successful attacks, one killed 16 people, one killed 15, and one killed 14. Six of the attacks were considered unsuccessful, and four were considered partially successful. One case involved only pre-attack surveillance, with no attack.
• In eight of the attacks that were considered failures or only partial successes, security measures and awareness played a role in stopping the attack or mitigating its consequences. In seven of those cases, poor attacker techniques and bomb-making were also factors.

All 16 cases raise questions, which are purposely left for further discussion. Two questions are especially important, particularly for security officials and transportation operators in the United States: How applicable are these cases to the current environment in the U.S.? And how does Israel’s experience compare with that of India, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka?

“While one might conclude that Western nations are not likely to experience the kinds of intense terrorist campaigns against public surface transportation experienced in Israel or in other developing countries,” said Mr. Butterworth, “these targets remain attractive and must be considered in security planning.”

The complete 104-page report includes 64 maps, photographs, and other figures that illustrate each case study.

Acknowledgement: This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Award Number 2008-ST-061-TS0004.

Disclaimer: The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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With rising instability in the Middle East and experts predicting a major earthquake, Heart to Heart is launching a virtual blood donation campaign to maintain a plentiful blood supply for the State of Israel.

Heart to Heart exclusively supports Israel’s national blood bank which always needs to increase its capacity and supply to be prepared for every emergency. As Israel’s population nears 8 million, and with the need for Israel to maximize and protect its blood supply, Heart to Heart is the right answer at the right time.

“Since all blood in Israel is donated voluntarily, and the expenses to sustain a steady supply of blood are ever increasing as the population and needs increase, Heart to Heart campaign will underwrite these costs and provide extra funds for the future,” Heart to Heart Director Jonathan Feldstein said.

For a $100, a person can save three lives in Israel. “For people looking for a meaningful way to bless Israel, save lives, and fulfill the biblical mandate of Genesis 12:3, a virtual blood donation is a way to accomplish three goals,” Feldstein added.

Heart to Heart partner Pastor Brian Jacobs noted, “When a member of my church introduced me to Heart to Heart, I jumped at the chance to participate, personally and for my whole church. Since I have spoken often about our obligation to bless Israel, Heart to Heart gives a direct action that we can undertake in addition to our prayers. As a Christian, Heart to Heart gives us the opportunity to express our solidarity with Israel and a vehicle to honor Israel.”

Heart to Heart will be featured at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville, February 19-21 and representatives available to be interviewed and explore partnerships to carry out its mission.

Heart to Heart is a project of American Friends of Magen David Adom, a non-profit organization devoted exclusively to saving lives in Israel for more than seven decades.

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The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is attempting to block a brief filed by Director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep) Grant F. Smith in the DC Court of Appeals on February 3, 2012.  The 78-page IRmep filing asserts “AIPAC has never abandoned its original role as an arm of the Israeli government in the United States.”

Citing declassified criminal investigations, IRmep underscores the public’s interest in the outcome of the case. “AIPAC’s observable standard for employees is ‘solicit, obtain and leverage classified information without being criminally indicted.’ AIPAC is never held publicly accountable for these types of activities which harm governance and public perception of rule of law.”

Exhibits include State Department files declassified on January 20, 2012 revealing in detail how former AIPAC Director Morris Amitay endangered US national security when he obtained Department of Defense secrets in 1974.  The IRmep brief also analyzes ongoing financial damages from a 1984-1987 incident.  The FBI investigated how AIPAC acquired an International Trade Commission report full of still-classified confidential business information.

AIPAC characterized the IRmep brief as “completely inaccurate portrayals of events that occurred decades ago” but seeks dismissal on procedural grounds.

IRmep argues for its acceptance even though oral arguments begin February 14, because “AIPAC is an organization that has long ‘had it both ways’” in functioning as an agent of the Israeli government without registering, influencing funding flows to political candidates while claiming charitable tax-exempt status, and rewarding employees who obtained classified information—until they are criminally indicted.”

Former employee Steven J. Rosen sued AIPAC and its board of directors for defamation in 2009.  AIPAC fired Rosen after FBI wiretaps alleged Rosen had received classified national defense information. Rosen was indicted for espionage in 2005 though charges were later dropped.  AIPAC claimed Rosen’s behavior “did not comport with standards that AIPAC expects of its employees.”  Rosen immediately appealed after the defamation suit was dismissed in 2011.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/speakerboehner/

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According to the latest media reports, the threat of a possible Israeli attack on Iran seems to be impending. Moreover, Israeli leaders have publicly stated that a military action against Iran is being considered as a preventive form of defense in case Iran fails to halt its nuclear program.

Columnist David Ignatius in his opinion column on Washington Post, wrote that Leon Panetta, the U.S. Defense Secretary, thinks there is the possibility of an imminent attack by the Jewish State against the Islamic Republic, nevertheless not specifying what has led him to this conclusion.

To quote Ignatius, “Panetta believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June — before Iran enters what Israelis described as a “zone of immunity” to commence building a nuclear bomb.”

At this point, the burning questions are many; Will Israel really attack Iran? What would be Iran’s reaction? What will the Western countries do in case of a real attack – especially the United States? Will the attack cause a chain reaction? Are Iran’s allies and “friends” ready to intervene and take part in a possible conflict? Will this be the triggering event for a third World War? Might it be an atomic war – meaning an actual catastrophe for humanity?

It may sound like a far-fetched theoretical scenario, one that we might experience in the comfort of a cinema armchair or sofa, as the heroes and heroines fight off catastrophe on screen, but in the current state of the world, it could become a reality.

If we look back on history, it almost seems that the creation of the state of Israel did nothing more than cause constant instability and insecurity in the Middle East, involving even far-away countries in the West in its never-ending dispute. The majority of world nations have diplomatic relations with the Jewish State, and for some countries like the United States, this relation is exceptionally strong.

On the other hand, since the Islamic revolution in 1979, relations between Iran and Israel have turned hostile and Iran has instead developed good relations with Israel’s opponents and with so-called “rogue states” and their allies. Therefore, it is not surprising that the possibility of a conflict between Israel and Iran might lead to a world disaster.

The question of Iran’s nuclear program, linked to the possibility of a working Iranian nuclear bomb factory, has arisen again recently and it is considered the “safety factor” that would legitimize an Israeli attack and, potentially, the intervention of the United States and other Western countries on behalf of Israel’s cause. It would be presented as a question of world security, as a threat against the entire humanity which must be be stopped, a danger for the world’s populations – especially those of Israel and Western countries – to be dealt with.

After all, it would not be the first time we hear a rhetoric like this. Other wars of this century were waged with the same or similar purposes, other conflicts were created to follow the logic of the “war on terror” which the U.S. and UK were particularly adamant about. Iraq is the perfect example of this, having been invaded in the ‘belief’ that Saddam had WMD’s which he did not have. Now, with Iran, all I can think is “here we go again.”

There is no certainty of a factory for nuclear bomb, as there is no proof of an Iranian plan to attack Israel or the U.S. at an unspecified time in the future. As far as I remember, the only country that used the atomic bomb against another country’s population in the history of man were the United States – also known as “the democracy exporters” –, and Israel, even if it is widely believed that they have nuclear weapons as well, has never been attacked or invaded for disarmament, and is not considered as a potential threat (by Western countries).

What is difficult to understand is why the world should continue to tolerate the never-ending aggressive attitude of Israel and furthermore, why the state of Israel should believe they have the right to attack Iran on the assumption that “[t]he Iranians are, after all, a nation whose leaders have set themselves a strategic goal of wiping Israel off the map” – as the Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told to Ronen Bergman.

Iran is not a democratic and liberal country, that is absolutely true, and surely there is a possibility that it has or plans to gain nuclear weapons but is this not the case of other countries in the world too? Should Israel attack all those countries too, at will? Should other countries attack Israel for the same reasons?

The U.S. and Israel, together with the UK and other Western countries, have so far been the only powers who saw fit for themselves to decide other countries’ future and dominate the Middle East. Nevertheless, the world’s power balance is changing, the financial crisis is getting stronger, and in a potential global war scenario the world society could split up into two new opposing deployments with new big powers rising to prominence with a potential U.S. at one end and a likely China at the other. Has the time come for a new world war?

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A small Israeli non-profit organization that has pioneered the concept of distributed life-saving has captured the imagination of the world.  So much so, that its founder, Eli Beer, has been invited to speak at the international community’s most prestigious event, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting taking place in Davos, Switzerland, Jan, 25 -29, 2012.

Beer will brief world leaders on how he took the concept of distributed computing and applied it to saving lives all across Israel.  His organization, United Hatzalah of Israel, is comprised of more than 1,700 volunteers who are trained and certified as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s), paramedics or doctors, and are located in communities, cities and kibbutzim throughout the entire State of Israel.

Using proprietary GPS identification, communication and deployment technologies to minimize response times, volunteers are able to establish a life-saving bridge of medical care to more than 190,000 people each year, within two to three minutes of a distress call, completely free of charge. Volunteers treat an average of 500 people each day and individually respond to an average of 360 calls per year inIsrael.

United Hatzalah volunteers come from all backgrounds – secular and religious, Jewish and non-Jewish – and serve all people without regard to race or religion. Not only have the volunteers been able to redefine the government’s status quo of emergency first response, Arab and Jews are also working together, side-by-side, and have been able to break down religious barriers through United Hatzalah’s sole mission and unifying motivation: to save as many lives as possible.

“When I was a young boy growing up in Jerusalem, I witnessed a horrific bus bombing on my way home from school and watched people dying in vain as they waited too long for medical services to arrive. The horrific images were emblazed in my memory and ultimately lead me to the idea of United Hatzalah – a group able to save lives, Jew and Arab alike, no matter the place or circumstance,” said Eli Beer, founder of United Hatzalah of Israel, formally established as an independent, non-profit organization in 2006.

Given the success that United Hatzalah has experienced in Israel and the thousands of lives it has saved since its inception, United Hatzalah believes that its distributed emergency response model can be easily replicated to save lives throughout the world. United Hatzalah has already been recognized as an international leader and is currently collaborating with rescue organizations in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“The common thread of life itself can create a bond that runs deeper than any religious, political or racial association. When a Jewish volunteer responds to an emergency in an Arab community or vice versa and helps save a parent, child or loved one, the community slowly gains their trust. When people recognize that we all share the same basic elements of life they are willing to come together for a common good,” said Beer.

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Israeli women have been under pressure for years to sit in the back of buses that serve strictly religious Jews. Like Rosa Parks, women are beginning to fight back against discrimination. A young solider named Doron Matalon said she was at the front of the bus after a night shift at her Jerusalem base on Wednesday morning last week. When an ultra-Orthodox man boarded the bus, he told her to go sit in the back. “I said that I have the right to sit here,” she stated. “Then a commotion ensued, and other people gathered around and started shouting…. It was scary.”

The situation drew media attention and highlighted tensions in Israel as ultra-Orthodox Jews move beyond Jerusalem’s urban enclaves and Bnei Brak, a Tel Aviv suburb where they have resided for decades. As they look for jobs and houses in new areas, they interact more with mainstream Israelis, who view their strict religious code as a threat to democracy. “It’s a slippery slope. What starts with women boarding the bus in the back because of modesty can end up with women not voting,” affirmed Mickey Gitzin, the director of Be Free Israel, a nonprofit that promotes religious pluralism. “It could turn Israeli society into a segregated society in which women don’t have a place in public life.”

Public outrage grew this past week following a news report on the harassment of an eight-year-old girl by a group of ultra-Orthodox men. They thought she was dressed immodestly, so they spat on her and accused her of being a prostitute. This event caused thousands of people to protest against the segregation of women on December 27. A counterprotest followed two days later, which resulted in clashes in Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem.

The Haredi rabbis of Beit Shemesh claimed their women voluntarily observed the segregation and modesty rules for their own honor. Other ultra-Orthodox Jews do not disagree with the segregation of men and women, but went on the defensive, one man, Israel Eichler, saying “The problem is that they want to make a secular state in the Holy Land. That’s what creates the friction.” He is a parliament member from the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party. Eichler thinks that the secular media of Israel is focusing on the discrimination against women as a way to attack Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a political ally of the Haredis, who has denounced the segregation of men and women in the past.

Since the first public buses went into operation 14 years ago in Jerusalem, discrimination against women has grown to men-only sidewalks in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, the steady disappearance of women from Jerusalem’s billboards, and segregated waiting rooms at health clinics. Haredi birthrates are double the average families in Israel, and economists believe that since Haredi men do not work, they will hurt the economy. The liberal Israel Religious Action Center petitioned the Supreme Court to ban segregation on public buses after complaints of discrimination were made. In January 2011, the court said forced segregation was illegal, but the buses could continue to operate for one year on a voluntary basis.

Their ruling showed the problem Israel’s government faces in deciding how to address religious and national groups that do not accept its principles. “The deeper question is how does a democracy deal with separatist fundamentalist communities in its midst,” asserted Yossi Klein Halevi, a fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. “Israel’s great domestic challenge is to figure out the balance between allowing cultural autonomy and reinforcing its sovereign authority.” The one-year trial period is about to end, and petitioners say that they will bring up the issue with the Supreme Court again. However, Matalon believes it might be too late. She is afraid of riding the bus and no longer uses it out of her fear of being harassed. “It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last time,” she said.

Image Courtesey of   Alex E. Proimos

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A recent controversial agreement between Israelis and Palestinians has led to the release of one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in return for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Gilad Shalit, now 25 years old, was captured by Hamas at the age of 19. He was held captive in Gaza after his 2006 kidnapping.

The decision of releasing 1,000 Palestinian prisoners came just one week ago, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided it to be imperative for the return of Shalit. Shalit returned to Israel on October 18. Gilad Shalit was taken by Hamas militants to Egypt, where the swap was finalized.

Shalit was welcomed back into Israel by hugs from his family, as well as Prime Minister Netanyahu and Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, Israel’s military chief. He was seen to be thin and frail. After medical examinations, Shalit has shown to have malnutrition signs and a lack of exposure to the sun.

Shalit stated in an interview of the conditions of the prison he was held in, stating that he was in solitary confinement most of the time. Shalit’s father explained in an interview that his son received harsh conditions at the beginning of his imprisonment, but the conditions improved as time went on.

“I knew all along that my family and many people in Israel are doing everything possible in order to release me,” said Gilad Shalit in an interview with Egyptian television.

Thousands of Israelis descended onto the streets to celebrate the arrival of Shalit. Israelis were singing, cheering, and opening bottles of champagne upon his release. People waved the Israeli flag as Shalit was ushered to his home to be with his family.

Although there was a large support for Shalit’s release and return to Israel, many Isarelis do not agree with the recent events. The unbalanced proportion of released Palestinian prisoners comes as a shock to many. Many family members of those who were killed by Palestinian prisoners are opposed to their release.

Many of those who were released for Shilat were imprisoned for life sentences. Their charges include the deaths of Israelis through a number of attacks. Nasser Yateima killed 30 Isarelis in a hotel bombing in 2002, occurring on the Jewish holiday of Passover. Abdel Aziz Salha assisted in the deadly stabbing of two Israeli soldiers when they made a wrong turn into the West Bank.

An overwhelming crowd of support greeted the Palestinian prisoners as they returned home. As per the agreement of the prisoner swap, 450 Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli captivity. The second group of prisoners which total 550, will be released in two months time.

The West Bank and Gaza lit up with jubilation as people celebrated in the streets. Thousands of supporters greeted the newly released prisoners with green flags, the dominate color associated with Hamas. Hamas has controlled Gaza through militant tactics. The release of these 1,000 prisoners in exchange for one Israeli soldier comes as an undeniable success in the viewpoint of Palestinians.

Palestinian crowds loudly chanted “The people want a new Gilad.” This message displays the idea that if more Israeli soldiers are kidnapped, future prisoner swaps can be created, potentially leading to the release of hundreds more Palestinian prisoners.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/idfonline/

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Israel has been having its fair share of domestic and international problems recently. Tel-Aviv has become the latest staging ground for large-scale demonstrations which protesters rallying against economic stagnation and dwindling opportunities for Israelis.

The social protest movement boasted an estimated 500,000 people who marched down Rothschild Boulevard where a massive tent has been put up to initially demonstrate against rising housing prices. The protests have been fueled by dissatisfaction with the direction of the Israeli economy – a historically state-run enterprise that has been increasingly privatized in recent years.

The latest rally in Tel-Aviv on September fell short of its advertised goal of one million people. Protests in other cities added to the numbers with tens of thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets around the country, according to local reports.

Israeli Arabs, a large number of whom live below the poverty level, have joined the demonstrations, lending credence to the assertion that the whole of the Israeli population is represented and not just the elites or upper/middle classes. A row with Turkey has also threatened to boil over after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to apologize for last year’s military action aboard the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara.

A recently released UN report has established that Israeli commandos used unreasonable force during the raid of the ship. Netanyahu regretted the loss of life but refused to apologize, saying that Israel would unconditionally defend its soldiers “in every forum.” In response, Turkey expelled its Israeli ambassador, froze all military agreements and pacts with Israel and threatened legal action against the country.

Relations between Israel’s right-wing coalition lead by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a champion of the Palestinian cause, have never been robust but seems likely to become even icier in the future.

The Palestinian Authority is also gearing up for an imminent bid for final status – effectively statehood – as the United Nations Generally Assembly reconvenes. Although the Obama administration has promised to exercise the United State’s veto power if the measure were to come before the Security Council, the bid comes at a bad time for Israel internationally.

It threatens to highlight the state’s decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories, as well as alleged human rights violations there. These economic, social, and international travails are making the way forward seem even hazier for Israel.

In the past year, both the botched raid on the aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip and the government’s defiant refusal to halt further construction of settlements in occupied territory, have skewed the image of Israel to the world — especially in conjunction with a recent ceasefire-violating missile strike in Gaza. Israel seems to have alienated itself from its allies and the international community at large.

Mikhail Levit / Shutterstock.com

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Over 800 participants, representing more than 120 countries and civil society campaigners, arrived in Beirut to partake in the Second Meeting of States Parties (2 MSP) to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The conference commenced on Sep. 13 after H.E Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of the Lebanese Republic Adnan Mansour was elected as President of the 2MSP, and was composed of 8 plenary meetings.

Lebanon hosted the conference because it is a strong witness to the devastating effects of cluster munitions that were dropped by the Israelis in the 2006 war. According to the United Nations, Israel fired more than four million cluster bombs over South Lebanon during the last 72 hours of the war. Of those, up to one million cluster munitions failed to explode and continue to pose a deadly threat to civilians to this day. Since the ceasefire on 14 August, 2006, more than 400 people have been killed or injured by cluster munitions. Of those casualties, 90 percent were civilians — one-third being children.

Lebanon’s experience was a significant milestone in the movement to ban cluster munitions. The Israeli use of cluster munitions in Southern Lebanon in 2006 triggered the “Oslo Process,” which resulted in the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions.

According to the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs: “The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of Cluster Munitions.”

Over the course of four days, delegates of both signatory and non-signatory states came to discuss several key points regarding the convention: universalization of the convention, destruction of stock piles and storages, clearance of contaminated lands, and victim assistance.

During the meeting, countries explained their progress with regards to their commitment to the treaty obligations. According the Cluster Munitions Coalition (CMC) the most important statements at the conference were:

• Slovenia’s announcement that it has fully destroyed its stockpile of cluster munitions under the eight year deadline.
• Colombia expressing that with its first participation in the conference (it was an observer in the 1MSP), it has cleared its cluster munitions stockpiles and is ready to help other countries.
• The UK and Germany announcing that they have destroyed over 60% of their stockpiles.
• The UK announcing that it will raise its 30 million GBP fund dedicated to clearing cluster munitions, and Germany donating 700,000 Euros to Lebanon in 2012 for clearance of contaminated lands.
• Swaziland’s assent to become the 63rd state to ratify the convention.
• States pledging to increase their victim assistance programs.
• Seven countries announcing that steps towards ratifying the convention will be completed soon.

Most notably, several victims of cluster bombs or their family members attended the program and presented the “Victim’s Declaration” in which they expressed their happiness over the progress made towards riding the world of cluster munitions. They also urged governments to commit to their obligations towards the conventions and asked “to take immediate action to make victim assistance services accessible for all” in accordance to the 1st meeting of State Parties in Vientiane.

Swaziland delegate Mr. John Mandla Msibi

On the final day, state parties adopted the “Beirut Declaration” which acknowledged the progress the convention has made in such a short time towards freeing the world from cluster munitions. Furthermore, states agreed that more has to be done with regards to stockpiling, the clearing of contaminated lands, and victim assistance.

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What would you reply to your kid if he wants a tattoo?

Well in Jeremy Bieber’s situation, he not only agree to let his son Justin  get a tattoo, but he did not hesitate to form part of the plan and ended up getting one too.

They both got their tattoo in Israel, which showed the word “Yeshua” written in Hebrew, which means Jesus. They both got the same tattoo on their left torsos, and during the process the father hold tightly Bieber’s hand.

Justin’s manager said that Justin is a faithful believer and that before going onstage he always prays in English and Hebrew. “Justin heard me pray, he gets why I do it and now he does the same,” said Braun.

Bases on some interviews and sources Bieber had always remark the good relationship he has with his father. Last year he told to Seventeen magazine: “”I have a great relationship with my dad, When I was younger, he taught me how to play some songs on the guitar, like ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ by Bob Dylan.”

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In the much-anticipated speech to the state department, President Obama stated that a “mutually agreed swaps” would help create a “viable Palestine, and secure Israel.” He later insisted in an interview with the BBC that the ‘1967 border’ had to be the basis for negotiations on a Palestinian State.

Within a day of the President’s speech, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his governments displeasure about Obama’s views. According to Netanyahu, the borders before the 1967 Middle East conflict were “indefensible”, considering that Israel has constructed an extensive network of settlements beyond those lines. An estimated 300,000 Israelis live in the settlements of the West bank, even though these are illegal under international law, a fact which Israel disputes.

In Thursday’s speech, Mr Obama spoke about the Arab Spring and what this meant for US role in the region. The American president praised the recent developments stating “through the moral force of non-violence, the people of the region have achieved more change in six months than terrorists have accomplish in decades.” He acknowledged that the rest of the world had to be patient because change would take years to be constructively implemented. Obama also spoke about the future of US policy to the Middle East, and went into a murky description of the link between US interest and the hopes and desired of the region. When he reached the issue of the continuous conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territory, the President said “The United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine.”

“The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states.”

The Israeli Prime Minister, who is due to meet President Obama for talk at the White House Friday, said that the 1967 border would leave major Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria outside Israeli territory. In a statement, the Prime Minister rejected the idea and said “the viability of a Palestinian state cannot come at the expense of the viability of the one and only Jewish state.”

In the statement, Netanyahu called on Mr Obama to reaffirm commitments made to Israel in 2004.

The speech to the state department was far less inspirational than that in Cairo two years ago, according to Jon Leyne of the BBC. Mr Obama summed up an encouraging and poised, yet awkwardly restrained US position towards the flood of democratic momentum in the Middle East and North African region. He said that in the past, the US had accepted the status quo but has now seen a chance to pursue the world as it should be.

Observers, however, are skeptical. How does the President intend to carry out his ideas for a ‘better’ regional situation? With Netanyahu’s blunt rejection of the 1967 borders in what could have been a constructive move in the otherwise stoic conflict, negotiations could already be deterred from moving forward.

The greater realisation is that the Arab Spring could indicate the decline of American influence in the region. As the President himself acknowledged, it was not the US who pushed the people into the street, and his government will have to accept that not all of the nations in revolt will choose to follow the form of democracy that America promotes.

Obama’s best guess is that Israel eventually will soften up on their demands and their deep-rooted objections to a Palestinian state. The unity deal signed between rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah earlier this month – along with Mahmoud Abbas’ call for UN recognition – could provide the needed international pressure to revive talks between the two authorities. Until then, Obama can only hope he’s on the right side of history.

Image provided by The National Academy of Sciences

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The Israeli military has confirmed on Wednesday that Col Vadim Leiderman, military attache in Russia, was expelled by the Russian government on accusations of espionage. According to the BBC, a joint statement by Israel’s defense ministry and the military spokesman’s office read that “The [Israeli Defense Forces] military attache and ministry of defense representative in Russia, an IDF colonel, was detained for investigation last week by Russian authorities on suspicion of spying.”

The Russian government have yet to confirm the accusations but the Israeli army, which have investigated the claims, believe they are unfounded. Israeli media reported that Col Leiderman had been taken into detention 10 days ago and questioned on suspicion of espionage but after claiming diplomatic immunity, the IDF colonel was given 48 hours to leave the country. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz told the BBC that there had been a gagging order on the matter until Wednesday evening.

Israel is said to be going through a turbulent time amid the Arab spring and chilly relations with the country’s number one ally, the US. This week, the diplomatic wheels will once more start turning over the question of the Palestinian State as the Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu is flying to Washington in a pre-empted effort to contain the ‘diplomatic tsunami’ expected to hit Israel in September. On Tuesday, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged the international community to recognize a Palestinian State at the UN Assembly this autumn, stating in an opinion piece from the New York Times that Palestinians “cannot wait indefinitely” for a state of their own.

“Palestine’s admission to the United Nations would pave the way for the internationalization of the conflict as a legal matter, not only a political one,” the Palestinian leader explained. When the UN General Assembly meets in September, their recognition would enable Palestine to negotiate “from the position of one United Nations member whose territory is military occupied by another [...] and not as a vanquished people ready to accept whatever terms are put in front of us,” he added.

According to The Guardian, the ice between Israel and their long-time ally has been the result of President Obama and his policy of reaching out to Arab and Muslim communities around the world. Netanyahu and his government has viewed this move as “selling Israel out”, a situation which has left the Jewish state troubled by what the future may bring.

Besides worrying about regional revolt, the crumpling support of Arab allies and the development of neighboring nuclear programs – Israel’s latest concern regarding Russia’s nuclear cooperation with Iran and arms sales to Syria could have resulted in their defense representative poking his nose a little too deep into the Russian ‘borcsh’.

The Israeli military has states that “thorough investigation” has cleared colonel Leiderman of passing sensitive information to Israel. So far, Moscow has made no official statement.

Image provided by p-and-h

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There have recently been two separate, but eerily similar UFO sightings.  The first one occurred in Utah on January 26^th.  The second sighting occurred halfway around the world over the Dome of the Rock in Israel on January 28^th.  Since these sightings, the skies have been relatively quiet.

In Utah County, three red lights appeared between 7:15 and 7:30 in the evening.  Witnesses described the lights as hovering in formation and dropping what appeared to be flares.  One witness to the event, Mike Galbraith, was in a parking lot of a shopping plaza in American Fork, Utah, when he noticed the strange lights.  Galbraith, who served in the Air Force, grabbed his cell phone and quickly started to record the strange event.   Galbraith said, “They looked like they were flying in formation perfectly together and then whatever was dropping looked like it was burning real bright.” Galbraith doesn’t believe the trails of white that appeared to drop straight down from the red lights were flares. He stated that military flares don’t typically look like that.

“They usually shoot out the sides, or they shoot down, and there are a lot of them and you could definitely hear them.”  He said there was no sound.  He also said he could not tell the shape of the objects, but they were unlike any plane or helicopter, and were flying at an unusual altitude.   The control tower at the Provo airport had no reports of anything unusual, nor did the Utah County Sheriff’s Department.

Two nights later, an unidentified object was seen hovering over the Dome of the Rock.  Captured on video, the image is startling and, if real, one of the best videos of a possible UFO sighting.  On the video, a ball of light appears in the sky and hovers for a minute.  It then begins to descend, straight down directly over the Dome of the Rock for a moment.  The craft then flickers and shoots upwards at an incredible speed, to the shock of the witnesses.  The video also shows a series of red lights flashing in the sky, similar to the Utah sighting. There were four videos of this event captured from different angles.  Although many have dismissed it as a hoax, some suggest that only one of the videos is a fake and the other ones are unknown.

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