DECEMBER 2003 WORLD NEWS

December 31, 2003

Around the World
• Syria Asks UN to Help Rid Mideast of Nuclear Arms - Reuters
Syria pushed for a ban on nuclear, biological and chemical weapons in the Middle East on Monday, using its final days on the U.N. Security Council to shine a spotlight on Israel's suspected nuclear arms.
• Syria Was Iraq's Top Weapons Source Before War, Paper Says - Wired News
A Syrian firm, headed by a cousin of that country's leader, Bashar al-Assad, signed contracts to supply millions of dollars in arms and equipment to Iraq before the United States invaded in March, The Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday.
• US aid workers poised to help Bam quake effort after toll hits 40,000 - AFP
US aid workers were poised to start helping the relief effort in Bam, southeastern Iran, where the death toll from a devastating earthquake stands at 40,000, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters of modern times.

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• Terrorists Might Launch 'Mega Attack' in Israel on New Year's Eve - CNS News
Terrorist organizations are planning to carry out a 'mega' terror attack on New Year's Eve, according to intelligence information, an Israeli newspaper said on Monday.
• Govt. plans to triple Golan's Jewish population - Jerusalem Post
The Prime Minister's office has issued a statement calling the use of the Golan Heighhts development plan, which calls for the development of tourist infrastructure there, as a cynical use of a preformulated for political ends.
• Eleven Palestinians hurt in botched IAF assassination - Jerusalem Post
Eleven Palestinian bystanders were wounded, one seriously, Tuesday night in a botched Israel Air Force attack on a 'ticking bomb' terrorist in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, when helicopters fired rockets at a car containing Hamas members.
• Israel redraws route for West Bank wall - Washington Times
The Israeli government has begun to modify the route of its West Bank security barrier in response to international criticism, though the changes will do little to satisfy Palestinian complaints.

Inside the United States
• U.S. to Have Tight New Year's Security - AP
Revelers can expect hovering helicopters and bomb-sniffing dogs with their champagne and confetti as cities hunker down for their most heavily guarded New Year's Eve in memory.
• U.S. Restricts Airspace Over New Year Celebrations - Reuters
The skies above New Year's Eve revelers in New York, Las Vegas and some other U.S. cities will be off-limits to certain aircraft and patrolled by warplanes as part of increased vigilance for terror attacks, the Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday.

December 30, 2003

Around the World
• Saddam reveals cash, weapons details - Washington Times
Saddam Hussein has given his U.S. captors information on hidden weapons and as much as $40 billion he may have seized while he was Iraq's president, an Iraqi official was quoted as saying yesterday.
• Iran Quake Death Toll Seen Climbing to 50,000 - Reuters
The death toll for Friday's earthquake in southeastern Iran may rise as high as 50,000, government officials told Reuters Tuesday.
• Dollar slips further against euro - BBC
The US dollar broke the psychological 1.25 level against the euro on Monday, setting new record lows.
• Drug money sustains al Qaeda - Washington Times
Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network has become deeply involved in international drug trafficking, using the money to buy arms and, possibly, radioactive material for use in a so-called "dirty" nuclear bomb, senior U.S. officials say.
• US-Singapore free trade pact comes into effect January 1 - AFP
A free-trade agreement between Singapore and the United States, Washington's first with an Asian country, will come into force on Thursday, according to the Singapore trade ministry.
• Two new bombs sent to EU figures - EU Observer
Just two days after the President of the European Commission Romano Prodi received a parcel bomb, two new bombs were sent to the head of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet and European police body Europol. 
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• Israel renews tunnel hunt - World Tribune
Israel's military assesses that Palestinian insurgents maintain between five and 10 tunnels to smuggle weapons from Egypt to the Gaza Strip.
• Palestinians still with Saddam - Jerusalem Post
Three weeks after a bedraggled Saddam Hussein emerged form his spider hole near Tikrit to surrender to American troops, the former Iraqi president is still seen by some Palestinians as a hero and a symbol of defiance against Israel and the United States.
• Terror alerts continue - Jerusalem Post
Fifty-four terror alerts were registered by the security establishment on Monday as the Islamic Jihad vowed to avenge the death of one of its senior commanders, Muklad Hamed, who was killed along with four other Palestinians in an IAF rocket attack on his car last Thursday.  

Inside the United States
• US expands air marshal plan abroad - Boston Globe
The Department of Homeland Security announced yesterday that it will require all foreign air carriers to place an armed guard on any flight over United States airspace if counterterrorism officials ask them to do so.
• Powerful new storm renews threat of floods, slides in California - Sac Bee
A powerful new Pacific storm churned into Central California on Monday and was moving south, bringing the threat of more flash floods and mudslides along wildfire-denuded mountain slopes where torrents killed 14 people and left two missing last week.
• U.S. Estimates Mad-Cow Exposure at 81 - WSJ
Federal investigators increased to 81 the number of cattle now roaming the U.S. that may have been exposed to mad-cow disease, Tuesday's Wall Street Journal reported.

Around the World
• Death Toll in Iran Quake May Reach 40,000 - AP
Survivors and rescuers in Iran's historic city of Bam were jolted by two frightening aftershocks Monday morning that caused some of the few remaining walls to tumble and left a rising cloud of dust over the remains of the city's ancient fortress.
Editor's Note: Since December 22, 2003 there have been 10 earthquakes measuring over 6.0 on the richter scale. (USGS)
• Roadside Bombs Kill Four in Baghdad - Fox News
Roadside bombs in and near Baghdad killed two American soldiers and two Iraqi children Sunday, a day after a coordinated guerrilla assault in a southern city killed 19 people and wounded nearly 200, the U.S. military said.
• U.N. Nuke Experts Tour 4 Sites in Libya - AP
U.N. nuclear experts toured four previously secret sites related to Libya's nuclear weapons program, on the second day of a trip to see if Moamar Gadhafi is serious about his pledge to stop pursuing weapons of mass destruction.
• EU of 25 is almost full, says Patten - EU Observer
External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten has warned that the European Union will be almost "full" after the next round of enlargement which will see the number of member states rise to 25.
• Bible Belt missionaries set out on a 'war for souls' in Iraq - London Telegraph
American Christian missionaries have declared a "war for souls" in Iraq, telling supporters that the formal end of the US-led occupation next June will close an historic "window of opportunity".  [Post your thoughts in the Christian Forums! | Join the discussion in our Christian Chat room!]

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• Sharon appoints unilateral disengagement plan committee - Jerusalem Post
Ten days after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon outlined his plan to unilaterally disengage from the Palestinians if the road map fails, Sharon appointed former OC Planning Maj.-Gen. Giora Eiland on Sunday as head of the team to develop the plan.
• Quake risk threatens tens of thousands in Israel - Jerusalem NewsWire
Scenes of earthquake-wrought devastation like those filling the world's television screens from Bam, Iran at the weekend could be relayed live at any moment from all of Israel's major population centers, including Jerusalem, as the result of just one seismic disaster.
• PM: Syria talks must start from scratch - Ha'aretz
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday told his cabinet that any negotiations with Syria would start from scratch.
• Four outposts to be removed - Jerusalem Post
In a move that aides likened to setting the groundwork for the evacuation of the Sinai settlement of Yamit, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz signed an order Sunday to evacuate four illegal outposts in the West Bank.
• Hamas, Jihad seek revenge - Jerusalem Post
Hamas and Islamic Jihad have vowed to step up their attacks against Israel in the aftermath of Thursday's killing of the head of the armed wing of Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip.

Inside the United States
• Mad cow traced back to Canada - Washington Times
Investigators have tentatively traced the first U.S. case of mad cow disease to Canada, which could help determine the scope of the outbreak and might even limit the economic damage to the U.S. beef industry.
• Infected Cow Meat May Have Reached Eight States - Fox News
Retail markets in eight states and one territory may have received meat from a Holstein sick with mad cow disease, but there still is no health risk for U.S. citizens, Agriculture Department officials said.

December 26, 2003

Around the World
• Operation Iron Grip 'Cuts Enemy's Legs' - Fox News
U.S. forces in Iraq staged a Christmas mission dubbed Operation Iron Grip that captured 66 people, including senior members of former dictator Saddam Hussein's regime, military officials told Fox News.
• Iran Quake Wrecks Buildings, Death Toll 'Very High' - Reuters
A powerful earthquake struck southeastern Iran Friday, wrecking many buildings in the historic city of Bam and killing a "very high" number of people, officials said.                                               Reuters: More than 20,000 thousand killed in Iran quake, government officials say.
• Chinese rescue teams fan out across 'death zone' created by gas disaster - AFP
Rescue teams fanned out across a mountainous region of southwest China turned into a "death zone" by a massive explosion at a natural gas field which has so far claimed 191 lives.

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• PFLP suicide bomber kills 4 - Jerusalem Post
A suicide bomber struck at the height of the evening rush hour Thursday, killing three women and one man and wounding 20, at a bus stop near on Route 4 (the Geha road) near Bnai Brak.
• IAF kills senior Islamic Jihad head - Jerusalem Post
Senior Islamic Jihad commander Makhled Hamed, who was in the advanced stages of planning a mega-terror attack against Israelis, was killed early Thursday evening along with four others when IAF helicopters fired two rockets at the car they were traveling in in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza.
• US condemns suicide bombing, urges Palestinians to act - AFP
The United States called the latest suicide bombing in Israel a "wanton act of terror" and said there was an "urgent need" for Palestinians to act to curb terrorist activities. [Post your thoughts in the Christian Forums! | Join the discussion in our Christian Chat room!]

Inside the United States
• U.K. Lab Confirms U.S. Mad Cow Case - AP
Authorities are looking for the source of infection for the first case of mad cow disease in the United States now that a British laboratory has provided initial independent confirmation of the disease.
• U.S. Enhances Air Monitors in 30 Cities - AP
Homeland Security officials have enhanced their ability to monitor the air for biological warfare agents in 30 cities, one of several ways the government is preparing for possible terrorist strikes during a high, Code Orange alert.

December 23, 2003

Around the World
• EU membership losing allure to prospects - Washington Times
From Warsaw to this Mediterranean republic, concern is growing among the 10 countries scheduled to join the European Union in May that they are about to enter a deeply troubled organization.
• Mossad's Role in Capturing Saddam - Sunday Mail
Saddam Hussein was captured through the demands of the one woman he still trusted. She is Samira Shahbander, the second of his four wives.
• Russia Deploys Fresh Batch of Missiles - Ledger
Russia has deployed a fresh batch of its top-of-the-line strategic nuclear missiles after a break caused by a funding shortage, and military officials presented ambitious plans Monday for building weapons even more potent. 

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• Israel bows to U.S. demand for Palestinian state in 2004 - World Tribune
Israel has accepted a U.S. demand for a Palestinian state in the entire Gaza Strip and most of the West Bank in 2004.
• Egyptian drones spying on Israel – report - Jerusalem Post
Israeli officials are expected to protest Egyptian drones that are being used to spy on Israeli defense facilities when Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher visits this week, London's Sunday Times reported.
• Leading Hamas Operative is Captured - MENL
Israel's military has captured one of Hamas's top operatives in the West Bank.
• Hamas sent message to U.S. via Qatar proposing truce - Ha'aretz
Using mediators from Qatar, Hamas delivered a message a few weeks ago to American officials, offering to halt suicide attacks within Israel in exchange for an Israeli promise to curtail assassination strikes against its leaders in the Gaza Strip.
• Maher: Attack won't prevent me from promoting peace - Israel Insider
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said the attack on him yesterday by Palestinians while he was visiting the al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem only reinforced his determination to work for a solution of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• Israel's nuclear program - BBC
While Israel has never admitted to having nuclear weapons, few international experts question the Jewish state's presence on the world's list of nuclear powers.
• Interfaith group Jerusalem peace rally - UPI
Two people representing the Jews slowly, respectfully, approached yellow armchairs on a platform in Jerusalem's biggest park, Independence Park. The man, in a red gold-embroidered skullcap bowed and placed a silver crown on one seat. The woman beside him placed a robe on the other.

Inside the United States
• California Earthquake Rang Planet 'Like a Bell' - Reuters
California's largest earthquake in four years struck on Monday, causing Planet Earth to ring "like a bell" and mountains to grow a foot taller, geologists said on Monday.
• Intel Points to Large Coordinated Al Qaeda Attack - Fox News
As federal transportation and security officials braced themselves for a deluge of travelers during a period of high terror alert, the president assured Americans they would be protected as they celebrated the holidays.
• Democrats Subvert War Intelligence - Insight Magazine
It's one of the unsolved political mysteries of 2003: Exactly who drew up the plan for Democrats to abuse the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) as a stealth weapon to undermine and discredit President George W. Bush and the U.S. war effort in Iraq?
• Defense Department funding brain-machine work - Boston Globe
The $24 million enterprise called Brain Machine Interfaces is developing technology that promises to directly read thoughts from a living brain -- and even instill thoughts as well.
• CVM Researches First to Clone White-tailed Deer - Texas A&M University
In what is believed to be the first success of its kind, researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University have cloned a white-tailed deer. A fawn, named "Dewey," after Duane Kraemer, one of the researchers, was born to "Sweet Pea" a surrogate mother, on May 23, 2003. 

December 22, 2003

When Arafat met Jesus - By Mike Evans

Yasser Arafat is due to play the ghost of Christmas past once again at Midnight Mass in Bethlehem, his empty chair in the Church of the Nativity a symbol of the terrorism he has brought upon the region. For the third Christmas under the violence he has orchestrated, Israel has not lifted its siege of his battered Ramallah headquarters, effectively barring him from playing the role of benevolent ruler in a Palestinian Authority Christmas pageant in Bethlehem, a town he has done everything to rid of its Christian population.
Two years ago, in the weeks before Christmas, the PA chairman declared Jesus to be a Palestinian Muslim and staged a media spectacle over being forbidden to attend the Catholic Christmas mass by Israel. Arafat, a Muslim, would have gone to represent the governing power, since the town was now under Palestinian Authority control. But in response to his ongoing sponsorship of terrorism, Israel denied him the opportunity.
A year later, just to show the world who's boss, Arafat decided to punish Israel – for reoccupying Bethlehem in response to yet another wave of terrorist attacks – by canceling Christmas. As he told reporters in Ramallah, the IDF's decision to declare Bethlehem a closed military zone until the end of the year was a "crime." Accordingly, Arafat decided to punish the Jewish state by canceling celebrations in honor of the birth of Jesus.
Palestinian terrorists have taken hostages many times before – and murdered them in cold blood – but this was the first time Arafat held the birthplace of Christianity hostage. And I'm ashamed to say, for the most part Christians were silent.
The situation as we approach this Christmas is unchanged. There will be the traditional procession by the Latin patriarch from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, and the Midnight Mass will be celebrated with all due pomp, but no outward festivities are planned. No illuminated giant tree in Manger Square, no carols by visiting choirs – practically no tourists at all.
And practically no Christians! About 35,000 Christians live in the West Bank and 3,000 in Gaza, or about 1.3 percent of the Palestinian population. Islam is the official religion of the Palestinian Authority, which has been Islamicizing Bethlehem since Arafat's takeover in 1995. The area of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahur – predominantly Christian for centuries – has undergone a sinister transformation, as 60 percent of its Christian families have fled and Muslims, now 75 percent of the local population, have taken over.
"The Fatah and Arafat's intelligence network intimidated and maltreated the Christian population in Bethlehem," David Raab of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs quotes from a 2002 government intelligence report. "They extorted money from them, confiscated land and property, and left them to the mercy of street gangs and other criminal activity, with no protection."
In December 1997, the London Times reported: "Life in [PA-ruled] Bethlehem has become insufferable for many members of the dwindling Christian minorities. Increasing Muslim-Christian tensions have left some Christians reluctant to celebrate Christmas in the town at the heart of the story of Christ's birth."
During his visit to Bethlehem in March 2000, Pope John Paul II felt it necessary to urge Palestinian Christians: "Do not be afraid to preserve your Christian heritage and Christian presence in Bethlehem."
Beginning in April 2002, and lasting for 39 days, some 160 Palestinian gunmen occupied the Church of the Nativity and St. Mary's Church and used them as firing positions against Israeli soldiers, expecting correctly that the Jewish troops would not fire at the shrines.
When Arafat made his debut Christmas appearance in Bethlehem in 1995, he addressed an overwhelmingly Muslim crowd in Manger Square under huge banners with his own picture and that of the late 'Engineer,' revered Hamas bomb-maker Yihye Ayyash. "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill towards men," Arafat declared. "In spirit and blood we will redeem thee, O Palestine!" answered the crowd.
There is probably no clearer illustration of Arafat's true Christmas message than the true story of a Palestinian baby who was born in Bethlehem in mid-November and whose birth was widely acclaimed by Palestinians as miraculous. Ala Ayyad was born on the 27th day of Ramadan, known as Lailat al-Kader, the night the Koran was revealed to Muhammad by God.
Thousands of Palestinians thronged to Bethlehem's Aida refugee camp to pay him homage, because, in addition to the auspicious date, Ala was born with a large birthmark across his cheek that clearly spells out in Arabic letters the name of his uncle, Ala – a Hamas terrorist killed by the IDF eight months ago.
The family proudly told the Jerusalem Post (Dec. 1, 2003) they would raise the baby to follow in his uncle's footsteps and lead a new generation of terrorists to fight against Israel. Cradling the infant in her arms, the baby's grandmother, Aisheh, said the birthmark is a clear sign from God that her son's death was not in vain.
"We will raise him to be good and pious like his uncle. Just as Mary received a sign from God that Jesus would be born to her in this holy place, so we have received a sign from God. This miracle shows that the martyrs who fall fighting for God do not die. It shows they live on in Paradise and that God is generous."

December 20, 2003

Indications Saddam Was Not in Hiding But a Captive - DEBKAfile Special Report
A number of questions are raised by the incredibly bedraggled, tired and crushed condition of this once savage, dapper and pampered ruler who was discovered in a hole in the ground on Saturday, December 13:

1. The length and state of his hair indicated he had not seen a barber or even had a shampoo for several weeks.

2. The wild state of his beard indicated he had not shaved for the same period

3. The hole dug in the floor of a cellar in a farm compound near Tikrit was primitive indeed – 6ft across and 8ft across with minimal sanitary arrangements - a far cry from his opulent palaces.

4. Saddam looked beaten and hungry.

5. Detained with him were two unidentified men, two AK-47 assault guns and a pistol, none of which were used.

6. The hole had only one opening. It was not only camouflaged with mud and bricks – it was blocked. He could not have climbed out without someone on the outside removing the covering.

7. And most important, $750,000 in 100-dollar notes were found with him – but no communications equipment of any kind, whether cell phone or even a carrier pigeon for contacting the outside world.

According to DEBKAfile analysts, these seven anomalies point to one conclusion: Saddam Hussein was not in hiding; he was a prisoner.
After his last audiotaped message was delivered and aired over al Arabiya TV on Sunday November 16, on the occasion of Ramadan, Saddam was seized, possibly with the connivance of his own men, and held in that hole in Adwar for three weeks or more, which would have accounted for his appearance and condition. Meanwhile, his captors bargained for the $25 m prize the Americans promised for information leading to his capture alive or dead. The negotiations were mediated by Jalal Talabani’s Kurdish PUK militia.
These circumstances would explain the ex-ruler’s docility – described by Lt.Gen. Ricardo Sanchez as “resignation” – in the face of his capture by US forces. He must have regarded them as his rescuers and would have greeted them with relief.
From Gen. Sanchez’s evasive answers to questions on the $25m bounty, it may be inferred that the Americans and Kurds took advantage of the negotiations with Saddam’s abductors to move in close and capture him on their own account, for three reasons:
A. His capture had become a matter of national pride for the Americans. No kudos would have been attached to his handover by a local gang of bounty-seekers or criminals. The country would have been swept anew with rumors that the big hero Saddam was again betrayed by the people he trusted, just as in the war.

B. It was vital to catch his kidnappers unawares so as to make sure Saddam was taken alive. They might well have killed him and demanded the prize for his body. But they made sure he had no means of taking his own life and may have kept him sedated.

C. During the weeks he is presumed to have been in captivity, guerrilla activity declined markedly – especially in the Sunni Triangle towns of Falluja, Ramadi and Balad - while surging outside this flashpoint region – in Mosul in the north and Najef, Nasseriya and Hilla in the south. It was important for the coalition to lay hands on him before the epicenter of the violence turned back towards Baghdad and the center of the Sunni Triangle.

The next thing to watch now is not just where and when Saddam is brought to justice for countless crimes against his people and humanity - Sanchez said his interrogation will take “as long as it takes – but what happens to the insurgency. Will it escalate or gradually die down?

An answer to this, according to DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources, was received in Washington nine days before Saddam reached US custody.
It came in the form of a disturbing piece of intelligence that the notorious Lebanese terrorist and hostage-taker Imad Mughniyeh, who figures on the most wanted list of 22 men published by the FBI after 9/11, had arrived in southern Iraq and was organizing a new anti-US terror campaign to be launched in March-April 2004, marking the first year of the American invasion.
For the past 21 years, Mughniyeh has waged a war of terror against Americans, whether on behalf of the Hizballah, the Iranian Shiite fundamentalists, al Qaeda or for himself. The Lebanese arch-terrorist represents for the anti-American forces in Iraq an ultimate weapon.
Saddam’s capture will not turn this offensive aside; it may even bring it forward.
For Israel, there are three lessons to be drawn from the dramatic turn of events in Iraq:
First, An enemy must be pursued to the end and if necessary taken captive. The Sharon government’s conduct of an uncertain, wavering war against the Palestinian terror chief Yasser Arafat stands in stark contrast to the way the Americans have fought Saddam and his cohorts in Iraq and which has brought them impressive gains.
Second, Israel must join the US in bracing for the decisive round of violence under preparation by Mughniyeh, an old common enemy from the days of Beirut in the 1980s. Only three weeks ago, DEBKAfile’s military sources reveal, the terrorist mastermind himself was seen in south Lebanon in surveillance of northern Israel in the company of Iranian military officers. With this peril still to be fought, it is meaningless for Israelis to dicker over the Geneva Accord, unilateral steps around the Middle East road map, or even the defensive barrier.
Certain Israeli pundits and even politicians, influenced by opinion in Europe, declared frequently in recent weeks that the Americans had no hope of capturing Saddam Hussein and were therefore bogged down irretrievably in Iraq. The inference was that the Americans erred in embarking on an unwinnable war in Iraq.
This was wide of the mark even before Saddam was brought in. The Americans are in firm control - even though they face a tough new adversary – and the whole purpose of the defeatist argument heard in Israel was to persuade the Sharon government that its position in relation to the Palestinians and Yasser Arafat is as hopeless as that of the Americans in Iraq. Israel’s only choice, according to this argument, is to knuckle under to Palestinian demands and give them what they want. Now that the Iraqi ruler is in American custody, they will have to think again.

December 19, 2003

Around the World
• Saddam Hussein’s Loyalists Infiltrated U.S. Operations in Iraq - ABC News
Agents for deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein have penetrated the U.S. command in Iraq, ABCNEWS has learned. As a result, they have the potential to undermine U.S. authority.
• N. Korea says will build nuclear bombs until US accepts terms - AFP
North Korea will continue to build nuclear weapons until Washington drops its hostile policy and accepts the Stalinist state's terms for an end to the nuclear crisis, Pyongyang's official media says.
• IAEA says Iran to sign protocol on surprise nuclear inspections - AFP
Iran will sign a protocol allowing UN inspectors to stage surprise inspections of suspect nuclear sites, bowing to international pressure, the UN nuclear watchdog said.
• Japan to introduce missile shield - BBC
Japan has decided to introduce a missile defence system to shield itself from a possible attack.
• U.S.: ‘Credible threat’ of major attack in Italy - MSNBC
Italian authorities have clamped unprecedented security coverage over the Vatican and other Christian landmarks after receiving a "credible threat" of a Christmastime terrorist attack, senior U.S. officials said Wednesday. 

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• Sharon details disengagement plan - Jerusalem Post
Israel won't wait forever for the Palestinian Authority to implement the road map and will unilaterally disengage – including the removal of settlements – if the PA continues to drag its feet, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Thursday night.   Full text of Sharon's speech
• EU thwarts PLO's anti-Israel move in UN - Ha'aretz
The European Union countries have foiled a PLO initiative to challenge Israel's credentials at the UN, specifically Israel's right to represent the territories.
• US warns against undermining road map - Jerusalem Post
The Bush administration warned Israel on Thursday that it would oppose any unilateral steps that would undermine implementation of the road map peace plan.
• NRP: Sharon's speech harms Israel - Jerusalem Post
National Religious Party leader Effi Eitam said Thursday in response to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Herziliya Conference speech that the prime minister is inviting terror and harms the goals of the Jewish settlement movement. 

Inside the United States
• Views Split on Bush's Marriage Comments - Family News in Focus
The president says he supports a federal marriage amendment in concept, but adds that state legislatures should be left to decide issue of civil unions.
• 9/11 Chair: Attack Was Preventable - CBS News
For the first time, the chairman of the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks is saying publicly that 9/11 could have and should have been prevented, reports CBS News Correspondent Randall Pinkston.
• Lee Boyd Malvo Convicted in Sniper Shootings - Fox News
A jury convicted Lee Boyd Malvo of capital murder in the Washington-area sniper case Thursday, rejecting claims that the teenager was brainwashed by John Allen Muhammad into taking part in the three-week reign of terror that left 10 people dead.

December 18, 2003

CBN chief: It's a religious war - By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff
Jerusalem (jnewwire.com) - Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) Director Pat Robertson said Wednesday the world is convulsed in a religious struggle in which the central issue is whether Islam's Allah or the LORD God of the Jews and Christians is supreme.
Speaking in Herzliya, Robertson appealed to the people of Israel not to commit national suicide by allowing the creation of a Palestinian state, and not to surrender places sacred to Christians and Jews to the followers of Allah.
Robertson, a United States presidential candidate in 1988, earlier called for the elimination of PLO chief Yasser Arafat.
Hundreds of millions of ardent friends
Robertson was an invited guest speaker at the Herzliya Conference - a four-year-old, three-day event sponsored by The Institute for Policy and Strategy that has developed a reputation as the venue Israel's top leaders use to make landmark policy speeches.
After recounting the miracle of Israel's rebirth, and reading from one of the many biblical passages foretelling that event, Robertson said that of the world's two billion adherents to Christianity today, 600 million were Bible-believers and "ardent supporters" of Israel.
He believed the people of Israel should realize that these friends, who in 20 years would number one billion, worshipped the same God as the Jews.
"The God who spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai is our God," Robertson declared.
'Jehovah is Supreme'
Referring to the global war on terror, and the resurgence of international anti-Semitism, the American said the entire world was "being engulfed by a religious struggle."
Central to this battle was not money or territory, but question of who was God.
"[T]he struggle is whether Hubal, the Moon god of Mecca, known as Allah, is supreme, or whether the Judeo-Christian Jehovah, God of the Bible, is Supreme."
'Don't give our treasures away'
Robertson appealed to Israel's leaders not to surrender the Temple Mount and the other "treasured symbols of your spiritual patrimony" to the Islamic world.
Doing so would be delivering a powerful victory to Allah's followers.
The Temple Mount was the place where Abraham had offered up Isaac, where King David had brought property, where God's Holy of Holies had stood, and where Jesus had walked and taught.
It is also the site from which Jesus is expected to take up the throne of King David when He returns to rule the world.
"If God's chosen people turn over to Allah control of their most sacred sites [and] if they believe their claim to the Holy Land comes only from Lord Balfour of England and the ever fickle United Nations rather than the promises of Almighty God - then in that event, Islam will have won the battle.
"Throughout the Muslim world the message will go forth, 'Allah is greater than Jehovah. The promises of Jehovah to the Jews are meaningless. We can now, in the name of Allah, move to crush the Jews and drive them out of the land that belongs to Allah.'"
What this meant, Robertson stressed, was that those political initiatives (like the Oslo Accords, Road Map and 'Geneva'), which some have asserted will guarantee peace, "will in truth guarantee unending struggle and ultimate failure."
Political leaders who only understood the secular dimension of Israel's existence and who "cavalierly" dismissed the spiritual dimension would find that they have received "the mess of pottage of Esau rather than the inheritance of Jacob."
'Don't commit suicide'
Robertson warned of the grave peril Israel would face by agreeing to the creation of a Palestinian state on the biblical heartland of Israel.
"Please don't commit national suicide. It is very hard for your friends to support you if you make a conscious effort to destroy yourselves," he pleaded, to applause.
Listing some of Israel's numerous foes - Yasser Arafat, the PLO, Hamas, Hizballah and the Palestine Islamic Jihad - Robertson said the goal of these groups was "not peace, but the final destruction" of Israel.
"If a Palestinian state is created in the heart of Israel with sovereign power to deploy troops, import modern weapons - even weapons of mass destruction - and operate with full secrecy and diplomatic immunity, the ability of the State of Israel to defend itself will be fatally compromised."
While he was aware of the "deep feelings of many Israelis who yearn for peace," Robertson said the land-for-peace slogan was a "cruel chimera."
Surrendering parts of Israel to the strident, violence-driven demands of the Islamic world would only serve to confirm Islam's belief in the superiority of its god, ensuring that in return, Israel would receive the exact opposite of peace.
As an example, Israel's willingness to give up control over southern Lebanon had brought not peace, but the deployment in that surrendered area of 10,000 missiles which today are aimed against the north of Israel.
Instead of surrendering land, Israel should remain resolute, strongly denying the Arabs the opportunity to establish a state that would be their bridgehead into the very heart of Israel.
'Be strong! Be strong!'
Concluding his message, Robertson recounted a meeting he had had with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on Christmas Day 30 years ago, at a time when, like today, Israel seemed isolated and alone.
Robertson had asked Rabin what he would like the US to do for Israel, to which the Israeli had unhesitatingly replied, "Be strong! Be strong!"
His appeal had caused Robertson to "vow to God" that he would stand in support of Israel and the Jewish people "whatever might happen in the future."
Robertson said he wanted to leave Israel with the same message today.
"For you are the living witnesses that the promises of the Sovereign Lord are true. 'Be strong! Be strong!' He will be with you, and so will your evangelical friends."

December 17, 2003

ISLAMIC LAW IN CANADA?

The Muslim population in Canada continues to soar. Islam is now the top non-Christian faith in Canada as Muslims immigrating from South Asia, North Africa and the Middle East have made Islam one of the fastest growing religions in the country.  Estimated to be one million strong, the Muslim community in Canada may be one step closer to implementing its own Sharia, or Islamic Law, in Muslim communities across the country.

Sharia is adopted by most Muslims as a matter of personal conscience, but it has also been formally instituted as law in certain states and enforced by the court systems. Many Islamic countries have adopted elements of Sharia law, which can govern in such areas as inheritance, banking and contract law. Sharia is considered a religious code for living based on the Koran in the same way that the Bible offers a moral system for Christians and Jews. Muslims are required to submit to Sharia in Muslim societies but are excused in nations where they live as a minority under a non-Muslim government. However, that could soon change.

To help relieve the pressure on the Canadian legal system, new amendments have provided for an arbitrator or mediator to help settle disputes. Muslim delegates met recently to elect a 30-member council that would act as a judicial tribunal to mediate for Muslims.  If this judicial tribunal, or a committee appointed by the tribunal, makes a ruling, it would be brought before the Canadian courts for enforcement. Under these same new amendments, an arbitrator's ruling cannot be appealed.

This has led some to fear just how far these rulings could go.  Many Canadians have images of people being stoned, lashed or having their hands severed, punishments that are provided for in a specific set of Sharia offences known as the Hadd offences. The question is one of implementation and that is where the tribunal, known as the Islamic Institute of Civil Justice, will face some challenges.  Not only are many Canadians concerned about just how the tribunal will affect Muslim Canadians, but different branches of Islam have different interpretations of the Koran.  For example, in some countries, the decrees that men and women should dress modestly are interpreted to mean that women must wear a veil and that the sexes must be segregated. There are also very few ulama -  Islamic legal scholars -  in North America to rule on complex legal issues.

Roy Brown, president of the London-based International Humanist and Ethical Union fears that with a country like Canada opening the door to Shariah law, the practice will be given credibility in other countries as well.  Brown also expressed concern that social pressure to abide by Sharia law would have a tremendous impact on Muslim communities, possibly leading to their giving up on many rights for women, whether brought before the courts or not. "It will take a brave Muslim woman to defy her husband and a foolhardy one to refuse to have her dispute settled under Islamic law," he said, "when her refusal could be equated with, at best, hostility to her religion and, at worst, apostasy."

The newly-formed Islamic Institute of Civil Justice says it plans to stay away from criminal cases and focus on civil issues such as marital disputes.

THE DOUBLE STANDARD

Last week U.S. District Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton agreed that the Byron school district was not defying the Constitution by having students role-play as Muslims for three weeks and granted the school district's request to dismiss the lawsuit. In a case that has drawn national attention, the double standard in American educational politics has once again made itself obvious.  While students took Muslim names, learned Muslim prayers and memorized verses from the Koran as part of a unit on Islam in their world history class, their activities have been deemed simply "educational."  The students were even encouraged to stage their own jihad and to chant phrases like, "Praise to Allah, Lord of Creation."  Yet, while the Pledge of Allegiance has been judged unconstitutional because it contains the simple phrase "under God," this promotion of Islam has been given the judicial thumbs up.

One teacher in the Byron School District, Elizabeth Christina Lemings, found out about the intense Islam study when her son brought home handouts that required him to memorize 6 Arabic phrases and 20 Islamic proverbs, along with studying the lives of 10 important Islamic prophets.  "Can you imagine the barrage of lawsuits and problems we would have from the ACLU if Christianity were taught in the public schools, and if we tried to teach about the contributions of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and the Apostle Paul?" Lemings commented.  "But when it comes to furthering the Islamic religion in the public schools, there is not one word from the ACLU, People for the American Way or anybody else. This is hypocrisy."

The parents who brought the suit, Jonas and Tiffany Eklund, were never concerned about the teaching of comparative religions. Most parents believe that well-informed students should know the basic workings of other religions.  However, the deep involvement and the religious nature of the Islamic instruction deeply concerned them.  ''I think it's pretty cut and dry,'' Jonas Eklund said. ''Three weeks of Islam and they won't teach any other religion. That was our problem with it."

The irony of the situation is that while American schools are promoting tolerance for Islam, the Muslim world is not returning the favor.  Christians who live in countries dominated by Islam have greatly suffered difficulties and persecution.  There has been a long history of attacks on Christians and Jews and other non-Muslims in Muslim nations, continuing to the present day. 

Currently, Christians in Iraq fear for their homes and lives as the previously persecuted Shiite Muslims rise up to take power.  "In the name of God: the Merciful, the Compassionate" begins a notice sent to Iraqi Christians from Al-Badr, the militia of the main Shia group.  The note goes on to say that Christian women must all wear veils, stating, "We are Iraqis and Muslims; we will not tolerate sin. If this announcement is not complied with, we shall either inflict some unbearable punishment, kill offenders, kidnap them or destroy them in their homes with fire or by bombing."  These are the words of those who follow Allah, "the Merciful, the Compassionate."

Other Christians in Iraq have been threatened or thrown from their homes.  One woman was told that if she did not cover her head, she would be slaughtered. "Can you imagine this?" she said. "I am a Christian, and we don't believe in wearing the veil."  Sheik Hadi Hussein Al-Ghazragi, leader of a major Shiite group, has insisted that Islamic law "must be the foundation of this country and constitution," and has stated that, "All the citizens, including Christians, Jews and others who belong to different religions, must follow the strict rules of Islam."

During this time between governments in Iraq, Christians are working to take the opportunity to spread their faith and to teach their neighbors about freedom from sin and guilt through the blood of Jesus.  It is too bad that the students in California schools are not given the same opportunity to learn about Jesus and the Bible, about prophecy and redemption and forgiveness, in the same way as they are taught about Islam.

Related Links:
  •   Muslim lessons in public school allowed, judge rulesThe Monterey County Herald
  •   Islam Studies Required in California District - WorldNetDaily
  •   Iraqi Christians Suffer Rise of Radical Islam - WorldNetDaily

 HOME

December 16, 2003

Around the World
• Saddam Reported to Be 'Broken,' Bombs Kill Nine - Reuters
Saddam Hussein is a broken man and has supplied intelligence that helped capture two top wanted men, officials said on Monday, but violence raged on in Iraq despite his arrest and bombings killed nine people.
• Saddam Capture Leads to Other Arrests - Fox News
The capture of Saddam Hussein is providing intelligence that has led to the arrests of key figures in the anti-U.S. insurgency and a clearer picture of what role the ousted dictator played, a U.S. general told The Associated Press on Monday.
• Saddam could reveal arms cache in deal - Ha'aretz
Deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein could be offered a deal in which he would give his captors information on if and how he hid weapons of mass destruction and if he smuggled some of them into Syria. In exchange, he would face life imprisonment and not be executed for war crimes, senior Iraqis attending a conference here on the future of the region have hinted.
• U.S. Forces Kill 11 Iraqi Insurgents After Ambush - Reuters
U.S. troops killed 11 Iraqi guerrillas who tried to ambush their force in a town north of Baghdad Monday, the U.S. military said Tuesday.
• Six EU countries want EU spending capped - EU Observer
Six EU countries want to cap future EU spending, a move which will make it harder to fund aid to poorer regions.
• Experts predict worldwide flu outbreak - MSNBC
As bad as this year’s flu season is, it hasn’t brought the worldwide outbreak known as a pandemic. But experts warn that a pandemic is coming, it’s just a question of when.
• SAS issued with guns that can shoot around corners - London Telegraph
The SAS has been issued with a new Israeli weapons system that could revolutionise its urban warfare and anti-terrorist operations by letting soldiers fire aimed shots around corners. 

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• IDF planned to assassinate Saddam Hussein - Israel Insider
Two days after the capture of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, the IDF's military censor allowed publication of the army's plan to assassinate him in 1992.
• Shin Bet chief urges gov't to complete security fence - Jerusalem Post
Head of the Shin Bet Avi Dichter, in his first ever public address, urged the country to complete the security fence as quickly as possible. 

Inside the United States
• US Considers Nonprescription 'Morning-After Pill' - Reuters
Making a "morning after" pill available without a prescription would provide more timely access to the emergency contraceptive, U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff said in a preliminary analysis released on Monday.
• Bill Would Ban Cuss Words From TV, Radio - Fox News
A California lawmaker, upset that rock star Bono used vulgarity on live TV and regulators have done nothing about it, wants to ban certain swear words from the airwaves.

December 15, 2003

Around the World
• How We Got Saddam - MSNBC
Saddam did not put up a fight; he did not try to take his own life (though he had a pistol). He was "talkative" and "cooperative," resigned, cowering, meek and weak. The Glorious Leader, Direct Descendant of the Prophet, the Lion of Babylon, the Father of the Two Lion Cubs, the Anointed One, the Successor of Nebuchadnezzar, the Modern Saladin of Islam had been brought low, forced to bow down, whisked away to an "undisclosed location" to contemplate his fate while waiting to stand trial for his vast crimes against humanity.
• Saddam little help in first interview - Washington Times
Although Saddam Hussein gave himself up without a fight, he has been defiant in his first interrogation sessions.
• France says Saddam arrest should unite world powers - Reuters
France, which opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq, said on Sunday Saddam Hussein's capture offered the international community a chance to bury its differences and unite in rebuilding the country.
• Car Bomber Kills Eight Policemen in Baghdad - Fox News
A homicide bomber killed eight Iraqi policemen in an attack Monday on a station in the capital's northern outskirts, their commander said.
• Pakistan's Musharraf escapes assassination attempt - AP
Pakistan's president escaped an assassination attempt Sunday when a bomb exploded minutes after his motorcade passed a road near the capital, officials said. No one was hurt.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• Arafat "saddened" by Saddam capture - Jerusalem Post
Palestinians in the West Bank reacted with shock and disbelief to the capture of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, with many expressing deep disappointment that the man who symbolized defiance against the US and Israel surrendered without resistance.
• Hamas vows more attacks - Jerusalem Post
Hamas vowed over the weekend to resume suicide bombings inside Israel as tens of thousands of Palestinians rallied in support for the movement on its 16th anniversary.
• Arafat's Mufti: No such thing as a 'Wailing Wall' - Jerusalem Post
On the same day that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat was quoted as saying that he recognizes Jewish sovereignty over the Western Wall, his mufti, Ikremah Sabri, said on Friday that there is no such thing as a "Wailing Wall."|

Inside the United States
• Bush signs Syria Accountability Act - Jerusalem Post
Syria said the signing Friday of the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act imposing sanctions on the country was the work of the "the partisans of Israel in the American Congress."
• Anti-Slavery Bill Passes Congress - Family News in Focus
New legislation passed by Congress could help the 27 million people languishing in the international sex trade and other forms of slavery.
• Congress Urged to 'Clean House' at FCC Over Profanity Ruling - CNS News
A pro-family group is calling on Congress to "clean house" at the FCC. The demand follows the FCC's ruling in October that the "f-word" does not violate the commission's obscenity standards.

December 13, 2003

STRONG DELUSION
Jan Markell – Olive Tree Ministries, Inc.

     I just about think the world can’t get more “upside down” (Isaiah 5:20) than it is,  but then the next day, news stories just get even more bizarre and in my face.  Try to stick with me here please.

     Yesterday a brave new “peace plan” that leaves Israel is pieces was carved out and signed in Geneva, even though the Sharon government did not authorize it.  He still believes the “Road Map” delusion is the best bet. Former president Jimmy Carter was there to make his usual stinging and ludicrous comments.  The Nobel Prize laureate stated, “The present administration in Washington has been invariably supportive of Israel and the well-being of the Palestinian people has been ignored or relegated to secondary importance.”  He then went on to state that Israel and America provide the world’s incentive for terror.  You can read the whole story under  “Current Headlines” at www.olivetreeviews.org.  You can also read an excellent analysis of it by White House correspondent Bill Koenig under “Current Headlines”.
     Let’s see now, how many peace treaties have been signed in about twelve years?  The Madrid Treaty, the Camp David Accords, Oslo I, Oslo II, Tenet Treaty, Mitchell Treaty, Saudi Treaty, Road Map, Geneva Plan, ad nauseum.  Though the U.S. wants to pursue the Road Map, we did show support for this new Geneva effort and had a representative at the event.
     At the same time the Bush administration announced it will trim almost $300 million in loan guarantees for Israel as a penalty for its settlement in the “territories”.  (Since most of the Bible played out here, I guess Jesus was a “settler” living in “occupied territory”.) 
     I am not saying the so-called “Palestinians” are across-the-board wicked.  Many just want to get on with their lives and their jobs to support their families.  However a recent poll shows 75% of them do support terror against Israel, and many dance in the street every time Israel or America comes under attack.  Israel just confiscated thousands of Osama dolls and Saddam dolls coming into the Palestinian territories.  But here’s the kicker…the newest toy found in Ramallah.  Check it out under “Current Headlines” at www.olivetreeviews.org.  If for some reason you can’t access it, it is the hottest-selling plastic Osama bin Laden holding the Pentagon in one hand.  It comes with a complete set of the twin towers in flames and crashing jets.
     Nothing but “strong delusion” explains why the world, including America, is fixated on the creation of a Palestinian state.  The Bible said “strong delusion” would be a characteristic of the “end-times”.  But this Palestinian state would be run by men who order the destruction of busloads of innocent people, or families sitting down for a Passover meal or dining at restaurants, or capture Israeli soldiers, slash them to pieces and take out their insides.  (Wish I knew how to say that more delicately but I don’t.)  I write about this “strong delusion”  under “Jan’s Articles” at www.olivetreeviews.org.  
     There may really be some supernatural blindness going on here, because to the rational human being, it makes no sense.  Yasser Arafat one way or another has killed almost as many Americans over his fifty year career as a terrorist as has Osama bin Laden.  Most Americans don’t buy into a Palestinian state. In a recent McLaughlin Group survey, only 13% of Americans think that a Palestinian state should exist.  But this “fantasy-land” could exist someday, and it’s just as bizarre as Alice’s Wonderland, filled with mad hatters and chesshire cats that lurk in strange places.  And “Palestine” is fantasy-land.
     Remember, the enemy of Israel is the enemy of America.  They are the little satan.  We are the great satan.
     The Bible says that when we see these and others signs coming together, we are to “…look up and know that your Redeemer draws nigh.” (Luke 21:28).  Getting a stiff neck yet??
Maranatha,

Jan Markell

December 12, 2003

Around the World
• Bush Defends Iraq Reconstruction Policy - Fox News
A lot of international feathers have been ruffled since the United States announced in a tersely worded message this week that only allies who helped in the Iraq war will be permitted to bid on primary Iraqi reconstruction contracts.
• Bush sends debt-relief message to Europe - Washington Times
President Bush yesterday said forgiving Iraqi debt would be "a significant contribution" to postwar reconstruction efforts and suggested that such a move by France, Germany and Russia might be enough to permit those countries' companies to compete for prime contracts to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure.
• EU braces for marathon summit on constitution - AFP
The leaders of the 25 current and future European Union members gather in Brussels for make-or-break negotiations to decide who will wield power in the enlarged bloc.
• France urged to ban religious images - MSNBC
A long-awaited report on church-state relations in France advised the government on Thursday to forbid school pupils to wear Muslim veils, Jewish skullcaps or large Christian crosses. 

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• Hamas Gains in West Bank University Vote - AP
In a West Bank university election for the student leadership that focused on which party had killed the most Israelis, the violent Hamas swept to victory Wednesday, defeating Yasser Arafat's Fatah.
• Seven Israelis wounded in Joseph's Tomb shooting - Ha'aretz
Seven Israelis were wounded, one of them critically and one seriously, after a Palestinian gunman opened fire at a van carrying the unauthorized visitors to the site of Joseph's Tomb in the West Bank city of Nablus before dawn Friday.
• Hizbullah seeks to heat up border – IDF - Jerusalem Post
Hizbullah is trying to heat up the northern border, according to a senior officer in Northern Command.

Inside the United States
• Dow pushes past 10,000 mark again - Washington Times
The Dow Jones Industrial Average yesterday broke through the 10,000 barrier for the first time in a year and a half as Wall Street celebrated evidence that consumer and business spending is sustaining the economic recovery.
• Congress pushes for larger military - USA Today
Members of Congress from both parties are pushing for the first significant increase in the size of the active-duty military in 16 years, despite resistance from the Pentagon.
• U.S. Hits Target in Sea-Based Missile Test - Reuters
A missile from a U.S. Navy Aegis cruiser shattered a dummy warhead over the Pacific on Thursday, the fourth intercept in five tests of the sea-based leg of a planned multi-layered missile shield, the Pentagon said.
• 2004 Will Be the U.S.'S Best Year Economically in Last 20 Years - PR Newswire
Revising its year-end economic forecast sharply upward, The Conference Board today projected that real GDP growth will hit 5.7% next year, making 2004 the best year economically in the last 20 years.

December 11, 2003

Around the World
• U.S. Troops Kill Senior Saddam Fedayeen Leader - Fox News
U.S. troops shot and killed a senior officer of the paramilitary group Saddam Fedayeen after storming his house in this northern city on Wednesday, his neighbors said.
• Iraqis demonstrate against terrorism - Washington Times
Thousands of Iraqis took to Baghdad's streets Friday condemning terrorism and urging a halt to political violence.
• CIA to train new Iraqi spies - MSNBC
The Bush administration has authorized creation of an Iraqi intelligence service to spy on groups and individuals inside Iraq that are targeting U.S. troops and civilians working to form a new government, according to U.S. government officials.
• Annan Rules Out U.N. Return to Iraq in Near Future - AP
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday said Iraq was still too dangerous for U.N. international staff to return but indicated he was willing to play a bigger role once the U.S.-led occupation ended.

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• PA to refugees: By 2007 you will fill the hills of Palestine - Jerusalem Newswire
Hamas political chief Khaled Mashal told a London daily, Israel would soon cease to exist, but the State of Palestine would allow Jews to stay on as a minority in the land.
• Jordanian sermon calls for Israel's defeat - World Net Daily
Shortly before King Abdullah of Jordan was commended in Washington for his contribution to peace, an officially sanctioned sermon on national TV called for Israel's defeat.
• PLO tries challenge to Israel's UN seat - Ha'aretz
The PLO delegation to the United Nations is planning to present an appeal against Israel's credentials as a member of the world body, sources at the UN reported yesterday.
• IDF kills 3 Palestinians in Gaza - Jerusalem Post
A senior Islamic Jihad member responsible for several terror attacks and for arms smuggling tunnels in the area was caught in Rafah Thursday in the largest IDF operation in the area in the past two months. Troops clashed with Palestinians in a Gaza refugee camp early Thursday, reportedly killing three and wounding 12.

Inside the United States
• Court upholds campaign-finance law - Washington Times
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday upheld the new campaign-finance law, which banned "soft money" donations to national political parties and prohibited interest groups from running issue ads immediately before a federal election.
• Military to Test Missile Defense in Hawaii - AP
Six months after a missile fired from sea failed to connect with an airborne target in a test of a ballistic missile defense system, military officials have returned to try again.

December 10, 2003

Around the World
• U.S. bars opponents from Iraq bids - MSNBC
The Pentagon has formally barred companies from countries opposed to the Iraq war from bidding on $18.6 billion worth of reconstruction contracts.
• Survey: Saddam Killed 61,000 in Baghdad - AP
Saddam Hussein's government may have executed 61,000 Baghdad residents, a number significantly higher than previously believed, according to a survey obtained by The Associated Press.
• Six Afghan Children Killed in U.S. Attack - AP
Six children were crushed to death by a collapsing wall during an assault by U.S. forces on a compound stuffed with weapons in eastern Afghanistan, an American military spokesman said Wednesday, the second time in a week that civilians have died in action against Taliban and al-Qaida suspects.
• France and Germany unite ahead of EU summit - EU Observer
Two days before the EU summit on the Constitution, France and Germany have called upon member states to put EU interests above national ones.
• Muslim, EU states affirm solidarity - Washington Times
Ten Muslim and European countries with a combined population of 238 million have implemented an ambitious plan to build an economic, political and cultural bridge across the Mediterranean Sea.
• Bush Opposes Taiwan Independence - Fox News
Tuesday was not Taiwan's day at the White House, as President Bush announced that the U.S. had asked the island republic to cancel a referendum American officials feel would be provocative toward Beijing.

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• PM: Settlements may be 'moved' - Jerusalem Post
Settlements may be "moved" as part of interim "unilateral steps to ease conditions" for both Israel and the Palestinians, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Tuesday. This would be a precursor to a "comprehensive" unilateral move to bolster Israel's security position if the Palestinians cause the demise of the road map, he said.
• Labor's safety net may help Sharon "move" some settlements - Israel Insider
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee yesterday that as part of the "unilateral steps" he would take if the Palestinians caused the "road map" peace initiative to fail, he would "move" some settlements. Last night Sharon met with opposition leader MK Shimon Peres; media analysts suggested that Sharon was preparing the groundwork for Labor's support of his unilateral plans.
• Two more weapons smuggling tunnels uncovered - Jerusalem Post
IDF and Border Police forces uncovered 2 tunnels used to smuggle weapons from Egypt into the Palestinian side of Rafah on Tuesday night. The army noted it was the 40th tunnel to be uncovered by security forces since the beginning of the year.
• Mother of Seven Carried Bomb Belt For Attempted Attack - Arutz Sheva
Two terrorists were intercepted on their way to carry out a large-scale suicide attack in Rosh Ha'ayin Monday. A 40-year-old Arab mother of seven transported the 19-pound belt of explosives.

Inside the United States
• Lieberman blasts Gore's stealth Dean endorsement - Boston Herald
An angry Joseph Lieberman yesterday lashed out as his former running mate, Al Gore, for endorsing Democratic rival Howard Dean without even a courtesy call to warn the blow was coming.
• Mild Earthquake Reported in Virginia - AP
Startled East Coast residents from North Carolina to Maryland were shaken Tuesday by an earthquake that registered a preliminary magnitude of 4.5.

December 9, 2003

Around the World
• Car Bomber Wounds 41 U.S. Troops in Iraq - AP
A suicide bomber blew up a car packed with explosives at the gates of a military barracks on Tuesday, injuring 41 American troops and six Iraqi civilians. Hours earlier, three soldiers died in a road accident in central Iraq, and three civilians died when a Baghdad mosque was rocketed.
• Suicide Bombing Kills Five in Moscow - Reuters
A suicide bomb attack killed at least five people in the heart of Moscow Tuesday, just two days after Russian voters handed President Vladimir Putin an even tighter grip on power.
• 'Operation Avalanche' Rumbles Into Afghanistan - Fox News
U.S. forces in Afghanistan have launched Operation Avalanche in an attempt to go after terrorists who are complicating their efforts to stabilize the country, military officials said Monday.
• Less than half show support for EU - London Telegraph
Less than half the population in the European Union's member states now support the EU project, according to polling results yesterday. 

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• Israel condemns UN vote, will defend Fence in the Hague - Jerusalem Post
Israel condemned the United Nations decision Monday sending the security fence issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), saying it is a "cynical manipulation" of an apparatus that is designed to promote world peace in order to further the interests of those supporting terrorism.
• Government digging underground command center near Jerusalem - Israel Insider
For the past year, construction on a secret tunneling project has been taking place in the Judean Hills, Channel Ten television reported last night. At a huge cost, the government is preparing an underground command center, capable of withstanding atomic, biological and chemical attacks.
• Hamas Official Says Suicide Attacks to Resume - Reuters
A top official of Islamic group Hamas said Monday the recent lull in Palestinian militant suicide attacks against Israel was just a break between waves.
• U.S.: We have no argument with fence, only with route - Ha'aretz
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer said in remarks broadcast Tuesday that the Bush administration "has no argument" with the West bank fence as a security tool, but added that the closer that the route of the barrier follows the pre-1967 Green Line border, the less Israel "will hear from Washington" regarding the barrier."
• Sharon to reveal PA strategy next week - Jerusalem Post
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday night that he intends to unveil his strategy vis-a-vis the Palestinian Authority next week. Speaking at the closing session of the Globes Israel Business Conference, Sharon reiterated the possibility of unilateral action if Israel does not find a willing partner in the PA. 

Inside the United States
• House approves 2004 budget - AFP
The House of Representatives approved the final, 820-billion-dollar piece of the 2004 US budget, which includes 2.4 billion dollars to fight AIDS in developing countries. 

December 8, 2003

Around the World
• Bin Laden’s Iraq Plans - MSNBC
During the muslim holy month of Ramadan, three senior Qaeda representatives allegedly held a secret meeting in Afghanistan with two top Taliban commanders. The confab took place in mid-November in the remote, Taliban-controlled mountains of Khowst province near the Pakistan border, a region where Al Qaeda has found it easy to operate—frequently even using satellite phones despite U.S. surveillance.
• 'Dirty-bomb' warheads lost - Washington Post
In the ethnic conflicts that surrounded the collapse of the Soviet Union, fighters in several countries seized upon an unlikely new weapon: a small, thin rocket known as the Alazan. Originally built for weather experiments, the Alazan was transformed into a terror weapon, packed with explosives and lobbed into cities. Military records show that at least 38 Alazan warheads were modified to carry radioactive material, effectively creating the world's first surface-to-surface "dirty bomb."
• U.N. control of Web rejected - Washington Times
The United States, backed by the European Union, Japan and Canada, has turned back a bid by developing nations to place the Internet under the control of the United Nations or its member governments.
• Pro-Putin Party Wins Russian Elections - AP
Allies of President Vladimir Putin won a sweeping victory in parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results Monday, strengthening his hand as he plots strategy for the second term he is expected to win next year.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• Israel will take "necessary steps" if faced with new wave of terror - Jerusalem Post
Israel has reacted to the failure of the Cairo ceasefire talks by saying the terror groups' intransigence presented a growing danger to PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie's government and warning Israeli forces would take "necessary steps" if faced with a threat of new suicide bombings.
• Cairo ceasefire talks end without agreement - Jerusalem Post
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei on Sunday failed to persuade Hamas and four Syrian-backed Palestinian groups to accept his proposal for a total cease-fire with Israel.
• UN slated to vote Mon. to ask Hague court to rule on fence - Ha'aretz
The United Nations General Assembly is slated to vote Monday on a Palestinian draft resolution "to request that the International Court of Justice issue an advisory opinion on the legal ramifications arising from the construction of the separation fence by Israel, the occupying force in the occupied Palestinian territories."
• EU pledges emergency aid to Palestinian government - Ha'aretz
The European Union agreed on Saturday to provide the Palestinian Authority with 32 million euros ($38.9 million) in aid to weather an economic crisis and help government reform efforts. 

Inside the United States
• House will vote on patent ban for human life forms - Washington Times
The House will vote today on a provision that would prohibit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from issuing patents on human organisms, including cloned human embryos.
• Bush, Reaching Out to Aged, to Sign Medicare Plan - Reuters
In a potential boon to his re-election campaign, President Bush will sign a landmark Medicare plan on Monday adding prescription drug coverage and controversial free-market reforms to the popular federal health system for the elderly and disabled.
• Northeast digs out after major storm - MSNBC
Residents of the Northeast dug out from a storm that piled more than 3 feet of snow in places, and prepared to start the week with the kids at home as hundreds of school districts announced they would be closed Monday.

December 4, 2003

Around the World
• Saddam may be funding Iraqi insurgency - Financial Times
Saddam Hussein withdrew more than $1 billion from Iraq's central bank hours before U.S. forces invaded, and some of the money may be funding the Iraqi insurgency against U.S. troops, ABC News has reported.
• Australia to join missile shield - CNN
The Australian government has decided to take part in the controversial U.S. missile shield system, a move likely to earn the displeasure of key trading partner China.
• Countries that reject Constitution may have to leave the EU - EU Observer
European Commission President Romano Prodi has told the Irish Times that when it comes to ratification of the EU Constitution, one member state cannot be allowed to sink the treaty.
• Brussels considers imposing currency controls - London Telegraph
The European Commission is examining the legal basis for 1970s-style exchange controls to stop the euro surging to destructive levels.
• Assad Calls Israel Source of Violence - AP
Syrian President Bashar Assad on Wednesday accused the Israeli government of following "the policies of escalation and extremism," making the Middle East a more dangerous place.
• Brits Foil Plot To Bomb U.S. Jet - CBS News
Sources tell CBS News that British police have foiled a plot to blow up an airliner en route from London's Heathrow Airport to the U.S. Sajid Badat, a Pakistani Briton, was arrested in his hometown of Gloucester last week during a series of police raids across Britain. 

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• White House backs Powell meeting with Geneva architects - Ha'aretz
A White House spokesperson said on Wednesday that the U.S. President had no problem with Secretary of State Colin Powell's plans to meet Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abed Rabbo, the principal architects of the Geneva Accord.
• Ceasefire talks in Cairo tonight - Jerusalem Post
Palestinian factions are to meet in Cairo Thursday evening to begin Hudna talks. Egyptian and PA officials have been meeting with 13 faction representatives to prepare a common ground regarding political plans and negotiations, the right of return, 1967 borders, national unity and a ceasefire.
• IDF nabs suicide bombers, from Arafat's force, enroute to blow up school - Israel Insider
Wednesday morning Israelis were told via the media of a "hot" terror alert, the most urgent of 42 warnings of impending attacks. Road blocks were set up around northern Israel. Highways were closed, traffic was clogged.
• Israeli Lawmaker Wants to Prevent Arafat Burial on Temple Mount - CNS News
He's not dead yet, but some Israelis already worry about where Yasser Arafat will be buried. 

Inside the United States
• Bush signs bill to curb wildfire threat - MSNBC
President Bush signed legislation Wednesday that he said would help prevent “sudden and needless destruction” from wildfires like the California blazes that destroyed thousands of homes. “With the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, we will help to prevent catastrophic wildfires,” Bush said in a signing ceremony at the Agriculture Department.
• President signs adoption law to bolster national commitment - BP News
President Bush signed a law Dec. 2 giving further impetus to a national commitment to adoption.
• Bush to announce new space mission - Washington Times
President George W. Bush will reportedly announce a big new space mission, returning Americans to the moon.
• Bush Expected to Lift Steel Tariffs - AP
President Bush likely will lift steep tariffs he imposed on foreign steel 20 months ago but soften the blow on the domestic steel industry by announcing new measures designed to protect against unfair foreign competition, congressional and steel industry officials say.

December 5, 2003

Around the World
• Blast Near Baghdad Mosque Kills Two Iraqis - Fox News
A bomb exploded near a Baghdad mosque as a U.S. military convoy passed by on Friday, killing two Iraqis and wound 13, witnesses and hospital workers said.
• U.S. Seeks to Cut Off Money to Guerrillas - AP
The U.S. military has begun staging raids on Iraqi smugglers to cut the cash pipeline to Iraqi insurgents who are believed to pay attackers for bombings and strikes against U.S. troops.
• 36 Killed in Train Blast Near Chechnya - AP
A bomb ripped through a commuter train near Chechnya during rush hour on Friday, killing 36 people and wounding dozens in what authorities described as an act of terrorism.
• Children of world hit hard by flu - Washington Times
Health officials in the United States and abroad said yesterday that very young children might be at increased risk from this year's flu virus -- the Fujian H3N2 strain -- which has hit earlier and harder than any flu strain in 30 years.
• Trade War Averted as Bush Scraps Steel Tariffs - Reuters
Japan, China and Europe dropped threats of trade retaliation after President Bush scrapped controversial steel tariffs more than a year ahead of schedule, risking a political backlash at home. 

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• Bush labels Geneva plan 'productive' - Washington Times
President Bush yesterday called a new unofficial Middle East peace plan "productive" as long as it adheres to his principles that the Palestinians end terrorism and Israel pulls back settlements in land he envisions as part of a democratic Palestinian state.
• Report: Bush administration "disappointed" with Sharon - Israel Insider
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell agreed to meet with the architects of the Geneva Initiative in Washington tomorrow as part of the Bush administration's new strategy of pressuring Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the Washington Post reported.
• Bush, Abdullah Pledge to Revive Middle East Peace Process - VOA News
President Bush and Jordan's King Abdullah have reaffirmed their commitment to reviving the Middle East peace process. During talks at the White House, they looked at ways to move the process forward.
• Syria puts armed forces on alert - Jerusalem Post
Syria's Ambassador to the United Nations, Fayssal Mekdad refuted allegations Thursday that terrorists caught on their way to bombing a school in the north of Israel were sent by Syria. 

Inside the United States
• White House isn’t ready for the moon - MSNBC
Despite widespread speculation that a major presidential announcement on space is at hand, White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters Thursday that President Bush has no plans to make any policy announcement about the U.S. space program “in the near future.”
• States Still in Crisis Despite Brighter Outlook - Reuters
Signs of rosier economic times ahead should not obscure the distress many U.S. states, in their worst crises since World War II, are still likely to experience during fiscal 2004, a report warned on Thursday.

December 3, 2003

Around the World
• U.S. Raid Sweeps Iraq Town, Rumsfeld Says Allies Firm - Reuters
Up to 1,000 U.S. troops swept into an Iraqi town on Tuesday to hunt for masterminds of a relentless guerrilla war and caught 27 suspects, but said their most wanted man after Saddam Hussein was not one of them.
• U.S. Embassies Issue Terror Warnings - Fox News
U.S. Embassies on Tuesday warned of possible terror attacks against two hotels in Kenya and a housing compound for Westerners in Saudi Arabia. Kenyan police said they were investigating reports that terrorists had packed a truck with explosives for an imminent attack.
• Next flu pandemic could wreak global havoc, scientists warn - USA Today
The warning sirens are screaming: A deadly, contagious strain of flu will emerge, possibly soon, flu experts say, and the world is not ready to deal with it.
• Two million flu cases expected in France as epidemic hits Europe - AFP
Parts of western Europe have been hit by a mass outbreak of influenza with up to two million cases expected in France by the end of the week, health officials said.
• Iran: No abandoning nuke ambitions - Washington Times
A top member of Iran's National Security Council has said his country plans to build seven more nuclear power plants and resume its suspended uranium enrichment program.   
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• U.S. to Israel: Don't harm Arafat or foil future Palestinian state - Ha'aretz
The U.S. administration has lowered its level of interest in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute and ceased efforts to renew the political process as it focuses on the war in Iraq and President George W. Bush's reelection.
• U.S. rejects Israeli protests - Washington Times
The Bush administration yesterday brushed aside Israeli objections to planned U.S. meetings with the architects of the "Geneva initiative," an alternative Israeli-Palestinian peace plan launched in Switzerland this week.
• European Jews fear 'new' anti-Semitism - Toronto Star
In a clear reflection of Israeli-Palestinian tensions and the war in Iraq, many Jews also say they sense growing hostility among European intellectuals they see as demonizing Israel. 

Inside the United States
• Clergy Urge More Active White House Effort for Mideast Peace - Washington Post
Thirty-two religious leaders representing many of the nation's largest Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups are jointly urging the Bush administration to make more "active and determined" efforts to forge peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
• Cops Connect 12 Shootings Along Ohio Highway - Fox News
Investigators have linked 12 shootings that have terrorized drivers and a community along a five-mile stretch of interstate this year, police said Tuesday.
• Scholarships for Religious Studies Weighed - Family News in Focus
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide, likely by July, the constitutionality of scholarships for religious study in a case that could set a landmark legal precedent.
• When science breeds nightmares - Int'l Herald Tribune
The announcement that an American biologist has tried to create more deadly types of pox viruses in order to develop countermeasures against them raises serious concerns about the lack of control over research involving dangerous pathogens.

December 2, 2003

Around the World
• U.S.: Iraqi Insurgents Show Coordination - AP
The Iraqi insurgency in Baghdad appears to have a central leadership that finances attacks in the capital and gives broad orders to eight to 12 rebel bands - some with as many as 100 guerrillas, U.S. Army generals said.
• Al-Qaeda working on chemical-biological attack, UN says - AFP
The only thing stopping al-Qaeda from carrying out a deadly chemical or biological attack is a lack of technical know-how, a new UN experts report said.
• Rumsfeld accepts Euro army assurances - London Telegraph
Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, stepped back from a bruising clash with Britain, France, and Germany over the Euro army yesterday, accepting assurances that it would not threaten Nato with a rival military structure.

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• Geneva ceremony becomes forum for slamming Israel - Jerusalem Post
A ceremony launching the Geneva Ininitiative in a Swiss convention center on Monday became a festival of anti-Israel bashing.
• Powell will meet Geneva team Friday - Ha'aretz
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's office is preparing for a meeting between him and Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abed Rabbo, the Israeli and Palestinian team leaders behind the Geneva Accord, according to sources in Washington.
• World out to 'get Israel' over security fence - Jerusalem Newswire
The international community is preparing to take action against Israel for its refusal to halt construction of the fence being erected to keep "suicide" bombers from massacring Jews.
• Israel reaches 'arrangement' with U.S., speeds fence project - World Tribune
Israeli authorities have accelerated a project to complete a 600-kilometer security fence and barrier along and inside the West Bank.
• IDF hits Hamas infrastructure - Jerusalem Post
Three senior Hamas fugitives and a nine-year-old boy were killed during a wide-ranging operation against the Hamas infrastructure in Ramallah that was concluded late Monday afternoon. Twenty-nine suspects were arrested, two bomb factories and a belt containing 20 kg. of explosives blown up, and three buildings demolished.
• EU anti-Semitism report leaked to 'Post' - Jerusalem Post
The rise of anti-Semitism in Europe is linked to the escalation of the Middle East conflict, concluded a 112-page report commissioned by the European Union and exclusively obtained by The Jerusalem Post on Monday night.

Inside the United States
• Factory output points to recovery - USA Today
U.S. manufacturing expanded in November at the fastest pace in nearly 20 years, while construction spending posted another record in October, according to Monday reports offering fresh evidence the economy has broad-based momentum.
• U.S. considers turning scooters into war robots - AP
It's called the Segway Human Transporter, but the Pentagon is drafting the two-wheeled scooter as part of a plan to develop battlefield robots that think on their own and communicate with troops.
• Bush signs bill allowing study of new generation of nukes - AFP
US President George W. Bush has put his stamp of approval on a bill allocating millions of dollars for research into new types of nuclear weapons and for bolstering readiness at the Nevada nuclear test site.
• Advisers Urge Bush to Drop Steel Tariffs - AP
It's a case of bad timing for the White House: President Bush is collecting $1 million for his re-election campaign in Pittsburgh, while America's "Steel City" girds for bad news from Bush on tariffs that have buttressed the hometown industry.
• Supreme Court takes on religious education - USA Today
The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a case that could open the way to far greater public funding of religious education.

December 1, 2003

Around the World
• U.S. Forces Kill 46 Iraqis Attempting Ambush - Fox News
In the deadliest reported firefight since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, American forces fended off attempted ambushes Sunday, killing at least 46 Iraqis and capturing eight others in the northern city of Samarra. At least five U.S. soldiers, 22 Iraqi attackers and a civilian were injured.
• Britain in secret EU army deal - London Telegraph
Britain has taken a dramatic step towards a fully-fledged European army, signing up to Franco-German proposals for a planning headquarters outside Nato, it emerged yesterday.
• EU Constitution Drafters Agree on Defense - AP
France, Britain and Germany won broad support Saturday for a plan to strengthen Europe's defense capabilities, but EU countries failed to reach agreement on the emotionally charged issue of whether the EU constitution should mention God or include a reference to Europe's Christian heritage.
• Christianity debate divides as much as ever - EU Observer
The question about whether to include a reference to Europe's Christian heritage in the Constitution has left member states as divided as ever.
• Iran says won't shelve uranium enrichment program forever - Ha'aretz
Iran has no intention of scrapping its disputed uranium enrichment programme, needed to provide fuel for at least one of eight nuclear reactors it plans to build, a top Iranian official said Saturday.
• Critics Balk at Efforts to Place Internet in Global Grip - Fox News
A global summit scheduled in December may result in a proposal to put the Internet under United Nations control — an idea that has met solid resistance from the United States.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• Swiss plane lifts off with Geneva supporters - Jerusalem Post
Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators, journalists and celebrities left early Monday on a Swiss charter to attend the signing of a symbolic peace agreement in Geneva.
• Arafat rejects Geneva, but lets officials attend launch - Ha'aretz
Senior Palestinian officials flip-flopped yesterday before agreeing at the last minute to attend today's launch of the Geneva Accord, an unofficial Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.
• Sharon Rejects Palestinian Condition for Talks - Reuters
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday rejected his Palestinian counterpart's demand that Israel stop building a separation barrier through the West Bank as a condition for peace talks.
• Fatah official: Initiative designed to divide Israelis - Jerusalem Post
The main goal of the Geneva Accord was to create a schism inside Israel and undermine the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "Our aim was to create divisions inside Israel and block the growth of the right-wing in Israel."
• PLO observer at UN to propose Int'l Court discuss fence - Ha'aretz
Nasser Al-Kidwa, the PLO observer at the United Nations, said Saturday that he intends to initiate a resolution to have the International Court of Justice in the Hague discuss the issue of the West Bank separation fence, following a report published Friday by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan that claimed that construction of the barrier was in violation of international law.
• Large IDF forces hunting Hamas in Ramallah - Jerusalem Post
IDF forces killed three terrorists in an anti-terror sweep in the West Bank city of Ramallah Monday.
• 'Miracle baby' draws thousands to Bethlehem - Jerusalem Post
Ala Ayyad was born two weeks ago, on the 27th day of Ramadan, known as Lailat al-Kader, the night the Koran was revealed to Muhammad by God.  His parents were amazed to discover a large birthmark across his cheek, which spells out in clear Arabic letters the name of his uncle, Ala, a Hamas member who was killed by the IDF eight months ago. The family said they would raise the baby to follow in his uncle's footsteps and lead a new generation of terrorists to fight against Israel. 

Inside the United States
• Official: Al-Qaeda plans something big - USA Today
A top counterterrorism official says al-Qaeda operatives dropped plans this year for several small attacks in the USA to focus on plotting a "more spectacular" assault comparable to the Sept. 11 attacks.

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