WEB BOT AN INTERNET PREDICTION SITE SAYS A LIMITED NUCLEAR WEAPONS WAR WILL BREAK OUT BY THE END OF 2008 OR EARLY 2009. WEB BOT HAS BEEN ACCURATE ON EVERY OTHER PREDICTION. AND WITH RUSSIA ACTING UP I KNOW IT WILL BE RUSSIA NUKING FORMER SATELLITES TO TRY TO NUKE THEM INTO SUBMISSION INTO THE SOVIET FOLD AGAIN OVIOUSLY.
HOLD ON FOLKS ITS GONNA GET HAIR RAISING IF WEB BOTS PREDICTION IS CORRECT. THE RUSSIAN BEAR HAS HIS CLAWS OPEN FOR BLOOD AND FORMER SOVIET SKIN.
WND Oh, my Gog August 22, 2008 1:00 am Eastern
More than 2,500 years ago, a captive of the Babylonian Empire named Ezekiel penned a prophecy, dated for some future era called the latter days, saying an alliance will arise, which Ezekiel calls collectively, Gog, the land of Magog, the ruler of Rosh, Meschech and Tubal. It, together with an alliance led by Persia, including Turkey, makes up much of the Baltic region and the Mediterranean Middle East.Without taking up too much time, Gog refers to modern Russia, from Moscow (Meshech) to Siberia. (Tubal). Magog refers to the states along the Black Sea, and in particular, the Republic of Georgia.I outlined Ezekiel's prophecy in 1969 in my book The Late, Great, Planet Earth at a time most of this territory was a well-entrenched part of the Soviet Union.After many days you shall be visited: in the latter years you shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. (Ezekiel 38:8)According to the prophet Ezekiel, this Russian-led alliance of nations would sweep suddenly down upon Israel in a surprise invasion that evokes only a weak diplomatic response from the West.
Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say to you, Are you come to take a spoil? have you gathered your company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? (Ezekiel 38:13)When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, most of these republics broke with Russia to form new alliances with NATO and the West – an event for which I was widely ridiculed at the time.How could most of Magog, like Ukraine, Georgia and Turkey, all firmly allied with the West, also be part of Russia's Gog alliance? I didn't know. But I didn't pen Ezekiel's prophecy. I only reported it.
Now, Gog has evidently decided to reclaim its former Soviet empire, starting with Magog. Despite weeks of promising to withdraw almost any minute, the Russian military continues to dig in and consolidate its forces in and near the Georgian port of Poti on the Black Sea.The Russians introduced tight restrictions of movement on Georgian citizens, refusing to accept anything except Russian documents. Despite agreements to the contrary, the Kremlin now says that Russian forces will leave in their own time.When Poland was contemplating an agreement that would allow the U.S. to deploy missile interceptor batteries in its territory, Russia warned them that by entering the treaty agreement they ran the risk of a Russian nuclear attack. When the Poles signed the treaty in defiance of the Kremlin, Russia promised its response would rise above the level of diplomacy, a reference to the principle that war is the result of failed diplomacy.The Russian invasion and apparent occupation of Georgia is feared by many analysts, particularly those from former Soviet republics, that Vladimir Putin plans to re-conquer and restore the former empire.Russia has broken off all ties with NATO, and the NATO alliance is beginning to show signs of strain as analysts warn of a new Cold War – or worse.Then, as now, the proxy battleground for the Cold War between East and West is in the Middle. So it was no surprise to read that Russia has targeted Israel for retaliation after Israel refused to honor a military embargo against Georgia.
According to a report in the World Tribune, We asked Israel not to sell offensive weapons to a hostile neighboring state, but they said they're a sovereign state, a diplomatic source said. Well, Israel shouldn't be surprised if we sell offensive weapons to Israel's neighbors.In December 2007, Israel agreed not to sign new contracts for offensive weapons to Georgia. But the Israeli Defense Ministry, supported by the United States, maintained it would honor existing arms deals with Tbilisi.We told the Israelis that this was a very unwise move and that Russians were being killed because of Georgia's policy, the Russian source said. They didn't take us seriously, probably because they were encouraged by the United States.I don't want anyone to miss the point here. The point isn't that the Gog Magog War has begun. I don't know if it has. I can't say for sure that this is even it.The point is this. Two thousand, five hundred years ago, a Hebrew captive living in Babylon outlined in detail the scenario that has continued to unfold and take shape in precise detail for most of the past generation.Even when short-term political changes seemed to indicate otherwise, the scenario eventually resumes its original course, as if following a pre-determined script.Ezekiel predicted this alignment of nations could only take place after Israel was restored to its place among the nations of the world. And so it unfolds. So, if that isn't the point, what is? It's simple. Who told Ezekiel? Because the same One that told Ezekiel the future also extends you an offer of pardon, if you are ready to believe that He is and allow Him into your heart as your Lord and Savior.I pray that you decide well. Time is not on your side.
Russia aims to keep control of Georgian port city By MIKE ECKEL, Associated Press Writer AUG 23,08
GORI, Georgia - A top Russian general on Saturday said his country's forces will keep patrolling the key Georgian Black Sea port of Poti even though it lies outside the areas where Russia claims it has the right to station soldiers in Georgia. The statement by deputy head of the general staff Col.-Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, reported by Russian news agencies, came a day after Russia said it had pulled back forces from Georgia in accordance with a EU-brokered cease-fire agreement.Russia interprets the accord as allowing it to keep a substantial military presence in Georgia — a point hotly disputed by the United States, France and Britain.The Russian troop pullback allowed residents of the strategic central city of Gori to begin returning two weeks after they fled Russian air attacks and advancing troops. Chaotic crowds of people and cars were jammed outside the city Saturday as Georgian police tried to control the mass return by setting up makeshift checkpoints.Those who were let through came back to find a city battered by bombs, suffering from food shortages and gripped by anguish.Surman Kekashvili, 37, stayed in Gori, taking shelter in a basement after his apartment was destroyed by a Russian bomb. Several days ago, he tried to bury three relatives killed by the bomb, placing what body parts he could find in a shallow grave covered by a burnt log, a rock and a piece of scrap metal.
I took only a foot and some of a torso. I could not get the other bodies out, he said.His next-door neighbor, Frosia Dzadiashvili, found most of her apartment destroyed, leaving only a room the size of a broom closet to stay in.I have nothing. My neighbors feed me if they have food to share, the 70-year-old woman said.The Russian tanks and troops are now gone from Gori — but some troops are just up the road at a new checkpoint on the edge of the Russian-proclaimed security zone around the border of South Ossetia. Another zone is near Abkhazia, another separatist region backed by Russia.On Saturday afternoon, several thousand protesters waving Georgian flags approached the Russian position on the outskirts of Gori. Some soldiers came out of their trenches, but there was no immediate sign of unrest.The United States, France and Britain protested that Russia has no claim to the alleged security zones under the cease-fire accord.The Russians have without a doubt failed to live up to their obligations, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said in Washington. Establishing checkpoints, buffer zones, are definitely not part of the agreement.Georgia's state minister on reintegration, Temur Yakobashvili, told the AP that formation of a buffer zone on Georgian territory outside South Ossetia is absolutely illegal.Russia claims it is allowed to be in these zones under peacekeeping agreements that ended fighting in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the 1990s.
But although Poti, the Black Sea port, is outside the buffer zone for the Abkhazia conflict, Nogovitsyn said Russian troops who have set up positions on the city's outskirts won't leave and will patrol the city.Poti is not in the security zone. But that doesn't mean that we will sit behind the fence watch as they drive around in Hummers, Nogovitsyn said, making reference to four U.S. Humvees the Russians seized in Poti this week.The vehicles were used in joint U.S.-Georgian military exercises as U.S. trainers prepared Georgians for deployment to Iraq. Russian forces also set up a checkpoint near Senaki, the home of a major military base in western Georgia. Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said Russian soldiers had severely looted the base, taking away military equipment, televisions and even air conditioners. Russia's pullback on Friday came two weeks to the day after thousands of Russian soldiers roared into the former Soviet republic following an assault by Georgian forces on separatist South Ossetia. The fighting left hundreds dead and nearly 160,000 people homeless. It also has deeply strained relations between Moscow and the West. Russia has frozen its military cooperation with NATO, Moscow's Cold War foe, underscoring a growing division in Europe. President Bush, vacationing at his ranch in Texas, conferred with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the two agreed that Russia is not in compliance and that Russia needs to come into compliance now, said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe on Friday. They have not completely withdrawn from areas considered undisputed territory, and they need to do that, Johndroe said. The diplomatic struggle is certain to continue. The Russian parliament was expected to discuss recognizing the independence of the separatist regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia on Monday. In an interview with the AP, South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity indicated that ethnic Georgians will not be allowed to return to their homes in South Ossetia. There is nothing left anymore for them to come back to, he said. There has been extensive looting and burning of Georgian homes in South Ossetia. In the village of Achabeti, an AP reporter saw Ossetians remove chairs, window frames and whatever else they could carry from abandoned Georgian houses. Associated Press writers Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili in Tbilisi, Georgia; Yuras Karmanau in Tskhinvali, Georgia; Bela Szandelszky in Poti, Georgia, and Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report.
Georgian forces back in control of strategic road By Margarita Antidze
Sat Aug 23, 5:17 AM ET
GORI, Georgia (Reuters) - Georgian troops were back in control of the country's main East-West highway on Saturday after Russian forces pulled back, but Washington condemned the Kremlin for keeping a force in Georgia's heartland. Russia says it will permanently station what it calls peacekeeping troops deep inside Georgia -- a step it says is to prevent new bloodshed and which the United States has branded a violation of a ceasefire deal.Russian forces would continue to patrol the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti, a senior defense official said, potentially giving Moscow a stranglehold over trade.The conflict between Russia and pro-Western Georgia has left the United States, NATO and European Union groping for a response. Beyond freezing NATO's contacts with Russia, the West looks to have little influence over energy powerhouse Russia.Hundreds were killed and tens of thousands displaced in the fighting that erupted on August 7-8.Russia's military reiterated on Saturday that all its activities in Georgia were in line with the French-brokered ceasefire that ended the fighting.We follow the statements made by political leaders (in the West)... and are obliged to once again underline the Russian position: all the actions of Russian peacekeepers are in line with the six principles signed by the presidents of Russia and France, Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of the Russian military's General Staff, told a news conference in Moscow.On Saturday, a Reuters reporter saw Russian soldiers manning a checkpoint in the village of Karaleti, six km (four miles) north of the Georgian town of Gori and in territory where Tbilisi says Moscow has no right to station troops.Georgia's interior ministry said that about 300 km (miles) to the West, Russian forces were still dug in around Poti. The port also lies outside the buffer zone where Moscow says its peacekeepers will operate.
MIXED PICTURE
But elsewhere there was a mixed picture of the extent of Russia's military presence.
There was no sign of the checkpoint Russia's military said it had set up in the settlement of Shavshebi near Gori -- a strategic location because it lies on the main highway linking the Georgian capital to the Black Sea coast.And in Western Georgia, a Reuters cameraman saw a convoy of at least 150 Russian tanks, armored vehicles and trucks leaving the military garrison town of Senaki, where Moscow had said it would keep a presence as part of its security zone.Moscow sent in troops this month after Georgia tried to retake its separatist South Ossetia region.Russia crushed Georgian forces and pushed on further, crossing the main highway and moving close to a Western-backed oil pipeline. They also moved into Western Georgia from Abkhazia, a second breakaway region on the Black Sea.Convoys of Russian tanks, armored personnel carriers and soldiers left their positions on Friday and headed back into rebel-held territory.Washington said the pullback was not sufficient.
They have not completely withdrawn from areas considered undisputed territory and they need to do that, a White House spokesman said. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he was deeply concerned that Russian forces had not withdrawn to their positions before the outbreak of hostilities, as agreed. Russian soldiers pulled out of Gori on Friday. Early on Saturday, Georgian police were patrolling the streets and the grocery market had re-opened for the first time since the Russians took the town. It's my first day at the market, said 79-year-old blackberry seller Zaira. I was so scared because bombs were falling on our homes. But now it seems people will start returning and everything will be alright, she said.
CHALLENGE
The Russian military presence is a challenge to the growing U.S. influence in the region -- a major overland trade route between Europe and Asia and a transit corridor for oil and gas exports from the Caspian Sea that is favored by the West because it bypasses Russia. NATO has frozen contacts with Russia in a show of support for Georgia, an aspiring member of the military alliance. But despite angry rhetoric, Western states have avoided talk of specific sanctions against Moscow.
Russia has denied any plans to annex Georgian territory, saying it only wants to protect South Ossetia and Abkhazia from a pro-Western Georgian leadership it accuses of dangerous aggression. Most people in the two rebel regions hold Russian passports and do not want to be part of Georgia.
EU neighbours seek help in post-Georgia climate
PHILIPPA RUNNER 21.08.2008 @ 09:29 CET
The presidents of Romania and Moldova on Wednesday (20 August) urged greater EU involvement in resolving Moldova's frozen conflict, as Russia's attack on Georgia continues to send ripples of anxiety through other post-communist states. As regards Transniestria, we reached the conclusion that the involvement of the European Union is fundamental and essential in finding a solution, Romania's Traian Basescu said after meeting Moldova's Vladimir Voronin in Chisinau, newswires report.The conflict in South Ossetia occurred because of the neglect of settlement of problems of this kind, Mr Voronin said, adding he will ask for more EU help on peacemaking efforts in his own separatist conundrum.The steel and vodka-producing region of Transniestria broke away from Moldova in the 1990s, with its Russian-backed rebels calling for independence and protected by 1,300 Russian peacekeeping troops in a 16-year long ceasefire.The conflict has no ethnic dimension as in Georgia, but also threatens instability on Europe's fringe. It would be very easy for Russia to organise a provocation and then the Russian might stands ready to react, a senior European diplomat said.The EU runs a customs mission on the Transniestria-Ukraine border, gives financial aid to Moldova and is an observer in the so-called 5+2 conflict resolution group, which met in April for the first time after a two-year long break.
But the EU has in the past been divided on sending peacekeepers and prospects for the 5+2 group look bleak, after Transniestria on 12 August refused to meet with Moldova until president Voronin denounces Georgia's aggression against separatists in its South Ossetia region last week.
Ukrainian fears
Ukraine president Viktor Yushchenko at a meeting in Kiev with two visiting US senators also called for security guarantees, amid worries that Moscow is orchestrating secessionist movements among ethnic Russians in Crimea, which houses Russia's Black Sea fleet. I am certain that such a [South Ossetia-type] scenario is not possible, Ukraine security chief, Valentin Nalivaichenko, told the Zerkalo Nedeli newspaper this week, with Crimea separatism a taboo subject for Ukraine politicians who fear stoking tensions via public remarks.Our aim is to receive international guarantees of Ukraine's territorial integrity, which is only possible in the framework of collective security," Mr Yushchenko said on Wednesday, referring to Ukraine's bid to get a NATO membership action plan at the alliance's next summit in December.The EU and Ukraine are currently negotiating the wording of the political chapter of a new bilateral treaty, to be signed at a summit in France on 9 September. But most EU states are reluctant for the text to mention any EU accession perspective, or to give a security pledge.We have to do everything to prevent a domino effect. If Russia destabilises Georgia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan [also home to Russian-backed rebels] will be next, German conservative MEP Elmar Brok said at a European Parliament meeting on Wednesday. I don't know what Russia's strategy is toward Ukraine. But we must get ready.
Georgia plea
The extraordinary session of the parliament's foreign affairs committee also saw Georgian foreign minister Eka Tkeshelashvili urge the EU to send a large ceasefire monitoring squad and to consider diplomatic sanctions against Russia.Moscow has promised to pull troops from Georgia by Friday, but on Thursday soldiers still roamed deep inside Georgian territory, with commanders saying they will stay indefinitely in a buffer zone around South Ossetia.The head of Russia's upper house on Wednesday declared the senate would be happy to recognise South Ossetia and another rebel-held territory - Abkhazia - as independent states. Russian general Anatoly Nogovitsin also vowed to destroy Georgian military assets before withdrawing his troops.We won't leave them a single rifle or bullet, so that they can't start any more wars, he told Interfax.The European Commission estimates the conflict has caused 124,000 refugees. Georgia says 215 Georgians were killed and Russia is saying 133 people died in South Ossetia, amid concern for lack of access for aid workers to the Russian-controlled region. Georgian houses are being burned and ethnic-Georgians are being either killed or expelled. Ossetian separatists are coming out and clearly stating that refugees will never be allowed back, Ms Tkeshelashvili told MEPs.
Russia-NATO relations in tatters
HONOR MAHONY 20.08.2008 @ 09:25 CET
Moscow's relations with NATO were left in tatters on Tuesday (19 August) after the Kremlin dismissed the results of an emergency meeting of the military alliance on Russia's actions in Georgia as empty words.NATO foreign ministers gathered in the Brussels headquarters yesterday to discuss what actions it could take following the five-day war between Russia and its small Caucasian neighbour, Georgia, amid a hesitant withdrawal of Russian troops.But NATO itself is internally divided on how to approach energy-rich Russia. The EU relies on it for around a quarter of its energy needs, a factor said to influence the more cautious approach of Germany, France and Italy towards condemning Moscow, meaning the alliance cobbled together a political statement but little more.It said it would freeze regular contacts with Russia and said there would be "no business as usual under present circumstances while urging Moscow to "take immediate action to withdraw its troops from the area.
There were no promises of troops in Georgia to give weight to the statement, however. Instead, the alliance said it would help with certain non-military support measures.NATO plans to send a team of 15 civil emergency planning experts to help Georgia assess damage to its civil infrastructure and support the re-establishment of the air traffic system and assist the Georgian government in understanding the nature of cyber attacks.There was no real push for giving Georgia and Ukraine NATO membership. French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner also said the EU would not rethink its support for Russia's attempt to join the World Trade Organisation.The lack of substance was immediately picked up on by Russia.
Empty words
On the whole, all of these threats that have been raining down on Russia turned out to be empty words, said Dimitri Rogozin, the Russian ambassador to NATO.Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, described the statement as unobjective and biased.
Russia continues to only pull back its troops slowly from Georgia even though it agreed to a France-brokered ceasefire over the weekend and announced the withdrawal on Monday.The most recent pledge by Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, is that all bar 500 Russia troops would be pulled out of Georgia by Thursday and Friday.But the promise was condemned by British foreign minister, David Miliband, who noted that it was already the third commitment on the withdrawal made by Russia.I think we should still engage with the Russians but in a hard-headed way, and we mustn't allow the Russians to feel they are the victims of this affair when they are the transgressors, he said in a statement in UK daily The Times.The newspaper notes that a British diplomat had been stopped at a Russian checkpoint in Georgia and was told that he could not proceed without a Russian visa. According to Georgian officials, Russian troops remain in charge of about a third of Georgia, including Poti, the Black Sea port, and Gori, a key city near the South Ossetia border, the breakaway region at the heart of the conflict.Bloomberg news agency reports that Russia on Tuesday set out fresh conditions for its withdrawal.
Fresh conditions
For the withdrawal of Russian troops to happen, two things are necessary: the pullback of Georgian forces to their barracks and, secondly, we need to be assured that our peacekeepers are not going to be attacked again, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, said.The conflict also dominated a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, where veto-holding Russia on Tuesday refused to support a draft resolution calling for immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia.The political bartering comes just 10 days after the war started. On 7 August, Georgia attempted to retake South Ossetia, prompting a massive retaliation from Russia. The UN estimates the fighting has created 150,000 new refugees.
Activists accuse Israel of sabotaging boat mission By MOSHE EDRI, Associated Press Writer AUG 23,08
OFF THE GAZA COAST - A group of pro-Palestinian activists ran into trouble Saturday as they tried to sail through Israel's blockade of Gaza, saying their boats' electronic communication systems were jammed and the vessels were struggling in rough Mediterranean waters. The Free Gaza activist group accused Israel of sabotaging the mission.I can't think of any other reason or any other party with an interest," said Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, a spokeswoman in Israel.A total of 46 members of the U.S.-based group were on the boats, hoping to reach the shores of Gaza on Saturday with a delivery of humanitarian goods for Palestinians. Despite the setback, Godfrey-Goldstein said the activists were intent on reaching Gaza. She said she was in touch with an activist on board by mobile phone.Israel had warned the group against carrying out the mission, calling it an unacceptable provocation.We are following the development and if they are looking for a provocation, we will know how to avoid it, said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel.Another spokesman for the ministry, Aviv Shiron, said Friday that all options are being considered" when asked whether Israel intended to use force to turn the boats away.
Israel's military declined comment.
In their statement, the activists said their communications systems had been jammed and scrambled and said they were victims of electronic piracy.We are not experienced sailors. As a results, there is concern about the health and safety of the people on board, the statement said.The boats, which were still in international waters, were carrying Greek flags, and the statement urged the Greek government to intervene. The Greek Foreign Ministry said it was not aware of the latest developments and had no immediate reaction.The activists were able to communication through satellite telephones and e-mail that did not depend on the ship's communications system, Godfrey-Goldstein said.Mekel said he did not know of any Israel attempt to jam the boats' communications.In Gaza City's small fishing port, activists, reporters and a musical band from a local scout group loaded onto a dozen small boats heading off to greet the vessels. Some onlookers waved banners and Palestinian flags.Around 30 Gaza residents who had loaded into boats later returned to shore, complaining of sea sickness. By midafternoon, just one boat remained in the water.Hamas policemen controlled traffic in and out of the port. Youths leaped off high rocks into deep water nearby. Two large tents were set up for people to watch the scene.I brought the kids so if they (the activists) arrive, I can tell them welcome — and thank you for not forgetting us, said Jamila Hassan, a 42-year-old Gaza resident who brought along her 14-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter to the port.The 70-foot Free Gaza and 60-foot Liberty left Cyprus early Friday for the estimated 30-hour trip in a bid to break Israel's 14-month Gaza blockade. The 46 activists from 14 countries include an 81-year-old Catholic nun and the sister-in-law of Mideast envoy and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.Israel has led an international boycott of Gaza since the militant Muslim group Hamas seized power of the territory in June 2007. The Jewish state closed its trade crossings with the territory, while neighboring Egypt sealed its passenger crossing, confining Gaza's 1.4 million residents.
Israel has allowed little more than basic humanitarian supplies into Gaza, causing widespread shortages of fuel, electricity and basic goods. Only a trickle of people are allowed to leave Gaza for medical care, jobs abroad and the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Under a June truce deal that halted a deadly cycle of bruising Palestinian rocket attacks and deadly Israel airstrikes, Israel has pledged to ease the blockade, but Palestinians say the flow of goods into Gaza remains insufficient and there has been little improvement in the quality of life. Israel has periodically closed the cargo crossings in response to sporadic Palestinian rocket fire that violated the truce. Associated Press writers Diaa Hadid in Jerusalem and Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza City contributed to this report.
Israeli police quiz PM again in bribery case By Joseph Nasr
Fri Aug 22, 1:36 PM ET
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli police questioned Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for a sixth time on Friday over fraud and bribery allegations that have shaken Israel's political system and jeopardized peace talks with the Palestinians. Detectives questioned Olmert at his official residence in what has become a familiar Friday morning pattern since the scandal broke in May. It led last month to Olmert announcing he would resign once a successor is chosen.Police will return to question the premier next Friday, Israeli media later reported.Olmert will meet Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Jerusalem early next week as she and President George W. Bush struggle to reach some form of accord to create a Palestinian state before Bush leaves the White House in January.Olmert's resignation as prime minister, which could take effect as early as mid-September but could also be delayed by further weeks and months, has been a blow to the halting, nine-month-old U.S.-sponsored peace process.The prime minister, suspected of taking bribes from an American businessman and of making false travel expense claims, could step aside immediately after his centrist Kadima party votes in a leadership election on September 17.A second round of voting may be required a week later if neither of the frontrunners, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, secures 40 percent.
But Olmert could remain prime minister while his successor as party leader works to secure a new parliamentary mandate for what will inevitably be a fractious coalition.
Olmert has vowed to pursue talks with the Palestinians and Turkish-mediated negotiations with Syria until his last day in office. But rival politicians have said he lacks the mandate to commit Israel to any deals.Opinion polls show Livni, who has a clear edge in the Kadima party race to replace Olmert, running almost neck-and-neck with rightist Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, should snap parliamentary elections be called.On the Palestinian side, President Mahmoud Abbas also faces doubt over his mandate, with the Gaza Strip controlled by his Hamas Islamist enemies for the past year.Few analysts believe Rice can secure a major breakthrough that would set Palestinians on a fast track to statehood. But many are reluctant to rule out that the two sides will, for a variety of personal and domestic political reasons, comply with Bush's exhortations and agree to some formal, limited accord.
Livni said on Thursday that external pressure to paper over differences to reach an accord could be dangerous, however, by creating tensions that could lead to more violence.A spokesman for Rice said Washington would not push the two sides into a deal they did not want but said U.S. officials still believed some form of deal was possible this year.(Editing by Alastair Macdonald and Andrew Roche)
Chill falls on Israeli-Russian relations by Marius Schattner
Fri Aug 22, 1:17 PM ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) - A chill has descended on relations between Israel and Russia after Moscow reached out to the Jewish state's arch-foe Damascus against the backdrop of the Georgia conflict. Israel, which maintains friendly ties with Georgia and has sold weapons to the Eurasian country -- as have several Western nations -- fears Moscow will exact a price for this support by boosting its ties with Syria.Syrian President Bashar al-Assad won promises of fresh arms sales during a visit to Russia this week. He said Moscow could again become a bulwark against the West and help resist Israeli influence in the Middle East.Israel is particularly concerned Russia could deliver anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to Syria that could end up in the hands of Lebanon's Syrian-backed Hezbollah militia whose political rhetoric centres on the destruction of the Jewish state.A reinforcement of links between Damascus and Moscow amounts to a very negative development, said Tazhi Hanegvi, who heads the Israeli parliament's foreign affairs and defence committee.It would push Syria to adopt an irresponsible and adventurist policy, he added.The United States, Israel's main ally, also expressed concern over the prospect of a Russian weapon sale to Syria.We are obviously very concerned about reports that Russia may be providing weapons, weapons systems to Syria, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said.We have always said to the Russians that these sales should not go forward, they don't contribute to regional stability, he told reporters.On Thursday, Israeli President Shimon Peres warned that sending new weapons to Syria would endanger peace in the world, not only in the Middle East.A senior foreign ministry official, for his part, said Russia's forceful return on the international stage doesn't guarantee in any way it will have a constructive role in the future of the Middle East.It is difficult to believe in the good faith of Moscow when it emerges, despite all of Moscow's denials, that Russian weapons sold to Syria have reached Hezbollah, he told AFP under condition of anonymity.
Russian anti-tank missiles inflicted major losses to Israeli forces battling the Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon in a summer 2006 conflict.But officials and analysts believe it is unlikely the current diplomatic malaise between Israel and Russia would deteriorate into a full-blown crisis.The only new element is that the (Israeli) military aid given to Georgia has given Russia an argument to sell weapons to Syria, said Amnon Sela, a political analyst at the Interdisciplinary Centre think-tank.An Israeli daily said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert planned to travel to Moscow within two weeks, hoping to convince President Dmitry Medvedev not to sell weapons to Syria, though officials did not confirm the report.A foreign ministry official stressed Israel has taken into account Russian demands that it limit its military aid to Georgia, and a Russian envoy in Tel Aviv welcomed what he said was the suspension of Israeli arms sales to Tbilisi.Russian Charge d'Affaires Anatoli Yurkov pointed out Israel's support to Georgia is less important than that of the United States or France.He also insisted that Russia will not deliver to Syria any weapons that could alter the strategic balance in the region.
Rice to make new Israel-Palestinian peace bid next week Fri Aug 22, 1:14 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories this weekend for talks on the peace process with senior officials, the State Department said Friday. Rice will travel to Israel and the Palestinian Territories on August 24, said spokesman Sean McCormack.McCormack said Rice's talks would include senior Israeli and Palestinian officials and would cover ongoing efforts to create positive and lasting peace in the region and progress towards the shared goal of a peace agreement in 2008.Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP on August 17 that Rice will meet with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, then hold three-way talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and senior Palestinian diplomat Ahmed Qorei.The two sides formally relaunched the peace process after a seven-year hiatus at a US conference in November, with the goal of signing a full peace deal by the time President George W. Bush leaves office in January 2009.The talks have made little visible progress since then, with both sides remaining deeply divided on core issues like the status of Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees, and final borders.Rice was last in Israel in mid-June, when she strongly criticized the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying they undermined the peace process.She has already visited the region 17 times in the past two years.Prior to announcement of Rice's latest mission, Livni played down the likelihood of meeting the stated US goal of getting a peace deal this year and warned that rushing negotiations could backfire.There is some kind of expectation of doing something before the end of the year, Livni said at a news conference with foreign journalists.I believe that the timeline is important, but what is more important is the content and the nature of the understanding that we can reach with the Palestinians, she said.
Livni went on to warn that premature efforts to bridge gaps between the two sides could lead to clashes.This can lead to misunderstandings, this can lead to violence, she said.Until everything is agreed, nothing is agreed, she said.
Cash crisis hits Lebanon cluster bomb clearance Fri Aug 22, 8:26 AM ET
TYRE, Lebanon (Reuters) - Many of the 44 teams clearing cluster munitions scattered by Israel in south Lebanon during its 2006 war with Hezbollah will have to stop work this month for lack of funds, a U.N. spokeswoman said on Friday. Donors have failed to come up with a promised $4.7 million needed to fund the program in 2008, according to Dalya Farran of the U.N. Mine Action Coordination Centre (UNMACC).A very large number of the clearance teams will be stopping by the end of this month if we don't get funds before that, she said, adding that some donor countries had not kept their promises and others had lost interest two years after the war.UNMACC has led efforts to clear thousands of unexploded cluster bomblets left over after Israel's war with Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas. Israel fired or dropped most of the munitions in the last 72 hours before an August 14 ceasefire.Since then 27 civilians have been killed and 234 wounded by unexploded ordnance, mostly cluster munitions, while 13 bomb disposal experts have been killed and 39 wounded, Farran said.Any reduction in clearance work would lead to a higher accident rate because past experience shows that villagers will attempt to deal with the bomblets themselves if they believe that no disposal teams will do the job, Farran said.UNMACC has identified 1,058 cluster strike locations across the south. The United Nations says Israel has not responded to repeated requests for detailed data on the strikes.
Farran said 43 percent of the estimated 43 million square meters (51 million square yards) of Lebanese land contaminated by cluster munitions had been fully cleared and another 49 percent had been surface-cleared, removing the immediate threat.(Editing by Mariam Karouny)
Arab-Israeli accused of seeking to create Qaeda cell Fri Aug 22, 7:45 AM ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) - An Arab-Israeli was charged on Friday with trying to contact Al-Qaeda in a bid to set up a local cell of the global extremist network, police said.
The indictment alleges that Khaled Abu Raqiq, 24, a Bedouin from the southern town of Tel Sheva, used the Internet to contact a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip linked to Al-Qaeda with the aim of perpetrating attacks in Israel.A former student at a technological college, Raqiq allegedly downloaded to his computer instructions on how to make a bomb.He is also accused of having suggested a suicide attack to one of college friends, who rejected the proposal.Raqiq was arrested on July 29 by police and agents from the Shin Beth domestic intelligence service.Also in July, Shin Beth announced the arrest of two Arab-Israelis and four Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem for allegedly seeking to create an Al-Qaeda cell.A lawyer for one of the six claimed that his client and the others did not carry out any attack and were entrapped by Israeli agents after trying to contact Al-Qaeda via the Internet.
Jordan protests against Israel's Jerusalem dig plans Thu Aug 21, 2:17 PM ET
AMMAN (AFP) - Jordan said on Thursday it summoned the Israeli ambassador to protest against plans for excavation and construction work near the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Jerusalem's most volatile holy site. Foreign Minister Salah Bashir summoned the Israeli ambassador this week to officially inform him that Jordan rejects such illegal measures, said MP Mohammed Abu Hdeib, head of the lower house of parliament's committee on international affairs, after meeting Bashir on Thursday.
Israel plans excavations near Al-Mughrabi Gate (of the mosque) and wants to build a bridge there, violating the 1994 peace treaty with Jordan and international treaties, he said.Abu Hdeib told AFP that the planned work threatens the foundations of Al-Aqsa, and warned: This would also lead to a new violent conflict in the Middle East because Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims and Arabs.The Al-Aqsa site is also revered by Jews as the location of their ancient temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.In February last year, Israel began excavation work on a pathway leading from the Western Wall to the compound, Islam's third holiest site, sparking Muslim outrage and prompting UNESCO to call for an immediate halt to the work.The Jerusalem mayor's office suspended work the same month, but failed to appease the Muslim authorities which asserted that the dig, while not under Al-Aqsa mosque itself, could harm its foundations.The foreign minister demanded that Israel halt any unilateral actions that might affect the status of Jerusalem, especially the issue of Al-Mughrabi Gate, foreign ministry spokesman Nassar Habasheneh told AFP.Jordan is traditionally considered the guardian of Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, which it manages in coordination with the Palestinian authorities.We have information that Jerusalem municipality will take a decision soon to resume work there, Habasheneh said.Bashir later held talks on the issue with ambassadors of the European Union and the UN Security Council's five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.The minister demanded that these countries use their relations with Israel to stop it from making unilateral moves in Jerusalem that would change the legal status of the holy city, including construction work on Al-Mughrabi Gate, the state-run Petra news agency reported.
US man arrested in connection to alleged Hamas fundraising Thu Aug 21, 1:55 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The US Department of Justice announced Thursday they arrested a man over his alleged fundraising for a foundation authorities say backs Hamas, the Palestinian organization Washington has designated a terrorist group. Akram Musa Abdallah, also called Abu Saiaf, 54, of Mesa, Arizona, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of lying to authorities over his involvement in fund-raising for the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, which US officials say funnels money to Hamas.According to the indictment, Abdallah was involved in fund-raising activities for the Holy Land Foundation in the Phoenix, Arizona area between 1994 and 1997.
Abdallah knowingly and willfully made a false material statement when he represented to FBI agents that he was not involved in fund raising activities for the Holy Land Foundation, the US attorney for the Arizona district said in a statement.The Holy Land Foundation is an organization alleged to have provided financial support for Hamas, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.If convicted of lying in the case, Abdallah faces up to eight years in prison, a fine of 250,000 dollars, or both.
Lebanon dismisses Israeli warnings over Hezbollah Thu Aug 21, 1:03 PM ET
BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salukh dismissed as ravings on Thursday Israeli threats to target the country's civilian infrastructure if the government gives greater legitimacy to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah. Who says the government is giving legitimacy to Hezbollah? ... These are just ravings conjured up by the Israelis to tarnish Lebanon's image, Salukh told AFP.It's based on exaggerations by Mossad and the Israeli intelligence services.A number of Israeli leaders have issued warnings to Lebanon in recent days after the formation of a national unity government in which the Hezbollah-led opposition has 11 ministries and the power of veto over cabinet decisions.The moment the Lebanese government confers legitimacy on Hezbollah, it must understand that the entire Lebanese state will be a target in the same way that all of Israel is a target for Hezbollah, Environment Minister Gideon Ezra said on Wednesday.Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made similar remarks the previous day, warning that Israel would fight a far more devastating campaign than in the 2006 war if Hezbollah led the government.During the war in Lebanon we had a massive capacity that we refrained from using because we were fighting a terrorist organisation and not a state, but if Lebanon becomes a Hezbollah state we will not be so restrained, he said.
Israel to change route of West Bank barrier Thu Aug 21, 12:01 PM ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel has agreed to alter the planned route of its separation barrier outside a major West Bank Jewish settlement to allow Palestinians more access to their land, the justice ministry said on Thursday. The state prosecutor's office told the High Court that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defence Minister Ehud Barak have decided to significantly alter the course of the security fence near Maale Adumim, a statement said.The controversial barrier would be moved 400 hectares (around 1,000 acres) closer to Maale Adumim, the largest Jewish settlement in the Palestinian territories.The decision came in response to complaints filed to Israel's High Court by Palestinian villagers.Israel says the barrier is needed to stop potential attackers from infiltrating Israel and West Bank settlements, but the Palestinians say it is a land grab aimed at undermining the viability of their future state.The Israeli B'Tselem human rights group says that the Israeli authorities have yet to comply with three of five alterations to the barrier's route, which were ordered by the High Court in recent years.Palestinians have filed several complaints before the High Court against the barrier, which consists of more than 300 kilometres (185 miles) of walls, fences and barbed wire, with about 400 kilometres (250 miles) more being built or planned.UN figures show that once completed, 87 percent of the barrier will be built on West Bank territory which Israel occupied in 1967.Together with Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the barrier is one of the major hurdles in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Israel FM plays down chances of peace deal this year by Patrick Moser
Thu Aug 21, 10:30 AM ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Thursday played down US-backed hopes of a peace deal with the Palestinians this year, saying that a premature agreement could trigger new violence. There is some kind of expectation of doing something before the end of the year, she said in reference to statements made by all sides at a US-sponsored conference that revived the long-dormant peace process last November.I believe that the timeline is important but what is more important is the content and the nature of the understanding that we can reach with the Palestinians, Livni said at a news conference with foreign journalists.I think any attempt to bridge gaps which might be premature to bridge or any attempt to reach something which is not the comprehensive agreement we want to reach can lead... to clashes, this can lead to misunderstandings, this can lead to violence, she said.Until everything is agreed, nothing is agreed, said Livni, who heads the Israeli negotiating team in the peace talks and hopes to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert when he steps down after elections for the leadership of their centrist Kadima party in mid-September.She also acknowledged that even if an agreement is reached, it might not be implemented as long as Hamas controls the Gaza Strip, where the Islamist movement seized control from forces loyal to Western-backed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in June 2007.The question of how long it should be on the shelf depends not on our willingness but on the situation on the ground, said Livni.
She insisted that Hamas, blacklisted by the European Union and the United States as a terrorist organisation, cannot be included in negotiations.This is the reason we negotiate with pragmatic leaders even though they don't control anything in Gaza Strip, which is being controlled completely by Hamas. Even in the West Bank they are not strong enough, Livni said.But she stressed that negotiations with pragmatic leaders were not enough in themselves. We have to delegitimise Hamas.Nobody in the region can afford a terror state, a failed state, she said.She insisted that any peace deal would not include the right of return of Palestinian refugees to Israel.
The United Nations says there are now 4.6 million registered refugees, including both those who fled or were forced out of Israel at its creation in 1948 and their descendants.When we are talking two states for two people, the idea is Israel is the homeland for the Jewish people and the Palestinian state is the homeland for the Palestinians, Livni said.Without this concept, there is no agreement, she said, adding: This is one of the two basic pillars... the other of course is Israel's security.What the Palestians call the right to return is not an option, she said.
In response Abbas's spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina claimed Livni's warning about any premature agreement amounted to an Israeli attempt to avoid reaching an accord.He also criticised her position on Palestinian refugees, and urged Israel to adopt a responsible position and not to waste time.Livni declined to give details of the negotiations with the Palestinians, which have shown little tangible progress since their relaunch at Annapolis in Maryland last November.
Top Israeli candidate wants unity government By STEVEN GUTKIN, Associated Press Writer Thu Aug 21, 7:09 AM ET
JERUSALEM - The politician with perhaps the best chance to replace Israel's embattled prime minister on Thursday called for a unity government to pursue the creation of a Palestinian state living peacefully alongside Israel. Deputy Premier Tzipi Livni, who also serves as Israel's foreign minister, said she will try to form such a government if she wins next month's primary election of the ruling Kadima Party, as polls indicate she is likely to do.I believe that what we called in the past left and right is something that belongs to the past, she told foreign reporters. Now most Israelis understand that having two states in the lands comprising historic Palestine is an Israeli interest.Livni pointed to opinion polls that show her party winning a general election if she becomes Kadima head. However, she said she would prefer to keep the existing coalition, and even bring in new partners to strengthen it, rather than go to new elections.It's not my choice. It's theirs, she said of parliament members who will have to decide whether to join up with her if she becomes head of Kadima.The party's current head, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, has promised to step down after next month's primary. He is the target of a series of highly damaging corruption probes that have made his continued stay in office untenable.The 50-year-old Livni spent much of her career as a member of the hawkish Likud Party, and she is the daughter of a famous fighter of the early militant Zionist group Irgun.However, she has carved a niche for herself as a leading moderate since leaving Likud and joining the government of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who formed Kadima in 2005 as a way of pushing through his plan to withdraw Israeli troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip.In the coming months, Livni will face stiff political competition both inside and outside her party, especially from hardliners such as former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Success, however, would make her Israel's first female prime minister since Golda Meir.
Livni is currently Israel's lead negotiator in peace talks with the Palestinians. On Thursday she sent mixed signals on whether it will be possible anytime soon to sign and implement a peace accord that would presumably enable Israel to remain both Jewish and democratic by allowing it to shed responsibility for millions of Palestinians.We decided that time is against us, that time is against the moderates and that stagnation is not an option for the Israeli government, she said in explaining the government's decision to hold peace talks with the moderate Palestinian leadership based in the West Bank.At the same time, however, she implied that no agreement could actually be implemented until moderate Palestinians established full control of their own territory and regained control of the Gaza Strip, which the militant Hamas group violently took over last year.Nobody, nobody can afford in the region a terror state, a failed state or an extreme Islamic state between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean sea, she said.Israeli and Palestinian leaders vowed at a U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference last November that they would strive to have an agreement signed by the end of this year. Officials have been backing away from that timetable in recent weeks.And on Thursday Livni said it is dangerous to rush into an agreement without hashing out key details.This can lead to clashes. This can lead to misunderstandings. This can lead to violence, she said.
On other issues, Livni expressed concern about a visit to Russia this week by Syrian President Bashar Assad, who is reportedly seeking to purchase long-range anti-aircraft missiles from Moscow.It is of mutual interest of Israel of Russia, of the pragmatic leaders in the region, not to send these kinds of long range missiles to Syria, which she said was working to destabilize Lebanon, strengthen ties with Iran and prop up extremist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas. Livni also called for tougher sanctions against Iran, which she said is moving rapidly to enrich enough uranium to build an atomic weapon.
Egypt finds explosives cache near Gaza border Thu Aug 21, 6:18 AM ET
EL-ARISH, Egypt (AFP) - Egyptian police have found a large cache of explosives close to the Gaza border which they believe Palestinian militants intended to smuggle into the territory, a security official said on Thursday. The discovery was made on Wednesday evening near the divided border town of Rafah following a tip-off from residents, the official said.The 500 kilogrammes (1,100 pounds) of TNT was found in plastic bags and was probably intended to be smuggled into the Gaza Strip, he said.
Israel and the United States have accused Egypt of not doing enough to stem arms smuggling into Gaza, particularly since its seizure by the Islamist Hamas movement in June last year, a charge Egypt strongly denies.
Jordan frees killers of Israeli soldiers Wed Aug 20, 5:11 AM ET
AMMAN (AFP) - Four Jordanian prisoners handed over by Israel last year to complete their life sentences in the kingdom were released from a jail north of the capital Amman on Wednesday. The four, who were convicted of killing two Israeli soldiers in November 1990 four years before Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty, received a hero's welcome from relatives as they walked out of Qafqafa prison carrying Jordanian flags.Jordan's Islamist-dominated trade unions said they were planning a festival later on Wednesday to celebrate the release of the prisoners, who were transferred by Israel in July 2007 in a goodwill gesture to King Abdullah II.Under Jordanian law, a life sentence is equivalent to 25 years in prison and a year of jail in the kingdom comprises just nine months.According to police, the four men were freed after serving three-quarters of their sentences because they had exhibited good conduct.The trade unions had joined with members of parliament and journalists in campaigning for the men's release after Israel freed all its Lebanese prisoners in an exchange with the Shiite militant group Hezbollah last month.
Israel shuts Gaza crossings after rocket attack Wed Aug 20, 3:40 AM ET
JERUSALEM - Israel has closed its cargo crossings with the Gaza Strip following a Palestinian rocket attack on southern Israel that violated a truce. The rocket exploded in open field late Tuesday and caused no injuries or damage. No group claimed responsibility.Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers have been observing a truce since June. But Gaza militants have sporadically violated the deal by firing rockets and mortars into Israel.Prior to the agreement, militants shelled southern Israel almost daily.Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza after Hamas seized control of the territory last year. Under the truce, Israel has gradually reopened the borders. Gaza residents heavily depend on the crossings for basic goods.Israel's defense ministry says the crossings will stay closed for at least 24 hours.
Abbas holds talks with Saudi king Tue Aug 19, 2:26 PM ET
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas met Saudi King Abdullah on Tuesday during a brief visit to Saudi Arabia, the official SPA news agency reported. It gave few details of their talks in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, saying only that they focused on latest developments pertaining to the Palestinian issue and cooperation between the Saudi and Palestinian sides.Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeina, earlier told AFP in the West Bank town of Ramallah that the discussions with King Abdullah would cover "the situation in the region and Saudi Arabia's political and financial support for the Palestinian Authority.Saudi Arabia brokered an agreement between Abbas's secular Fatah party and the Islamist movement Hamas in February 2007 which led to the formation of a short-lived unity government.
Tensions between the two sides led to fierce fighting which resulted in Hamas taking over the Gaza Strip in June last year, the dismissal of the Hamas-led unity government and the formation of a Western-backed cabinet in the West Bank.State-owned Egyptian media said on Tuesday that Egypt will begin a series of talks with the rival Palestinian factions next week with the aim of eventually hosting an intra-Palestinian meeting.
