The Oslo Accords and the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza are now widely recognized as tragic errors of immense proportions. Now, we face an even greater danger as the Israeli government, in the wake of the Annapolis summit, is scrambling to give away parts of Israel piece by piece in the pursuit of yet another false peace. We must respond ....   more »

An Israeli technology firm established in 2003 with the express purpose of developing a system to identify individuals intent on causing mayhem is close to releasing a deployable product.
WeCu (text messaging lingo for "we see you") was set up by leading Israeli researchers at the height of the Palestinian suicide bombing campaign in order to find a technological solution to Israel's growing security problems.
The company's new system, as reported by Ha'retz, can be set up in public areas where it would quietly and quickly scan people without their knowledge. The system uses biometric sensors to determine if an individual is planning to carry out a terror attack, even if the suspect is not carrying a bomb or other weapons at that time. Many terrorists case their targets at least once before carrying out an attack.
If successful, the system would greatly ease the pressure on Israel's security forces and private security firms hired to protect public and private establishments from schools to cafes.
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Safed's chief rabbi: Turns out that Olmert is more corrupt than we thought, PM with values needed
Efrat Weiss
The State of Israel needs a kippa-wearing prime minister, Safed's Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu wrote in an article titled "A religious prime minister – it's possible" distributed at synagogues over the weekend.  
Rabbi Eliyahu's article also addressed the latest investigation against the prime minister, noting that "it turns out that Olmert is more corrupt than we thought."  
"So what shall we do? Elect another prime minister without faith? Another one without credibility? Another one without values?…when will we wake up and realize that we need a prime minister with a kippa?"  
"We need a prime minister who acts based on genuine faith and values. We've had enough of prime ministers who bought us by just saying 'God willing' and sold out the Sinai…we certainly don't need a prime minister who establishes and then razes communities with the same determination and sensitivity," Eliyahu wrote.  "The last prime ministers proved that even if they have good intentions, they are able to sell off the country and Jerusalem in one deal, and they are able to put all of us in ...   more »

Olmert has faced quite a few tough moments, but latest probe may be the toughest
Sima Kadmon
We will likely never forget Thursday evening, the end of the State of Israel’s 60th Independence Day. And it’s a good thing that we won’t forget it.  
Even a cynical and sober public, which in the past few years has become accustomed to acts of corruption by its leaders, found it difficult to hear the suspicions pertaining to the prime minister. It is indeed true that the public treats all politicians as if they are in one boat: All are corrupt, self-interested, and take care of themselves first. Yet the offence Olmert is suspected of belongs to a whole new ballgame and completely changes the way we address this affair.       
if he is suspected of accepting a bribe, he won’t be able to rely on the well-known Olmertian technique: A combination of law and spins, arguments and delays. He knows that suspicions of having received large sums of money that went into his pocket, in cash, inside envelopes, for years, are a whole new story, and Olmert made an effort to disprove it Thursday night.  
I never accepted a ...   more »

Israel will eventually have to act, as Lebanon turns into Iranian colony
Alex Fishman Pu
The weekend’s events in Lebanon are a painful reminder that in a year Iran will be officially situated on our northern border. We need to get used to it.  
Barring any surprises, in the next parliamentary elections Lebanon will fall into the hands of Hizbullah and turn into an Iranian colony. We are only minor players in this story. This isn’t 1982, and we have no desire or ability to intervene. We also don’t have powerful allies in Lebanon, so we can’t do anything.  
Chaos  
Fighting in northern Lebanon as Hizbullah ends Beirut takeover     
Siniora and Hariri, who head the coalition that pushed Syria out of Lebanon, are currently breathing their last breaths in regional history – and they know it. They reached this situation, among other reasons, thanks to the twisted foreign policy led by Condoleezza Rice.  
On one hand, during the months of the presidential crisis the American Administration forbade Siniora to agree to a compromise, which he could have reached, with Hizbullah. On the other hand, the US did not provide Lebanon’s prime minister with the military ...   more »