By Stan Goodenough
Representatives of the four parties to the so-called Quartet are expected to arrive in Jerusalem Tuesday to try and make hay at the Jews’ expense while the sun purportedly shines on the land-for-peace process – thanks to Hamas.
They are being described as “low level” envoys, but the meeting of these individuals – representing the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union – will still be geared towards pushing forward the international community’s plan to rob the Jews of half of their homeland for the creation of a Palestinian state.
The Jerusalem get-together will take place a day after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas meet at a summit being convened by Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak – a man who, despite his country’s peace agreement with Israel, has consistently nurtured a deep hatred of the Jewish state.
The Quartet has been spurred on by the Hamas coup d’etat in Gaza earlier this month that saw the Islamist terrorist organization take power from its sister but secular terrorist movement – Abbas’ Fatah faction of the PLO.
According to news agencies quoting a spokesman for the Quartet’s Russian component, the purpose of ...   more »

Israel’s military intelligence chief warned Sunday that Israel is on the brink of a war that could break out as early as this summer.
Major General Amos Yadlin told the Israeli Cabinet that several factors were moving the nation toward war.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Yadlin cited Iran, Hizbullah, Hamas, World Jihad, and Syria who the paper quoted Yadlin as saying "are all actively working against Israel, and may force a conflict as early as this summer.”
"Any one of these authorities can bring about a deterioration in the situation this summer," Yadlin said.
 Yadlin’s comments come as the militant Islamic faction of the PLO, the Hamas terror network, has taken control over Gaza and is battling with the moderate wing Fatah for control of the West Bank.
Along Israel's northern border, Iran’s backing of Hizbullah in Lebanon has added more worry for Israel.
Syria, which also shares a border with Israel, appears to be preparing for a major conflict.
Earlier this month Britain's London Telegraph reports that Israeli officials believe that Syria is preparing for a major war against the Jewish state.
"Israeli intelligence officials have been warning for weeks that Syria is investing hundreds of millions of ...   more »

By CON COUGHLIN 
Iran is deploying missiles in Syria in preparation for military action if it is attacked over its nuclear program, U.N. officials in the region said.
Under a mutual defense pact signed between Damascus and Tehran in 2005, Syria agreed to the deployment of sophisticated weaponry on its territory.
The Iranians have now decided to implement the agreement following a meeting last month of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, which is chaired by a former president, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Iran is preparing to transfer dozens of medium-range Shahab-3 and Russian-made Scud-C missiles, together with Scud-B missiles. Most of the missiles can be fired from mobile launchers and are capable of hitting targets right across Israel.
" Iran is preparing itself for the possibility of military action over its nuclear program," a senior U.N. official in Lebanon said.
"If Iran is attacked then this will give it a number of retaliation options."
U.N. officials said work on the new missile storage facilities will begin next month and will take about a year to complete.
Besides shipping the weapons, Iran has also sent missile engineers to help to train the Syrian military and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite Muslim group ...   more »

Al-Qaida's deputy leader called on Muslims around the world to back Hamas with weapons, money and attacks on US and Israeli interests in a Web audiotape Monday, urging the Palestinian militant group to unite with al-Qaida's "holy warriors" after its takeover of Gaza.
The message from Ayman al-Zawahri, who is Osama bin Laden's top deputy, marked a major shift by al-Qaida, which in the past criticized Hamas for joining a government with the US-supported Fatah faction.
The audiotape was clearly made after Hamas's takeover of Gaza earlier this month, marking a rapid response from al-Qaida's top leadership to the events. Its authenticity could not be independently confirmed, but it was posted on a Web forum where al-Zawahri has issued messages in the past.
Al-Zawahri urged Hamas to implement Islamic law in Gaza, telling it, "Taking over power is not a goal but a means to implement God's word on earth."
"Unite with mujahedeen (holy warriors) in Palestine ... and with all mujahedeen in the world in the face of the upcoming attack where Egyptians and Saudis are expected to play part of it," he added, suggesting that the two countries intend to attack Hamas to uproot its control of Gaza. ...   more »