In intelligence parlance it’s called “chatter” – communication by known or suspected terrorists among themselves. When monitoring agents detect intensification in the level of communication, or certain variations in the pattern of interaction – they increase the alert level and brace for a possible attack.
Western intelligence agencies are also consistently monitoring hostile nations for the likelihood of war. In the Middle East, falling down on this job could lead – and has led – to surprise attacks that have threatened the very existence of the State of Israel.
Here in Israel, “ordinary” folk don’t generally have access to this type of “chatter.” Because of the prevailing tensions in our world, however, our “antennae” are probably more sensitive to conditions - and our spirits more quickly alerted – than if we were living elsewhere.
Jerusalem has been my home for nearly 20 years. At some point in almost every one of those years, conjecture has circulated about the possibility of war. In the early 1990s, conflicts seemed to always be anticipated in the autumn. More recent years have seen that time frame shift to the summer.
Of course, there is good reason for the speculation:  Israel has fought or endured ...   more »

By Aaron Klein
JERUSALEM – Fresh from bulldozing a synagogue near Judaism's third holiest site, destroying another synagogue near Judaism's second holiest site and calling up 3,000 soldiers to forcibly evict two Jewish families from a Jewish market, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government now has ordered a rabbi and his mobile yeshiva to vacate Hebron, the oldest Jewish city.
Rabbi Danny Cohen, an emissary to Hebron for the Chabad Lubavitch Worldwide Jewish Outreach Movement, says he was surprised when earlier this week he received an eviction notice from the Israeli government demanding he remove his mobile structure from the city.
Cohen teaches Torah and organizes prayer quarams for Hebron residents from his headquarters – a mobile trailer parked in Hebron's Jewish neighborhood. The rabbi says he was forced to set up religious shop in the trailer because of extreme Israeli government regulations against building new Jewish structures in Hebron, an important biblical city that once served as the Jewish capital.
Hebron is home to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the second holiest site in Judaism. The tomb is believed to be the resting place of the biblical patriarchs and matriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca and Leah.
While rampant illegal ...   more »

By Aaron Klein
TEL AVIV – Israel's security cabinet, composed of the country's top ministers, today held what was deemed a "very sensitive" closed-door meeting to plan for the possibility of war with Syria.
Ministers were asked to leave their cell phones outside to prevent the possibility of leaks. In attendance were Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman and nine top lawmakers. It was the sixth such security cabinet meeting in recent weeks.
According to security officials, the ministers were briefed on recent Syrian military movements and Damascus' acquisition of missiles and rockets capable of hitting civilian population centers, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The ministers were told Syria recently stepped up the pace of its own rocket production and moved some rockets close to the Israeli border.
The ministers were briefed on possible war scenarios, Israeli military options for countering any Syrian attack and the readiness of Israel's home front, including bomb shelters and anti-missile systems, security sources said.
WND reported last week that with the exception of the north, the Jewish state's home front, Israelis – especially in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv – are unprepared for the ...   more »

By Barak Ravid   
Israel has sent several messages to Damascus in recent weeks reiterating that it has no desire to attack Syria, in an effort to keep Syria from misreading Israel's intentions and therefore deciding to launch a war.
The messages have been sent via various foreign channels, a senior government source said. In addition, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has made public statements to this effect.    
But while doing its best to reassure Syria, the government also has been preparing intensively for the possibility that war might nevertheless break out: Yesterday, the ministerial committee on the northern front held its sixth meeting in the past two months.
As yet, there are no signs of progress that would enable a resumption of Israeli-Syrian negotiations. Nevertheless, a senior European diplomat said, "European officials who have given Olmert messages from Damascus regarding its desire to resume negotiations have received the impression that he is keeping an open mind."
"The situation on the northern border is fragile and sensitive, but the European Union believes there is no danger of war, since neither side wants to start a conflict," the diplomat added. Nevertheless, he said, "in the present atmosphere, it is important that ...   more »

Richard C. Dujardin / Providence Journal 
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- When Naomi Mitchell told her mother, several months ago, that she was thinking of signing up as a soldier in the Israeli army, Francine Mitchell suggested she do more research to decide if that was really what she wanted to do.
By May, the 19-year-old had decided. Returning home after spending nine months studying and volunteering in Israel, she announced she would follow in the footsteps of her older brother, Gabi, who joined the Israeli army, except that she might go into the Israeli navy instead. Military service is compulsory for young men and women in Israel.
Naomi Mitchell this week boarded one of 13 chartered flights at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York that have been set aside this summer to carry 2,200 American Jews on one-way flights to Israel to become permanent Israeli residents
"This is something I've dreamed about for a very long time," Naomi Mitchell said. "I believe in the state of Israel."
The trips are paid for by the Israeli government and are organized by the Jerusalem-based group Nefesh B'Nefesh, which means "soul to soul." Aside from arranging flights, the organization provides help in ...   more »