Palestinians make astonishing claim,
deny they'll help restore burned tomb
By Aaron Klein
Building at Joseph's Tomb site after Palestinian Authority took control in 2000 .
In the wake of an attempt by Palestinians to burn down Joseph's Tomb – Judaism's third holiest site – Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction issued a statement denying it will help restore the shrine, referring to both the shrine and the biblical patriarch as "Muslim."
"Pay no attention to the rumors that we will work with Israel to restore the burial site of the holy Muslim Joseph," said the statement, issued from Nablus, the biblical city of Shechem. "We are going to guard this holy Muslim site."
Joseph's Tomb is the believed burial place of the son of Jacob who was sold by his brothers into slavery and later became viceroy of Egypt.
Palestinian security officials in Nablus said Monday they were called to the tomb to find 16 burning tires inside the sacred structure. A Palestinian police official who inspected the site told WND there was some fire damage to the tomb.
He said the Palestinian Authority, fearing embarrassment, immediately formed a joint committee from the PA's Force 17, Preventative Security ...   more »

 Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, the eldest son of the current spiritual leader of the Shas party, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, is charging the party with endangering Jews.
Rabbi Yaakov Yosef said the Shas party should immediately quit the government or bear responsibility for putting Israel in grave danger.
He charged Wednesday that Shas can no longer use the excuse that negotiations with the Palestinian Authority to surrender parts of Jerusalem are far from fruition.  
Shas party chairman and Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor, Eli Yishai, expressed surprise Tuesday when reporters informed him that Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, chief negotiator for Israel, had discussed the status of Jerusalem with PA negotiator Ahmed Qureia in meetings Monday and Tuesday.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said repeatedly that the status of Jerusalem would not be negotiated until after all other outstanding issues had been resolved in the negotiations with the PA.
As late as Wednesday, the prime minister reassured Minister Yishai that he remained firm in his commitment that Jerusalem would not be put on the negotiating table at this point, despite numerous reports to the contrary.
Yosef said that Shas is betraying the decision of the Council of Torah Sages and putting ...   more »

by Hillel Fendel
 An Education Ministry '60th Anniversary of Israel' poster features a non-existent Christian church over the Western Wall.
The poster, distributed to all schools across the country, features eight symbols portraying important aspects of the State of Israel: The Declaration of Independence flanked by the country's official flag and emblem; photos of the Knesset, government complex and Supreme Court, representing the government's three branches; a satellite photo of the entire country; and a large photograph of the Western Wall (the Kotel). 
This last, however, is marred by technological manipulation in two ways. In addition to the golden Dome of the Rock towering over the Kotel, the minaret of another Moslem mosque is shown above the Wall - despite the fact that in reality it is much further to the north and out of sight of Jews at the Wall.  Secondly, a church spire has been placed to the right of the minaret and above the Kotel - when in fact no such church is located in the vicinity.
The photo thus creates the effect of a Jerusalem belonging jointly to three religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
An Attempt to Internationalize Jerusalem
Jerusalem City Councilman David Hadari (National ...   more »

Jerusalem municipal opposition leader accuses Prime Minister Olmert, Vice Premier Ramon of 'deceiving Israeli citizens'. Ramon aide: This is nonsense
Roni Sofer
Israeli and Palestinian representatives have reached an agreement to divide Jerusalem, the capital's municipal opposition leader Nir Barkat said Wednesday.  
"(Vice Premier) Haim Ramon and the prime minister are deceiving Israel's citizens," Barkat added after exchanging letters with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on the negotiations with the Palestinians.     
Barkat based his accusations on information from "senior sources" which he refused to reveal, claiming that Ramon and Palestinian tycoon Muhammad Rashid had agreed in secret talks on Jerusalem's division.  
"Livni refuses to reveal the fundamental information she has, according to which there is a secret channel which is not being led by the Foreign Ministry. Knowing this makes her an accomplice in this political deceit, which is really aimed at dividing Jerusalem behind Israeli citizens' backs," said Barkat.  
In his letter to Livni, Barkat wrote, "I was amazed to learn that a senior and official Palestinian source was quoted as saying that 'we can say that Israel is ready to pullout of all the Arab villages and neighborhoods in Jerusalem.'"  
He went on to ...   more »

By Barak Ravid and Yuval Azoulay,
Israel's Counter-Terrorism Bureau on Thursday issued an advisory warning Israelis abroad to be vigilant in the face of likely abduction attempts, as Lebanese guerrillas threatened to avenge Tuesday's assassination of a Hezbollah commander tied to a string of terror attacks against Israeli, American and Jewish targets.
Israel also ordered its military and embassies to go on alert Thursday, and advised Jewish institutions worldwide to follow suit, as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to retaliate against Israeli targets.  
Israel on Wednesday denied involvement in the death of Imad Mughniyah, who was killed in a car bombing Tuesday in the Syrian capital of Damascus.
The slain Hezbollah deputy secretary general was on Israel's and the U.S.'s wanted terrorist lists, and Hezbollah, its Iranian backers and others pointed accusatory fingers at Israel following the assassination.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi put forces on heightened alert, instructing them to take the necessary precautions by air, land and sea in order to protect the northern border and other Israeli interests, the army said Thursday.
The military sent more troops to the already heavily patrolled northern border with Lebanon, defense officials said, without elaborating. Soldiers were ...   more »

Killer of hundreds of Americans
called 'hero' of 'the Muslim nation'
By Aaron Klein
Imad Mughniyah
JAFFA, Israel – A representative of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas praised Hezbollah deputy commander Imad Mughniyah as a hero after the report today of the most-wanted terrorist leader's death in a car bomb blast in Syria.
Abbas Zakki, the ambassador to Lebanon for the PA president's Fatah organization, called Mughniyah a "hero and a loss for the Palestinian people and the Muslim nation."
"We mourn with our brothers in Hezbollah this great leader who died today," Zakki said on Hezbollah's Al Manar TV as screened and translated by WND.
Zakki said he is "proud that Mughniyah was part of the Fatah revolutionary movement and that he fought Western Zionist and American imperialism as part of Fatah."
In the 1980s, Mughniyah was in Beirut working with Fatah and its leader at the time, Yasser Arafat.
Mughniyah was responsible for numerous infamous deadly attacks against the U.S. and Israel, including involvement in the 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon.
He was Israel's No. 1 most-wanted terrorist, even ahead of Hezbollah chieftain Hassan Nasrallah. Mughniyah was considered one of the most dangerous terrorists ...   more »