Talia Dekel
The IDF and Shin Bet uncovered 6.5 tons of potassium nitrate hidden in sacks that were disguised as aid from the European Union, the army announced on Saturday.
Security forces discovered the stash in the cargo of a Palestinian truck at a West Bank checkpoint earlier in December. According to the IDF, the material, hidden in sugar sacks, was planned to be used by terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
"Potassium Nitrate is a banned substance in the Gaza Strip and the Judea and Samaria region due to its use by terrorists for the manufacturing of
explosives and Kassam rockets," the IDF spokesperson wrote in a statement.
"This is another example of how the terror organizations exploit the humanitarian aid that is delivered to the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip with Israel's approval," the statement read.
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By: Newsmax  
The Israeli army has announced a new campaign to prepare the nation’s citizens for an attack with chemical or biological weapons.
The campaign will offer civilians detailed information on how to protect their homes against weapons of mass destruction — how to choose a protected room and how to seal doors and windows against a WMD attack.
Information will be provided in a guidebook to be distributed to every household, as well as through television broadcasts, a Web site, and a telephone information center.
The Israeli army in recent months has collected hundreds of thousands of gas masks it had distributed to civilians following the outbreak of the 1991 Gulf War, according to the Web site spacewar.com.
Israelis had feared that the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein would fire missiles at Israel loaded with WMDs.
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By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent   
Tags: Syria, Hamas, Israel  
The Foreign Ministry has placed the Syrian issue as one of its central objectives for 2008. A document published by the ministry states its intention to "formulate a strategic plan to remove Syria from the radical axis."
Senior officials in the Foreign Ministry indicated that there is still no clear program for reaching this goal, but that a list of ideas includes the distancing of Syria from Iran, Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorist organizations.
This objective is in line with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's recent "checking" with different Israel-Syria mediators to examine Damascus' willingness to start political negotiations with Israel.  
The Foreign Ministry's list of objectives for 2008, which was approved this week by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, also includes promoting the Annapolis process, continuing the isolation of Hamas in the international arena, and improving the standard of living within the Gaza Strip.
Moreover, the plan calls for the normalization of relations with Arab countries and for the "opening of new channels of communication with countries with which Israel has no diplomatic relations."
The plan also states the importance of thwarting Iran's nuclear developments and assisting Jewish communities in distress. ...   more »

By Jessica Ravitz
LDS Church's Jerusalem Center. (Mark A. Philbrick)JERUSALEM - For many in Israel, the building and its inhabitants are shrouded in mystery. Some even call it "the secret place."
    "What is it, these Mormons?" a man with a thick Hebrew accent asks. "Do you know what they believe?" asks a woman in a downtown restaurant. "Why are they here?" a Palestinian taxi driver wonders aloud.
    Nestled atop Mount Scopus, with sweeping views of the Kidron Valley, the Mount of Olives and the Old City of Jerusalem, Brigham Young University's Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies sits on real estate that would make any Middle Eastern Donald Trump drool. Here, students who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spend from two to four months immersed in study of the new and old, the ancient and the modern - whether that be the testaments of the Bible or near eastern history.
    But what the students and couples doing volunteer service at the center don't do is talk about their faith with others. That's right: They are Latter-day Saints who keep their beliefs quiet and lips sealed.
    "We do not proselytize. Even ...   more »

In January 2006, when Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon had a stroke, permanently incapacitating him, the American evangelical leader Pat Robertson attributed Sharon's medical condition to divine intervention resulting from Sharon's withdrawal from Gaza a few months earlier.
The book of Joel, the prophet Joel, makes it very clear that God has enmity against those who, quote, "divide my land." God considers this land to be his. You read the Bible and he says "this is my land," and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says "No, this is mine." Here, he‘s at the point of death. He was dividing God‘s land. And I would say, woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the E.U., the United Nations or the United States of America. God says, "This land belongs to me." You better leave it alone.
Pat Robertson, leading American evangelist.
These remarks drew criticism from many sources, ranging from the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America to the Anti-Defamation League to the People for the American Way ("Once again, Pat Robertson leaves us speechless with his insensitivity ...   more »