JONNY PAUL
The editor of an Arabic daily newspaper published in London said in an interview on Lebanese television that he would dance in Trafalgar Square if Iranian missiles hit Israel.
Talking about Iran's nuclear capability on ANB Lebanese television on June 27, Abd Al-Bari Atwan, editor-in-chief of Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, said, "If the Iranian missiles strike Israel, by Allah, I will go to Trafalgar Square and dance with delight."
In the interview, Bari Atwan was asked if he thought there is a process of détente [vis-à-vis Iran] and an American-Iranian inclination to reach a deal on Iran's nuclear ambitions.
"If there is a deal, it will be at the expense of the Arabs and if there is a war, it will also be at the expense of the Arabs," he responded. "I'm sad to say that we have no backbone now. If Iran reaches a deal with the Americans, what will be the bottom line? That Iran will have a nuclear program, and even if it does not manufacture nuclear weapons in the next 5-10 years, it will do so later."
"One of the fruits of such a deal would be a significant Iranian role in the region. Iran ...   more »

By Jack Khoury   
A wooden sign stands at the entrance to the dirt road leading to the Segev Forest in the Western Galilee, inscribed with the symbol of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). Beneath it in fading green letters is the name "Rosh Zayit Ruin." Without perusing the entrance to the dirt road carefully, you might not see the weed-covered sign, and not realize that this is the entrance to a very special archaeological site.
Only an all-terrain vehicle can reach the place because the road is so bad. Before you reach the site, consisting of ruins from the 10th century BCE, you will notice how poorly the area is kept up. The communities in the Misgav region, where the ruin is located, are to begin restoration and development work during the holidays in the hope of upgrading their foundering tourism profile.
The site itself is on a hill with a spectacular view. To the west, you can see the entire Acre Valley and Haifa Bay, and to the north and east are the Western and Upper Galilee mountains. Many archaeologists have found in the site the solution to a historical mystery going back to the time of King ...   more »

Egypt is a nation without external military threats to its sovereignty. None of its neighbors can threaten Egypt’s territorial sovereignty, yet the United States is arming Egypt at an alarming rate. The only reason Egypt would need a strong army is just in case it decides to go to war against Israel in the future.
This has been a long-standing issue for many, including open-eyed Israeli lawmakers and not a few US congressmen who just do not see the logic in pouring high-quality American arms into Egypt.
To repeat: Egypt has no need of a massive, US-equipped army except to conduct war against Israel, which is the only neighboring country that poses any kind of military challenge, but which has absolutely no designs on Egyptian territory.
So basically the US oversaw a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, but as part of the deal agreed to arm Egypt for the day that treaty breaks down. Does this make any sense?
Some will argue that as part of that deal, the US also began its massive military aid to Israel. The difference is that Israel does in fact face numerous regional military threats to its sovereignty, and is in great need ...   more »

By Stan Goodenough
They terrorized the rapidly shrinking Christian community in the little town of Bethlehem, and in 2002 took more than 200 priests and nuns hostage in the Church of the Nativity that marks the traditional birthplace of Jesus.
During their 39 days holed up in the church they desecrated Christian literature, including Bibles, allegedly using one for toilet paper and relieving themselves on the floors of some of the rooms.
They were eventually allowed to leave under a deal struck between the Israeli government and PLO chief Yasser Arafat.
But now, in the latest in a stream of "goodwill" gestures to the murdering Muslims who comprise the bulk of the PLO and its spawned terrorist groups, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly told PL/PA chief Mahmoud Abbas in a meeting Tuesday that these banished terrorists are free to return home to Bethlehem.
This is according to a report in WorldNetDaily citing top "Palestinian" sources.
The killers are said to be overjoyed.
"This is a victory for the Palestinian people and for the Fatah militias. It is a very happy day," exulted Jihad Jaara, the exiled director of the Nativity siege and Bethlehem-area chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs ...   more »

By Andrei Piontkovsky
Last week, Russia and China held joint military maneuvers in the presence of both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤). But a new strategic alliance between the two countries is unlikely, as it is China that poses the greatest strategic threat to Russia, although many in the Kremlin seem blind to this as they rattle sabers at the West.
Indeed, China officially considers several regions in Russia's Far East to be only "alienated" from it. Beijing's territorial claims on Russia are often listed in Chinese grade school geography textbooks, which include a number of Russian Far Eastern regions within China's borders.
This ideology is consistent with the Chinese strategic concept of "vital space," which includes all spheres of a state's strategic activities -- on land, at sea, under water, in the air and in space. The dimensions of "vital space" are determined by a country's economic, scientific, technical, social and military capabilities -- in essence, its "total power."
Chinese theorists have said that the "vital space" of great powers extends far beyond a state's borders, whereas the "vital space" of weak countries is limited to strategic boundaries that do not always correspond to ...   more »