West plans to pressure Jerusalem to express remorse about being
WASHINGTON – Pressured for nearly two decades to swap land for peace that never came, Israel will next be asked to apologize to its Arab and Muslim enemies for coming into existence in the first place.
That's what experts in conflict resolution have determined is the most expedient path for the Jewish state to take in turning around enemies who don't accept Israel's legitimacy as a Mideast state, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence newsletter edited by the founder of WND.
"According to my sources, a new form of pressure will be placed on Israel – pressure to apologize for what Arabs call 'al-Nabka,' the catastrophe of the 1948 war that ended with the displacement of hundreds of thousands of them as refugees," writes Farah in his G2 Bulletin report, available in full to subscribers only.
Farah writes that the basis of the argument for an Israeli apology is found in the Aug. 24 issue of Science magazine. In an article written by two researchers from John Jay College's Center on Terrorism and a professor of "human understanding" at the University of Michigan, a new plan for ...   more »

22 Tishrei 5768, 04 October 07 03:58by Hillel Fendel(IsraelNN.com) Preparations for the US-sponsored Middle East summit in Washington six weeks from now are underway, as PA seeks Arab unity - in vain.
"Over 36 countries are expected to attend" the Middle East summit called by U.S. President George Bush, Mahmoud Abbas told reporters in Cairo.  Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, the Palestinian Authority chief who also heads the Fatah terrorist organization, was in Cairo coordinating plans with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in anticipation of the summit.
Abbas is seeking Arab unity in setting pre-summit expectations for achievements at the summit.  However, while Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Morocco are sure to attend, Syria now says it will not take part unless its "concerns" - namely, Israel's return of the Golan Heights - are addressed.  It is still not clear what Saudi Arabia will do. 
Timed to Coincide with Jewish Summit
The summit will be launched by Pres. Bush on Nov. 15 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.  Investigative journalist David Bedein of Jerusalem notes that this date coincides with the annual Jewish get-together of more than 3,000 well-organized Jewish community councils and Jewish federations from all over the ...   more »

 Unless Golan is on the Agenda
22 Tishrei 5768, 04 October 07 03:58by Hillel Fendel(IsraelNN.com) Preparations for the US-sponsored Middle East summit in Washington six weeks from now are underway, as PA seeks Arab unity - in vain.
"Over 36 countries are expected to attend" the Middle East summit called by U.S. President George Bush, Mahmoud Abbas told reporters in Cairo.  Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, the Palestinian Authority chief who also heads the Fatah terrorist organization, was in Cairo coordinating plans with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in anticipation of the summit.
Abbas is seeking Arab unity in setting pre-summit expectations for achievements at the summit.  However, while Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Morocco are sure to attend, Syria now says it will not take part unless its "concerns" - namely, Israel's return of the Golan Heights - are addressed.  It is still not clear what Saudi Arabia will do. 
Timed to Coincide with Jewish Summit
The summit will be launched by Pres. Bush on Nov. 15 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.  Investigative journalist David Bedein of Jerusalem notes that this date coincides with the annual Jewish get-together of more than 3,000 well-organized Jewish community councils and ...   more »

Russia has sent technicians to upgrade Syria's air defense system, The British newspaper said that Moscow sent the team after Israel managed to foil Syria's air defenses using stealth technology, allowing Israeli jets to remain invisible during an IAF strike on September 6. Foreign reports that have surfaced since the incident indicated that Israeli jets assisted by a unit of special operations ground troops bombed and totally destroyed a strategic site in eastern Syria built with North Korean help. According to the Times report, the Israeli Air Force used a sophisticated electronic warfare system operated by F-15I jets and a fleet of specialist electronic warfare aircraft over the Mediterranean during the attack on a suspected nuclear facility near Dayr az-Zawr. They transmitted signals that jammed the Russian-made radar and the Syrian army's communications. Syria has been veering from condemnation to denial since the alleged attack, and in the past few days has stuck to a strong denial of any nuclear activity and claimed that the IAF attack was aimed at a civilian agricultural research center. The top-secret system used by Israel, the paper claimed, was being used for the first time. It is believed to have been designed in readiness ...   more »

by Daniel Pipes
"Everything" did not change on 9/11, as some expected, but one thing certainly did: the U.S. government's willingness to preempt enemies before they act. This new policy has outraged so many, it may be discontinued.
In foreign affairs, preemption replaced the long-established policy of deterrence. A series of speeches established the new policy, culminating in George W. Bush's June 2002 declaration that "our security will require all Americans to be forward-looking and resolute, to be ready for preemptive action when necessary to defend our liberty and to defend our lives." Nine months later, preemption justified the invasion of Iraq before Iraqis had attacked the United States, to the fury of many.In domestic U.S. affairs too, preemption has prompted great consternation. In keeping with the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution ("The right of the people to be secure … against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause"), law enforcement historically has held off arresting thieves until they actually committed crimes. But the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), beefed up by the 2001 USA PATRIOT Act, makes it easier to stop terrorists before they act. If there is ...   more »

by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook-One of the defining principles of Hamas and the Islamic Brotherhood is their insistence that the only truth is Islam and that the world is destined to be enlightened only when ruled by Islam. A similar Islamic supremacist ideology was expressed recently in an article by a Palestinian Authority religious leader who was appointed last year by Mahmoud Abbas as member of the Supreme Fatwa Council: "Muslims are masters of the world, its leaders and teachers, even if the West rejects this." "The Muslims and their societies are more advanced and more sublime than the West and its societies… are more perfect in value system and humanity. The fact that there are those who believe that these are Western values – it is a delusion and false, since the Muslims are masters of the world, its leaders and teachers, even if the West rejects this." This continues the ongoing social-religious evolution that PMW has been reporting for some time, in which the radical Islamic ideology of Hamas is being adopted by the Fatah of Mahmoud Abbas. See PMW's recent report on the newest PA schoolbooks, "From Nationalist Battle to Religious Conflict". The following was written ...   more »

A failure in the upcoming US-sponsored Middle East peace conference would have more dangerous repercussions than the botched Camp David summit in 2000, Fatah officials warned on Tuesday. This was the first time senior Fatah officials hinted at a possible wave of violence if the conference - expected to be held in Annapolis, Maryland, next month - did not meet the Palestinians' demands. "If we don't prepare well for the conference so that it will result in something positive, the repercussions will be more dangerous than what happened after the failure of Camp David," said Azzam al-Ahmed, head of the Fatah parliamentary list. He is closely associated with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The Palestinians might decide to stay away from the meeting, Ahmed warned. "If the [Israeli and Palestinian] negotiators don't reach an agreement before the conference, there will be no point in holding it," he said. "Let's bear in mind that invitations to the conference have not been issued yet." US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice still hadn't answered many of the questions about the conference that were presented to her by the Palestinians, Ahmed said. "In the beginning, we were surprised by [US President George W.] Bush's ...   more »

THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE
Took action after hearing of illegal display by Hispanic bar owner in Reno
Mexican flag flies above U.S. banner at Reno business in footage from local KRNV-TV
After hearing a Reno bar was flying a Mexican flag above a U.S. flag, an angered U.S. Army veteran took matters into his own hands, drove to the site and cut down the banners in front of a stunned group of Hispanic patrons.
Reno television station KRNV, which was there to document Jim Broussard's act of defiance, noted the U.S. code prohibits raising the flag of any other nations above Old Glory.
Broussard pulled up in his truck to the Cantina El Jaripeo near downtown Reno yesterday, cut the rope that anchored the flags and pulled them down from a makeshift flagpole.
He left the Mexican flag on the ground and, with the U.S. flag in hand, turned to the KRNV cameraman:
U.S. military vet, with U.S. flag in hand, displays knife he used to cut it down
"I'm Jim Broussard," he said, "and I took this flag down in honor of my country with … a knife from the United States Army. I'm a veteran, I'm not ...   more »

BY ANGELA CAPUTO Daily Southtown
So long, Halloween parade. Farewell, Santa's gift shop.
The holiday traditions are facing elimination in some Oak Lawn schools this year after complaints that the activities are offensive, particularly to Muslim students.
Final decisions on which of the festivities will be axed will fall to the principals at each of Ridgeland School District 122's five schools, Supt. Tom Smyth said.
Parents expect that the announcement is going to add to the tension that has been building since officials agreed earlier this month to change the lunch menu to exclude items containing pork to accommodate Muslim students. News that Jell-O was struck from the menu caused such a stir that officials have agreed to bring it back. Gelatin is often made with tissue or bones of pigs or other animals.
That controversy now appears to have been been dwarfed by the holiday debate, which became so acrimonious Wednesday that police were called to Columbus Manor School to intervene in a shouting match among parents.
"It's difficult when you change the school's culture," said Columbus Manor Principal Sandy Robertson.
Elizabeth Zahdan, a mother of three District 122 students, says she took her concerns to the school board ...   more »

Muslim Mother Asks That Ramadan Be Celebrated Along With Other Holidays In Oak Lawn Schools
(CBS) OAK LAWN, Ill. Parents in Oak Lawn sounded off Tuesday night about what they see as an assault on traditional American celebrations. At issue is whether Halloween and Christmas celebrations are insensitive to school children who are Muslim.
As CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports, the school board held an emergency meeting Tuesday night.
Almost a month before Halloween, some Oak Lawn homes are already decorated with pumpkins, ghosts and goblins. But rumors that Ridgefield School District 122 may soon ban in-school Halloween and Christmas have infuriated many parents and area residents.
"They're trying to take away holidays and stuff for the kids," said resident Gene Boerema, dressed in a Santa Claus costume.
Elizabeth Zahdan is at the center of the storm, a Muslim mother of three who requested that her children be separated from others at lunch during the Ramadan fast.
The schools agreed, but many parents didn't.
"I don’t ever remember one of us asking for our child to be separated from classmates during Ash Wednesday when they were fasting, or on every Friday of Lent when our children are not allowed to ...   more »

By Sara A. Carter - Navy imam Chaplain Abuhena M. Saifulislam lifted his voice to God as he called to prayer more than 100 Department of Defense employees Monday at a celebration of Ramadan at the Pentagon.
“God is most great,” sang the lieutenant commander and Islamic leader, in Arabic, as iftar — the end of the daily fast began.
Uniformed military personnel, civilians and family members faced Mecca and knelt on adorned prayer rugs chanting their prayers in quiet invocation to Allah.
“We do all we can to help meet the religious needs of our soldiers,” said Deputy Pentagon Chaplain Army Maj. Alan Pomaville, a Christian, who attended the iftar alongside the Muslim chaplains. “The leadership in the [Defense Department] wants to care for the body of the whole soldier.”
As the Pentagon celebrated Ramadan, the White House is in preparations for an iftar feast tomorrow, said Lt. Cmdr. Saifulislam, who will be participating at the White House events.
“President and Mrs. Bush host an iftar dinner every year because they want people around the world to know how much they respect Islam and the many Muslims living in the U.S. who are free to worship as they want, ...   more »

Dozens turn out in Oak Lawn to hear debate over religion
By Jo Napolitano
Dozens of parents said at an Oak Lawn school board meeting Tuesday night that while they're happy to have a student body of varying religions, they want to keep celebrating what they say are traditional American holidays and customs.
That doesn't mean they aren't open to observing other religions' holidays, the parents told the Ridgeland School District 122 board, which was looking at its policies concerning religious teachings and observances. At issue is whether Christian holidays, such as Christmas, should be celebrated now that Muslim children make up about 30 percent of district pupils.
After meeting for 2 1/2 hours in a closed session, board members decided to keep the district's Christmas and Halloween parties and add a Ramadan celebration.
The debate, which has raged in the community for weeks, was sparked by a parent, Elizabeth Zahdan, who asked that stars and moons be displayed in schools in honor of Ramadan. She was denied and told that schools couldn't partake in religious celebrations.
"I want everyone to be equally acknowledged. I never demanded that no one can celebrate. I never said take Christmas away," Zahdan said ...   more »

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By Jane Sutton
MIAMI (Reuters) - Seven men plotted to bring down the U.S. government by poisoning saltshakers and bombing landmark buildings, a prosecutor told Miami jurors as their terrorism conspiracy trial opened on Tuesday.
The "Liberty City Seven" aimed to create chaos as part of a holy war to pave the way for al Qaeda-affiliated guerrillas to take over the United States, Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Gregorie said in the prosecution's opening statement.
"We need to make the people go crazy in the streets," Gregorie quoted alleged ringleader Narseal Batiste as saying. "Allah is going to take over through us."
Defense lawyers said the charges were "nonsense" scripted by the government and orchestrated by paid FBI informants they called Conman No. 1 and Conman No. 2.
They said the defendants, one of whom was devoted mainly to smoking marijuana, had no weapons or intent to do violence and that it was the informants who suggested poisoning restaurant saltshakers and blowing up buildings.
The "Liberty City Seven," named for the poor part of Miami where they gathered in a rundown warehouse, were arrested in 2006 on charges of plotting to blow up Chicago's 110-story ...   more »

The US Air Force is working with military leaders from Persian Gulf states to train and prepare Arab air forces for a possible war with Iran, The Daily Telegraph in London reported Tuesday.
Participants in an air warfare conference in Washington last week were told how American air chiefs have helped to coordinate intelligence-sharing with Gulf nations and organized combined exercises designed to make fighting together easier.
Gen. Michael Mosley, USAF chief of staff, used the conference to seek closer links with allies whose support America might need if US President George W. Bush decides to bomb Iran, the paper reported.
Pentagon officials have helped set up an air warfare center in the United Arab Emirates, where Gulf nations are training their fighter pilots and America has large-scale bases. The center is modeled on the USAF warfare center at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
Jordan and the UAE have both taken part in combined exercises designed to make sure their air forces can fly, and fight, together with American jets, the Telegraph reported.
While it is unlikely that America's Gulf allies would join any US air strike against suspected nuclear targets in Iran, their cooperation might be required to ...   more »

A massive volcano eruption triggered by an earthquake has ripped apart a tiny island in the Red Sea.
Terrified witnesses reported lava spewing hundreds of yards into the air with plumes of volcanic ash also rising from the site.
Officials said today that part of Jazirt Mount al-Tair, which is about 80 miles from Yemen, had collapsed after the eruption at around 5.30pm on Sunday.
A huge rescue operation was still underway for survivors with at least four soldiers reported dead and another five still missing.
Squadroons of troops, who are based on the Red Sea island, had to be evacuated to the port city of Hodeida in the immediate aftermath.
One said: "Four of our comrades have died, burned by the lava.
Another added: "They were killed immediately after the eruption of the volcano at 5:30 pm on Sunday."
The Canadian frigate HMCS Toronto had been sailing towards the Suez Canal and was called in to help. On Sunday evening, Canadian Navy spokesman Ken Allen told reporters in an e-mail that the entire island was "aglow with lava and magma as it pours down into the sea.
"The lava is spewing hundreds of feet into the air, with the ...   more »