Iran vs Israel Options

[ABLAT Staff]

Last update - 01:17 23/01/2006


Iran: Israeli military strike against nuclear program would be 'fatal mistake'

By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies

Iran on Sunday said Israel would be making a "fatal mistake" if it resorted to military action against Tehran's nuclear program, and dismissed comments on the issue made by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz as a "childish game."

On Saturday, Mofaz said "Israel will not accept Iran's nuclear armament," and added that Israel was prepared for military action to stop Iran's nuclear program.

Mofaz, speaking at the Herzliya Conference, said that although Israel is currently satisfied with the international diplomatic efforts aimed at containing Tehran's nuclear program, Israel must prepare to defend itself.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Israel was only trying to add to Western pressure on Iran to give up its nuclear program.

"We consider Mofaz's comments a from of psychological warfare. Israel knows just how much of a fatal mistake it would be [to attack Iran]," Asefi told reporters. "This is just a childish game by Israel."

Israel, which views Iran as a major threat, has joined Washington in charging that Tehran is trying to build nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for electricity generation.

Mofaz said that Iran poses a threat not only to Israel, but to the entire world. He regarded Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "an oppressor" and Syrian President Bashar Assad as "an optometrist with no vision."

The defense minister reiterated his accusations that Iran funds terror against Israel, a claim he made Thursday after Islamic Jihad carried out a suicide bombing in southern Tel Aviv.

According to Mofaz, Iran last year transferred $100 million to Hezbollah to fund terror activities, some of which was transferred to Palestinian organizations. Islamic Jihad, he said, received more than $10 million from Iran and Hezbollah last year.

The speech addressed the Iranian people directly, with Mofaz saying, "Ahmedinejad, his hallucinatory statements, his criminal actions and his extreme views will bring disaster upon you. Do what you understand needs to be done in order to prevent this."

Mofaz also said Ahmedinejad should look at historical examples of others who tried to destroy the Jewish people.

"You, who are leading your country in an ideology of hatred, terror and antisemitism. You had better take a glance at history and see what became of tyrants like you who tried to annihilate the Jewish people. They only brought destruction upon their own people," he said.

Ahmedinejad has said that Israel should be "wiped off the map" and has questioned whether the Holocaust took place.

Regarding relations with the Palestinians, Mofaz said that if it becomes evident that there is no peace partner, Israel must "take fate into her own hands."

Such a move, he added, would include a withdrawal to defensible borders while strengthening West Bank settlement blocs, demilitarization of Palestinian areas, and protecting a united Jerusalem. To do so, U.S. and international backing will be needed, he said, and added that he believes that such a move would be widely supported by the Israeli public.

Also scheduled to appear at the Herzliya Conference, which is set to last four days, are Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyhau and Labor Chairman Amir Peretz.

Among the issues to be discussed are Iran's nuclear armament and its strategic implications, Israel's standing in Europe and the U.S. and a debate on defining Israeli territory, which will consider the question of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the Jewish people.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/673006.html

[ABLAT Staff]

Israeli Hints at Preparation to Stop Iran

Jan 21, 9:00 PM (ET)

By JOSEF FEDERMAN

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's defense minister hinted Saturday that the Jewish state is preparing for military action to stop Iran's nuclear program, but said international diplomacy must be the first course of action.

"Israel will not be able to accept an Iranian nuclear capability and it must have the capability to defend itself, with all that that implies, and this we are preparing," Shaul Mofaz said.

His comments at an academic conference stopped short of overtly threatening a military strike but were likely to add to growing tensions with Iran.

Germany's defense minister said in an interview published Saturday that he is hopeful of a diplomatic solution to the impasse over Iran's nuclear program, but argued that "all options" should remain open.

Asked by the Bild am Sonntag weekly whether the threat of a military solution should remain in place, Franz Josef Jung was quoted as responding: "Yes, we need all options."

French President Jacques Chirac said Thursday that France could respond with nuclear weapons against any state-sponsored terrorist attack.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Saturday that Chirac's threats reflect the true intentions of nuclear nations, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

"The French president uncovered the covert intentions of nuclear powers in using this lever (nuclear weapons) to determine political games," IRNA quoted Asefi as saying.

Israel long has identified Iran as its biggest threat and accuses Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons. Iran says its atomic program is peaceful.

Iran broke U.N. seals at a uranium enrichment plant Jan. 10 and said it was resuming nuclear research after a 2 1/2-year freeze. Germany, France and Britain said two days later that talks aimed at halting Iran's nuclear progress were at a dead end and called for Iran's referral to the U.N. Security Council.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, will meet Feb. 2 to discuss possible referral.

Israel's Mofaz said sanctions and international oversight of Iran's nuclear program stood as the "correct policy at this time."

In Germany, Jung called himself "confident that there will be a diplomatic solution in the case of Iran."

Israeli leaders have also repeatedly said they hope the crisis can be resolved through diplomacy, and they said any military action would have to be part of an international effort. They have denied having plans for a unilateral preventive strike.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Tehran might still agree to Moscow's offer to move its uranium enrichment program to Russia, a step backed by the United States and Europeans as a way to resolve the deadlock.

Israel's concerns about Iran have grown since the election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who said last year that Israel should be "wiped off the map."

On Friday, Iran's Students News Agency reported Friday that Central Bank governor Ebrahim Sheibani said Iran had begun moving its foreign currency reserves from European banks and transferring them to an undisclosed location as protection against possible U.N. sanctions.

Sheibani backed away Saturday from his statement that the transfers were already underway, and Iran's Central Bank said there had been no change in its currency policy.

Estimates put Iranian funds in Europe at as much as $50 billion.

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Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi and Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060122/D8F9EEN00.html

[ABLAT Staff]

Report: Israel has identified 60 targets in Iran

Israels Air Force is practicing to destroy Iranian nuclear assets in a single sweeping strike, a U.S. specialist said in a radio interview.

Israel has established 60 targets required for the destruction of Irans nuclear weapons program, Kenneth Timmerman told Israel National Radio.

Timmerman said any military strike on Iran would be much more difficult than the Israeli destruction of Iraq's nuclear weapons program in 1981. Israel Air Force F-16s destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor outside of Baghdad in 1981, setting back Iraq's program for a decade.

"It's not going to be Iraq, but the short answer is yes Israel can destroy Iran's nuclear weapons program," Timmerman said.

Israel has not confirmed Timmerman's assertions. But former senior officials and parliamentarians stress that Israel must prepare for a military strike on Irans nuclear facilities, preferably in cooperation with the United States.

"We must make practical preparations in that maybe we will be asked to operate as part of a coalition," former Israel Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Eitan Ben Eliahu told the Herzliya Conference on Sunday.

Ben Eliahu said numerous Iranian sites must be targeted in any effort to destroy that nations nuclear program. He appeared to doubt the ability of Israel to carry out such a mission alone.

"If this is operation is to be conducted, it must be done in continuing waves of air strikes," Ben-Eliahu said. "Therefore, we are talking of an international effort."

Timmerman said Israel has formed a leadership team that has focused on the destruction of Irans nuclear weapons program. He pointed out that the new head of military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, was the lead air force pilot in the operation against Osirak.

"I dont think that was a coincidence," Timmerman said. "You have a team in place that has tremendous experience, knows what they're doing and has cool nerves."

On Jan. 31, Bush in his State of the Union address is expected to focus on the Iranian threat, Timmerman said. On Feb. 2, Washington and the EU-3 will urge the International Atomic Energy Agency to recommend that the Iranian nuclear file be submitted to the United Nations Security Council for sanctions, Timmerman said.

At that point, Timmerman said, Iran could spark an international crisis. One prospect was withholding oil exports.

"Im sure Iran will activate all of its minions," Timmerman said. "We're looking for $100 per barrel of oil before the crisis begins."

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/0....047222222.html

[ABLAT Staff]

Bush: US would defend Israel against Iran
Wed Feb 1, 2006 12:58 PM ET



By Steve Holland

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush vowed on Wednesday the United States will rise to Israel's defense if needed against Iran and denounced Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for "menacing talk" against Israel.

In a Reuters interview aboard Air Force One en route to Nashville, Bush also said he saw a "very good chance" that the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency will refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.

"I am concerned about a person that, one, tries to rewrite the history of the Holocaust, and two, has made it clear that his intentions are to destroy Israel," Bush said.

"Israel is a solid ally of the United States, we will rise to Israel's defense if need be. So this kind of menacing talk is disturbing. It's not only disturbing to the United States, it's disturbing for other countries in the world as well," he added.

Asked if he meant the United States would rise to Israel's defense militarily, Bush said: "You bet, we'll defend Israel."

Ahmadinejad has prompted international condemnation for anti-Israel rhetoric in recent weeks, including saying it should be wiped off the map, and also calling into question the Holocaust.

Iran is engaged in a stand-off over its nuclear program. Tehran insists its program is aimed at developing nuclear power and the United States and other international powers charge it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

Asked if he thought the IAEA will refer Iran to the Security Council, Bush said: "The IAEA must take a look at the facts, and listen carefully to the arguments, and there's a very good chance it will."

The council's five permanent members, including a reluctant Russia and China, this week agreed to ask the U.N. nuclear watchdog to report Iran to New York immediately.

Bush also said he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about Iran and would not say how Putin feels about a Security Council referral. "He understands the threat, and we share the same goal," he said.

The IAEA's governing board will decide at an emergency meeting in Vienna on Thursday whether to report Iran to the Security Council.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle....BUSH.xml&rpc=22

[ABLAT Staff]

Will Israel Strike Iran?
The X Factor: Israel's military planners say they know how to forestall Tehran's nuclear schemes. The options—and their cost.

By Kevin Peraino and John Barry
Newsweek
Feb. 13, 2006 issue - As scary as the idea may sound, the Israelis may not be bluffing. Their defense experts display no doubt whatsoever that Israel's Air Force can cripple Iran's nuclear program if necessary. The trick, they say, is to go after the system's weak spots. "You need to identify the bottlenecks," says a senior Israeli military source, asking not to be named for security reasons. "There are not very many. If you take them out, then you really undermine the project." Shlomo Brom, a former Israeli armed forces chief of strategic planning, says the destruction of two or three key facilities would probably suffice. He singles out the Natanz uranium-enrichment complex and the conversion plant at Esfahan as critical.

It wouldn't be as easy as it sounds. Tehran, taking obvious lessons from Israel's successful 1981 bombing of Saddam Hussein's reactor at Osirak, has done its best to shield potential targets like Natanz. "They are dispersed, underground, hardened," says the senior Israeli military source. U.S. analysts say each facility would require multiple hits before serious damage was done. Still, the Israelis—who have an undeclared nuclear arsenal of their own, and refuse international inspections or oversight—insist they have all the firepower they need: more than 100 U.S.-made BLU-109 "bunker buster" earth-penetrating bombs. "I think they could do the job," says the senior Israeli source.

Logistics is a bigger hurdle. Each separate target would require a small fleet of aircraft. Israel's F-15s and F-16s would need advance escorts of "electronic countermeasures" aircraft to jam Iran's air-defense radars, and every one of those planes would need an entourage of fighter aircraft. At short range, Tehran's newly upgraded MiG-29 interceptors are a match for just about anything in the air. "To get there and bomb the facilities, that's the easy part," says Brom. "The difficult part is how to get back. We're not making kamikaze runs."

To hit Osirak in 1981, Israel's bombers flew in low over Saudi Arabia. In a study published late last year by the U.S. Army War College, Brom suggests that a strike against Iran's facilities could arrive by way of the Indian Ocean—roughly twice the operational radius of Israel's newest strike aircraft under optimal flying conditions. But Israel's fleet of specialized planes for in-flight refueling—five aging KC-130H tankers—doesn't have the capacity to get all those aircraft there and back again. The only way to manage it would be with a covert stopover midway—it's anybody's guess where.

The Israelis admit they can only disable the Iranian program, not destroy it. "The real question is what you achieve if the best you can do is to delay the project for a few years," says a senior U.S. administration official, speaking anonymously because it's a sensitive topic. The cost to the region's stability could be devastating. Meanwhile, Israel continues to upgrade its own arsenal, acquiring two new German subs that could launch nuclear-armed cruise missiles for a "second-strike" deterrent. Perhaps the threats are only a way of pushing the West to get tough with Tehran before the arms race gets even more heated. But if so, it's one hell of an act.

© 2006 Newsweek, Inc.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11182458/site/...=EmailThis&CE=1

[ABLAT Staff]

Saturday, February 11, 2006



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NUCLEAR WAR-FEAR
Ahmadinejad to Iranians: Israel 'will be removed'
President threatens to abandon
Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty

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Posted: February 11, 2006
4:00 p.m. Eastern




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© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com


Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today echoed his earlier threats to "wipe Israel off the map" by telling a mass demonstration in Tehran, commemorating the 27th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, that Palestinians and "other nations" will remove Israel from the region, adding a warning to the West that harsh measures against the nation's nuclear program would result in Iran walking away from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT).

"The policy of Iran has so far been pursuing nuclear technology within the framework of the NPT and IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)," he said. "If we see you (the West) want to violate the right of the Iranian people by using those regulations (against us), you should know that the Iranian people will revise its policies. You should do nothing that will lead to such a revision in our policy," said Ahmadinejad.

The crowd, numbered in the hundreds of thousands accoding to state media, responded to Ahmadinejad's defense of its nuclear program – believed by U.S. intelligence to be an effort to acquire atomic weapons – with cries of "Nuclear energy is our undisputable right," "Death to America," "Death of Israel," "Death to Denmark."


"The West is hiding its ugly face behind international bodies, but these bodies have no reputation among nations. You have destroyed the reputation of the NPT," the Iranian president said.

Ahmadinejad blamed "Zionists" for the publication of cartoons that featured caricatures of the Prophet Muhammed in a Denmark newspaper, according to the German news agency, Deutsche Presse-Agentur. The resulting backlash has been angry Muslim protests around the world.

"I ask everybody in the world not to let a group of Zionists who failed in Palestine (referring to the recent Hamas victory in Palestinian elections) insult the prophet. "Now in the West insulting the prophet is allowed, but questioning the Holocaust is considered a crime," he said, accusing Europaeans of not allowing "neutral scholars" to investigate "the truth about the fairy tale of Holocaust."

"We ask, why do you insult the prophet? The response is that it is a matter of freedom, while in fact they are hostages of the Zionists. And the people of the U.S. and Europe should pay a heavy price for becoming hostages to Zionists," Ahmadinejad declared. "We ask the West to remove what they created sixty years ago and if they do not listen to our recommendations, then the Palestinian nation and other nations will eventually do this for them. Do the removal of Israel before it is too late and save yourself from the fury of regional nations."


Ursula Plassnik, foreign minister of Austria and current president of the EU condemned Ahmadinejad's renewed threat against the Jewish state.

"That this type of completely unacceptable remarks are continually being repeated does not mean we should accept them in silence," he said, stressing that peace in the Middle East meant both Palestinians and Israelis co-existing side by side in separate, secure states.

Ahmadinejad concluded his warning to Western nations to disassociate from "the Zionists" with almost evangelical zeal: "On the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the Iranian nation, numbering by the millions, call upon those governments to worship the Almighty God," reported the Islamic Republic News Agency. "The era of military force is over, today is the era of nations, logic and worshippers of God," he said.

http://www.wnd.com/news/printer-friendly.a...RTICLE_ID=48790

[ABLAT Staff]

Iran wants to turn Hamas into Hizbullah


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Herb Keinon, THE JERUSALEM POST Feb. 26, 2006

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Iran wants the same control over Hamas it has over Hizbullah, an organization that is nothing less than a "delivery system" for Iranian weapons, Henry A. Crumpton, the State Department's counterterrorism coordinator, told the Jerusalem Post.

Crumpton, who last week held a joint counter-terror dialogue with Israel, said that while most pundits think in terms of missiles when talking about Iranian delivery systems, Hizbullah - which he said is "just an extension of the Iranian government" - must be thought of in these terms as well. (The full text of the interview will appear in Tuesday's Jerusalem Post.)

"You combine the Iranian nuclear weapons program with Hizbullah, and that is a pretty nasty mixture," he said.

Crumpton said that while Iran does not yet have that kind of control over Hamas, "it is clearly an objective. The Iranians would love to have another proxy like that."

Asked what will keep Hamas from gaining such control, Crumpton said, "I hope the Palestinian people; and I hope the leadership of Hamas, if they are going to be responsible or courageous enough."

Crumtpon, a 20-year CIA veteran and highly respected former spy master, has been credited with coming up with the US strategy after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to use elite intelligence and military officers together with elements of Afghani society to oust the Taliban.

Faint echoes of a partnership strategy can be heard when he talks about the how the international community and US should be acting vis- -vis Hamas.

While the two situations are markedly different - primarily because while the Taliban was foisted on the Afghans, the Palestinians voted for Hamas themselves - Crumpton said the similarity is that "Israel and the US cannot impose our will, force our will on the Palestinian people, they have to be a part of this."

The soft spoken Crumpton "starred" in the US's National Commission report on 9/11 as the person known simply as "Henry" who pressed the CIA to do more in Afghanistan to hunt down Osama bin Laden before the attacks in the US, but who had two of his key proposals rejected.

He also figured prominently in Bob Woodward's book on the war in Afghanistan, Bush at War, this time as the CIA operative "Hank" who - among other things - understood the importance of money and aid in gaining the support of Afghan warlords.

"This is not about us versus them," Crumpton said about Hamas and the PA. "It is about the Palestinian people working with foreign partners -the US, Europe and Israel - to persuade the new Hamas government to be responsible, or if not, then eventually get a new government in there."

While he did not say that the goal was to economically destabilize the PA so that the population would turn on Hamas, he did say the US was not interested in giving Hamas a "free ride."

"This is not about destabilizing the PA, it is about providing humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people while not supporting Hamas, and giving the Hamas the political opportunity to step forward and become responsible leaders," Crumpton said.

He was not, however, starry eyed about the prospects of Hamas rising to the occasion by recognizing Israel, accepting previous agreement with it, and renouncing terrorism.

"I think it will be tough," he said. "I think that they will have to make some bold decisions, and fundamentally change the way they look at Israel and the world. It won't be easy for them; I'm not kidding myself about this. To a large degree violence is part of their identity, it defines who they are. But change is not impossible."

Things are not being made any easier, he said, by the fact that countries such as Russia and Turkey are relating to Hamas as a legitimate actor, "when they are clearly not. It is a problem. We have communicated this. We have told the Russia and others that this is not helpful."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid...Article/Printer

[ABLAT Staff]

Israel will have to act on Iran if UN can't
Wed Mar 8, 2006 9:28 AM ET

By Louis Charbonneau

BERLIN (Reuters) - If the U.N. Security Council is incapable of taking action to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, Israel will have no choice but to defend itself, Israel's defense minister said on Wednesday.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz was asked whether Israel was ready to use military action if the Security Council proved unable to act against what Israel and the West believe is a covert Iranian nuclear weapons program.

"My answer to this question is that the state of Israel has the right give all the security that is needed to the people in Israel. We have to defend ourselves," Mofaz told Reuters after a meeting with his German counterpart Franz Josef Jung.

Iran denies wanting nuclear weapons and says it is only interested in the peaceful generation of electricity. It has also threatened to retaliate if Israel or the United States were to bomb any of its nuclear facilities.

In 1981, Israel bombed Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor to prevent Saddam Hussein from getting nuclear weapons. Saddam's covert atom bomb program continued until U.N. inspectors dismantled it after the 1991 Gulf War, but the Israeli strike set progress back many years.

"The Israeli approach is that the U.S. and the European countries should lead the issue of the Iranian nuclear program to the table of the U.N. Security Council, asking for sanctions. And I hope the sanctions will be effective," Mofaz said.

Mofaz, who was born in Iran, added that Israel believed the 15-nation Security Council should grant the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N.'s Vienna-based nuclear watchdog, sweeping inspection powers so that it can smoke out any secret nuclear arms-related activities in Iran.

"We need to have very deep and large inspections within all the nuclear locations in Iran because Iran has two nuclear programs -- one is a covered one and the second is uncovered," he said.

The Iranian delegation to an IAEA board of governors meeting in Vienna issued a statement earlier warning that the United States could feel "harm and pain" if the Security Council took up the issue of Tehran's nuclear fuel research and vowed never to abandon its atomic program.

At a news conference with Mofaz, Jung told reporters Germany was already discussing with the five permanent Security Council members -- Russia, China, the United States, Britain and France -- what the council could do to prevent Tehran getting the bomb.

"Everything must be done to ensure that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons," Jung said.

A senior diplomat from one of the "EU3" said earlier that the Security Council would probably begin discussing Iran next week and hoped to issue a "presidential statement" urging Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program and cooperate with the IAEA.



© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle....RAEL.xml&rpc=22

[ABLAT Staff]

Friday, March 10, 2006



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FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Iranian rockets hitting Israelis?
Terror group's new 'Shahab' missiles dedicated to President Ahmadinejad

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Posted: March 10, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern



By Aaron Klein



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© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
JERUSALEM – The Palestinians have a new, improved rocket to fire at Israel named after the Iranian Shahab missile and dedicated to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "because of his courageous position toward the enemy," a leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group told WorldNetDaily.

"I can say it is true that the inspiration concerning the name [of our new Shahab rocket] was taken from the Iranian rocket that is so terrifying to the enemy. On this occasion I can say that we have the honor to dedicate these new and more sophisticated rockets to the Iranian president because of his courageous position toward the enemy," said Abu Ahmed, a Gaza-based leader of the Brigades involved in coordinating the group's rocket network.


Ahmed told WND several "Palestinian Shahab rockets" have already been fired into Israel, including rockets fired this week toward Nahal Oz, an Israeli Negev community near Gaza.

He warned in the coming days the Al Aqsa Brigades will fire 200 of the new rockets at Jewish communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip in retaliation for Israeli anti-terror operations in Gaza and the West Bank.

Officials at the Israeli Defense Forces, informed of Ahmed's claims, told WND they were investigating whether any rockets fired from Gaza this week were different from the usual Qassam missiles aimed at Israeli Negev Jewish communities that border Gaza.

One senior IDF official suggested the group likely only changed the name of its already existing Qassam rockets.

Qassams are improvised steel rockets, about four feet in length, filled with explosives and fuel. They can travel between 1 and 4 miles depending on the sophistication of the particular rocket. Qassams lack a guidance system and are launched by terrorists who reportedly use the rocket's trajectory and known travel distance to aim at a particular Jewish community.

Ahmed declined to describe the makeup of his group's claimed new rockets.

"I can only tell you they are more improved in distance and in the rocket fuel, and we call them Shahab-1, Shahab-2 and Shahab-3. They will hit the enemy target much harder," said Ahmed.

Iranian Shahabs are a series of missiles constructed in part with Russian and Chinese technology. The Shahab-6 reportedly has a range of up to 5,600 kilometers and is capable of reaching Europe from Iran. Iranian officials have claimed to possess Shahab missiles that can reach the eastern seaboard of the Unites States.

Asked if the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades received any Iranian assistance in building its Shahab rockets, Ahmed replied, "We will not give the Israelis any hint about our activities. Let them work hard and investigate about the significance of the name Shahab. I will just say we welcome any help from any anti-Zionist element."

He said his group will launch what he called an "Ababil rocket campaign" and will soon fire 200 Shahab rockets into Israel. In the Quran, Ababil is the name of a stone Allah lobbed at infidels who approached to kill Muhammad.

Ahmed also told WND that Al Aqsa established a new rocket terror cell, the Hussein Abayat Unit, named after a member of his group previously assassinated by Israel.

Israeli security officials believe Abayat was the first Al Aqsa member to serve as a coordinating agent between the Al Aqsa Brigades and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.

Israel says Iran uses the Hezbollah as a conduit to channel funds to Palestinian terror groups, including Islamic Jihad, which took responsibility for every suicide bombing since several Palestinian groups agreed to a truce with Israel last year.

'Iran embassy' opens in West Bank

Israel is worried at what it says are increased signs of Iranian influence in the Palestinian territories.

This week, WND broke the story a West Bank Islamic Jihad operative opened what he referred to as an "Iranian ideological embassy" in the Palestinian territories to espouse Shia Muslim beliefs – including Islam's waging of a final, apocalyptic battle against "evil" – and to help spread Iranian theocracy and rule throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"We want the Palestinian people to be exposed to the Iranian heritage and Shia principles. [Our goal is] to reinforce the relations between the Islamic republic of Iran and the Palestinian people. We are part of the Iranian Islamic project in the Middle East," Muhamad Gawanmeh, director of Iran's new Shia Council in Palestine, said in an interview.

Gawanmeh opened the council's headquarters in Ramallah, and said there are plans to expand Iranian offices to several other major Palestinian cities in the West Bank and Gaza with official sanctioning from Tehran.

Gawanmeh said Iran's Shia Council will not be involved in "military operations," but will promote Iranian theocracy to the local population and serve as a conduit for Tehran's interests in the area.

He said the council seeks to espouse Shia Muslim ideology in the Sunni-dominated Palestinian territories, including the belief in the return of the Twelfth Imam to lead an apocalyptic world battle against "evil."

Shia Muslims believe Muhammad's family – the 12 Imams – were the best sources of knowledge about the Quran and Islam and were the most trusted carriers and protectors of Islamic tradition. They believe in a dynasty of Islamic authorities and promote a hereditary class of spiritual leaders they believe have divine powers.

Sunni Islam in part follows the teachings of Islamic caliphs who proclaimed leadership after Muhammad's passing but were not blood relatives of the prophet. The caliphs interpreted important parts of Muhammad's hadith – or tradition – that Shias reject.

Sunni Muslims make up about 85 percent of Muslims all over the world. The largest sect of the Shias, called The Twelvers, believe there were 12 imams after Muhammad and that the last one, Imam Mahdi, still lives, but he cannot be seen until Allah determines it is time to prepare the faithful for Judgment Day.


The Twelvers count Iranian President Ahmadinejad among their faithful. They believe Imam Mahdi will return to lead the forces of righteousness against the forces of evil in a final, apocalyptic world battle.

Some Mideast analysts fear Ahmadinejad may be pursuing nuclear weapons in part to precipitate the final, Mahdi-led battle. In a speech in Tehran in November, Ahmadinejad reportedly said his main mission is to "pave the path for the glorious reappearance of Imam Mahdi, may Allah hasten his reappearance." His Cabinet has reportedly given $17 million to the Jamkaran mosque, site of a well at which Shia Muslims believe Mahdi disappeared over a thousand years ago.

Israel and the United States have been working with the international community to isolate Iran, accusing it of attempting to develop an illicit nuclear weapons program.

The council's Gawanmeh went on to credit Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal's recent visit to Tehran with strengthening official Palestinian ties to the Iranian leadership and emboldening Iran to sanction the opening of its new Palestinian office.

Iran last week pledged financial support to Hamas to replace an expected halt of European and U.S. aid to the new Palestinian government.

Media reports said Iran would give as much as $250 million to the PA, but Hamas officials said no actual amount had been discussed.

Hamas chief Meshaal, in Tehran two weeks ago for a round of talks with Iranian officials, said Iran would have a more significant role with the PA now that his group has formed the new Palestinian government.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-...RTICLE_ID=49195

[ABLAT Staff]

US monitoring Israel's Iran options
By NATHAN GUTTMAN
Washington

The Pentagon is looking into the possibility of Israel launching a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. In the past months there were several working-level discussions trying to map out the possible scenarios for such an attack, according to administration sources who were briefed on these meetings.

The discussions, which were describes as intelligence-oriented and not policy-oriented, examined the likelihood of an Israeli pre-emptive attack against Iran and the method in which such an attack could be carried out. One of the main questions presented in these discussions was whether Israel would inform the US in advance in case such an attack is to take place and when would such an advance notice be given.

The sources pointed out that it is clear that Israel would have to coordinate with the US forces air control any attempt to fly over Iraq on the way to Iran, if Israel chooses to attack using the shortest route.

Last week, former Israeli Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon said in Washington that the West does have a military option against Iran and that a joint US-NATO-Israeli air strike against dozens of nuclear facilities in Iran could set back Teheran's nuclear programs for several years.

The sources stresses that Ya'alon's remarks were not the trigger for the Pentagon consultations about a possible Israeli attack but added that there is a sense in the administration that the Iranian issue is gaining urgency.

The Washington Post reported Monday that the Bush administration has made Iran a top priority issue and that the president and his team had several meetings on the issue to discuss Iran's nuclear plans.

The Pentagon discussions, according to the sources, did not lead to any conclusion regarding the plausibility of an Israeli attack against Iran, nor did it recommend any action by the US.

Israeli and US sources have said in the past weeks that the US did not convey any message to Israel in which it asked to refrain from an attack and has not raised the issue in bilateral discussions with the Israelis. Both countries share intelligence on the situation in Iran and the advance of the nuclear program, but do not discuss - according to sources who took part in bilateral talks - the possibility of using military force to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The American assumption, according to the administration sources, is that an Israeli decision on attacking Iran is not imminent and that in any case it would not be taken before the Israeli elections, scheduled for March 28.

One of the questions Pentagon analysts are grappling with is how an Israeli attack - if launched - would affect the US and its forces in the region and whether it would force the US to follow with further strikes in order to complete the mission. The US is also discussing what could be the possible avenues of retaliation Iran would take against US's forces and interests in the region.

US Vice President Dick Cheney said last week that all options are "on the table" regarding Iran and on Sunday leading senators pointed out in TV interviews that the US can stop Iran's nuclear program. Senator George Allen (R-VA) said, relating to the question of using military force against Iran, that it is not the preferable route, but "if necessary, it is an option", and Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) stressed that he believed that Iran's nuclear program can be stopped "short of war".

The UN Security Council is expected to take on the Iranian issue this week. During the weekend consultations continued between the US and European representatives and those from Russia and China in attempt to reach an agreement on the language of a Security Council presidential declaration regarding Iran.

The Americans would like to include a clause that would give Iran a 14 day ultimatum to accept the international community's conditions, before moving ahead with sanctions. Western diplomats said Monday that it is not clear if Russia and China would agree to such an ultimatum and speculated that they might insist on a month's period instead of the proposed 14 days.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pag...d=1139395596422

[ABLAT Staff]

Bush warns Iran on Israel
Mar 20 3:05 PM US/Eastern
Email this story

US President George W. Bush said he hoped to resolve the nuclear dispute with Iran with diplomacy, but warned Tehran he would "use military might" if necessary to defend Israel.

"The threat from Iran is, of course, their stated objective to destroy our strong ally Israel. That's a threat, a serious threat. It's a threat to world peace," the US president said after a speech defending the war in Iraq.



"I made it clear, and I'll make it clear again, that we will use military might to protect our ally Israel," said Bush, who was apparently referring to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for the destruction of Israel.

On the atomic dispute, Bush said he hoped "to solve this issue diplomatically" with a "united message" to Tehran from Washington, London, Paris, Berlin as well as Russia "hopefully" and China.

The message would be that "your desire to having a nuclear weapon is unacceptable," he said.

Bush also touched on Iran's agreement to discuss Iraq with the United States, saying that "it's very important, however, for the Iranians to understand that the discussion is limited to Iraq.

"We're using this as an opportunity to make it clear about our concerns of interference within a democratic process that is evolving," he said, saying that the talks will not decide Iran's relations with a sovereign Iraq.

"Ultimately, Iraq-Iranian relations will be negotiated between the Iraqi government and the Iranian government," he said.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/20/0...5.4089dcoq.html

[ABLAT Staff]

Monday, March 27, 2006



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WND AT THE WHITE HOUSE
U.S. to defend Israel before bombing?
Spokesman asked about Bush's intentions in light of nuclear threat

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Posted: March 27, 2006
5:29 p.m. Eastern



By Les Kinsolving



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© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Presidential press secretary Scott McClellan today didn't directly answer a question about when the U.S. might intervene military to defend Israel, saying simply, "I don't think there's anything to clarify."

WND asked the spokesman about a scenario where the Jewish state is threatened with a nuclear attack.

Asked WND: "I'd be very grateful if you could give us a clarification of the president's statement in Cleveland, 'I made it clear, I'll make it clear again, that we will use military might to protect our ally, Israel.' And my question: This does not mean that we will withhold such military might until after Israel is nuclear-bombed, does it?"


"Well, Les, I think that if you're bringing up the issue relating to Iran and its pursuit of nuclear weapons," responded McClellan. "We are pursuing a diplomatic solution to that matter. I think you're jumping way ahead of things at this point –"

Pressed WND: "The clarification – we will protect Israel, we won't wait until after they're bombed?"

Said McClellan: "I don't think there's anything to clarify. The president has made that very clear before. [Israel is] a great friend and good ally, and the president has publicly expressed that view before."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed to wipe Israel off the face of the map. His nation's nuclear-development activities – though supposedly meant for only peaceful energy purposes – have brought international condemnation and the possibility of U.N. Security Council action.

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49458

[ABLAT Staff]

Last update - 05:56 16/04/2006


Peres: Ahmadinejad to end up like Iraq's Saddam Hussein

By News Agencies

In a first Israeli response to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's latest warnings against Israel, Kadima no. 2 Shimon Peres said on Saturday that Tehran's leader will eventually pay the price for his virulent statements and actions.

Speaking to an Israel Radio reporter, Peres said "Ahmadinejad's statements remind those of Saddam and he will end up the same way as Hussein has."

On Friday Ahmadinejad called Israel a "rotten, dried tree" that will be annihilated by "one storm."

Peres gave the statement as personal commentary. Israel did not, however, make an official response to Ahmadinejad's latest speech.

"Ahmadinejad represents Satan, not God," the veteran statesman said, adding that "history knew how to denounce madmen and those who wave their sword, and all those who acted this way ended their careers accordingly."

Peres also said that "Iran is a United Nations member state threatening another UN member state and the international organization will not let this go unheeded."

"The Iranian president is uniting the entire world against him. Israel is following his statements and actions closely, but does not wish to respond to them," he said.

Supporting Hamas in Tehran
Days after announcing that Iran had successfully enriched uranium, the Iranian President Friday fired a series of verbal shots at Israel, saying it was a "permanent threat" to the Middle East that will "soon" be liberated, and again questioning the validity of the Nazi Holocaust against Jews in World War II.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Qods (Jerusalem) conference in Tehran on supporting the Palestinians, Ahmadinejad said "like it or not, the Zionist regime is heading toward annihiliation."

"The Zionist regime is a rotten, dried tree that will be eliminated by one storm," he said.

"The existence of the Zionist regime is tantamount to an imposition of an unending and unrestrained threat so that none of the nations and Islamic countries of the region and beyond can feel secure from its threat," Ahmadinejad said.

World outcry at previous Holocaust comments
The president provoked a world outcry last October when he said Israel should be "wiped off the map." On Friday, he repeated his previous line on the Holocaust, saying: "If such a disaster is true, why should the people of this region pay the price? Why does the Palestinian nation have to be suppressed and have its land occupied?"

"There might be doubts in the Holocaust, but there are definitely no doubts about the holocaust happening in the recent years in Palestine," Ahmadinejad said.

The land of Palestine, he said, referring to the British mandated territory that includes all of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, "will be freed soon."

He did not say how this would be achieved, but insisted to the audience of at least 900 people: "Believe that Palestine will be freed soon."

In February, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki had said Ahmadinejad's October 2005 comments had been misunderstood and that he had been speaking about the Israeli "regime," not the country. Mottaki had said a country could not be removed from the map.

Generals warn of military potential of nuclear Iran
The president spoke days after two Israeli generals spoke of the military potential of Iran's nuclear program. (For more on Iran, read the Iran Time Saver on Rosner's Domain)

The chief of Israeli military intelligence, Major General Amos Yadlin, was quoted Wednesday as saying Iran could develop a nuclear bomb "within three years, by the end of the decade."

The day before Ahmadinejad had announced that Iran had successfully enriched uranium using a battery of 164 centrifuges, a significant step toward the large-scale production of enriched uranium required for either fueling nuclear reactors or making nuclear bombs.

The United States, France and Israel accuse Iran of using a civilian nuclear program to secretly build an atomic bomb. Iran denies this, saying its program is confined to generating electricity.

The United Nations Security Council has given Iran until April 28 to cease enrichment. But Iran has rejected the demand.

Khamenei calls on Islamic world to back Hamas against Israel
Also Friday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on the Islamic world to support Hamas and its resistance against Israel.

"The Islamic world is obliged to help [Hamas] in all possible ways and support continuation of this holy path [of resistance against Israel]," Khamenei said in the opening ceremony of the conference.

One of the main aims of the international conference is to raise funds for the Palestinian Authority, which has lost much of its international aid since Hamas formed the new Palestinian government. Hamas refuses to renounce violence, accept Israel's right to exist or abide by peace agreements signed by the previous PA government.

The Ayatollah called on the United States and the West to respect the democratically-elected government in Palestine and control Israeli aggression.

"Like the U.S. failed in gaining victory in Iraq, the Americans will also fail in realizing their aim of a Zionist-dominated Middle East," said Khamenei, who constitutionally has the final say on all state affairs in Iran.

Iran is a fierce supporter of Hamas and had termed the group's victory in last January's parliamentary elections as "Palestinians' democratic choice for resistance."

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/Sh...SubContrassID=0

[ABLAT Staff]

Last update - 13:39 19/04/2006


Report: Iranian group seeking U.K. Muslims for attacks in Israel

By Haaretz Service

An Iranian group, the Committee for the Commemoration of Martyrs of the Global Islamic Campaign, said it is targeting potential Muslim recruits in Britain, the British newspaper The Guardian reported Wednesday.

According to the report, the group claims to be an independent body which has the backing of the Iranian regime.

Mohammad Samadi, a spokesman for the group, told the paper that the committee is targeting Muslim British citizens because of the relative ease with which U.K. passport-holders can enter Israel.

Speaking from Tehran, Samadi said that striking at Israel was the priority of his recruitment drive.

"The first target is Israel. For us, that is the battlefield," he told the paper. "All the Jews are targets, whether military or civilian. It's our land and they are in the wrong place. It's their duty to pay attention to safety of their own families and move them away from the battlefield," he said.

According to the Gaurdian, Samadi's group took part in a recruitment fair for "martyrdom seekers" in the grounds of the former American embassy in Tehran. The paper said that in the past few days, several hundred volunteers have signed up to carry out attacks.

Disaffected Muslims sought
Samadi cited the case of Asif Mohammed Hanif and Omar Sharif, two British Muslims who in 2003 carried out an attack at Mike's Place, a seafront bar in Tel Aviv. The two had entered Israel as tourists. Hanif blew himself up at the bar, killing three Israelis. Sharif fled the scene after his explosives failed to detonate. His body was found floating in the sea off Tel Aviv days later.

"That shows that it has not been difficult getting into Israel," he told the paper. "Do you think getting hold of a British passport for an Iranian citizen is hard? Tens of passports are issued for Iranian asylum seekers in Britain every day. There are hundreds of other ways available to us, such as illegal entry [into Britain], fake passports, etc.

"Britain and other European countries have a lot of disaffected Muslims who are ready. We understand the suspicion with which Britain, America and other western countries regard their Muslim populations. We don't condemn them for this because we believe every Muslim has the potential to turn into a bomb against the west."

Mr Samadi said recruits would not be told to attack British cities. "With the exception of Israel, we do not target civilians," he said. "They would definitely not be sent to carry out an attack on London unless it was to kill Salman Rushdie."

The paper quoted Western diplomats as playing down the threat, saying the campaign was primarily to collect signatures of protest against Israel, not to recruit bombers.

Earlier this week, another British newspaper, The Sunday Times, reported that Iran has recruited "battalions of suicide bombers" to attack British and American targets should either nation strike at Iranian nuclear sites.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/707170.html

[ABLAT Staff]

Israeli spy satellite launched to watch Iran
Russian cosmodrome puts ultra-high-resolution Eros B into orbit

The Associated Press
Updated: 3:18 p.m. ET April 25, 2006


MOSCOW - Russia on Tuesday launched a satellite for Israel that the Israelis say will be used to spy on Iran’s nuclear program.

The Eros B satellite was launched from a mobile pad at the Svobodny Cosmodrome in the Far East, said Alexei Kuznetsov, a spokesman for the Russian military space forces.

About 20 minutes later, the satellite successfully reached orbit, Russian news agencies reported, citing the space forces’ press service. Israel’s Channel 10 TV reported that the launch was successful, but the satellite would not deploy its power panels for another day and a half.

The satellite is designed to spot objects on the ground as small as 27½ inches (70 centimeters), an Israeli defense official said. That level of resolution would allow Israel to gather information on Iran’s nuclear program and its long-range missiles, which are capable of striking Israel, he said.

“The most important thing in a satellite is its ability to photograph and its resolution,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive subject matter. “This satellite has very high resolution, and (state-run) Israel Aircraft Industries has a great ability to process information that is relayed.”

It could take up to 10 days to see whether the images that are transmitted are sharp and clear, he said.

Israel has for years regarded Iran as the primary threat to its survival, disputing Tehran’s claims that its nuclear program is peaceful. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made this threat more tangible by repeatedly questioning Israel’s right to exist, most recently on Monday, when he said Israel was a “fake regime” that “cannot logically continue to live.”

An attempt to launch a military spy satellite, Amos 6, failed last year. Amos 5 is still in orbit, and Channel 10 reported Israel plans to launch another spy satellite next year.


Iran’s threatening comments about Israel had special resonance on Tuesday, which Israel marked as Holocaust remembrance day. Israeli Nobel peace laureate Shimon Peres, in Poland for observances, drew a parallel between Ahmadinejad and Adolf Hitler.

“We will haven’t recovered from this (the Holocaust) and I still hear these calls from Iran to destroy Israel,” Peres said.

Ahmadinejad’s words, he added, “are enough to put us all on alert.”

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

© 2006 MSNBC.com

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12481685/

[ABLAT Staff]

Last update - 14:35 29/04/2006


Olmert: Ahmadinejad is 'psychopath' who 'speaks like Hitler'

By Haaretz Service

Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert launched an unprecedented attack on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in an interview with a German newspaper published Saturday, labelling him an anti-Semitic "psychopath" who "speaks like Hitler."

Olmert told Bild newspaper that the Iranian president "is a psychopath of the worst kind. He speaks like Hitler did of the extermination of the entire Jewish nation."

"I hope that he will never become so dangerous and destructive, like Adolf Hitler was," Olmert goes on. "I hope he never gets the chance to transfer his threats into the deeds, but if one wants to judge a statesman based on his words, I can say Ahmadinejad speaks today as Hitler spoke before the seizure of power."

The prime minister said that it was the duty of the entire world to work together to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

"So you see, we are dealing with a psychopath of the worst kind, with an anti-Semite," Olmert said. "God forbid that this man ever gets his hands on nuclear weapons, to carry out his threats."

Olmert also touched on the possibility of a military strike to deter Iran's nuclear aspirations. Tehran said Saturday that it would allow the United Nations to resume snap inspections of its nuclear sites as long as the country was not referred to the UN Security Council.

"Suffice to say that the west, led by the United States, will not agree under any circumstances to allow Iran to have nuclear weapons. U.S. President George W. Bush is a brave man who understands this very well."

The Iranian president provoked an international outcry last year when he denied the Holocaust had occurred, and said that Israel should be "wiped off the map."

In February, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki had said Ahmadinejad's October 2005 comments had been misunderstood and that he had been speaking about the Israeli "regime," not the country. Mottaki had said a country could not be removed from the map.

But earlier this month, the Iranian president called Israel a "rotten, dried tree" that will be annihilated by "one storm."

"There might be doubts in the Holocaust, but there are definitely no doubts about the holocaust happening in the recent years in Palestine," Ahmadinejad said in an April 14 address.

The land of Palestine, he said, referring to the British mandated territory that includes all of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, "will be freed soon."

He did not say how this would be achieved, but insisted to the audience of at least 900 people: "Believe that Palestine will be freed soon."

He most recently repeated the comments on Tuesday, as Israel marked Holocaust Remembrance Day, saying that the Jews of Israel should return to Europe.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/710812.html

[ABLAT Staff]

Bush: US must ensure Israel's security


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Haviv Rettig, JPost.com Staff and AP, THE JERUSALEM POST May. 5, 2006

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US President George W. Bush said Thursday at the American Jewish Committee conference in Washington that the United States had a strong and inalienable obligation to ensure the security of Israel, referring to the threats Iran had made against the Jewish state.

Bush repeated his pledge that the United States would not deal with the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority so long as Hamas refuses to disavow terrorism and to acknowledge Israel's right to exist.

The US president also said that he would keep pushing for a strong resolution at the United Nations to curb Iran's nuclear programs. "America will continue to rally the world to face these threats," Bush said.

The audience applauded repeatedly his rhetoric against Hamas, a group the United States considers a terrorist organization.

"As you know, I'm a strong believer of democracy and free elections, but that does not mean that we have to support elected officials who are not committed to peace," Bush said.

"Hamas has made it clear that they do not acknowledge the right of Israel to exist, and I've made it clear that so long as that's their policy, we'll have no contact with the leaders of Hamas," Bush said.

"Democratically elected leaders cannot have one foot in the camp of democracy and one foot in the camp of terror," Bush said, repeating a theme of his administration since Hamas' victory in the Palestinian Authority elections in January. "Hamas must accept the demands of the international community, to recognize Israel, disarm and reject terrorism and stop blocking the path to peace," he added.

Bush was followed at the podium by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the first chancellor to address the American Jewish Committee's annual meeting.

Merkel backed Bush's stances against Hamas and Iran. "Iran must not be permitted possession of creation of a Palestinian state, Merkel said Hamas would have to answer to the Palestinian people for the consequences of its policies.

Bush spoke fondly about Ariel Sharon. "Ariel Sharon is a friend who remains in our thoughts and prayers. He is a man of courage and a man of peace," Bush said. "And so tonight we pray for his recovery and we rededicate ourselves to the cause to which he devoted his life - the peace and the security of Israel."

Earlier in the day, the White House congratulated Israel on the inauguration of its new government, and a Bush spokesman said that the US President expected to work with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his ministers.

The spokesman said that the raod map was the proper way to advance the peace process and stressed that Hamas was not a partner in this endeavor.

The Israeli media voiced concern Thursday night that no Israeli politician would be in attendance at the AJC.

When asked for the AJC's reaction to this fact, Col. (res.) Eran Lerman, head of the American Jewish Committee's Israel/Middle East office told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday night that everyone in attendance "understood completely" the critical importance of the new Israeli government's swearing-in in Jerusalem late that night.

"Shimon Peres was on our schedule, but he couldn't possible miss the ceremony in which he, as speaker of the Knesset, was handing over the reigns to the next speaker," he added.

He said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sent a recorded video message to play at the conference. Many other world leaders did the same, including Jordan's King Abdullah II and Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid...Article/Printer

[ABLAT Staff]

Last update - 15:10 15/05/2006


Ex-MI chief warns of impending world jihad 'tsunami'

By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent

Former Military Intelligence chief Aharon Ze'evi warned Monday morning of an impending world jihad "tsunami" that he said may soon descend on the entire Middle East.

Ze'evi, speaking at a Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies conference in Tel Aviv University, said that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinijad has been overheard promising the "end of history in two or three years."

Ze'evi recommended that the Iranian threats be taken seriously, saying that Tehran will soon have nuclear warhead compatible surface-to-surface missiles with a range of 5,000 kilometers, putting Europe within striking distance.

Ze'evi also warned that Israel should not rule out the possibility of a conventional war against Islamic militants.

Ze'evi said he foresees this war breaking out on Israel's northern frontier, against Syria and Hezbollah.

Emphasizing the radicalization of Islamic militancy, Ze'evi cited recent changes in the objectives of major militant organizations, which have recently begun targeting sites in Arab countries.

"We are seeing attacks carried out in Amman, Dahab and Sharm el-Sheikh," said Ze'evi.

He cited the increased accessibility of Internet in the Arab world as facilitating the process, saying, "Today, anyone who is interested can learn how to blow up a bomb."

Major General (Res.) Ze'evi stepped down as chief of Military Intelligence about four months ago, and was replaced by Major General Amos Yadlin.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/716146.html

[ABLAT Staff]

Pakistan official to Iran: Take Israel hostage

Pakistan's former army chief tells Associated Press he advised Iranians to make it clear that if attacked their answer will be to hit Israel. Insists Pakistani government didn't help Iran attain capabilities even though former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto once told him Iranians offered more than USD 4 billion for nuclear technology
Associated Press



BegPakistan's former army chief says Iranian officials came to him for advice on heading off an attack on their nuclear facilities, and he in effect advised them to take a hostage — Israel.




Retired Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg said he suggested their government "make it clear that if anything happens to Iran, if anyone attacks it — it doesn't matter who it is or how it is attacked — that Iran's answer will be to hit Israel; the only target will be Israel."



Since Beg spoke in an interview with The Associated Press, echoes of his thinking have been heard in Iran, though whether they result directly from his advice isn't known.


Mohammad Ebrahim Dehghani, an Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander, was quoted last week as saying that if "America does make any mischief, the first place we target will be Israel." The threat was disavowed the next day by Brig. Gen. Alireza Afshar, deputy to the chief of Iran's military staff, who said it was Dehghani's "personal view and has no validity as far as the Iranian military officials are concerned."



And on Tuesday, Israel's Vice Premier Shimon Peres warned that "Those who threaten to destroy are in danger of being destroyed."



In the AP interview that took place several weeks before these threats were exchanged, Beg said a delegation from the Iranian Embassy in Pakistan had come to his office in January, seeking advice as Western pressure mounted on Iran to abandon its nuclear effort. Beg said he offered lessons learned from his experience dealing with India's nuclear threat.



'Attempt to degrade defense systems of Israel'



He said he told the Iranians, whom he did not identify, that Pakistan had suspected India of collaborating with Israel in planning an attack on its nuclear facilities. By then, Pakistan had the bomb too. But both countries had adopted a strategy of ambiguity, he said, and Pakistan sent an emissary to India to warn that no matter who attacked it, Pakistan would retaliate against India.




"We told India frankly that this is the threat we perceive and this is the action we are taking and the action we will take. It was a real deterrent," he recalled telling the Iranians.



He said he also advised them to "attempt to degrade the defense systems of Israel," harass it through the Hamas government of the Palestinian Authority and the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, and put second-strike nuclear weapons on submarines.



Although analysts are divided on how soon Iran might have nuclear weapons, Beg said he is sure Iran has had enough time to develop them. But he insists the Pakistani government didn't help, even though he says former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto once told him the Iranians offered more than USD 4 billion for the technology.



Ephraim Asculai, a former senior official with the Israel Atomic Agency Commission, said he didn't think Beg's remarks reflected official Pakistani policy.



Asculai said he believed Iran learned more from Iraq than from Pakistan, recalling that as soon as the 1991 Gulf War broke out, Saddam Hussein fired missiles at Israel, even though it wasn't in the U.S.-led coalition fighting Iraq.



'Can we have a bomb?'



Beg became army chief of staff in 1988, a year after Pakistan confirmed CIA estimates that it had nuclear weapons capability. He served until 1991 and now runs his own think tank. He speaks freely and in detail about the nuclear issue, but many critical blank spots remain and the subject remains one of great sensitivity, clouded by revelations in 2004 that A.Q. Khan, who pioneered Pakistan's nuclear bomb, sold nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea.




The bigger picture has also changed radically. Pakistan is now a U.S. ally in the war on terrorism, and Asculai said "Pakistani government officials have often suggested that they would be willing to have ties with Israel under certain conditions."



In the AP interview, Beg detailed nearly 20 years of Iranian approaches to obtain conventional arms and then technology for nuclear weapons. He described an Iranian visit in 1990, when he was army chief of staff.



"They didn't want the technology. They asked: 'Can we have a bomb?' My answer was: By all means you can have it but you must make it yourself. Nobody gave it to us."


The United States imposed sanctions on Pakistan in 1990, suspecting it was developing a nuclear bomb. In 1998, confirmation came with Pakistan's first nuclear weapons tests.



'They said they wanted to master nuclear cycle'



Although Beg insisted his government never gave Iran nuclear weapons, Pakistan now acknowledges that Khan sold Iran centrifuges to produce weapons-grade uranium, though without his government's knowledge.




In a televised confession Khan insisted he acted without authorization in selling nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea, saying the proliferation took place between 1989 and 2000.



Khan has been pardoned by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, and Pakistan has refused to hand him over to the United States or the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency for questioning.



According to Beg, Iran first sent emissaries to Pakistan in the latter years of its 1980-88 war with Iraq with a shopping list worth billions of dollars, mostly for spare parts for its air force. It offered in return to underwrite the development plan of Gen. Zia-ul Haq, then Pakistan's ruler.



"Gen. Zia did not agree," he said.



Much of what Beg says cannot be independently confirmed, and the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency did not respond to repeated requests for comment on Beg's version of events.



Another angle on these early contacts comes from Tanvir Ahmed, Pakistan's ambassador to Iran from 1987-1989. He said he had a rare meeting with Iran's nuclear inner circle in January 1988.



"It was the only time I was allowed in the inner sanctum of the nuclear discussions. I was asked to a lunch. ... they wanted to know whether Pakistan would help them on the nuclear side. They never said they wanted nuclear weapons. They said they wanted to master the nuclear cycle," Ahmed recalled.



Ahmed said he told them it was unlikely, but promised to relay the request to Zia. He said Zia told him: "You gave them the right answer."


http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLa...3250456,00.html

[ABLAT Staff]

Thursday, May 18, 2006



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FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Knesset member: Strike Iran now
Warns if U.S., others don't take action, Israel should act alone

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Posted: May 18, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern



By Aaron Klein



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© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – Israel and the international community should consider carrying out strategic strikes now against Iran's nuclear facilities to stall its suspected uranium enrichment activities, Israeli Knesset Member Effie Eitam told WorldNetDaily yesterday during an interview.


Knesset Member Effie Eitam

Eitam, chairman of the National Union Party and a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, warned Israel would need to attack Iran by itself if the international community led by the Unites States fails to successfully halt Tehran's nuclear program within about a year.

He blasted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's administration for "failing to devise a coherent strategy toward Iran" and urged Israel to immediately make public a doctrine of deterrence that would assure "total destruction" of Iran should it contemplate a first strike against the Jewish state.

"Iran is now at that kind of bottleneck junction where strategic sites that are known can be relatively easily and safely attacked with the goal of causing maximum delay. Strikes now can stall the entire nuclear process by many years," said Eitam.

The Knesset member, a former Israeli Defense Forces general, said Israel may need to act alone against Iran.

"With or without a world coalition, Israel will have to take action at some point when we are fully sure Iran's nuclear project is coming to a point of no return. I am worried all mechanisms of diplomacy used by the Iranians in response to the international movement against it are to buy time as they camouflage the real nature of their programs."

Asked to offer a timeline for the point at which he feels Israel would have to strike Iran by itself, Eitam replied, "We are talking about the period when Iran would have enough uranium to build a bomb. The information indicates this is not long away. Six months to a year or not much more.


"It is clear Iran is already starting to enrich uranium, and they are nearing the completion of technology necessary to assemble weapons. It is true they may leave quantities of uranium unpacked and not processed as weapons-grade for a time, but they can soon bring themselves to the point where they can make weapons within short periods of time," said Eitam

Iran is openly defying international calls to halt uranium enrichment activities. After Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was inaugurated last August, the country rejected European proposals aimed at curbing its nuclear programs and resumed nuclear projects, reopening a major uranium conversion plant in Isfahan. In January, Iran escalated the international confrontation by removing U.N. seals at one of its uranium-enrichment plants and resuming nuclear research.

Eitam deemed Iran "an international problem – by far not just an Israeli problem. The Iran leadership threatens the entire free world. It is a source of evil and not just a typical enemy. This evil will not compromise. It is best if it is destroyed physically. If the world doesn't act by a certain point, then Israel must."

So far, Tehran has scorned most diplomatic initiatives. Yesterday, it rejected an EU proposal to cease uranium enrichment in exchange for economic incentives and the construction of a light-water energy reactor. Unlike the heavy-water plant Iran is building in the city of Arak, a light-water reactor wouldn't produce plutonium – another ingredient for weapons – as a waste product. Such a reactor would still need enriched uranium for fuel, though, which could be refined to weapons-grade material.

Eitam said military action is the best assurance against Iran's nuclear program.

"With diplomacy and agreements you can never be sure unless the diplomacy comes to a point where the Iranians agree to dismantle their nuclear projects under intense international supervision. This looks extremely unlikely after so many years of negligence [by the U.S., Israel and Europe]. There is no second to physical destruction of Iran's facilities," said Eitam.

Security analysts contend any Israeli or international strike against Iran would result in retaliatory attacks by Palestinian terror groups and by the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, which is stationed alongside Israel's northern border and boasts it has over 10,000 missiles pointed at the country's civilian population centers.

But Eitam, who predicted Iran would also retaliate against international interests, said Israel is prepared for the expected onslaught of violence:

"We are ready to defend ourselves against Hezbollah and are quite adept at dealing with terrorism. These Iranian threats are very cheap prices to pay relative to what an Iranian nuclear threat represents for the future of the state of Israel. The entire world may have some tough times while the Iranians try to retaliate by using terror internationally, hijacking embassies, targeting innocents like at nightclubs in Europe."

The Knesset member went on to blast Olmert and the current Israeli administration for what he said was "gross negligence" at failing to counter the Iranian threat.

"I am extremely skeptical as far as Olmert, [Defense Minister Amir] Peretz and [Foreign Minister Tzipi] Livni being able to revive and renew a credible Israeli policy toward Iran. So far they are paralyzed. They have no program. They are just waiting for a miracle or for someone else to act. In a very short time if Olmert fails to provide a new approach, the real question becomes whether he should continue to be allowed to govern."

Eitam recommended Israel make public a policy of deterrence he says would render an Iranian first strike against Israel useless.

"It is crucial to change Israel's current policy of vagueness to open deterrence. It needs to be made clear to the Iranians that Israel will not be the only country destroyed if it is attacked. Even if the Iranians have weapons, they wont enjoy any strategic advantage because Israeli deterrence will be clear and credible. They wont even think about destroying Israel because doing so will place them under the fear of being totally destroyed, too."

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-frie...RTICLE_ID=50257

[ABLAT Staff]

Iran eyes badges for Jews
Law would require non-Muslim insignia

Chris Wattie
National Post


Friday, May 19, 2006


Human rights groups are raising alarms over a new law passed by the Iranian parliament that would require the country's Jews and Christians to wear coloured badges to identify them and other religious minorities as non-Muslims.

"This is reminiscent of the Holocaust," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. "Iran is moving closer and closer to the ideology of the Nazis."

Iranian expatriates living in Canada yesterday confirmed reports that the Iranian parliament, called the Islamic Majlis, passed a law this week setting a dress code for all Iranians, requiring them to wear almost identical "standard Islamic garments."

The law, which must still be approved by Iran's "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenehi before being put into effect, also establishes special insignia to be worn by non-Muslims.

Iran's roughly 25,000 Jews would have to sew a yellow strip of cloth on the front of their clothes, while Christians would wear red badges and Zoroastrians would be forced to wear blue cloth.

"There's no reason to believe they won't pass this," said Rabbi Hier. "It will certainly pass unless there's some sort of international outcry over this."

Bernie Farber, the chief executive of the Canadian Jewish Congress, said he was "stunned" by the measure. "We thought this had gone the way of the dodo bird, but clearly in Iran everything old and bad is new again," he said. "It's state-sponsored religious discrimination."

Ali Behroozian, an Iranian exile living in Toronto, said the law could come into force as early as next year.

It would make religious minorities immediately identifiable and allow Muslims to avoid contact with non-Muslims.

Mr. Behroozian said it will make life even more difficult for Iran's small pockets of Jewish, Christian and other religious minorities -- the country is overwhelmingly Shi'ite Muslim. "They have all been persecuted for a while, but these new dress rules are going to make things worse for them," he said.

The new law was drafted two years ago, but was stuck in the Iranian parliament until recently when it was revived at the behest of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

A spokesman for the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa refused to comment on the measures. "This is nothing to do with anything here," said a press secretary who identified himself as Mr. Gharmani.

"We are not here to answer such questions."

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre has written to Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, protesting the Iranian law and calling on the international community to bring pressure on Iran to drop the measure.

"The world should not ignore this," said Rabbi Hier. "The world ignored Hitler for many years -- he was dismissed as a demagogue, they said he'd never come to power -- and we were all wrong."

Mr. Farber said Canada and other nations should take action to isolate Mr. Ahmadinejad in light of the new law, which he called "chilling," and his previous string of anti-Semitic statements.

"There are some very frightening parallels here," he said. "It's time to start considering how we're going to deal with this person."

Mr. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly described the Holocaust as a myth and earlier this year announced Iran would host a conference to re-examine the history of the Nazis' "Final Solution."

He has caused international outrage by publicly calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map."

Iran does not yet have nuclear weapons, but Tehran believed by Western nations to be developing its own nuclear military capability, in defiance of international protocols and peace treaties.

The United States, France and Israel accuse Iran of using a civilian nuclear program to secretly build a weapon. Iran denies this, saying its program is confined to generating electricity.

cwattie@nationalpost.com
http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www....9b1240f&k=32073

[ABLAT Staff]

Iran: Fund to 'demolish' Israel set up

Iranian students set up fund dedicated to Israel's destruction. Encouraged by regime, students call fund 'symbolic move' in support of Palestinians
Associated Press

A group of Iranian students announced Sunday at an event attended by a high-ranking member of the elite Revolutionary Guard that they were setting up a fund to destroy Israel.

Although the initiative's name - "The Student Fund for Demolishing Israel" - brings to mind President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call last year to destroy the Jewish state, an organizer said its goal was to support the cash-strapped Palestinian government.



Some 300 students attended the event hosted by a group calling itself the Movement of Justice-seeking Students at the University of Tehran.



"This is a symbolic move to attract public attention to the Palestinian cause at a time when Western countries have halted financial support to the Hamas-led government," Javad Miri, the group's spokesman, told The Associated Press.



Miri said the group was collecting money that it will send it to the Hamas-led Palestinian government. "When an elected government is in power in Palestine and Israel is pressuring it, everybody should help the Palestinians."



The United States and the European Union halted most of their aid to the Palestinian Authority following Hamas' victory in Palestinian legislative elections in January, requiring that the group renounce violence and recognize Israel.


Popular campaigns to collect money for the Palestinians have been launched in several Arab countries.



'We are ready to support Palestinians by any means'



A general in the elite Revolutionary Guards, Saeed Ghassemi, struck a militaristic note in his address to the crowd. "Resistance is the only solution for Palestinians," He said. "If you abandon the sword, that will be the beginning of your end," he advised Hamas.




But the response to the call for donations was hardly overwhelming. About 10 students dropped money into a box labeled with the fund's name. They also put stones in the box in a symbolic gesture of solidarity that alluded to the first Palestinian intefadeh, or uprising, when youths pelted Israeli soldiers with rocks.



"I hope it's the start of popular financial support for the Hamas government," Einollah Zarrinjoo, 21, a male student of philosophy said.



Mahin Rezai, 20, a female Persian literature student said, "We are ready to support Palestinians by any means. Silence could make the situation worse."

In April, Iran said it would give the Palestinian Authority USD 50 million in aid. Last year, Ahmadinejad said the Holocaust was a myth and that Israel should be wiped out. Apparently taking a cue from the president, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced plans to hold a conference to examine evidence of the Holocaust.



The hard-line Association of Muslim Journalists has also proposed a similar event. Dates have not been set for either.



Iran is currently home to about 25,000 Jews who are represented by a Jewish lawmaker in parliament. About 75,000 left the country after the 1979 Islamic revolution.


http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLa...3253583,00.html

[ABLAT Staff]

Quietly, Israel writes Off U.S. Strike on Iran

Israel has lowered its hopes of a U.S. strike on Iran.

Government sources said Israel's military and intelligence community does not expect the Bush administration to order a U.S. strike on Iran over the next year. The sources said the Israeli assessment determined that President George Bush would be deterred by insufficient U.S. intelligence as well as declining popular support.

"Bush is weak within the United States, and the chance that he'll launch an attack against Iran is slim," Israeli Retiree Affairs Minister Rafi Eitan said.

A former operations director in the Mossad, Eitan was said to retain close ties to Israel's intelligence community.

http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2006/may/05_22_1.html

[ABLAT Staff]

Press release: Amir Taheri addresses queries
By Amir Taheri
Benador Associates

Regarding the dress code story it seems that my column was used as the basis for a number of reports that somehow jumped the gun. As far as my article is concerned I stand by it.

The law has been passed by the Islamic Majlis [parliament] and will now be submitted to the Council of Guardians. A committee has been appointed to work out the modalities of implementation.

Many ideas are being discussed with regard to implementation, including special markers, known as zonnars, for followers of Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism, the only faiths other than Islam that are recognized as such.

The zonnar was in use throughout the Muslim world until the early 20th century and marked out the dhimmis, or protected religious minorities. (In Iran it was formally abolished in 1908).

I have been informed of the ideas under discussion thanks to my sources in Tehran, including three members of the Majlis who had tried to block the bill since it was first drafted in 2004.

I do not know which of these ideas or any will be eventually adopted. We will know once the committee appointed to discuss them presents its report, perhaps in September.

Interestingly, the Islamic Republic authorities refuse to issue an official statement categorically rejecting the concept of dhimmitude and the need for marking out religious minorities.

I raised the issue not as a news story, because news of the new law was already several days old, but as an opinion column to alert the outside world to this most disturbing development.

Iranian author and journalist Amir Taheri is a member of Benador Associates.


http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HE24Ak01.html

[ABLAT Staff]

Tuesday, May 30, 2006



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FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Iran missile transfer puts most Israelis in range
Move against major population centers follows report of nuke-sites hit 'within year'

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Posted: May 30, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern



By Aaron Klein



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© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
JERUSALEM – Iran has equipped the Lebanese-based Hezbollah terror group with missiles capable of striking all of Israel's major population centers, doubling the terror group's firing range, it was revealed yesterday.

The move coincides with a WND report last week quoting top Lebanese political sources stating Iran estimates Israel will strike Tehran's nuclear facilities within a year. The sources said Iran has been planning retaliatory attacks against American, British and Israeli regional interests, including shipping arms to Hezbollah.

Israeli defense officials said Iran recently provided Hezbollah with the long-range rockets, which are capable of hitting targets up to 125 miles away, putting Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Be'er Sheva, the capital of the Israeli Negev, within range of Hezbollah's outposts at Israel's northern border with Lebanon.

The new missiles, reportedly produced inside Iran, are propelled by solid-fuel, making them more mobile then their liquid fuel counterparts. At launch, they weigh about 3.5 tons. The missiles lack a guidance system, but military officials said they can cause considerable damage.

The projectiles have been referred to by Iranian military leaders and Hezbollah members by different names, including "Zelzal" and "Nazeat" rockets. They were originally seen publicly at a military parade in Tehran in September, 2005, the first such event following the election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad one month prior.


The latest Iranian rocket transfer more than doubles Hezbollah's missile capabilities. According to Israeli security officials, Iran has in the past supplied the Lebanese group with various versions of the Fajr rocket, the most advanced of which can travel about 45 miles. Syria reportedly gave Hezbollah rockets of their own make, with a range believed to be about 20 miles. Hezbollah has not fired either rocket.

Hezbollah also is known to maintain a large arsenal of Katyusha rockets, shorter-range missiles it has fired at Israel several times, including this past weekend.

Israeli defense officials see the rocket transfer as an Iranian attempt to boost its strategic options against the Jewish state, particularly in light of Tehran's growing nuclear ambitions and fears the international community will try to halt its nuclear program. They said the rockets are meant to be aimed by Hezbollah at non-specific areas, including possibly major Israeli population centers.

"Hezbollah is a wing of the Iranian effort to create a frontline against the West," Israeli Defense Forces Colonel Gal Hirsch said yesterday. Hirsch has been stationed along Israel's northern border with Lebanon. He said in recent weeks he has seen a strong presence of Iranian Revolutionary Guard units at Hezbollah positions.

Sources: Iran believes Israel to strike within year

Last week WND reported Iran estimates Israel will strike Tehran's nuclear facilities within a year, according to senior Lebanese political sources.

The sources, speaking to WorldNetDaily on condition of anonymity, said Iran believes Israel has been practicing raids in Kurdish regions of Iraq, a report Israel denies. They said Tehran has held a series of meetings with leaders of Hezbollah about attacking the Jewish state in the event of any Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear sites.

The Lebanese political sources said while Iran is expecting lone Israeli military action, Iranian intelligence estimates the Jewish state is coordinating a planned attack with the U.S.

"The Iranians currently are operating under the working assumption that Israel is going to strike in less than a year and that this strike is highly coordinated with America," said a senior Lebanese politician.

Officially, Israel denies it is planning military action against Iran. Israeli leaders regularly call Iran a "world problem" and urge the international community to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions through diplomacy and the threat of economic sanctions.

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50427