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Prepared for the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in association with the Fairness Project by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
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To contact the Presidents Conference: [email protected]
In-Depth Issue:
Syria Opens Second Pipeline to Smuggle Iraqi Oil - Michael Evans (London Times)
Syria has expanded its oil-smuggling operation with Iraq by opening a second pipeline between the two countries, according to intelligence based on recent satellite photographs.
A Saudi Link to 9-11? - Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenbal (Newsweek)
German authorities in Hamburg have charged Mounir el-Motassadeq, 28, a Moroccan citizen, with assisting Muhammad Atta and other members of the "Hamburg cell" that organized the 9-11 attacks.
Useful Reference:
693 People Murdered by Palestinian Terrorists since September 2000
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
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News Resources - North America and Europe:
The Bush administration is pressing the current UN inspection team to ferry scientists out of Iraq for interrogation. Only then, administration officials say, will they get useful information on suspected Iraqi nuclear, chemical, and biological arms programs. Failure of Hussein to permit scientists and their families to leave would, in the administration's view, constitute a breach of the latest UN resolution demanding open access to weapons sites. (Washington Post) "I am inviting leading Palestinians to come to Britain in January to a conference along with members of the Quartet and other countries from the region," British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the British parliament. The Palestinians have announced their acceptance of the invitation, but Israel has asked Washington to go slowly on the Middle East "road map" until after the Israeli elections on January 28. (Reuters) The Americans are so far advanced with their build-up that they could be ready for war at comparatively short notice. By contrast, Britain will need several weeks to deploy. British officials who have seen the Iraqi document say that many biological and chemical warfare materials and missiles that escaped previous UN weapons inspections in the 1990s were still unaccounted for. "We know they have been hidden," one official said. (London Times) Despite America's sagging image in the region, many Arab regimes know they have little choice but to stay friends with the U.S. For a multitude of reasons, the U.S. likely will find many Arab rulers offering everything from discreet logistical support to unfettered use of territory and airspace in the event of war with Iraq. "There is a silent majority among Arabs that says the region without Saddam would be a much better place," said Dawood al-Shirian, of the Saudi-owned Al-Hayat newspaper. (Austin American-Statesman/AP)
News Resources - Israel, the Mideast, and Asia:
In an off-the-record meeting with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in New York on Monday, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said, according to one source, that Israel may have to "clean up" south Lebanon if Hizballah begins firing missiles. Mofaz also noted that Palestinians are not rising up to challenge Arafat's authority. (Jerusalem Post) A "Jordan First" campaign to boost national loyalty is the focus of a special committee formed by King Abdullah II of Jordan. The King said the campaign was not a call for isolation, but springs from the conviction that Jordan's socio-economic strength needs to be ensured if the country wants to support its Arab brethren. The campaign was kicked off with posters and billboards show five hands hoisting the flag - a man in a business suit, a blue-collar worker, a woman in Palestinian dress, a child, and another woman. (Gulf News-UAE)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis
(Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
The energetic young Syrian President has done what many might have considered impossible - he has turned Syria into an even viler terrorist state. Since September 2000, Syria has stepped up its financial, military, and political support for groups such as Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and Hizballah. Mr. Blair's response to the Syrian president's illegal occupation of sovereign nations, sponsorship of terror, and continued repression of his own people, has been fawning. The rationale for this tickling of terror's tummy is the old principle of "engagement." Putting to one side the obvious point that Bashar's idea of playing a fuller role in the international community is getting Islamic murderers to blow bits of it up, the Prime Minister should pause to consider just where Western "engagement" with terrorist states has led in the past. (London Times) Bashar Assad, the man who is being feted, charmed, and honored by Britain's highly manicured political leaders and financial elites, rules a state that hosts a slew of terror organizations, facilitates the drug trade, jails political opponents, abuses human rights, subjugates a neighboring state, espouses anti-Semitism, pursues weapons of mass destruction, offers a smuggling route for illicit Iraqi oil exports, and provides military equipment for the pariah regime of Saddam Hussein. (Jerusalem Post) Referring to criticism of Rumsfeld's insistence on targeting individual al Qaeda members, a Pentagon adviser who worked closely with the Rumsfeld team said, "The idea of not wanting to go after the senior leadership of a paramilitary group that has declared war on you is such a perversion that it's mind-boggling. The problem of a peacetime military is that they cannot conceive of doing what they are paid to do." (New Yorker) The first strategic goal of Israel's current war on Palestinian terror should be to change the mindset of Arab leaders who believe that Israel can be forced to make concessions. The second strategic goal should be to create a new kind of leadership within Palestinian society. The only way to achieve both goals is to fight terror relentlessly, though keeping in mind that Israel will have to negotiate with the Palestinians at the end of the day - another reason beyond the obvious why all efforts must be made not to harm civilians while fighting terror. (Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Aiming at Deadly Weapons - Saxby Chambliss and Jane Harman (Washington Post) Four steps are critical to building a better intelligence capability:
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