DAILY ALERT

In-Depth Issues:

Female Suicide Bombers from Yemen May Be Heading to U.S. - Richard Esposito, Rhonda Schwartz and Brian Ross (ABC News)
    American law enforcement officials have been told to be on the lookout for female suicide bombers who may attempt to enter the U.S.
    One official said at least two of them are believed to be connected to al-Qaeda in Yemen, and may have a non-Arab appearance and be traveling on Western passports.

Britain Ups Terror Threat Level to "Severe" - John F. Burns (New York Times)
    Britain's intelligence services raised the threat level of a terrorist attack from "substantial" to "severe" on Friday.
    The rating, the fourth highest of five levels, means an attack is considered to be highly likely.
    See also Islamist Hijack Plot Caused New UK Terror Alert - David Leppard (Times-UK)
    Fears that Islamist terrorists plan to hijack an Indian passenger jet and crash it into a British city helped to prompt this weekend's heightened terror alert.
    MI5 was told by the Indian authorities last week about a suspected plot by militants linked to al-Qaeda in Pakistan to hijack an Air India or Indian Airlines flight from Mumbai or Delhi.

Anti-Semitic Incidents in Western Europe Reach New Peak (AP/Washington Post)
    An Israeli report released Sunday says 2009 saw the most anti-Semitic incidents in Western Europe since World War II.
    It said the number of incidents in the first three months of 2009 in Western Europe, following Israel's invasion of Gaza, surpassed that of all of 2008.
    Read the Report (The Coordination Forum for Countering Anti-Semitism)

The Dahiya Doctrine vs. the Goldstone Report - Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)
    The IDF does not plan on significantly changing the way it fights in future conflicts. On the contrary, it will continue to target civilian infrastructure that is used by terrorists.
    This is known in the IDF as the "Dahiya Doctrine," in reference to the neighborhood in Beirut used as Hizbullah's command-and-control center that was bombed during the 2006 war.
    "Hizbullah is the one that is turning these areas into a battleground," IDF Northern Command head Maj.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot said Sunday. "We need to explain to ourselves and to others that this is something Hizbullah has brought upon itself."

Mount of Olives Cemetery Finds a New Home - on the Internet - Abe Selig (Jerusalem Post)
    The world's oldest Jewish cemetery just went online. Tens of thousands of graves on the Mount of Olives have been mapped by the City of David archeological park.
    The Web site www.mountofolives.co.il tells stories of the people buried in the cemetery and, through a search window, one can locate the documented graves by name.
    See also The Mount of Olives in Jerusalem: Why Continued Israeli Control Is Vital - Nadav Shragai (Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center)

News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:

Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):

Observations:

Israel to the Rescue - David Horovitz (Jerusalem Post)

• While other countries dithered, countries both nearer and far better resourced, Israel utilized the experience born of its previous earthquake rescue missions - to Turkey, Greece, Armenia and Mexico - and got down to business in Haiti. Our "light unto the nations" Haitian relief effort encapsulated much of what is best about our country. It demonstrated our heartfelt desire to come to the assistance of others in the time of their greatest need, with no desire or expectation of reward.
• The Israeli mission to Haiti also underlined our capacity to think and act fast and effectively - to pull together and surmount obstacles at a time of crisis. While relief teams from more than two dozen countries were running into all kinds of logistical difficulties, the Israeli teams, quietly, efficiently, and with a minimum of fuss, somehow circumvented or cleared all the obstacles, and went to work.
• There is one thing that our Haiti rescue outreach made emphatically clear, and that the Palestinians might want to ponder: If you're in trouble and you're not trying to kill us, there's no one like the Israelis to help you out.

  The writer is Editor-in-Chief of the Jerusalem Post.

• From CBS to CNN to MSNBC, wide-eyed medical reporters have been witnessing the Israeli operation in Haiti with an underlying tone of combined admiration and jealousy. With relief delegations of all shapes and sizes, it's the Israelis who travel halfway around the world and within hours have a fully operational hospital in place. Journalists ask outright why anyone else can't be doing this.
• Admittedly, our adeptness in launching these types of operations stems from a history of confronting hostilities. Those of us involved in emergency management and disaster response know all too well that Israel has a unique advantage over most, if not all, nations in this discipline. Our protocols and emergency departments have become models for hospitals all around the world. The IDF Home Front Command has made it a principal training objective to remain ever-ready for all types of disasters.
• The world has quickly learned that the "successes" we are achieving in Haiti have come because we appreciated the continuous need for this type of training. Even more so, it is recognizing that we have a role in contributing to the greater welfare of the international community.

  The writer is director-general of Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.