|
Prepared for the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
| |||||
|
To contact the Presidents Conference: [email protected]
In-Depth Issue:
Terror Alerts in Israel Continue - Margot Dudkevitch (Jerusalem Post)
Al Qaeda Links Seen in Attacks on Top Saudi Security Officials - Douglas Jehl (New York Times)
U.S. Orders Foreign Airlines to Use Armed Marshals - Eric Lichtblau (New York Times)
Jordan to Educate Schoolchildren About Terrorism (Reuters)
Poland, Israel Sign Anti-Tank Missile Deal - Monika Scislowska (AP/Guardian-UK) |
News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
A Syrian trading company with close ties to the ruling regime smuggled weapons and military hardware to Saddam Hussein between 2000 and 2003, helping Syria become the main channel for illicit arms transfers to Iraq despite a stringent UN embargo, documents recovered in Iraq show. The private company, called SES International Corp., is headed by a cousin of Syria's autocratic leader, Bashar Assad, and is controlled by other members of Assad's Baath Party and Alawite clan. The Bush administration accused Damascus in March of sending night-vision goggles and other military equipment into Iraq, but U.S. officials now say the White House was unaware of the extent of the illicit weapons traffic. Iraq's Al Bashair Trading Co. handled all those deals and scores of others. Its English-speaking director-general, Munir A. Awad, fled to Syria during the war and now is living there "under government protection," according to an intelligence report in Washington. On March 2, 2003, 30 inspectors from the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency arrived without notice to check reports that Al Bashair had put public tenders out on the Internet to buy high-strength aluminum tubes. The CIA had insisted the tubes could be used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons. Records show Asef Isa Shaleesh, the SES manager, made at least four trips to the Al Bashair offices in Baghdad between September 2001 and August 2002 to sign or update more than 50 SES contracts to supply Iraq's military. (Los Angeles Times) Saddam Hussein has given his U.S. captors information on hidden weapons and as much as $40 billion he may have seized while he was Iraq's president, an Iraqi official said Monday. "Saddam has confessed the names of people he told to keep the money and he gave names of those who have information on equipment and weapons warehouses," Iyad Allawi, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council, told the London-based Asharq al-Awsat daily. "The Governing Council is searching for $40 billion worth of funds seized by Saddam when he was in power and which has been deposited in Switzerland, Japan, Germany, and other countries under the names of fictitious companies," Allawi said. (Reuters) In buildings scattered in urban neighborhoods and suburbs of Tripoli, inspectors found crates that held hardware for machinery capable of purifying uranium for use in nuclear weapons. The Libyans displayed dozens of centrifuges, the devices required to develop weapons-grade uranium. By comparison, Iran possesses thousands of centrifuges. Mohammed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the findings highlighted the inadequacy of international inspections. IAEA teams have been visiting Libya for years and knew nothing about the equipment they saw Sunday. Even permission to allow surprise inspections would not guarantee discovery of a nuclear weapons program. "Low-level programs like this are difficult to detect. They can be run in a garage," ElBaradei said. "You would have to be lucky or have very good intelligence to run across it." Most of the work was done by Libyan scientists, some of whom had studied at the universities of Wisconsin and Minnesota, and at the University of Exeter in Britain, a Western diplomat said. (Washington Post) See also Libyan Project Exposes "Cartel" in Nuclear Arms Libya's decision to reveal its secret nuclear program has exposed an inter-national "cartel" responsible for smuggling atomic weapons technology to regimes around the globe. (London Times) News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
Saddam Hussein is still seen by some Palestinians as a hero and a symbol of defiance against Israel and the U.S. Saddam's picture appears at protests against the separation fence, at rallies for Palestinian prisoners, and at funerals of activists. Saddam's sympathizers can be found in almost all the Palestinian factions, including Fatah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. The Palestinian branch of the dissolved Iraqi Ba'ath Party, known as the Arab Liberation Front (ALF), remains active in several Palestinian cities and villages. In the past three weeks, the ALF and "Saddam's friends" have published two paid front-page advertisements in the Palestinian daily al-Hayat al-Jadeeda, condemning the U.S. for apprehending Saddam. In a series of articles in the Palestinian media, which is entirely controlled by the PA, prominent Palestinian analysts and commentators have expressed their dismay at the humiliation of Saddam and strongly condemned the U.S. for its "ongoing crimes" against the Iraqi people. (Jerusalem Post) A senior IDF officer said Gaddafi's recent statements were not the result of pressure by the U.S. and the UK, but a strategic decision he made, one that Israeli security and intelligence officials recognize as being sincere. "He realizes that he will reap benefits from the U.S. or UK or others, and Libya will benefit in the long run. Gaddafi's statements transmit a clear-cut message to Syria and Iran, which remain the most threatening elements in the region, that the process is worthwhile," the officer said. Iran, Syria, and the Palestinians are the only ones left who continue to support terrorism, create safe havens for terrorists, and fund terrorist activities, the officer added. The war in Iraq, Gaddafi's recent statements, and sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Syria because of its outright support of terrorism has forced Syrian President Assad to evaluate his position in order to minimize risks. Assad continues to do everything possible to maintain the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in order to prevent the Palestinians from reaching an agreement with Israel. "On one hand he continues to support terrorism and develop unconventional warfare capability and at the same time he transmits messages to the U.S. and Israel that he is keen on renewing negotiations," the officer said. (Jerusalem Post) Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
Two recent assassination attempts against Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, have renewed concern in the Bush administration over the security of its nuclear weapons if Musharraf were killed or removed from office. Three years ago, American officials estimated that Pakistan had enough highly enriched uranium to manufacture 40 nuclear weapons, and it is assumed that the figure has grown. Under both President Clinton and President Bush, the Pentagon has analyzed whether American forces could seize or secure Pakistan's nuclear arsenal if it appeared likely to fall into the hands of terrorists or their sympathizers. But a number of current and former administration officials said they had concluded that it was impossible to be certain where all of Pakistan's nuclear materials and weapons components were stored. (New York Times) You won't see groups like "Anarchists Against the Wall" protesting in Ramallah or Gaza in opposition to suicide bombings against Israel, either because they support terrorism, or because the PA would never permit such a protest. The complaint of the Palestinians and their fellow travelers generally boils down to "it all started when he hit me back." Want to help the Palestinians? Tell them to stop attacking Israel, and the record shows that Israel will quickly reciprocate by easing its onerous security measures. It is Palestinian terrorism that is building the fence, with the help of its supposed friends. (Jerusalem Post) In 1948, Bethlehem was 80% Christian. Today it is 80% Muslim. Some 2 million Christians have fled the Middle East in the past 20 years. Since Arafat took over administration of the Palestinian territories from Israel in 1994, the Christian population has dropped from 15% to 2%. If these people were fleeing Israeli oppression, why did they leave after the Israelis left? (WorldNetDaily) Observations:
Is There an Alternative to Arafat's Leadership? - Barry Rubin
To subscribe to the Daily Alert, send a blank email message here. To unsubscribe, send a blank email message here. |
||||