News from Counselate

Quick Links

Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Sign Up for Mailings From:

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Israel21c


The Situation in Sderot

Try Wearing Israeli Shoes
- Yuval Rotem
(New Zealand Herald)
Would New Zealanders ask their government to sit idly by while a terrorist organization fires missiles on Tauranga or Hamilton? This is what is being asked of Israelis - to sit idly by while the residents of their southern town of Sderot are fired on by missiles from the terrorist organization Hamas. Let New Zealanders put themselves in the shoes of Israelis for just one day, without a vast ocean to protect them, without a democratic and secure neighbor like Australia, and with a terrorist organization mere miles away whose only reason for existing is their nation's destruction. Only then can democratic, informed debate happen.
Israel's Ambassador to New Zealand responds to a column which accused Israel of being a terrorist state.


Sderot Girl Describes Palestinian Rocket Attack
- Shmulik Hadad
(Ynet News)
Hanny Moreno, 14, who was injured by shrapnel, said she was in the house with her grandmother and mother when the rocket hit it. "We heard the Red Alert system. We ran to where my grandmother said was the most protected place, as there is no protection in the house. When the alert ended we came out and then there was an explosion. I flew against the wall and felt the roof collapsing over me. If I was a few meters away from the place where I was standing, I would have sustained more serious wounds. I thank God I was saved. Half a year ago, as I was making my way to this house, a Kassam rocket landed right next to me. A miracle saved me then too, because I managed to run and find shelter in time," she recounted.
MK Effie Eitam was on the outskirts of Sderot when the rockets began pouring in. He told Ynet: "A Kassam rocket fell on the road about 30 meters from me. That's not a good feeling."

UPCOMING EVENTS




FEATURED EVENT:



Hadag Nachash at the House of Blues Chicago
February 18th
8:00 p.m.
329 N. Dearborn, Chicago
To purchase tickets, click here.























February 15th-17th:



For more events, please visit:


* February Events

* March Events

* Israeli House Events
This week, the US Intelligence Chief corrected the impression given by the NIE, stating "the only thing that they've [Iran] halted was nuclear weapon design, which is probably the least significant part of the program."

Want to know more about Iran?

Iranian expert, Prof. David Menashri, Director of Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University, will be talking about Iran at two venues in the Chicago land area.

Sunday, February 10th:
"What Every American Jew Needs to Know About Iran"

Monday, February 11th:
"Iran: Insights into its Religion, Politics, and Power."

Click on the picture for more information and to register for either/both events.




Got a Facebook account? If so, become a fan of the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest to get up-to-the-minute information on upcoming Israeli events in your area!
********************************

Please forward this publication to anyone who shares your interest in Israel.

The articles in this newsletter (with the exception of Israeli Government statements) reflect the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs website - Click for the latest news, official statements, videos, and presentations relating to the current conflict as well as views of the Israel behind the headlines.



Iran

U.S. Intelligence Chief Corrects Impression Given by NIE on Iran - Demetri Sevastopulo (Financial Times-UK)
Admiral Michael McConnell, director of national intelligence, told the Senate intelligence committee Tuesday that the November national intelligence estimate had concluded that Tehran had ceased only efforts to covertly enrich uranium and design nuclear warheads. "The only thing that they've halted was nuclear weapons design, which is probably the least significant part of the program," he said. McConnell said Iran continued to develop uranium enrichment technology and longer-range ballistic missiles.

See Also: The Global Range of Iran's Ballistic Missile Program - Uzi Rubin (Institute for Contemporary Affairs/ Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)


Iran Testing Advanced Centrifuges - Mark Heinrich (Reuters)
Iran is testing an advanced centrifuge at its Natanz nuclear complex, diplomats said on Wednesday, a move that could lead to Tehran enriching uranium much faster and gaining the means to build atom bombs. Iran had 3,000 P-1 centrifuges working by November, but only at an estimated 10% of capacity. Diplomats tracking Iran said it had started mechanical tests of a more efficient P-2 model, which is designed to enrich uranium 2-3 times faster. Diplomats said Iran had decided to install no more P-1s and expand capacity only with their more efficient successor.

See Also: U.S.: Iran Could Have Enough Uranium for Bomb in 2009, But More Likely After 2010 - Pete Williams (NBC News)

Iran Tests Rocket, Plans to Launch Satellite - Parisa Hafezi and Fredrik Dahl (Reuters)
Iran launched a rocket on Monday designed to send its first homemade research satellite into orbit in the next year, state television said, a move likely to add to Western concerns about Tehran's nuclear plans. The technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used for launching weapons, analysts said. State media said the research satellite, called Omid (Hope), would be launched by March 2009.

Iran Reformists Sharply Lower Election Hopes (AFP/Gulf Times-Qatar)
Iran's reformists have drastically scaled down their expectations for parliamentary elections next month after the authorities disqualified half their candidates. The spokesman for the umbrella coalition of reformist parties, Abdollah Nasseri, said his forces were only competitive in 10% of parliamentary constituencies after the mass vetoing of candidates by interior ministry committees. Even the reformist-minded grandson of Iran's revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini, Ali Eshraghi, was disqualified, the Kargozaran newspaper reported.

See Also: Iranian Regime Fears Its Own Citizens - Editorial (New York Times)

The Source of Instability

Rise in Iran-Made Bombs in Baghdad (Reuters)
Attacks using Iranian-made roadside bombs in a key part of Baghdad rose in January to the highest level in a year, the U.S. military said on Sunday. The military said there were 12 EFP attacks against U.S. forces in northern and eastern Baghdad, including Sadr City, stronghold of the Shi'ite Mehdi Army militia.

Syria Upgrades Missiles with Iranian Help - Barak Ravid (Ha'aretz)
Syria, with Iranian support, has successfully developed a new surface-to-surface missile that would enable it to target with greater accuracy Israeli installations - such as airports, ports and factories - according briefings recently presented to senior ministers. Syria has upgraded the Iranian-made Zelzal surface-to-surface missile which has an operational range of 250 km. and is capable of carrying an especially large warhead. At the same time, Syria has acquired the Russian-made Pantsyr air defense missile system that can pose a substantial threat to Israeli air force aircraft. Damascus has also procured modern anti-tank missiles.


Further Sanctions?

Still Trying to Squeeze Iran - Adam Zagorin (TIME)
A new UN Security Council resolution punishing Iran for its failure to cease uranium enrichment remains weeks away, despite agreement between the five permanent Council members plus Germany.


Lebanon/Hezbollah



Lebanon in Confrontation with Syria, Iran: Hariri - Tom Perry (Reuters)
The leader of Lebanon's pro-Western majority in parliament said on Thursday the country was in direct confrontation with Syria and Iran, which back Hizbullah in its conflict with the Beirut government. Saad al-Hariri, whose coalition is supported by the U.S., said Syria and Iran and "their local tools" were seeking to "impose a terror, security and political siege" on Lebanon. Hariri's father, former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, was killed by a truck bomb on Feb. 14, 2005.

Egypt

Cairo Exploring Ties with Tehran - Nicholas Kralev and Abraham Rabinovich (Washington Times)
Diplomats Monday cautioned against excessive alarm over a series of visits to Cairo by senior Iranian officials, saying Tehran's bid to end three decades of estrangement is unlikely to yield an early restoration of formal relations.



Muslim Extremists from Egypt Poured into Gaza to Fight Israel - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
Thousands of Arab men flocked to Gaza from Egypt in the past two weeks, offering to join in the fight against Israel, sources close to Hamas said Wednesday. Some of the men had come from Iraq where they had been carrying out attacks against U.S. troops. "Hamas has turned the Gaza Strip into an international center for global jihad," said one PA security official. "Most of the men who entered the Gaza Strip through the breached border are now being trained in Hamas' camps and schools." Another PA security official said that a number of Iranian security experts had also entered Gaza to help train members of Hamas and other armed groups.

Mubarak Warns of Muslim Brotherhood Takeover in Egypt (Israel Radio-Hebrew)
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned of a takeover by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in an interview with Spanish journalists.
He said that if the Muslim Brotherhood succeeds in taking control of the Egyptian government, foreigners would not be able to remain in the country.

See Also: The Muslim Brotherhood: A Moderate Islamic Alternative to al-Qaeda or a Partner in Global Jihad? - Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan Dahoah-Halevi (ICA/JCPA)

Israel Isn't to Blame for Chaos Around Egypt's Wall - Jonathan Gurwitz (San Antonio Express-News)
When Hamas militants blew up that wall on Jan. 23 to end the Israeli blockade of Gaza, did you notice whose wall it was they destroyed? It was Egypt's wall. Funny, then, that the term "Israeli blockade" should have become so widely and so conventionally accepted with regard to Gaza. To blockade means to impede passage on all sides. It turns out that there is a back door to Gaza, which shares a seven-mile border with Egypt.

Palestinians

Hamas Leader: "Gaza Is Not Occupied" - Zvi Bar'el (Ha'aretz)
"Gaza is not occupied, so why should Israel have any role [at the Gaza-Egypt border crossing] when it has no presence on the border between Egypt and Gaza?" argued Mohammed Nuseir, a member of Hamas' political bureau, on Saturday. This is the first time an official Hamas representative has explicitly stated that Gaza is no longer occupied. At the same time, it puts Egypt in the difficult position of being Gaza's only outlet to the world - which means that it will also be held responsible for the Strip's economic plight.

See Also: Poll: 2/3 of Gazans Oppose Hamas Takeover (Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research)


See Also: Hamas Confiscates Jordanian Aid Sent to Gaza (DPA/Ha'aretz)


PA Glorifies Dimona Terrorists - Yadid Berman (Jerusalem Post)
The terrorists who perpetrated Monday's suicide bombing in Dimona were glorified in three newspapers controlled by the PA, including the official Al-Hayat al-Jadida, controlled by Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Media Watch reported Wednesday.

Report: Advanced Weapons Smuggled into Gaza - Ali Waked (Ynet News)
Palestinian sources confirmed Thursday that many advanced weapons were smuggled into Gaza over the past few weeks when the border between Gaza and Egypt was breached, including RPGs, anti-tank and Katyusha rockets.


Israel

The Israeli Lesson - Editorial (Wall Street Journal)
The news about Monday's suicide bombing in the Israeli town of Dimona is that it's the first in more than a year. This didn't happen by accident, or because Palestinian radicals have somehow become less hostile to Israel. Responsibility was claimed by the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, which is affiliated with Mahmoud Abbas' ostensibly moderate Fatah party. Islamist Hamas remains even more ardently dedicated to Israel's destruction, a point it emphasizes with rocket barrages at southern Israeli cities close to Gaza.
Key to Israel's increasingly successful antiterrorist efforts has been the construction of its ostensibly "illegal" security fence, its equally "illegal" targeted assassinations of key terrorist leaders, its "disproportional" attacks on terrorist enclaves in Jenin and elsewhere, and other actions that saved innocent lives. As Israel put pressure on terrorist leaders, they were forced to spend their time running for their lives rather than planning the next attack. As Israel set up physical obstacles to terrorism, the need for large-scale military incursions declined, allowing a semblance of normal life to return for Israelis as well as Palestinians. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, Israel proved that terrorists can be defeated.

Strategic Implications for Israel of the Gaza-Egypt Border Opening - Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror and Dan Diker (Institute for Contemporary Affairs/ Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
Some had hoped that pressuring Hamas in Gaza via sanctions, while helping to create a stable and prosperous Palestinian society in the West Bank under Mahmoud Abbas, would trigger support for Abbas' leadership in Gaza. However, Hamas, via Gaza's new-found access to Egyptian materials, goods, and services, can now ease Gaza's depressed condition and diminish the differences between Gaza and the more prosperous West Bank.
In sharp contrast to Fatah's yet unfulfilled promises, the Palestinian public sees Hamas' dramatic opening of the Gaza-Egypt border as the latest in a series of successful actions. Others include Hamas' surprise January 2006 electoral victory over Fatah, its kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, the sustained rocketing of southern Israel, and Hamas' expulsion of Fatah forces from Gaza and the establishment of its control over the government there in June 2007.

See Also: The Gaza Border Is Closed, But the Bomb Is Ticking - Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff (Ha'aretz)

Israel Welcomes Hamas' Intention to Economically Disengage from Israel - Roni Sofer (Ynet News)
Jerusalem on Saturday welcomed reports that Hamas is giving serious consideration to severing all economic ties with Israel. "This is clearly in Israel's interests, provided that our defense interests with Egypt are maintained," said a government official. According to a defense official, Israel's decision to downsize the supply of goods to Gaza was indeed meant to prompt Hamas into seeking other venues for aid. However, the defense official added that Israel cannot afford to let Gazans go hungry or restrict the treatment of sick Palestinians, and therefore aid to Gaza has continued despite the terror. "It's because we are Jews," he said.


Business News


eBay Buys Israeli Startup for $169M (Israel21c)
US online auctioning giant eBay and its subsidiary PayPal will soon be better protected from online fraud. This comes after news that PayPal has purchased Israeli online risk tools startup Fraud Sciences for $169 million.

Israeli Companies Follow Money to Silicon Valley - Stefanie Olsen (C/Net News)
On Wednesday, 15 Israeli companies in the IsraelWebTour 2008 showed off their technology to a group of investors and tech leaders at Microsoft's offices in Silicon Valley.
Investors said Israel is second only to Silicon Valley when it comes to Web entrepreneurs.

Israel...A Light Unto the Nations


Israelis Forge a Path in the Fight Against Cancer (Israel21c)
The war against cancer is fought daily by hundreds of thousands of "soldiers" - doctors, nurses, technicians and researchers who treat patients and spend long hours in labs around the world. Nonetheless, cancer is still winning. It is responsible for one in four deaths in Western countries, and the mortality rate for major malignancies has remained almost steady for the past half century.

Israeli Scientists Reveal the Prostate-healing Power of Mushrooms (Israel21c)
Mushrooms are traditionally known to be good for your health. But a research group from the University of Haifa has demonstrated that molecules extracted from the wild reishi fungus successfully slowed the growth of prostate cancer in the laboratory, pointing the way towards more effective treatments for the disease.


Culture


* Music
Renowned Israeli conductor, Eliahu Inbal, has been selected to become the chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Click here to learn more.


* Food
With most of the Midwest is covered in snow, this week, we bring you a delicious recipe for Meat Cholent.




ISRAELI VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

The Israeli film, Beaufort, has been nominated for an Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles! Click here to view the trailer!

Israeli Blog

Don't forget to check out the Israeli Blog:
www.isrealli.org


We hope you enjoyed this week's Israel Update!

Shabbat Shalom,


Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest