Aipac briefing

www.aipac.org December 17, 2008
Gates: Hizballah's Arsenal Dwarfs Many Nations' Inventories
Hamas Supporters Taunt Israel at Gaza Rally
Rice Says Sanctions Affecting Iran
Iran: 'We are Proud of Supporting Hizballah'
Israeli Court Orders Modification to Barrier Route
Eye Doctors in Israel Restore African Boy's Sight

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Gates: Hizballah's Arsenal Dwarfs Many Nations' Inventories
Armed with increasingly sophisticated weapons and technology, the Lebanon-based terrorist army Hizballah and other non-state actors pose a dire threat to the United States and its allies, Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote in the latest edition of Foreign Affairs. "Hizballah's restocked arsenal of rockets and missiles now dwarfs the inventory of many nation-states," Gates wrote, referring to the terrorist army's massive weapons cache. In a recent speech to the Knesset, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak revealed that Hizballah has tripled the size of its arsenal since its 2006 war against Israel and now possesses some 42,000 rockets capable of striking most Israeli population centers. Click here to learn about the threat of Hizballah.

Hamas Supporters Taunt Israel at Gaza Rally
Hamas terrorists brought together hundreds of thousands of supporters at an anniversary rally on Sunday that included a skit of a captive Israeli soldier begging for his freedom, the Associated Press reported. Before some 300,000 followers gathered in Gaza City, the group paraded a Hebrew-speaking actor dressed in an Israeli soldier's uniform—meant to portray Israeli Sgt. Gilad Schalit, who was kidnapped in June 2006. "I miss my Mom and Dad," said the man playing the Israeli soldier, kneeling as he spoke. Hamas leaders also bragged about the group's campaign of terror against the Jewish state and pledged to soon stop recognizing the legitimacy of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in a violent coup in June 2007, faces international isolation until it recognizes Israel, renounces terrorism and accepts previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements.

Rice Says Sanctions Affecting Iran
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday said that international sanctions have led some Iranian leaders to second-guess their rejection of U.N. Security Council demands that Tehran halt its illicit nuclear activity, the Associated Press reported. "The Iranians are paying real costs for their behavior," Rice said. "It hasn't yet convinced them that they have to change their course, but there are plenty of voices being heard inside that government that are talking about the costs and about whether or not they've made a mistake in getting themselves so deeply isolated." Global financial institutions have cut business dealings with Iran as a way of pressuring the Islamic Republic to halt its nuclear work, and the Islamic Republic faces further international pressure as a result of its continued pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability.

Iran: 'We are Proud of Supporting Hizballah'
Iran's parliamentary speaker deemed President-elect Barack Obama's comments on Tehran's illicit nuclear activities "cowboy" talk and said his country took pride in its support for Hizballah, Agence France Presse reported. "The new U.S. president has said he wants to pressure Iran since it seeks to produce atomic weapons and because it supports the terrorists like Hamas and Hizballah," Ali Larijani said. "We are proud of supporting Hizballah since they are defending their homeland and you are wrong in calling them terrorists." The State Department consistently lists Iran—the prime backer of Hizballah—as the world's leading state sponsor of global terrorism.
Israeli Court Orders Modification to Barrier Route
The Israeli Supreme Court has ordered that the route of the security fence be redrawn in certain areas in order to lessen the impact on Palestinians living near its path, the Associated Press reported. The ruling specified that "security considerations that will shape the new route must only take into account houses that have already been built, and not plans for future construction" within Israeli settlements. The ruling is not the first time the court has ordered that the fence be altered. In an earlier case, former Israeli Chief Justice Aharon Barak wrote that Israel's democratic nature forced it to balance real security concerns with a commitment to due process and human rights, noting that "a democracy must sometimes fight with one arm tied behind her back." Since Israel began construction on the fence, it has reduced Palestinian suicide bombings by more than 95 percent.
Eye Doctors in Israel Restore African Boy's Sight
A four-year-old boy named Salin found in an abandoned sewage canal in Cameroon has had his sight restored by two Israeli doctors, The Jerusalem Post reported. He was blind in one eye and had only minimal sight in the other because his corneas had turned opaque. Doctors in Cameroon decided to operate only on the blind eye so as not to risk his remaining vision in the other. With no suitable medical facilities for such an operation in Cameroon, the authorities in the poor African country decided to send him to Israel. Using a new technique, the boy's opaque cornea was removed and a new cornea transplanted in its stead. The cornea was donated by the Vision Share cornea bank in the United States and facilitated by Vivienne Notman, its representative in Israel.