The final report of the International Atomic Energy Agency Wednesday, Nov. 19, says the Syrian complex bombed by Israel 14 months ago bore features resembling those of an undeclared nuclear reactor. “Significant” amounts of man-made uranium particles were found in situ. Those features include the proximity of the site to the adequate pumping capacity of cooling water required by a reactor.
This report will be submitted the nuclear watchdog board meeting in Vienna on Nov. 27-28. Damascus is accused of failing to produce requested documentation to support its declaration about the nature of the building and refusing follow-up IAEA visits to three other locations suspected of harboring possible evidence linked to Israel’s target.
DEBKAfile was the only publication to report that the Israeli attack targeted more than one Syrian site. Washington says that the site was a nascent reactor meant to produce plutonium for atomic bombs.
The nuclear watchdog asks Syria for more cooperation and to show debris and equipment whisked away from the site demolished by Israel for further examination.
DEBKAfile’s military sources stress that the IAEA report attests to one of the most formidable feats of Israel’s external intelligence agency Mossad in conjunction with the US CIA.

Syrian president Bashar Assad is now confirmed as having been in the process of building nuclear weapons intended for attacking Israel.

Hamas to demand new conditions for any ceasefire talks, including prior opening of crossings; Islamic Jihad member warns of imminent suicide attacks

Hamas will demand different conditions for any renewed ceasefire, regardless of whether the current six-month Hamas-Israel ceasefire will end as planned on December 19 or be terminated early as the result of rocket fire on Sderot, a source from the organization told Ynet Friday. 

“If and when new discussions will commence regarding an extension of the ceasefire, we’ll demand the opening of all crossings prior to or concurrent to a ceasefire,” the source said. “We’ll demand to put a stop to Israeli disruptions of the ceasefire via closings of the crossings or delay of goods, as well as demanding that the ceasefire apply to the West Bank.” 

According to the source, it is unclear whether the ceasefire has officially ended. “It looks like it’s about to end, but even if it won’t collapse in the upcoming days as a result of Israeli violations, one thing is for sure: We won’t accept the current conditions for a future ceasefire.” 

“We will demand guarantees. We will agree to an additional period of ceasefire only after crossings are opened and goods are delivered and after we receive guarantees that the ceasefire will include the West Bank,” he said. 

A senior Hamas official, Dr. Khalil al-Haya, called on members of Hamas’ military wing to continue shooting rockets “at the Israeli settlements around Gaza.” 

Al-Haya spoke at a Hamas-organized rally against the arrest of organization operatives in the West Bank by associates of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. 

Suicide attacks to resume

The Palestinian organizations involved in a ceasefire with Israel consulted with members of an umbrella organization representing the Palestinian opposition and agreed that the ceasefire, in its current format, had failed and should not be renewed. 

A member of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, told Ynet that, in his estimation, all Palestinian organizations understand that the ceasefire has ended and that a new round of hard fighting with Israel is about to take place.                         

“Israelis are not the only ones who can threaten and they are not the only ones who had the means to hurt Palestinians. We are ready to show the innovations we’ve been acquiring over the recent months, including more massive shooting of more precise and long-range missiles,” he said. 

He also threatened that the organization would renew suicide attacks. “The recent months caused Israelis to forget the suicide bombings. And if they think the fence in Gaza or the West Bank will prevent such attacks, we promise there are ways to remind them that attacks will return to the heart of Israel,” he said.

Country guarding Geneva Convention slams Israel for destroying illegal structures in West Bank, which it regards ‘as violations of international humanitarian law’; also calls east Jerusalem ‘integral part of occupied Palestinian territory’

Switzerland accused Israel on Thursday of wantonly destroying Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem and near Ramallah in violation of the Geneva Conventions’ rules on military occupation. 

The Swiss Foreign Ministry demanded that Israel immediately halt the demolitions, which Israel has said are aimed at removing illegally constructed shacks. 

The Swiss statement, using unusually harsh language, said it “regards the recent incidents as violations of international humanitarian law” and notes “no military need to justify the destruction of these houses.” It also called east Jerusalem an “integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory”.

An Israeli Embassy spokeswoman in the Swiss capital of Bern said the decision to remove the structures was “not an arbitrary decision,” but was sanctioned by law.

“This demolition of houses was done under a court order,” embassy spokeswoman Shlomit Sufa said Thursday.

Sufa said the Israeli government “regrets” that phrasing in the Swiss statement, noting the status of east Jerusalem and other territories is still subject to a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian authorities.

Switzerland – as the guardian of the Geneva Conventions – can call meetings of the treaty’s signatories if it finds problems with its implementation, but does not have any special powers to enforce the document. 

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lars Knuchel said the demolitions violated the 1949 Geneva Conventions, regarded as the cornerstone of international law on the obligations of warring and occupying powers.

The Fourth Convention states that occupying powers must respect the property of civilian populations under their control. Switzerland said it lodged a formal protest with the Foreign Ministry over recent demolitions, which now bring the tally to more than 600 destroyed homes in east Jerusalem and 1,600 altogether in the West Bank since 2000.

 The Jerusalem-based Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions said that so far this year dozens of Palestinian homes have been pulled down in east Jerusalem, and activists say the city has issued orders against 90 more homes

By Joel C. Rosenberg

(Washington, D.C., November 10, 2008) — Tensions in the epicenter are running high as the world watches closely to see if Israel is going to launch preemptive strikes against Iran during this window between the U.S. elections and the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on January 20th, or if Iran will use this window to launch preemptive strikes against Israel.

I make no predictions about what will happen. My team and I continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the entire region. We’re praying for a peaceful regime change in Tehran and Damascus and for a respite from all the wars and rumors of wars. We have great faith that this can happen. But we don’t pretend to know exactly how events will play out. Thus, we are continuing to prepare for the worst case scenarios.

Among them:

* an apocalyptic, prophetic war in the Middle East involving Israel and Iran

* another “regular” but horrifying geopolitical war in the region as a follow-up to the Second Lebanon War in 2006

* catastrophic al Qaeda attacks in the U.S., Europe and/or in the Holy Land

Most of our Joshua Fund team is on the ground in Israel right now, making preparations to provide more food, clothing, medical equipment and other emergency relief supplies to those who need them presently, and those who could be victims of coming wars and terrorist attacks. Lord willing, I leave for Israel tomorrow to join them and will do my best to send updates during that trip.

That said, here are the key stories my team and I are tracking today:

* Al-Quds Al-Arabi: BIN LADEN HAS ORDERED AN ATTACK BIGGER THAN 9/11 THAT WILL ‘CHANGE THE WORLD POLITICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY’

* REPORT IDENTIFIES UK TERRORIST ENCLAVES: Secret enclaves of al-Qaeda extremists based in London, Birmingham and Luton are planning mass-casualty attacks in Britain, according to a leaked Government intelligence report

* OLMERT AT RABIN MEMORIAL: WE MUST GIVE UP PARTS OF JERUSALEM: “If we want to keep Israel Jewish and democratic, we need to give up parts of the homeland we have dreamed about for generations and [mentioned] in our prayers, even Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem, and to return to a 1967 Israel with certain amendments,” he said. “The decision must be made now. The moment of truth has arrived. There is no escaping it, but [the opportunity] can be missed. If, God forbid, we dither, we will lose the support for the idea of two states. There is no need to expand on the alternative…Rabin will win.” * OLMERT CALLS FOR CONCESSIONS IN JERUSALEM: Prime minister says during state ceremony in honor of slain prime minister, ‘We must give up parts of the homeland we have dreamt of for generations, as well as Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem’. President Peres says unrestrained minority inciting against leaders must be brought to justice.

NOTE: I have not been able to confirm the Israeli news report last week that an earthquake in Iran may have been triggered by a possible Iranian nuclear test. At this point, I lean strongly towards the view that this was an inaccurate report, but I will let you know if I find out more one way or the other.

Southern residents readjust to life under Qassam threat in wake of latest attacks

In recent days, western Negev residents have had to readjust to the routine of living under the Qassam rocket threat, after long months of calm. 

Yaniv, a father of four at a southern Kibbutz, told Ynet that “everything is back, the fears are back,” a short while after Islamic Jihad fired a rocket barrage from Gaza Friday morning.

The only way to cope with the situation is to hug and kiss his children, Yaniv said.

“The older ones are trying to be strong, but the young girls took it harder,” he said. “After the lull was violated and a rocket landed in our kibbutz, it took my 9-year-old a long time to overcome the anxiety. There is no control over the fear, it doesn’t work like that.”

Yaniv said he feels more secure when his children are at their fortified school or kindergarten. Meanwhile, regional security chief Avi Fadida says that schools will remain open Friday, despite the rocket attacks.

“The schools are much safer than homes at the communities,” he said. “The students feel safer so all of them arrive.”

Another local security officer, Nicky Levy, said officials are preparing for all possibilities.”People are apparently better prepared and more relaxed compared to previous escalations,” he said. “The regional council prepared the residents as well as emergency teams.”