End Times Reports

The most RECENT REPORTS are now posted together for ALL chip, 666, apostate, sodom, coverups, cults, etc. are now posted DAILY on our News & Views page...

Always check the News & Views link above as there is MUCH MORE INFO posted there DAILY...

Free Virtual Tour Offers Entire World Glimpse of Temple Mount

A virtual tour of Har HaBayit, the Temple Mount, brings those who have never been upon Mt. Moriah on a tour of Judaism’s holiest site.

Israel National Radio’s Rabbi Chaim Richman, who heads the Temple Institute, has released a first-of-its-kind video that allows every Jew to experience a tour of the Temple Mount.

NOTE: This may NOT be for MODEM users as the VIDEO files average 16 MEG each.

HOWEVER if you have BROADBAND left clicking the link will play the video's in windows media player....

click here for part 1 14meg
click here for part 2 14meg
click here for part 3 17meg

Feb 6, 2008 For some reason the link will NOT PLAY but it WILL DOWNLOAD! At least as of today...BroJ thewatchman

(To download, right-click links and select "save target as")

The Health Ministry is warning of an expected earthquake in northern Israel and has stepped up preparations for a multi-casualty major disaster.

Ministry Director-General Avi Yisraeli has instructed hospital chiefs and representatives of the health maintenance organizations in the north to prepare immediately for the possibility of a major tremor.

In a special notice distributed to medical authorities, including managers of hospitals, health maintenance organizations, Magen David Adom, and senior officials in the health system, Yisraeli wrote that exceptional seismic activity was recorded in southern Lebanon in the middle of February.

In one three-month period this year, around 500 small tremors were recorded at a magnitude of less than two on the Richter Scale, he wrote.

According to the director-general, the magnitude of the tremors increased in the last 10 days of May and the beginning of June, to the extent that they were felt in Israel's north.

Yisraeli cited studies done by the Israeli Geophysics Institute, which show that the change in pace of the earthquake activities in South Lebanon raises the probability of occurrences of more strong earthquakes in the north.

The estimates suggest an earthquake of a magnitude of six on the Richter Scale may impact upon towns in Israel from Haifa northwards, and is likely to cause destruction of buildings and foundations

Iran has moved ballistic missiles into launch positions, with Israel’s Dimona nuclear plant among the possible targets, defense sources said last week.

The movement of Shahab-3B missiles, which have an estimated range of more than 1,250 miles, followed a large-scale exercise earlier this month in which the Israeli air force flew en masse over the Mediterranean in an apparent rehearsal for a threatened attack on Iran’s nuclear installations. Israel believes Iran’s nuclear program is aimed at acquiring nuclear weapons.

The sources said Iran was preparing to retaliate for any onslaught by firing missiles at Dimona, where Israel’s own nuclear weapons are believed to be made.

Major-General Mohammad Jafari, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard, told a Tehran daily: ‘This country [Israel] is completely within the range of the Islamic Republic’s missiles. Our missile power and capability are such that the Zionist regime – despite all its abilities – cannot confront it.’

An editorial in a government newspaper, Jomhouri Eslami, said: ‘Our response will hit right at their temple.’

The saber-rattling coincided with a visit to Israel yesterday by the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, for talks with his Israeli opposite number, Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi. This intensified speculation that Israel was seeking US approval for a possible attack on Iran

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday during a meeting with visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy that Jerusalem would never be divided in a future peace agreement with the Palestinians.

‘Jerusalem is the historic capital of the Jewish people. Jerusalem will not be divided, and only Israeli control in the city will guarantee freedom of worship for all religions,’ Netanyahu, the chairman of the right-wing Likud party, said.

Netanyahu's comments came after the French president told the Knesset on Monday that the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of both Israel and a Palestinian state was a condition for peace. The Palestinians, he said, ‘have the right to a viable state of their own.’ He added that such a state would ‘ensure Israel's security.’

Sarkozy also met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem on Tuesday, at the end of a three-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories

Government spokesman Mark Regev said on Wednesday that Israel is interested in direct, bilateral talks with Lebanon in order to reach a peace deal between the two bordering countries.

Regev said that every issue of contention would be on the table, including a key border dispute over the Shaba Farms, a small piece of land controlled by Israel, the dispute over which is a key sticking point between Israel, Lebanon and Syria.

Regev's comments were the government's most explicit overture toward Lebanon. Last week, when Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hinted Israel would be interested in talks with Beirut, the Lebanese government rejected the notion. On Wednesday, a Lebanese government official said that position hadn't changed.

Wednesday's announcement came amid a flurry of developments in the region. Officials say they are close to a prisoner swap with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, and Israel also recently opened peace talks with Syria.

Meanwhile, a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas is set to begin on Thursday

Ninety percent of the Israeli public thinks that the country is tainted with corruption and over half say that corruptibility is a necessary prerequisite to success in the political sphere, according to the Israeli Democracy Institute's (IDI) annual Democracy Index, which was submitted Tuesday to President Shimon Peres.

The findings reflect a "growing mistrust of government institutions and strong anti-political feelings, together with a demand for the state to improve its functioning and resume its position as the main player in the political-social-economic arena," the report said.

In general, the Israeli public is displaying a growing indifference to politics, the survey found, with only 60 percent showing interest in politics and only 43 percent admitting to discussing politics with their friends and family - down from 73 percent in 2006.

The survey found that for the first time in many years, the public did not rate the Supreme Court as the top institution safeguarding democracy in Israel.

Only 49 percent of those polled expressed their trust in the Supreme Court, as opposed to 61 percent in 2007.

The study also gauged the public's assessment of various institutions, placing the IDF at the head of the list of institutions which the public trusts the most at 71 percent.

Confidence in the president rose from 22 percent in 2007 to 47 percent. Approval of the police fell significantly, from 41 percent in 2007 to 33 percent.

Imagine this: Ten fighter jets take off from a base in northern Israel, fly over Jordan, Iraq and into Iran to bomb air-defense missile systems, radar stations and nuclear facilities. They then leave Iranian airspace safely without sustaining any enemy fire. Sounds implausible?

If the IAF has its way, the possibility will become realistic in the near future. The key is the F-22 single-seater, double-engine aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas.

Through a combination of its shape, composite materials, color and other integrated systems, it can fly in enemy airspace without being detected. Israel has had its sights set on the F-22 since its development began in the early 1990s.

Today it is the only 5th generation fighter jet fully operational with stealth capabilities. Branded the "Raptor" by the US Air Force, it operates out of Langley, Virginia, Florida and New Mexico.

To date, the US government has clamped an embargo on the sale of the aircraft to foreign countries. But on Wednesday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly raised the issue with President George Bush in Washington.

Other talks have taken place in recent months at the Defense Ministry-Pentagon level. According to defense sources, the Pentagon might be inclined to change its mind and allow a sale to Israel, particularly in light of the looming nuclear threat from Iran.

"The prospect of a squadron of stealth-enabled F-22s flying undetected into Iran, opening the internal compartments that carry their missiles and dropping them into the nuclear sites - that is one piece of deterrence!" said a source close to the IAF.

The F-22 would be used in an air strike to first blow out enemy air defense systems and radar stations and to create "clear skies" for the rest of the IAF's fleet of F-15 and F-16 bombers

Israeli defense officials have rejected comments by Cabinet Minister Shaul Mofaz, who said last week that an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities is ‘unavoidable.’

The statement was a factor in a spike in oil prices by nearly nine percent. Defense sources said such irresponsible statements make it harder for Israel to convince the West to tighten sanctions on Iran.

Israel believes Iran is developing nuclear weapons that pose an existential threat, though Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Mofaz's remarks are widely seen as part of a power struggle in Israel's ruling Kadima party. Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said Mofaz wants to appear tough as he campaigns to become the successor of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who could be toppled by a corruption scandal.

Vilnai told Israel Radio that it is unacceptable to turn ‘one of the most strategic security issues into a political game.’

There has been broad speculation about an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran since late 2005 when the Iranian president threatened to wipe the Jewish state ‘off the map.’

But Cabinet Minister Rafi Eitan urged Mofaz and others to refrain from saber rattling.

Iran warned Israel of a ‘painful response’ if it attacks Tehran: Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar slammed the statement made by Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz over the holiday weekend, threatening to attack Iran if it doesn't abandon its nuclear program, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported late Monday.

The Iranian minister told the press that ‘Ever since it lost to Hizbullah, Israel has been suffering from psychological problems, which is why its people make foolish remarks every now and again. Young Israelis wish to emigrate to other countries and have no hope for a better future in their country. Iran, however, enjoys both stability and military power. Therefore, if someone elects to make a foolish move, our response will be quite painful.’

On Saturday, the Iranian Ambassador to the UN Mohammad Khazaee wrote a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in which he attacked Mofaz: ‘Such a dangerous threat against a sovereign country and a member of the United Nations is a violation of the International Law. Therefore, the UN and especially its Security Counsel should respond accordingly.’

With unilateral military actions, countries are undermining international agreements, and we are at a historic turning point,’ International Atomic Energy Agency head Mohamed ElBardei told German weekly Der Spiegel in reference to Israel's aerial attack on a Syrian nuclear facility in September and the threat made by Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz to attack Iran if the Islamic Republic ‘continues with its program to develop a nuclear bomb’.

In the interview, which will be published in its entirety on Tuesday, United Nations' chief nuclear inspector told Der Spiegel he believes there is a growing threat to global peace through the build-up of nuclear arms and the increasing penchant of counties to bomb suspected nuclear facilities.

ElBardei slammed Tehran's leadership, saying ‘the readiness on Iran's side to cooperate leaves a lot to be desired. We have pressing questions.’

According to him, Iran's leadership is ‘sending a message to the entire world: We can build a bomb in relatively short time.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decided to call for a 'national and comprehensive dialogue' with Hamas after being informed of Israel's plan to launch a wide-scale military operation in Gaza and recapture the coastal enclave, according to a report published Saturday by the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi.

The newspaper quoted Palestinian sources as saying that Israel plans to gradually transfer control over the Strip to the Palestinian Authority, adding that Abbas expressed his objection to the move during last week's meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and demanded that Jerusalem take a positive stance toward Egypt's efforts to broker a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

According to the sources, Abbas warned Olmert of the possible ramifications should Israel decide to take over Gaza and is attempting to thwart an Israeli invasion by resuming talks with Hamas.

The report said Israel is looking to re-conquer Gaza, annihilate the Palestinian resistance groups, mainly Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and then gradually transfer control over the Strip to Abbas. However, the newspaper said, the Palestinian president is wary of regaining control in Gaza following an Israeli operation

Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri urged Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip to escalate attacks on Israel over its crippling siege of the territory, in an Internet audio message.

Osama bin Laden's Egyptian-born right-hand man also urged his countrymen to rise up to break the blockade and lambasted Arab governments, according to the message attributed to Zawahiri and posted on an Islamist website on Wednesday.

‘Do not give up... increase your martyrdom attacks, the number of rockets you launch and your ambushes. There is no other solution,’ Zawahiri said in the message marking the anniversary of the June 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Gaza has been under a punishing Israeli blockade since the Islamist movement Hamas seized power in the impoverished Palestinian territory last June, in a move Israel says is aimed at halting rocket attacks.

‘To those who try to make you despair, tell them... America is being defeated by our brothers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why should we despair,’ said Zawahiri, who has a 25 million dollar US bounty on his head.

‘This naqsa (setback) has shown that the salvation of this Muslim nation would come through the jihad (holy war) of its people... The governments have already betrayed’ their people, he said.

The term ‘naqsa’ is used by Arabs to refer to the defeat of the armies of Egypt, Jordan and Syria in 1967, which led to Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, Syria's Golan Heights and Egypt's Sinai, which was returned to Egypt after signing the Camp David peace accords in 1978

Ehud Olmert, the prime minister of Israel, has sought to increase pressure on Iran by saying ‘all possible means’ must be used to stop the Islamic republic from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The speech shortens the odds significantly on military action against Iran’s nuclear program. Israel has twice acted by itself to stop its regional enemies developing a nuclear capability, in Syria last year and Iraq in the 1980s.

Mr. Olmert used the keynote speech of his latest visit to America to hint at possible military action to stop Teheran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

‘The Iranian threat must be stopped by all possible means,’ he told a pro-Israel audience from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

‘International economic and political sanctions on Iran, as crucial as they may be, are only an initial step, and must be dramatically increased.

‘The international community has a duty and responsibility to clarify to Iran, through drastic measures, that the repercussions of their continued pursuit of nuclear weapons will be devastating.

‘Israel will not tolerate the possibility of a nuclear Iran, and neither should any other country in the free world.’

His words echoed those used by President George W Bush in a speech last month to the Israeli parliament in which he said the free world had a duty to stop Iran from going nuclear.

‘Permitting the world’s leading sponsor of terror to possess the world’s deadliest weapons would be an unforgivable betrayal for future generations,’ Mr. Bush said.

‘For the sake of peace, the world must not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.’…

The Iranian nuclear issue is a much harder military problem than that posed by Iraq in the 1980s when Israel bombed the Osiraq reactor outside Baghdad, Saddam Hussein’s solitary nuclear facility.

In Iran today the nuclear sites are spread over a number of locations, some in tunnel systems hidden in mountains so from a purely military point of view they are a greater challenge.

And Israel’s relative distance from Iran means any warplane sent from the Jewish state would be acting at the furthest extreme of its range.

Any military operation would also require close co-ordination with the US air force which controls the airspace over Iraq, the most obvious air corridor to Iran

Israel must be prepared to return all Syrian lands occupied in the 1967 Six-Day War, which stretch as far as Tiberias, in any peace deal between the two sides, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in remarks published on Tuesday.

Briefing editors of United Arab Emirates newspapers during a visit to the Gulf Arab state, Assad also said U.S. sponsorship would be essential in the next stage of indirect talks launched last month under Turkish sponsorship.

‘At this stage we are not talking [with Israel] about anything else. What is on the agenda is the return of all land,’ al-Khaleej newspaper quoted Assad as saying during a visit on Monday. ‘In direct negotiations we will tackle the details which include the files of water and relations and other matters.’

‘As for water there are international rules that govern these matters and are usually referred to, but if the question of water is intended for [Syria to] give up the [condition on] 1967 borders that stretch to Tiberias then there will never be a compromise on the 1967 borders,’ he said.

Israel and Syria said last month they had launched indirect peace talks mediated by Turkish officials, the first negotiations between the two sides in eight years.

The last peace talks broke down in 2000 over control of the shore of Lake Kinneret, from which Israel draws much of its water. Tiberias is on the western shore of the lake.

Syria says it had Israeli assurances through Turkey that Israel would be willing to give back the Golan Heights in return for peace.

‘The negotiations are in their primary stage. In later stages they would require international sponsorship especially from the United States, a superpower that has special ties with Israel,’ al-Bayan newspaper quoted Assad as saying

Jerusalem and the Temple Mount belong to the Muslims and any Israeli action that ‘offends’ the Mount will be answered by 1.5 billion Muslims, declared the chief of staff for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

‘Jerusalem is Muslim. The blessed Al Aqsa mosque and Harem Al Sharif (Temple Mount) is 100 percent Muslim. The Israelis are playing with fire when they threaten Al Aqsa with digging that is taking place,’ said Abbas' chief of staff Rafiq Al Husseini.

Husseini was referring to Israeli plans to construct a new bridge from the Western Wall area to the Temple Mount.

The old bridge was damaged two years ago. When Israeli workers tried to repair it, Palestinian leaders claimed the work was threatening the Al Aqsa Mosque, even though the mosque is located hundreds of feet away, the work did not tunnel under any Mount foundation or touch any structure connected to the mosque, and the repair work – which had been pre-approved by Jordan and the Mount's Muslim custodians – was conducted under the scrutiny of an accessible 24/7 webcam.

‘Any hurting of Jerusalem will explode the whole negotiations between us and the Israelis ... we must work to strengthen Palestinian ties to Jerusalem,’ al-Husseini said.

Israel has been negotiating with Abbas in line with talks started at last November's U.S.-backed Annapolis Summit, which seeks to create a Palestinian state before the end of the year. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is widely expected to offer the Palestinians most of the West Bank and eastern sections of Jerusalem. The Temple Mount is located in eastern Jerusalem.

Mainstream Palestinian leaders claim the Temple Mount is Muslim in spite of overwhelming archaeological evidence documenting the first and second Jewish temples

Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to leave his post, saying he did not believe the premier was capable of simultaneously leading the country and dealing with his personal matters.

‘The prime minister needs to disconnect himself from the day to day management of the government,’ Barak told a news conference, adding that his Labor Party could force an early election if Olmert refused to go.

The call comes a day after Jewish American businessman Morris Talansky told a preliminary hearing at Jerusalem Magistrates Court on Tuesday that he gave Olmert $150,000 over a period of 15 years. The testimony is part of an investigation into Olmert, who is suspected of illegally receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from Talansky.

Barak held consultations with senior Labor Party officials before making the official press statement. He also met with Olmert himself at the end of a cabinet meeting Wednesday.

As Olmert's senior coalition partner, Labor's departure would leave the premier without a majority with which to rule.

‘Either Olmert suspends himself or the Labor Party must leave the government,’ senior Labor legislator Danny Yatom said earlier Wednesday, amid news reports that Barak would make that demand

Israel is concerned that Iran may attack Israeli targets abroad in an effort to derail the renewed peaces negotiations with Syria, Israel sources told Haaretz this week.

The sources said Iran might consider operating from the stance that an international attack would change Israel's status, bring about an end to the negotiations and even start a regional confrontation.

The sources added, however, that such an operation would not necessarily be in Iran's interest.

‘Iran wants to maintain Hezbollah's strength, and is not interested in changing the situation in Lebanon now that Hezbollah's opponents have been neutralized,’ they said.

Meanwhile, Syria and Iran on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding over mutual defense issues, as Syrian Defense Minister Hassan Turkmani wrapped up a three-day visit to Tehran.

The memorandum contained an agreement that the two countries would cement their ‘defense relations,’ a process that will include reciprocal visits by military officials, joint military training and cooperation on technical advancements

A senior Israeli source, who took part in unofficial Turkey-mediated talks between Israel and Syria, has said that the two sides are discussing a border line which will be based on the June 4 1967 borders and the future of the Golan Heights' residents, the London-based Arabic-language al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Wednesday.

According to the Israeli source, the future border line is unclear at this time and there are at least two perceptions regarding its location. The two main disagreements, he said, are the border line in northeastern part of Lake Kinneret and another area up north.

He noted that the Syrians sought to ‘touch the Kinneret waters,’ while the Israeli object.

Addressing the settlement in the Golan Heights, the Israeli source said that the two sides have already agreed that the Syrian sovereignty over the Golan was Damascus' right, and that a creative formula must be formed in regards to this issue, in a way which will not cause great tension in Israel.

The paper reported that according to the source, 85% of the issues standing between the two countries on the way to a peace deal have already been agreed. One of the issues which have yet to be discussed is Israel's demand that Syria detach itself from Hamas and Hizbullah and break its strategic alliance with Iran

Opposition leader and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu warned Thursday that a withdrawal from the Golan Heights would put Israel on Iran's front lines.

Netanyahu convened the Likud for a special party session in Tel Aviv, in light of Syria's declaration that Israel has committed to pull out of the Golan Heights and return to the 1967 borders as part of its renewed negotiations for peace.

‘Giving of the Golan Heights will turn the Golan into Iran's front lines which will threaten the whole state of Israel,’ Netanyahu told party members.

‘If the words of Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem are correct, Mr. Olmert has committed to pull back from the Golan up to the shores of Lake Galilee, even before negotiations have begun. Indeed, this would mean unprecedented anarchy of politics and defense,’ he added.

‘This irresponsibility can be added to the failed conduct of the Second Lebanon War, the failure to prevent Hezbollah's new and heightened rearmament, the failure to prevent Qassam fire on southern Israel. We must not let the Kadima government continue its chain of failures,’ he said

The day after Jerusalem and Damascus announced the renewal of peace talks between the warring neighbors, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner that Israel and Syria knew what it would take to reach an agreement.

‘The Syrians know what we want and we know what they want,’ Olmert told Kouchner.

Olmert told the French foreign minister that the talks with Syria would not detract from peace efforts on the Palestinian front, saying, ‘Israel intends to hold parallel peace talks [with the Palestinian Authority and Syria] without having one set of talks take precedence over the other.’

The prime minister also said that Israel still hopes to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians by the end of 2008. He said that his meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and the meetings Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has held with top Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia, have been focused and serious.

Earlier Thursday, Livni said that Syria must distance itself from Tehran and cut ties to Iranian-backed groups like Hezbollah and Hamas if wants to conclude a peace treaty with Israel.

‘Israel wants to live in peace with its neighbors but Syria also needs to understand that it needs also full renunciation of supporting terror - Hezbollah, Hamas and of course Iran,’ Livni said in English.

Continuing her remarks to reporters in Hebrew, Livni called Syria's ties with Iran ‘problematic’, referring to the Israel's accusations that the Islamic Republic sponsors Hamas and Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah.

‘The Syrians also need to understand that... they must distance themselves completely from their ... problematic ties with Iran,’ she said in Hebrew before the start of a meeting with Kouchner

The burning of hundreds of New Testaments by yeshiva students in Or Yehuda last week was regrettable and unplanned, the city's deputy mayor, the man who spurred the students to act

***WATCHMAN... Not only is this ANTI-CHRISTIAN it is CRUCIFYING CHRIST ALL OVER AGAIN - JEWS are NOT EXEMPT to needing Jesus Christ for SALVATION - that is a FALSE TEACHING...

Israel wants to put more international pressure on Iran over its disputed nuclear program, suggesting an US-imposed naval blockade and tougher sanctions, local media reported on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert raised the idea of a naval blockade in talks with the Democratic speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, during her visit to Jerusalem, the Haaretz newspaper said.

‘The present economic sanctions on Iran have exhausted themselves,’ Olmert was quoted as saying in the meeting Tuesday. ‘The international community must impose tougher sanctions against Tehran.’

The UN Security Council has imposed three sets of sanctions on Iran aimed at pressuring it to halt uranium enrichment which Israel and many Western powers suspect will be used to develop an atomic bomb -- a charge Tehran denies.

Asked about the blockade report, Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev would say only: ‘We do not confirm this information.’

Olmert also spoke about imposing air travel restrictions which he said would prevent Iranian business people ‘from landing anywhere in the world which would touch off pressure on the regime,’ according to Haaretz.

Rafi Eitan, a member of Olmert's security cabinet, told public radio Wednesday that ‘a blockade of maritime and air routes against Iran is a good possibility.’

Israel, which is believed to be only, if undeclared, nuclear armed state in the Middle East, is also pushing for tougher sanctions against Tehran, especially from European countries.

‘It is time that the European Union take quicker action and impose much more severe economic sanctions than those adopted by the United Nations,’ said foreign ministry spokesman Arye Mekel

Fearing that Damascus is acquiring advanced military platforms, Israel is closely following meetings being held in Moscow this week between a high-level Syrian military delegation and Russian Defense Ministry officials.

Senior government officials in Jerusalem said they have been aware for several days of the Syrians' upcoming visit to the Russian capital but that it was not yet clear which military platforms Damascus was requesting.

According to reports in the Russian media, the delegation, led by Syrian Air Force commander Gen. Akhmad al-Ratyb, will be in Moscow for five days and meet with Russian Defense Ministry and Air Force officials, as well as visit several military bases and units.

According to the reports, the talks will focus on arms sales - including submarines, anti-aircraft missiles, the latest model MiG fighter jets and advanced surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.

Israel is particularly concerned with a Syrian request for long-range S-300 surface-to-air missiles that could threaten IAF jets flying on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights.

The S-300 is one of the best multi-target anti-aircraft-missile systems in the world and reportedly can track 100 targets simultaneously while engaging 12 at the same time. Syria recently received 36 Pantsir S1E air-defense systems from Russia. Iran is believed to have already procured several S-300 systems to protect its nuclear facilities.

Israeli defense officials expressed grave concern over the possibility that Syria would obtain these new military platforms. Damascus, the officials said, had dramatically increased defense spending recently. In the past three years, Syria has spent more than $3 billion on weapons, up from less than $100 million in 2002.

Officials said that Israel was working diplomatically with Moscow to prevent the sales, but that for the right amount of money, Russia would likely approve the sales in any case.

According to the reports, Syria is also discussing a purchase of MiG 29SMT fighter jets. Currently, the Syrian Air Force is extremely weak, so advanced long-range MiGs would give it a significant boost.

Israel is also extremely concerned about a possible sale of the Iskander surface-to-surface missile system. The Iskander, Israeli weapons experts said Tuesday, was the heir to the Scud and was far superior to the ballistic missiles currently in Syria's arsenal. The Iskander is propelled by solid fuel and has a range of 300 kilometers, with accuracy of about 20 meters.

‘This would without a doubt be a major threat to Israel,’ one Israeli expert said

Israel and Syria have said they are holding indirect talks to reach a comprehensive peace agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said both sides were talking ‘in good faith and openly’.

The Syrian foreign ministry also confirmed the Turkish-mediated talks, the first since 2000.

The last round of talks broke down because of disagreement over the extent of Israel's possible withdrawal from the Golan Heights.

Mr. Olmert's office told the BBC that envoys from both sides were holding indirect talks in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

‘The two sides indicated they want to lead these negotiations in a serious spirit so as to achieve complete peace,’ said spokesman Mark Regev.

In a statement, Syria's foreign ministry said: ‘Both sides have expressed their desire to conduct the talks in goodwill and decided to continue dialogue with seriousness to achieve comprehensive peace,’

In April, it was reported that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was mediating in talks between the two sides, who are still technically at war over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

A Syrian government minister said then that Mr. Olmert had offered to return the Golan Heights in return for peace.

Analysts say that, in return for any withdrawal, Israel would demand Syria sever its ties with Iran and the Hezbollah group in Lebanon.

However, they add that withdrawal from the Golan would not be popular with Israeli public opinion.

The reports in April sparked outrage in the Israeli parliament, where several MPs said they would try to accelerate the passage of a bill requiring any withdrawal from the Golan to be dependent on a referendum

The cease-fire (tahdiyeh) being negotiated between Israel and the Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip is expected to go into effect in a number of days, following developments at the end of meetings held by Defense Minister Ehud Barak in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday with the Egyptian leadership.

The Egyptian Chief of Intelligence, General Omar Suleiman, who has been mediating between the parties, is scheduled to meet Tuesday with the heads of the Palestinian factions in the Strip.

Israel is waiting to learn from Suleiman whether the Palestinian groups, headed by Hamas, will agree to an unofficial deal on a cessation of terrorist activities in the strip, in return for an end to IDF attacks.

Israel does not intend to officially announce that it has accepted the tahdiyeh deal, but will let the situation unfold gradually - and evaluate the indirect accord with Hamas on the basis of results on the ground.

Tuesday's meeting between Suleiman and a Hamas-led delegation from the Gaza Strip headed by the deputy head of the group's politburo, Mussa Abu Marzouk, is critical to whether the cease-fire deal will be closed.

Suleiman will present Israel's position on the cease-fire and its other demands to the Hamas representatives.

Suleiman will meet with Israeli officials following the meeting with Hamas, and a decision will be made on H-hour, the point at which the cease-fire will go into effect

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is set to meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to discuss a proposed truce between the Jewish state and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

Barak is expected to meet Mr. Mubarak and Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman Monday in the Egyptian town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

A Hamas delegation headed by former foreign minister Mahmud Zahar also is expected in Egypt today. They will hold their own discussions with Suleiman about a possible ceasefire with Israel.

Egypt has been acting as a mediator between the two sides because the Israeli government refuses to negotiate directly with Hamas.

Hamas won Palestinian elections in 2006, and then seized control of the Gaza Strip last year. Militants loyal to the radical group have been firing rockets at Israel ever since.

Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip to pressure the militants to end their attacks.

Israel, the United States and the European Union consider Hamas a terrorist organization

Israel warned on Thursday that its forces were prepared to launch a major military operation in the Gaza Strip after a rocket attack that wounded at least 14 people while US President George W. Bush was in Israel.

‘The Israeli army has never been this ready to launch a large-scale operation in Gaza,’ said Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, a member of Israel's security cabinet.

‘It may be that we have no choice but to destroy all the nests of terror. Apparently we'll have no choice,’ he told public radio.

Two small Palestinian militant groups claimed responsibility for Wednesday's rocket attack on a shopping mall in southern Israel, which came as Bush held talks in Jerusalem.

Israel says Hamas bears ultimate responsibility for such attacks because the Islamist movement has been in control of Gaza since ousting forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in June.

‘We must put an end to Hamas power in Gaza,’ said Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon. ‘Under no circumstances should we allow the creation of a Hamastan on Israel's southern border.’

He also spoke out against negotiating a truce with Hamas, an Islamist movement that does not recognize Israel's right to exist

Israel's military intelligence chief said in remarks published on Thursday that the Islamist movement Hamas will have rockets in Gaza with a 40-kilometre (25-mile) range within two years.

‘All localities situated in a region of 40 kilometers from Gaza would be in the range of Hamas rockets,’ General Amos Yadlin said in an interview with the Haaretz newspaper.

‘Hamas already has several hundred rockets with a range of 20 kilometers,’ Yadlin added. ‘If this problem is not addressed other cities are going to find themselves within range of Hamas firings.’

Yadlin said Hamas was preparing defensive positions in anticipation of a possible Israeli ground assault in the Gaza Strip, which has been controlled by the Islamist movement since June

US President George W. Bush took a tough stance against Israel's armed foes on Thursday, a day after a rocket fired by Gaza militants wounded 14 people and triggered warnings of retaliation.

‘The alliance between our governments is unbreakable,’ Bush said in remarks prepared for an address to the Israeli parliament marking the 60th anniversary of the creation of Israel, an event the Palestinians regard as a ‘catastrophe.’

‘Israel's population may be just over seven million. But when you confront terror and evil, you are 307 million strong, because America stands with you.’

Bush planned to tell Israel's Knesset that the United States and its allies will keep up the battle against extremist groups, including Al-Qaeda, the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip.

‘The president will reiterate that the United States is Israel's closest friend and ally,’ said US national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

Bush, who is in Israel at the start of a five-day visit to the region, also warned that allowing archfoe Iran to obtain nuclear weapons would be ‘an unforgivable betrayal of future generations

In his latest rhetorical onslaught on Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that it was ‘dying’ and that people in the Middle East would destroy it if given the chance.

His remarks coincided with the arrival of U.S. President George W. Bush in the Middle East to celebrate Israel's 60th birthday and try to energize peace efforts complicated by a corruption scandal that could topple Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Opposition to Israel is a fundamental principle in Shi'ite Muslim Iran, which backs Palestinian militants opposed to peace talks.

‘The Zionist regime is dying,’ Ahmadinejad said in a speech in the northern city of Gorgan, referring to Israel. ‘The criminals imagine that by holding celebrations... they can save the Zionist regime from death.’

‘They should know that regional nations hate this fake and criminal regime and if the smallest and briefest chance is given to regional nations they will destroy [it],’ said Ahmadinejad, who often rails against Israel and the United States.

A 2005 statement by Ahmadinejad saying that ‘Israel should be wiped off the map’ outraged the international community.

On Tuesday, he said that Israel would ‘be soon swept away’ by the Palestinians.

Last month, a senior Iranian army commander said Iran will respond to any military attack from Israel by ‘eliminating’ it, in comments condemned by Washington

Senior Hamas member Mahmoud al-Zahar spoke Wednesday at a Gaza Strip event marking the 60th anniversary of the Nakba – the anniversary of the 1948 events which led to the induction of the State of Israel – and promised his listeners that ‘the right of return in closer than ever.’

The events of the Gaza pullout and the Second Lebanon War, he added, proved that the Israeli military is not beyond defeat.

‘The Palestinians and the Arabs have crushed the Jews' assumption of supremacy… The Zionist legend of invincibility has been destroyed.

‘Now more than ever I tell you – will never recognize Israel… We will form the Palestinian state on all of Palestine's territories and the sun of liberty will burn the Zionists. To them I say – you will lose. You will leave and we will keep hounding you. The blood of our slain sons will haunt you forever,’ he said

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Monday that Israel would not be able to avoid a wide military operation in the Gaza Strip, unless Palestinian militants cease firing rockets and carrying out terror attack on Israelis.

Barak passed this message on to Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who arrived in the region on Monday to present Cairo's proposal for a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza.

The two met alone for 40 minutes and followed up their discussion with more than an hour of talks with their consultative teams.

Barak told Suleiman that the truce deal should include the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldiers Gilad Shalit, who has been held captive in the Gaza Strip since June 2006.

The defense minister emphasized that Israel demands all weapons smuggling from Egypt to Gaza be stopped. He also said that Israel would not agree to any deal that would restrict Israel Defense Forces operations in the West Bank.

Suleiman said following his talks with Barak that he had ‘high expectations’ that a cease-fire deal could be reached between Israel and Hamas Islamists controlling the Gaza Strip

It may take a while, but our future will be devoid of missile threats,’ President Shimon Peres said on Sunday, ‘Hamas may have missiles, but it has no future.’

Speaking at his official residence in Jerusalem to Israelis born on the 5th of the Jewish month of Iyar, Israel's Independence Day, the president said ‘we have overcome strong forces that seemed invincible. This was the situation when you were born, and this is how it will be for the children of the future. They (terror groups) will be surprised by our ability.’

Addressing the situation in the Palestinian Authority and the recent crisis in Lebanon, Peres said, ‘The terror organizations bring harm to their own people. They are destroying Lebanon and preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

‘Israel, which has as many admirers as it does enemies, can create a greater future for itself. We've defeated entire armies, and we will overcome the missiles,’ he said. ‘We will be a nation that can strive for peace and at the same time have the ability to defeat (its enemies)

‘Israel is nothing but a stinking corpse,’ said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Thursday, speaking with the Iranian news agency IRNA.

Unlike other world leaders who sent Israel their congratulations on its 60th Independence Day, Ahmadinejad chose to convey a radically different message.

‘Those who think they can resuscitate the stinking corpse of the Zionist regime on its birthday are sorely mistaken… the very existence of the Zionist entity is questioned. It is heading for destruction.

‘Israel has come to its end like the dead rat it became after it was beaten in the (Second) Lebanon War,’ added Ahmadinejad…

Celebrations are taking place across Israel to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state.

Fireworks, concerts and an aerial display were among the events laid on, while Israeli families prepared picnics and barbecues for the national holiday.

Israel declared itself an independent state on 14 May 1948, three years after the end of World War II and the death of six million Jews in the Holocaust.

They were holding solemn marches in the West Bank, meant to symbolize the hope of Palestinian refugees to return to villages in what is now Israel.

The Israeli festivities began amid tight security at sunset on Wednesday at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl memorial, named after the founder of modern Zionism.

Soldiers raised the Israeli flag from half to full mast as Memorial Day - when Israelis honor soldiers killed since the state was founded - gave way to anniversary celebrations.

The speaker of parliament, Dalia Itzik, addressed the crowd and expressed her sympathy for the families of those who had died defending Israel since 1948.

‘The state of Israel is an unusual success story, a wonder by any historical standard,’ she added. ‘There are flaws and we still have things to do, but behind these flaws is a great country.’

Fireworks displays later lit up the sky across the country, where tens of thousands of people attended performances by local artists and musicians.

On Thursday, the anniversary celebrations continued with beach parties and sports tournaments…”

As Israel stands on the brink of its seventh decade of independence, security issues continue to worry the majority of its citizens. Seventy-five percent of the Jewish population in the country assume that Israel will find itself at war with at least one Arab state within the next five years, 66% do not believe there is a chance for peace with Syria, and 70% do not believe an agreement with the Palestinians will be reached.

The data were collected as part of the Index of War and Peace, an ongoing project first launched in 1994. It is based on a telephone survey of 600 Israelis.

The index found that Israeli readiness to ‘pay’ for peace is at an all time low – 75% said no to ceding the Golan Heights, while only 19% supported the move. However a majority of 57% said they support negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, while 34% objected.

Seventy percent supported the establishment of a Palestinian state, but when it came time for concessions the answers were rigid – 55% did not approve of the transferring of Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority, 60% would not be willing to allow a cooperative Israeli-Palestinian rule over the Temple Mount and other holy sites, and 83% opposed handing over the Old City to the Palestinians.

According to 38% of the population, the most serious security threat Israel faces today is the Iranian nuclear program, while 20% said the largest threat was that the IDF is not sufficiently prepared for a war, should it break out. Seventeen percent feared the outbreak of a violent Palestinian rebellion, and only 12% saw the escalation of the Palestinians' struggle as the most threatening.

When asked to rate the successes and failures of the country during its 60 years of independence, 78% thought Israel was very successful in the military field, and 65% saw the country as economically successful. However, the majority said Israel had failed in its attempt to reduce socio-economic gaps and to bestow a feeling of equality upon the Arab population.

The Arab population was also surveyed, and most of the answers came surprisingly close to those given by the Jewish populace. The majority also gave a failing grade to the country's attempts at giving the Arab population a sense of equality and belonging. Sixty-one percent said they believe Israel will be at war within the next five years, and 52% thought the negotiations with the PA would lead to positive results. The majority of the Arab population also saw the Iranian nuclear threat as the largest faced by Israel today

Condoleezza Rice is in town pushing for the removal of more Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank. President Bush arrives later month and will likely push further to revive the lackluster Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Meanwhile, right-wing members of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's fragile coalition constantly threaten to bring down his government if the negotiations actually address anything important like the division of Jerusalem.

So the last thing Olmert needs right now is the ghost of scandals past rattling its chains outside his window

ISRAEL'S attorney general today announced the indictment of a former finance minister and close ally of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on charges of embezzling over $US1 million ($1.07 million).

Attorney General Menachem Mazuz published the indictment in a letter sent to parliament speaker Dalia Yitzik requesting the removal of Avraham Hirshson's parliamentary immunity in view of the indictment.

The 37-page indictment includes charges of embezzlement, graft and money laundering of over $US1 million

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Monday that there was still much to be achieved before any peace agreement could be reached between Israel and Syria.

Babacan told reporters that an agreement between the longtime enemies requires strong political determination from both sides.

‘We are still at the very beginning of the process,’ Babacan said during a news conference with New Zealand's foreign minister. His comments were in response to a question on Turkey's mediation efforts.

Turkey, which has close ties to both Israel and Syria, has disclosed that it is trying to restart low-level talks between the two countries as a prelude to bringing the leaders of Syria and Israel together.

The last round of direct peace talks between the two countries broke down in 2000 over the details of Israel's proposed withdrawal from the Golan Heights.

‘Talks will continue to take place through Turkey for a while,’ the foreign minister said. ‘When the issue is a little more mature, then I hope that the sides will meet each other,’ he said, adding: ‘It is a very promising development... There has been diplomatic traffic for the past year, which has intensified in the past few months.’

Hinting at the strike on Syria's nuclear reactor, recently confirmed by the United States, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Saturday that ‘today we can safely say that the Israeli people know that their government can protect them and a leadership that can safeguard their security and their future.’

Olmert's remarks are believed to be the first implied Israeli reaction to the American confirmation regarding the strike in Syria.

PM Olmert also said he would continue to strive for political achievements that would provide Israel's citizens with security

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday he was uncertain after talks in Washington this week that a peace deal with Israel was possible this year, but vowed to pursue negotiations.

‘The gaps between us and Israel on final status issues are wide. Will we reach a deal by the end of the year? I don't know, we will see,’ He said in an interview as he flew from Washington to Sharm el-Sheikh for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

‘But my option is to negotiate. I will continue to negotiate until the very end,’ Abbas said, after aides said he had been disappointed by his talks with US officials.

He said an agreement was possible only if Israel adopted ‘more realistic positions’ in the negotiations. He added that, if no deal was reached, the Palestinians would find themselves in a difficult position and he would coordinate his next move with the Arabs and fellow Palestinian leaders

Israel has rejected a Hamas proposal for a six-month ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The proposal, drafted under Egyptian mediation, calls for Hamas to end rocket and other cross-border attacks and for Israel to lift its crippling blockade on Gaza.

Israel dismissed the truce offer hours after a Palestinian militant armed with a pistol entered an Israeli industrial zone on