‘Israel won’t give up J’lem sovereignty’

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will make it clear in his discussions with US and European officials abroad that Israel will not accept any limitations on its sovereignty in Jerusalem, sources at the Prime Minister’s Office said, immediately before his plane took off from Tel Aviv on Monday afternoon.

For full article, visit http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellitepagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1249418685029

Israel: No objection to West’s talks with Tehran

Israel does not object to talks between the West and Iran intended to stop Iran’s nuclearization, as long as Iran does not take advantage of these talks, a top source in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government told Haaretz Thursday.

The source was commenting on the announcement by U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration that it will fully participate in talks with Iran on its nuclear program, putting the ball in Tehran’s court with a new engagement policy.

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1077654.html

Biden: Israel would be ‘ill-advised’ to attack Iran

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden, right, and President Barack Obama.

“I don’t believe that Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu would do that. I think he would be ill-advised to do that,” Biden told the U.S. network’s reporter Wolf Blitzer. “And so my level of concern is no different than it was a year ago.”

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1077347.html

Amos Harel: What North Korea’s missile means for Israel and Iran

Obama has already committed to this dialogue, regardless of developments with North Korea. But if he is soft with Pyongyang – if the Iranians get the impression that the new president is not hard enough or experienced enough as a negotiator – Tehran could reach troubling conclusions.

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1076815.html

How Israel Foiled an Arms Convoy Bound for Hamas

An Israeli jet fighter pilot readies his helmet in a hangar as he prepares to go on a sortie in his F-16 fighter.

The bombing raid came after an intelligence tip-off. In early January, at the height of Israel’s assault on Gaza, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency Mossad was told by an informant that Iran was planning a major delivery of 120 tons of arms and explosives to Gaza, including anti-tank rockets and Fajir rockets with a 25 mile range and a 45 kg warhead. With little time to plan the operation, naval vessels and helicopters were rushed to the Red Sea in case Israel had to rescue a downed pilot, and the plan was rushed through. “The Israelis had less than a week to pull this all together,” a source said.

For full article, visit http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1888352,00.html

US army: Israel has 200 to 400 nuclear warheads

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of its own nuclear arsenal, but page 37 of the US Joint Forces Command report recognizes the fact, putting it in the same group as Pakistan, India, China, North Korea, Russia, along with an “emerging Iran,” Taiwan, and Japan having “the capability to develop nuclear weapons quickly.”

For full article, visit http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2009/03/us_army_israel.php

Iran to complete hospital that Israel started building in Mauritania

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, visited Mauritania on Wednesday, marking the first such visit since 1982. Although the visit lasted only six hours it included a stop at the hospital known by locals as “the Israeli hospital.”

The hospital project has been stalled since Mauritania severed relations with Israel earlier this month. There are reports that Iran paid the Mauritania government about $10 million to kick out the Israeli ambassador.

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1074536.html

Shin Bet: Nearly 70 tons of explosives smuggled into Gaza since IDF op

According to Diskin, Egyptian efforts to curtail the smuggling across its shared border with Gaza have improved, and several successes have been recorded. “When Israel provides intelligence on smuggling that is about to happen, or is happening, they respond quickly and effectively,” he said. However, Diskin added, since the end of Operation Cast Lead, the express goal of which was to bring an end to rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, 45 tons of raw materials for the production of weapons have been smuggled into the Strip, along with 22 tons of standard explosives, as well as dozens of rockets, mortar shells, and anti-aircraft missiles.

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1074682.html

Will Egypt-Israel peace survive after Mubarak leaves office?

“The biggest question is what will happen the day after the Egyptian president leaves office. Mubarak, who will be celebrating his 81st birthday in a few weeks, will not remain in power forever.

There is no greater Israeli fear than the rise of an Islamic regime, like that in Iran, which would transform Egypt from a tranquil neighbor into a threatening monster.”

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1074224.html

Former senior IAF officers divided over what Sudan strike means for Iran

Maj. Gen. (res.) Gil Regev said the fact that this was a moving target whose exact location was not known in advance affected the pilots’ training, since they could not rehearse a precise mission outline. “But today, we have the platforms, and the pilots routinely train for such long distances, as well as for aerial refueling,” he said. Over the last decade, the IAF has acquired one F-15I squadron and four F-16I squadrons. The latter, built especially for long-range strategic strikes, arrived only a few months ago.

But with regard to Iran, Regev warned, “a critical mass of planes must be brought to one point to cause maximum damage, and the real riddle is whether we can bring such a mass over long distances.”

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1074308.html