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IDF to Complete Lebanon Pullout before Yom Kippur
by Yaakov Katz
 The IDF on Saturday received a green light from Defense Minister Amir Peretz to withdraw its remaining troops from Lebanon before Yom Kippur, which begins Sunday evening. Over the past few days, the IDF had decreased the number of soldiers stationed in Lebanon and by Saturday night barely 200 remained. Peretz also ordered an "aggressive IDF posture" along the border with Lebanon and instructed Halutz not to allow Hizballah to hold demonstrations - even non-lethal ones - along the Blue Line. (Jerualem Post)
Olmert: Assad Is No Peace Partner Now
 Israeli Prime Minister Olmert says Syrian President Assad is no peace partner. In an Israeli press interview, Olmert said, "At this point I see no peace partner in Syria. I have no intention at all to be lured by public relations maneuvers undertaken by Bashar Assad." "What Assad is actually saying is that 'I will continue to support Palestinian terrorism, I will keep on backing terrorism against Americans in Iraq, and I will keep on arming Hizballah, but I will make a signal to Israel.'...That I don't like," Olmert said. He stressed that the Golan Heights "is an indivisible part of Israel" which he will not give up as long as he remains in power. (UPI)
Israel Will Soon Welcome from India Descendants of a 'Lost' Jewish Tribe
by Dina Kraft
 A group of 218 people from a remote mountainous corner of northeastern India who claim descent from one of the lost biblical tribes will be immigrating to Israel as recognized Jews for the first time. The aliyah of members from the Bnei Menashe community to Israel is a turning point, said Michael Freund, founder of Shavei Israel which assists “lost Jews” seeking to return to the Jewish people. “This is a major historical event, because these members of a lost tribe of Israel, after 27 centuries of wandering in exile, will at last be coming home,” he said. (JTA)
FBI: Hizballah Still a Threat
 U.S. counterterrorism officials on Thursday testified that Hizballah ’s capable, well-trained fighters continue to threaten the survival of Lebanon’s government, Israel and U.S. interests around the world. Frank Urbancic, a State Department counterterrorism official, told the House of Representatives’ International Relations Committee that Hizballah enjoys a symbiotic relationship with Iran and Syria, receiving money, arms and training. (Ynet News)
See also Hizballah "an Octopus" with Tentacles Around World, U.S. Officials Say (U.S. State Department)
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U.S. Congress Okays $500m for Defense Projects with Israel
by Shmuel Rosner
 The United States Congress on Friday approved an additional $500 million for developing joint defense projects with Israel. The funds will be allocated between many different projects, including the development of a short-range missile interception system, navigation systems for missiles and combat aircraft, and aerial drones. The money is not part of the regular military aid to Israel, which currently stands at over $2 billion. (Ha'aretz)
Getting with the Program
by Michele Chabin
  8,000-plus young people from abroad have decided to spend between several months to a year in Israel despite the war, according to MASA, the Jewish Agency’s umbrella organization for long-term programs. Thousands more are expected to attend short-term programs, including Taglit-birthright israel, which hopes to bring about 10,000 (its prewar target) to Israel during the coming winter. Things are somewhat less rosy on the university level, where the average enrollment in university-based study-abroad programs is about 35 percent less than had been anticipated, based on prewar numbers for the fall semester. (New York Jewish Week)
Gaza Militants Prepare for Showdown
by Harry de Quetteville
 Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip are rearming and retraining for an imminent military showdown with the Israeli army, intelligence sources disclosed Wednesday. Brig.-Gen. (res.) Shalom Harari, a military intelligence officer, accused Iran of being behind the new weapons drive. He said Teheran had found willing partners in Palestinian fighters. "Iran is a Middle East superpower. For them it is very important to get rockets into Gaza to develop a threat that surrounds Israel from all sides," he said. "Meanwhile the war in Lebanon has renewed the will and added urgency to Palestinian efforts to upgrade their weapons systems." (Telegraph-UK)
Peres: "Settlements Can't Be Evacuated"
by Tovah Lazaroff and Jonny Paul
 Vice Premier Shimon Peres said in London on Thursday that "the government cannot evacuate more settlements in Judea and Samaria," given that Israel has continued to suffer rocket attacks since last summer's withdrawal from Gaza. Peres said, "There is natural growth of settlements. The government does not fund this, it is privately financed. We cannot stop the children [of settlers from] building homes for themselves." His spokesman added that it had been the policy of the Israeli government to allow for natural growth construction in Judea and Samaria. (Jerusalem Post)
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