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Israeli Airstrike in Syria Targeted North Korean Nuclear Proliferation
by Mark Mazzetti and Helene Cooper
 The Sep. 6 attack by Israeli planes inside Syria struck what Israeli intelligence believes was a nuclear-related facility that North Korea was helping to equip, according to current and former American and Israeli officials. The airstrike was carried out several days after a ship with North Korean cargo tracked by Israeli intelligence docked in a Syrian port and its cargo was transferred to the site that Israel later attacked. North Korea has a long relationship with Syria, mostly involving the sale of weapons. But it has never been caught exporting nuclear-related material. Last week on Fox News, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned, "If such an activity were taking place, it would be a matter of great concern because the president has put down a very strong marker with the North Koreans about further proliferation efforts, and obviously any effort by the Syrians to pursue weapons of mass destruction would be a concern." (New York Times)
See also Israelis Seized Nuclear Material in Commando Raid in Syria by Uzi Mahnaimi and Sarah Baxter (Times-UK)
See also There's a Reason the World Is Quiet about the Israeli Airstrike on Syria by Herb Keinon (Jerusalem Post)
See also Israel Thwarts Syria's Plans to Attack (Video) (InfoLive)
Rice Visit Yields No Commitments On Mideast Talks
by Scott Wilson
 Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday during a visit to Jerusalem that the U.S.-backed peace conference proposed for later this year must "advance the cause of a Palestinian state," but acknowledged that much work remains to be done before Israeli and Palestinian officials agree on an agenda to achieve that goal. David Baker, an Israeli government spokesman, said Rice and Olmert "discussed the need to include moderate Arab states in order to enhance the meeting's chance for success," among other regional issues. (Washington Post)
See also Rice Glosses Over Mideast Differences by Anne Gearan (AP/Washington Post)
See also PA's Abbas No Longer Interested in Attending Peace Conference by Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
600 Iranian Missiles Said to Be Pointed at Targets in Israel
 Six hundred Iranian Shihab-3 missiles are pointed at targets throughout Israel, and will be launched if either Iran or Syria are attacked, an Iranian website affiliated with the regime reported last week. "Iran will shoot at Israel 600 missiles if it is attacked," the Iranian news website, Assar Iran, reported. "600 missiles will only be the first reaction." According to the report, dozens of locations throughout Iraq, which are being used by the U.S. Army, have also been targeted. (Jerusalem Post)
Israeli Cabinet Votes Gaza a 'Hostile Entity'
by Ronny Sofer
 The security cabinet voted last week to declare the Gaza Strip a hostile political entity. The ministers also discussed the continuous rocket attacks against Israel. The unanimous vote also authorized the imposing of economic sanctions against Gaza, so long as they do not affect the civilian population. The measures to be taken against Gaza include cutting back on the supply of electricity and fuel, in accordance with international law. Defense Minister Ehud Barak's office said that in accordance with international law - in dealing with a hostile entity, Israel would be able to respond without imposing a collective punishment against the civilian Palestinian population. (Ynet News)
See also Missile Attack on Israeli Army Base (YouTube)
See also Rice: Hamas Is "a Hostile Entity to the United States" by Scott Wilson (Washington Post)
Palestinian Authority Celebrates 9/11 Terror Attacks
by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook
 The PA celebrated the World Trade Center terror attacks by publishing cartoons in Al Hayat Al Jadida, its official daily, that glorify Osama Bin Laden and the attacks. This year's cartoon shows Bin Laden smiling while making the "V" for victory sign with two fingers in the shape of the burning Twin Towers. The PA daily is owned and controlled by the office of Mahmoud Abbas. The U.S. continues to fund the PA and to support it politically, while ignoring the continued promotion of Palestinian hate against the U.S. (Palestinian Media Watch)
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Protests to Greet Iranian President at Columbia University
 Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can expect protests when he appears at a Columbia University forum Monday. The Jewish student group Columbia/Barnard Hillel is planning a rally that will start at 1 p.m. Monday near the building where the president is set to speak. Ahmadinejad has drawn sharp criticism for his comments that the Holocaust was a myth and that Israel should be "wiped off the map." Despite growing outrage, Columbia says it will not withdraw the invitation, drawing strong words from local officials. "Columbia University, one of the most prestigious in the country, giving him a forum, rolling out a red carpet to a man who has spewed hate repeatedly against the state of Israel, saying the Holocaust never happened - there is no reason why Columbia University should do that,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. (NY1 News)
See also Extremist Speakers a Dilemma at Colleges by Justin Pope (AP)
Israel Thwarts Suicide Bomb Attack in Tel Aviv
 Israeli police seized an explosive belt that was intended to be used in a Tel Aviv suicide bomb attack on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, a police spokesman said on Saturday. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said police raided an apartment in Israel's commercial capital early on Saturday and arrested four people, including a suspected would-be suicide bomber and an explosive belt he was planning to use. An army spokeswoman said Palestinian militants arrested during a raid in West Bank city of Nablus earlier this week had been planning the attack. (Reuters)
IDF Demands Uncut Al-Dura Tape
by Caroline Glick
 The IDF has abandoned its official silence in a seven-year-old case that has been characterized as a "blood libel" against the IDF and the State of Israel. On September 10, the deputy commander of the IDF's Spokesman's Office, Col. Shlomi Am-Shalom, submitted a letter to the France 2 television network's permanent correspondent in Israel, Charles Enderlin, regarding Enderlin's story from September 30, 2000, in which he televised 55 seconds of edited footage from the Netzarim junction in the central Gaza Strip purporting to show IDF forces shooting and killing 12-year-old Muhammad al-Dura. The IDF's move came against the backdrop of French media watchdog Philippe Karsenty's legal battle with France 2 regarding the network's coverage of the al-Dura affair. (Jerusalem Post)
See also Al-Dura - The Birth of an Icon (YouTube)
U.S.: Hizbullah "Continues to Smuggle Weapons"
 U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman said last week that there was clear evidence Hizbullah was still smuggling weapons across the Syrian border, in violation of UN resolutions. "In our view this poses one of the biggest dangers to Lebanon and it is a violation of the spirit and the letter of a number of Security Council resolutions," he said. (Gulf-Times-Qatar)
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