FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Plowshares beaten into swords in Gaza
Palestinians: 'Looting and burning' of Jewish holy sites 'was a great joy'
Posted: February 27, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
 One of two main Neve Dekalim synagogues desecrated by Palestinian looters (WND photo) |
When Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in August 2005, it left intact 20 synagogues of the Gush Katif Jewish communities following an Israeli Cabinet decision against demolishing the structures.
Immediately after the Israeli evacuation was completed, Palestinians mobs destroyed most of the Gaza synagogues, including two major synagogues in Neve Dekalim, the largest Gush Katif community. In front of international camera crews, the Palestinians ripped off aluminum window frames and metal ceiling fixtures from the Neve Dekalim synagogues, which were situated close to each other in the center of town. Militants flew the Palestinian and Hamas flags from the structures before mobs burned down the synagogues.
Speaking to WND from Gaza, Abu Abir, spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees terrorist organization, said the area where the synagogues once stood now is used to fire rockets at Israel.
"We are proud to turn these lands, especially these parts that were for long time the symbol of occupation and injustice, like the synagogue, into a military base and source of fire against the Zionists and the Zionist entity," Abu Abir said.
"The liberated lands of the destroyed ugly and Nazi settlements [Gush Katif] is our property, and we have the right to do whatever we feel is suitable for the struggle against the occupation and for the general interest of the Palestinian people," the Committees leader said.
The Committees is a coalition of terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank responsible for launching hundreds of rockets from Gaza aimed at nearby Jewish towns. The group is accused of bombing a U.S. convoy in Gaza in 2003 in which three American government contractors were killed.
Abu Abir blamed the Palestinian desecration of the Gaza synagogues on the Jewish state, claiming the decision to leave the structures in tact was part of an Israeli conspiracy.
"The Zionists left these so called synagogues in order to make that one day media outlets like WorldNetDaily would raise the pathetic and rude argument about what we have done to the poor Zionists holy places. (Israel) left the synagogues behind so the world would see the Palestinians destroying them," Abu Abir said.
The terrorist leader claimed the mob destruction of the synagogues was not planned but was a spontaneous outburst of "happiness."
"The looting and burning of the synagogues was a great joy. There was no intention to desecrate them but this was part of the great joy the young men had when they destroyed everything that could remind us of the occupation. It was in an unplanned expression of happiness that these synagogues were destroyed."
 Jews celebrating in Neve Dekalim synagogue (WND photo) |
Prior to the Gaza withdrawal, Israel's Supreme Court ruled the Gaza synagogues should be bulldozed by the Israeli army, citing what it said was previous Palestinian desecrations of other religions' holy sites as justification for the synagogue demolitions. But then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who said he opposed the demolitions, put the decision to Cabinet vote. The Cabinet decided against destroying the structures.
Israel's chief rabbinate had petitioned the Supreme Court to halt the synagogue destructions, arguing the demolitions contravene Jewish law. Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen, a member of the chief rabbinate, explained to WND at the time: "According to Jewish law, synagogues cannot be destroyed unless new ones are already built, and even then, the issues are complicated. Here, the former Gaza residents don't have homes yet to live in, new synagogues have not been built, so there isn't even a question."
The senior rabbis also expressed fear Jews in other parts of the world may use bulldozings of the Gaza synagogues as precedent to destroy other abandoned synagogues.
Upon being informed of the current status of the synagogue ruins, Dror Vanunu, a former Gush Katif resident who said he prayed daily at the Neve Dekalim synagogues, told WND he was "sick to his stomach."
"It sends pain straight to my heart and makes me sick to my stomach. In any other part of world this would be unacceptable, but where is the media? Where is the international outcry condemning use of a holy site for terrorism?" commented Vanunu, who is the international coordinator for the Gush Katif Committee, a major charity organization representing Gaza's former Jewish residents, most of whom are living in temporary housing units.
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Iran Plans To Nuke Europe, US - Sanctions Urged
Iran and nuclear terrorism. Not a threat, a promise.
By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency
Jerusalem ----- February 28, 2007 .... An Israel security official told the Israel News Agency that the recent launch of a missile from Iran into space illustrated a direct threat to both Europe's and US national security.
On February 25, Iran launched a missile reaching space. "Iran has successfully launched its first space missile made by Iranian scientists," the head of Iran's aerospace research center, Mohsen Bahrami, was quoted as saying. On Saturday, Iran Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said Iran was planning to build a satellite and launcher.
"Iran has no plans to land a man on the moon," Col. Adam an Israeli security source told the INA. "The same technology is used to build intercontinental ballistic missiles. This Iran space launch is not a threat to Israel. The Iranians need not reach a space orbit to attack Israel, but such a high orbit would be needed to deliver a nuclear payload into Europe or the US."
Iran launched its first satellite, Sina-1, into orbit from a Russian rocket in 2005 and has said it planned to modify its Shahab-3 missile, which Iran says has a range of about 2,000 km (1,250 miles), to launch satellites. Bahrami said the missile was built by his center in cooperation of the Defense and Science Ministries. He gave no further details. Despite announcing what would be a major advance in Iran's missile technology, the news was mentioned only once by the main state TV news channel and was not carried by other Iranian official media.
"Take a look at the news media, you don't see a word about this launch today," said Adam. "Western governments were not prepared for Iran to have a nuclear delivery system up and running. Intel is hard to come by regarding Iran. It is very difficult to have real time Intel coming from Iran as it is difficult for operatives to penetrate Iranian society. Most of our Intel comes from external sources, and these sources are reactive, passive, not proactive."
"If we don't see severe economic sanctions coming from Europe in the next few weeks, we will witness a catastrophe," said a source at the Israel Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The source would not give his name because he would lose his position, but the matter of urgency had him staring at this writer praying to get the message out.
"Iran has no plans to land a man on the moon," Col. Adam an Israeli security source told the INA. "The same technology is used to build intercontinental ballistic missiles. This Iran space launch is not a threat to Israel. The Iranians need not reach a space orbit to attack Israel, but such a high orbit would be needed to deliver a nuclear payload into Europe or the US." - Israeli security source |
"Iran is no different than Nazi Germany", the MFA source said. "They too built up an army, resources and created the V-2." The V-2 was the first man-made object launched into space, during test flights that reached an altitude of 189 km (117 miles) in 1944. "While Germany was putting the finishing touches to the V-2 which was eventually used against Britain, the world stood by wanting to talk. Now we have Iran repeating history, declaring to "wipe Israel off the map" while planting bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan, one which nearly killed US Vice President Cherney during his visit there a few days ago."
"We have two options. The West can attack Iran which would provoke both Iran and Syria to respond with chemical weapons or we can place immediate and severe sanctions on Iran, thereby reducing their ability to create and use atomic weapons against the West. One should understand Iranian fundamental mentality. These people are not threatening the "infidels" of the West, they are promising to attack as soon as they have both the delivery and nuclear weapons capability."
Security analysts in Europe state that two overriding EU security interests are at stake: avoiding a war with Iran and preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power. These two apparently contradictory interests can be reconciled and translated into a common strategy by adopting a three-pronged approach based on efficient isolation, effective containment, and direct negotiations.
The U.N. Security Council has recently slapped sanctions on Iran that bar the transfer of technology and know-how to Iran's nuclear and missile programs, a move that was pushed for by the West because of fears that Iran is seeking to build atomic bombs. Tehran says its nuclear program is purely civilian and aims to generate electricity. The Iran defense minister was quoted by a newspaper as saying: "Building a satellite and satellite launcher, as well as (previously) launching the first Iranian satellite called Sina with Russian cooperation, and becoming a member of the space club, are part of the Defense Ministry's plans."
It is up to Europe to prevent the two worst developments in Iran - war and nuclear armament - by acting jointly and with determination. Vital European and transatlantic interests are at stake. It is thus Europe's responsibility - and especially Germany's, as the current EU president - to act now.
Iran said yesterday it would never suspend uranium enrichment as demanded by the West, a day after world powers agreed to work on a new UN resolution to pressure Tehran to back down over its nuclear program. Officials from the five permanent UN Security Council members - the United States, France, Russia, China and Britain - plus Germany, who met in London on Monday, also said they were committed to a negotiated resolution to the standoff. The United States, which says "all options" are on the table while insisting it wants a peaceful solution, has ratcheted up pressure by sending a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf.
"Suspending uranium enrichment is an illegal and illegitimate demand ... and it will never happen," Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying. Another agency said he backed atomic talks but without preconditions. Iran's open refusal to halt enrichment, a process it insists it only wants to make fuel for nuclear power plants, is echoed by some Iranian officials in private, suggesting the public pronouncements are more than just rhetoric. US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said after the London meeting world powers would hold phone talks on Thursday to discuss elements of a new resolution.
"Iran which denies that a European Holocaust ever took place, is now planning to create a second Holocaust in Europe and in the US" - Israel MFA source |
Clearing its stand on the Iran nuclear standoff, China has said that it did not favor the use of sanctions on Iran. Beijing has called for the peaceful resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomatic means. "Sanctions are not the purpose," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Qin Gang said. "Any move of the Security Council should help resolving the issue through peaceful and appropriate means," he said adding hat Beijing's stand on the issue is consistent. "We advocate a peaceful solution through diplomatic negotiation," he added.
China has significant business ties and energy interests in Iran.
"Iran which denies that a European Holocaust ever took place, is now planning to create a second Holocaust in Europe and in the US," said the Israel MFA source. "Europe will be first to feel this nuclear suicide bomb, as London, Moscow, Madrid, Rome and Paris are now in range of Iranian missiles. We no longer have the luxury of time to implement sanctions. This is not a movie. This is not the "24" TV series about nuclear terrorism. This is real. Sanctions worked against North Korea, they can and will work against Iran."
"Iran has over 20 intermediate range missiles that can reach continental Europe," stated Riki Ellison, President of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. "These 20 BM-25 missiles were purchased from North Korea in 2005 and are a variant of the Soviet SS-N-6 (R-27) submarine-launched ballistic missile. With a range beyond 3,000 kilometers, these missiles pose a direct threat to central Europe." Last week Iran launched a sub-orbit missile that traveled 94 miles into space and declared their intent to launch satellites in the near future. On last week's launch of a sub-orbital missile by Iran, Ellison noted that "Having orbital satellite launch capability, Iran would have access to deliver payloads to anyplace on earth, as was first powerfully demonstrated 50 years ago by the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik in 1957."
