http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 en-US 60 <p><a href= "http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3250456,00.html" rel="nofollow">Pakistan official to Iran: Take Israel hostage</a></p> Sun, 14 May 2006 22:48:44 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4749981 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p><a href= "http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&amp;storyID=2006-03-08T124232Z_01_L08625269_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-MILITANTS.xml&amp;archived=False" rel="nofollow">Islamic Jihad threatens to target Israeli leaders</a><br /> Wed Mar 8, 2006 7:42 AM ET<br /> <br /> GAZA (Reuters) - Islamic Jihad threatened on Wednesday to target Israeli leaders after a series of Israeli air strikes and raids killed key members of the Palestinian militant group.<br /> <br /> "Leaders of the enemy should know that they personally are targets," Islamic Jihad said in a statement faxed to the Reuters office in Gaza.<br /> <br /> The statement said the group had ordered all its cells to launch attacks inside Israel. It was unclear from the statement which Israeli leaders might be targeted.<br /> <br /> An Israeli air strike on Monday killed two Islamic Jihad militants and three bystanders, including an eight-year-old boy.<br /> <br /> Last week, the group's most senior commander in Gaza was killed by an explosion that tore through his car. Islamic Jihad blamed the Israeli army, which denied involvement.<br /> <br /> Responsible for several recent suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Israel, Islamic Jihad has been a frequent target of Israeli air strikes and raids.<br /> <br /> Monday's attack came on the eve of formal campaigning for Israel's elections on March 28 and after interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed to use an "iron fist" against militants.<br /> <br /> On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Israel might target Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas if the Palestinian election winner resumed attacks in the Jewish state.<br /> <br /> Hamas is forming a government after winning Palestinian parliamentary elections in January. It called Monday's air strike a "massacre". Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said it was a "dangerous escalation" against the Palestinian people.<br /> <br /> Hamas has masterminded at least 60 suicide bombings against Israelis since a Palestinian revolt erupted in 2000. But the militant group has largely abided by a truce declared last year.</p> Thu, 09 Mar 2006 04:02:18 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4468102 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p><a href= "http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2006/march/03_07_2.html" rel= "nofollow">ISRAEL'S OLMERT DECIDES ON NEW PULLOUT</a><br /> <br /> JERUSALEM [MENL] -- Israel's government has decided to focus its reelection campaign on plans for a unilateral withdrawal from nearly the entire West Bank.<br /> <br /> Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has briefed the United States of his plan for an initial withdrawal from parts of the West Bank in 2007. Under the plan, Olmert, if elected, would order the dismantling of at least 17 Jewish communities in the West Bank.<br /> <br /> "It will be only a civilian disengagement, not a military disengagement," Avi Dichter, Olmert's aide and former head of Israeli domestic intelligence, said.<br /> <br /> Under the plan, Israel's military would evict about 15,000 Jews from several parts of the West Bank. The areas would remain under nominal Israeli military control.<br /></p> Thu, 09 Mar 2006 03:57:02 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4468092 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p><a href="http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=98683" rel= "nofollow">Iranian Missile Test</a></p> Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:19:22 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4383546 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p><a href= "http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11182458/site/newsweek/from/ET/&amp;&amp;CM=EmailThis&amp;CE=1" rel="nofollow"><strong>Will Israel Strike Iran?</strong></a></p> Wed, 08 Feb 2006 03:48:16 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4344854 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p><a href= "http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18053369%255E23109,00.html" rel="nofollow"><strong>Recognition of Israel 'a mistake'</strong></a><br /> From correspondents in Cairo<br /> February 06, 2006<br /> PALESTINIAN recognition of Israel was a mistake that needs correction, a senior Hamas leader said, as the group faces pressure from Europe and the US to recognise the Jewish state.<br /> <br /> The militant Islamist group will not consider recognising Israel while the status of the country's borders remains unclear and millions of Palestinian refugees are not unable to return to their homes, the group's deputy political leader said.<br /> <br /> "We believe that there was a mistake that happened in the past and this (recognition of Israel) in particular must be corrected," Moussa Abu Marzouk told reporters in Cairo without giving further details.<br /> <br /> The late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat recognised Israel on behalf of the Palestinian people as part of the 1993 Oslo peace agreements.<br /> <br /> Hamas is trying to form a new Palestinian government after defeating the long-dominant Fatah movement in January 25 elections.<br /> <br /> Israeli officials have said Hamas has to unequivocally recognise Israel's right to exist and abandon terrorism.<br /> <br /> The UN security council has made the same demand.<br /> <br /> The US and EU have said a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority would risk losing crucial foreign aid unless the group disarmed and recognised Israel.<br /> <br /> Officials from the group have said they will not compromise their principles for aid, saying alternative funding could come from Arab and Islamic countries.<br /> <br /> Mr Marzouk said Israel had continued building settlements and occupying and controlling access to Palestinian territory despite official Palestinian recognition.<br /> <br /> Israel said the status of settlements will be decided in peace talks with the Palestinians and that it undertakes military operations in Palestinian areas to protect the security of its citizens.<br /> <br /> "Where are the borders of the Israel we are supposed to recognise?" said Mr Marzouk. "Are the settlements included in the borders of Israel? ... Is the return of the refugees acceptable to Israel?"<br /> <br /> "Until these questions are answered, it is not possible to propose it (recognition)," he said.</p> Wed, 08 Feb 2006 03:46:26 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4344852 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p><a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=97415" rel="nofollow"><strong>Hamas Say No Compromise on Jerusalem</strong></a><br /> 10:03 Jan 27, '06 / 27 Tevet 5766<br /> <br /> (IsraelNN.com) Hamas officials have announced there will be no compromise on demands that Jerusalem serve as the capital of a Palestinian nation, adding calls for the ‘right of return’ for Arabs who fled to other countries will also not be abandoned.<br /> <br /> Ismail Haniyah, who heads the Hamas list explained he will work towards a unity government with Fatah, but stressed the issues mentioned would remain atop of his government’s agenda.</p> Sun, 29 Jan 2006 08:48:53 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4307769 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p>Friday, January 27, 2006<br /> <br /> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <br /> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU<br /> <a href="http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48535" rel= "nofollow"><strong>Hamas divulges<br /> 'peace initiative'<br /> Leader reveals to WND truce plan,<br /> but explains aim is to destroy Israel</strong></a><br /> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> Posted: January 27, 2006<br /> 12:27 p.m. Eastern<br /> <br /> By Aaron Klein<br /> <br /> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> © 2006 WorldNetDaily.com<br /> JERUSALEM – Hamas, which catapulted to power in this week's Palestinian elections, will soon make public a "peace initiative" in which it will offer to trade strategic land with Israel, cease attempts to capture parts of Jerusalem, and sign a 10-year renewable cease-fire with the Jewish state, a top Hamas leader told WorldNetDaily during an exclusive interview.<br /> <br /> But the Hamas leader said the plan, which he justified using Islamic tradition, is a temporary machination to ease international and U.S. hostility toward his group in hopes of receiving financial assistance, explaining Hamas will not give up its goal of destroying Israel.<br /> <br /> "We will not take any initiative to change the way of life of the Palestinian people," said the senior Hamas official, who spoke to WND on condition his name be withheld, since he said he was "revealing confidential operative information.<br /> <br /> "We will not impose the Islamic laws and we will not escalate our fight against Israel," he said. "We will even be ready to accept an interim long-term agreement that will give the Palestinian people an independent state on most of the territories occupied in 1967. I tell you we will surprise everyone with our new attitude."<br /> <br /> Hamas won this week's historic Palestinian parliamentary elections by a large margin. Hamas chief Mahmoud al-Zahar told WorldNetDaily yesterday his terror group will seek to create a coalition with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' currently ruling Fatah Party.<br /> <br /> But Fatah officials said Abbas' party will bolt the government and place itself in the opposition, making Hamas the main Palestinian powerbroker.<br /> <br /> "Hamas won the elections. We respect that and will make way for them to form the Palestinian government, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told WND.<br /> <br /> The top Hamas leader told WorldNetDaily his group held a series of meetings the past few months in which it decided if Hamas wins elections it will offer Israel a temporary truce during which the group will build an interim Palestinian state.<br /> <br /> "We will be ready for a long interim agreement based on a period of cease-fire that can go to 10 or even 15 years like it was done by the Prophet Muhammad with the enemies of the Muslims. During this period we will build our state on the strong basis of honor and with an honest administration," the top Hamas leader said.<br /> <br /> Hamas officials, including overall Hamas leader Khaled Meshal, who resides in Syria, formulated a "peace proposal" they said would be acceptable to their group in which the Palestinians would offer to trade certain lands with Israel, the top Hamas official revealed.<br /> <br /> "With the territories we will be ready to discuss the possibility that the three big settlement compounds will remain under the power of the occupation (Israel) and in exchange we will receive territories for the Palestinian independent state," said the Hamas leader.<br /> <br /> The leader told WND the "three settlements" he was referring to are Ariel and Gush Etzion, two large regions in the West Bank that contain many of the area's major Jewish communities, and western and peripheral sections of Jerusalem, which he said Hamas considers "Israeli settlements."<br /> <br /> Hamas, in exchange, would want the eastern sections of Jerusalem, the parts of the southern Israeli Negev desert that border the Gaza Strip and the Jordan Valley, which extends from outside Jerusalem toward Jordan and encompasses most of Israel's major water supplies.<br /> <br /> The Hamas official said his group would be willing to compromise on its territorial demands.<br /> <br /> "We are most interested in Jerusalem and the Negev," the leader said.<br /> <br /> The leader then justified the Hamas "peace plan" using Islamic history.<br /> <br /> "The Muslim hero Saladin gave up land when he gave Acco to the Crusaders in order to keep Jerusalem. Therefore, I say that the possibility of the exchange of territories existed already in the history of Islam and it cohabitates with our principle that all of Palestine is a dedicated land from Allah, may he be blessed to the Muslims, and no one has the right to give up any part of it," said the leader.<br /> <br /> There have been concerns that when it assumes control, Hamas may impose hard-line Islamic law on the Palestinians. Yesterday, Hamas gunmen placed the group's flag on the Palestinian parliament building in Ramallah and reportedly announced Hamas will soon rule the area by Shariah law. Hamas reportedly has bannedWestern music events and established hard-line Islamic courts. Israel says the group has an "Anti-Corruption Unit" that enforces Islamic rules.<br /> <br /> But the Hamas official told WND his terror organization will not impose Islamic law, "in order to reduce the hostility of the international community and the government of Israel [toward Hamas]."<br /> <br /> He explained his group will create a governing coalition it feels will help garner financial assistance from European countries, including allowing another party to hold the foreign affairs and internal security portfolios and likely keeping the PA's current minister of finance, Salaem Fayyad, who largely is acceptable to the international community.<br /> <br /> The Hamas leader said his group will not abandon its goal of destroying Israel.<br /> <br /> "When I speak about a long cease-fire and a temporary agreement, it means that we do not recognize the right of the state of the occupation on our lands, but we will accept its existence temporarily," said the leader.<br /> <br /> The leader insisted the policies are based on the formulation Hamas will not be able to defeat Israel in the near future, but he said his group is confident it ultimately will be "victorious."<br /> <br /> "I do not see the Palestinian people and Islamic nation succeeding to liberate this blessed land of Palestine in the very near future," he said. "This is an Islamic land and the Jews are invited to live in Palestine and the Muslims will guaranty their safety and honor. ... But we will never give up our right for the whole of Palestine. We should be realistic to admit that the mission for the liberation of Palestine will pass on to the coming generations."</p> Sun, 29 Jan 2006 08:47:48 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4307766 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <blockquote> <div class="quote_from">Originally posted by Ito_^:</div> <div class="quote_body">ok.. lemme rephase it. i wish to.. <img title="Laughing" src="/images/emoticons/classic/icon_lol.gif" alt="Laughing" /></div> </blockquote> <p><img title="Laughing" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_lol.gif" alt="Laughing" /> I know... <img title="Laughing" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_lol.gif" alt="Laughing" /></p> Wed, 25 Jan 2006 20:33:55 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4294840 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <blockquote> <div class="quote_from">Originally posted by News:</div> <div class="quote_body">Go there quickly before the division starts.</div> </blockquote> <p>ok.. lemme rephase it. i wish to.. <img title="Laughing" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_lol.gif" alt="Laughing" /></p> Wed, 25 Jan 2006 20:32:48 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4294838 Ito_^ http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <blockquote> <div class="quote_from">Originally posted by Ito_^:</div> <div class="quote_body">i hope to have the chance of visiting there someday.</div> </blockquote> <p>Go there quickly before the division starts.</p> Wed, 25 Jan 2006 20:31:07 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4294833 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p>i hope to have the chance of visiting there someday.</p> Wed, 25 Jan 2006 20:29:00 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4294822 Ito_^ http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p><a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=97248" rel="nofollow"><strong>Eldad Warns of Planned Division of Jerusalem</strong></a><br /> 22:45 Jan 24, '06 / 24 Tevet 5766<br /> <br /> (IsraelNN.com) MK (National Union) Prof. Aryeh Eldad responded to Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s Herzliya Conference address, stating, “Olmert marks the beginning of Israel’s end.”<br /> <br /> Prof. Eldad added, “If we are unable to remain in areas inhabited by Palestinian Authority (PA) residents, we will very quickly be saying goodbye to the Galilee, the Triangle, the Negev and portions of Jerusalem.”<br /> <br /> <img title="Mad" src="/images/emoticons/classic/icon_mad.gif" alt= "Mad" /> <img title="Mad" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_mad.gif" alt="Mad" /></p> Wed, 25 Jan 2006 20:17:15 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4294767 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p><a href= "http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2006/january/01_25_1.html" rel= "nofollow"><strong>IRAN REACHES INDIGENOUS NUKE CAPABILITY</strong></a><br /> <br /> JERUSALEM [MENL] -- Iran might have already reached the point of no longer requiring foreign assistance to advance in its nuclear weapons program.<br /> <br /> A leading Israeli defense figure asserted that Iran has already acquired the basis for nuclear weapons development and production. Yuval Steinitz, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said Iran could produce and assemble nuclear weapons without foreign assistance.<br /> <br /> "I think they have passed this stage already," Steinitz said in an interview with the independent Arutz-7 radio. "Iran is a large country, and just like the United States built a bomb without help in 1945, Iran can do the same in 2006."<br /> <br /> Steinitz, who receives weekly briefings from the nation's intelligence services, disputed an assertion by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz regarding Iran. Recently, Halutz told Steinitz's Knesset panel that Iran could reach "the point of no return" in its nuclear weapons program by March 2006.<br /> <br /> <img title="Twisted Evil" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_twisted.gif" alt= "Twisted Evil" /></p> Wed, 25 Jan 2006 20:15:27 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4294759 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4644950.stm" rel="nofollow"><strong>Israel 'has to withdraw further'</strong></a><br /> <br /> Israel will have to withdraw from further parts of the West Bank, acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said.<br /> <br /> In his first policy speech as interim leader, he said the main challenge ahead was to shape Israel's borders for good to ensure a Jewish majority.<br /> <br /> It could not continue to control parts with a Palestinian majority, but would keep its main settlements, he said.<br /> <br /> Mr Olmert is also acting as chair of Kadima, a party formed by PM Ariel Sharon before he suffered a stroke.<br /> <br /> The party intends to run in Israeli general elections on 28 March on a platform of withdrawal from occupied territory.<br /> <br /> 'Keeping Jerusalem'<br /> <br /> Mr Olmert told a conference at Herzliya that Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank last year was a turning point.<br /> <br /> "In order to ensure the existence of a Jewish national home, we will not be able to continue ruling over the territories in which the majority of the Palestinian population lives," he said.<br /> <br /> However, Mr Olmert said that Israel would keep security zones, the main settlement blocs, and places important to the Jewish people, such as Jerusalem.<br /> <br /> "There can be no Jewish state without Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty," he said.<br /> <br /> He also hinted that Israel would act alone to set a border in the West Bank if talks failed.<br /> <br /> In the speech, Mr Olmert urged the full implementation of a US-backed peace "road map".<br /> <br /> He also spoke of the importance of the Palestinian poll on Wednesday.<br /> <br /> Mr Olmert described it as a step towards their objective of reaching national independence, but said he hoped that Palestinians would not choose "extremists".<br /> <br /> Sharon ally<br /> <br /> Palestinians reacted with calls on Israel "to abandon the ways of unilateralism".<br /> <br /> "The Palestinian Authority is fully committed to peacemaking," negotiator Saeb Erekat added.<br /> <br /> Settlement supporters expressed anger at the suggestion of a further withdrawal from parts of the West Bank.<br /> <br /> "Olmert is the beginning of the end of the state of Israel," said right-wing lawmaker Aryeh Eldad.<br /> <br /> Correspondents say Mr Olmert's comments were in line with Mr Sharon's statements before his stroke and subsequent coma earlier this month.<br /> <br /> Mr Olmert has been Mr Sharon's closest political ally for most of the past decade and is seen as the politician most likely to continue his legacy.<br /> <br /> Mr Olmert has spoken previously of the need for a pullback from the West Bank that would keep major settler blocs in the Jewish state.</p> Wed, 25 Jan 2006 20:14:34 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4294755 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p><a href= "http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5433" rel="nofollow"><strong>Iran threatens to start “industrial-scale” nuclear works</strong></a><br /> Mon. 23 Jan 2006<br /> Iran Focus<br /> <br /> London, Jan. 23 – Iran’s top nuclear negotiator warned the West on Sunday that the Islamic Republic would resume uranium enrichment “on an industrial scale” if the international dispute over its suspected nuclear weapons work was referred to the United Nations Security Council.<br /> <br /> In an interview with the Financial Times published online, Larijani, secretary-general of the powerful Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said that the possibility of resuming industrial-scale enrichment was open for discussion with European states.<br /> <br /> Britain, France, and Germany – the European Union 3 – have led negotiations with Tehran over its sensitive nuclear activities since 2003.<br /> <br /> Larijani said that Tehran would begin uranium enrichment if the negotiations route was closed. “Everything depends on the way we are treated. If the negotiating route is open, we prefer to reach a conclusion through talks. But if this route is closed, we are obliged to follow up our other scenario”.<br /> <br /> “The Additional Protocol and the suspension were approved by the Majlis. If we are referred to the Security Council, the government is obliged by the Majlis to lift all voluntary measures including the Additional Protocol”, he said.<br /> <br /> Asked whether that meant that Iran would resume nuclear fuel production and industrial enrichment, Larijani replied, “Yes”.<br /> <br /> He said that the Russian proposal which involves Iran enriching uranium exclusively on Russian soil was incomplete. “There are two issues to be considered. One is Iran’s right to enrichment, and the other is non-diversion. Any solution should be consistent with these considerations. The scale, extent and timing can all be discussed”.<br /> <br /> Larijani said that there should be a limit to inspections of Iranian military sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency. “In principle, we cannot open such doors to everyone”. “Such issues can’t be raised daily”, he said.<br /> <br /> Iran’s top national security official vowed that Tehran would never give in to international pressure and back down in its nuclear drive. “If they think any government in Iran could give up nuclear technology, they are mistaken. Look at the government of Mohammad Khatami – many of these nuclear activities began when he was president”.</p> Wed, 25 Jan 2006 19:57:16 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4294695 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p><a href= "http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5409" rel="nofollow"><strong>Iran’s president sees “final war” between Muslims, West</strong></a><br /> <br /> Iran Focus<br /> <br /> Tehran, Iran, Jan. 21 – Hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told senior leaders of a radical Palestinian group in Damascus on Friday that the Middle East conflict has become “the locus of the final war” between Muslims and the West, Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, reported.<br /> <br /> Ahmadinejad, who was speaking on the second day of his two-day trip to Syria, told the leaders of Hamas, “Today, victory in Palestine has become a matter of life and death for the Islamic world and for Global Arrogance (the West)”.<br /> <br /> The Iranian president urged the Palestinians to reject moves such as Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.<br /> <br /> “Some point to the withdrawal of the occupiers from parts of Palestine, but this event has already been greatly detrimental to Muslims”, Ahmadinejad said.<br /> <br /> “If the occupiers stay on even one inch of Palestinian soil, the goal of Palestine will not be realised”, Ahmadinejad told Hamas leaders, who included Khalid Mash’al, the head of the group’s political bureau.<br /> <br /> “We must not let our guard down now for even one moment against the enemies’ plots. Belittling the goal of Palestine is a great plot that the enemies are after”, he said.<br /> <br /> Ahmadinejad has called the Holocaust a “myth” and said that Israel must be “wiped off the map”.</p> Mon, 23 Jan 2006 20:23:25 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4287486 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p><a href= "http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2006/january/01_22_1.html" rel= "nofollow"><strong>IRAN COULD ACHIEVE NUKE CAPABILITY IN 2006</strong></a><br /> <br /> WASHINGTON [MENL] -- Iran has acquired sufficient technology and equipment to produce nuclear weapons, a report said.<br /> <br /> A report published by the U.S. Army War College asserted that Iran has virtually completed the nuclear fuel cycle and was ready to assemble weapons. The report, financed by the Defense Department, said Iran could reach nuclear weapons capability as early as 2006.<br /> <br /> "The truth is that Iran soon can and will get a bomb option," the report, entitled "Getting Ready for a Nuclear-Ready Iran," said. "All Iranian engineers need is a bit more time: 1 to 4 years at most."<br /> <br /> The report, released in late 2005, differed significantly from CIA and State Department estimates on Iran's nuclear program. The U.S. intelligence community has assessed that Iran would need another decade to produce nuclear weapons.</p> Mon, 23 Jan 2006 20:20:24 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4287476 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p><a href= "http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/16/wiran16.xml" rel="nofollow"><strong>Iran 'could go nuclear within three years'</strong></a><br /> <br /> Iran 'could go nuclear within three years'<br /> By Con Coughlin, Defence and Security Editor<br /> (Filed: 16/01/2006)<br /> <br /> Iranian scientists are expected to start work this week on the highly technical task of enriching tons of uranium to a level where it could be used in the production of atomic weapons, say the latest reports received by western intelligence agencies.<br /> <br /> The work is to be undertaken at the top-secret Natanz uranium enrichment facility 90 miles north-east of the capital, Teheran.<br /> <br /> The very existence of the plant was concealed from the outside world until two years ago, when an Iranian exile group produced details of its work.<br /> <br /> Intelligence sources say Iran will begin feeding converted uranium into 164 centrifuges at Natanz this week. That could enable it to create enriched uranium of sufficient quality for nuclear weapons production within three years.<br /> <br /> Previous estimates of the minimum time required had ranged from five to 10 years.<br /> <br /> Iran's unilateral decision to resume enrichment is by far the most critical development in its latest stand-off with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations-sponsored body responsible for enforcing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).<br /> <br /> As a signatory to the NPT, Iran is obliged to provide the IAEA with a comprehensive breakdown of all its nuclear activity, which Teheran insists is purely for the development of an indigenous nuclear power industry - despite Iran having one of the world's largest known oil reserves.<br /> <br /> But the discrepancies that have appeared in declarations to IAEA inspectors - which included concealing the existence of the Natanz complex - have increased suspicions that Iran is well advanced in its clandestine programme to build a nuclear weapon.<br /> <br /> Nuclear experts working for the intelligence agencies have concluded that it now has the resources necessary for developing a nuclear weapon.<br /> <br /> "Iran has spent the past 20 years scouring the world to acquire all the means of production and materials necessary for building nuclear weapons," a senior western intelligence officer told The Daily Telegraph.<br /> <br /> "The big intelligence debate now is not whether Iran can build a bomb, but how long it will take them to build it."<br /> <br /> Despite concerted attempts by western intelligence to prevent them acquiring nuclear equipment, the Iranians have managed to import key components.<br /> <br /> Latest reports suggest that Iran has at least 1,000 tons of uranium -"yellowcake", the oxide of uranium that can be enriched to create weapons-grade uranium.<br /> <br /> It was acquired from Niger and South Africa in the late 1990s. When processed, that quantity of yellowcake could provide enough material for five nuclear bombs.<br /> <br /> The Iranians have also obtained key components for processing the yellowcake and technical expertise from A Q Khan, the controversial scientist regarded as being the "father" of Pakistan's nuclear bomb.<br /> <br /> By far the most alarming acquisition from Pakistan, according to western intelligence assessments, is the P2 centrifuge, the highly sophisticated device necessary for enriching uranium to weapons grade.<br /> <br /> In order to reach the advanced stage needed for building an atomic weapon, it is necessary to connect a number of centrifuges so that they form a "cascade".<br /> <br /> When they were finally allowed to visit Natanz two years ago, IAEA inspectors were alarmed to discover that the Iranians had managed to construct a cascade. This comprises 164 centrifuges, which are based on Pakistan's P2 design.<br /> <br /> Any doubts about the effectiveness of the devices were banished when soil samples taken from the site by IAEA inspectors showed traces of weapons-grade uranium.<br /> <br /> If the nuclear programme were genuinely aimed at developing nuclear power, there would be no need to process weapons-grade uranium.<br /> <br /> Asked to explain the soil samples, the Iranians provided the rather lame excuse that the traces had inadvertently been imported from an unidentified foreign power - believed to be Pakistan - when the centrifuges were purchased.<br /> <br /> This is only one of the many glaring inconsistencies that have appeared in the Iranians' submissions to the IAEA, which has been powerless to prevent their relentless pursuit of nuclear technology.<br /> <br /> As a consequence Iran now has all the means of production and materials to proceed to the final weapons stage.<br /> <br /> That process will begin this week when scientists resume work on processing uranium to weapons grade at Natanz.<br /> <br /> Much of the preparatory work has already been done at the Isfahan nuclear conversion plant.<br /> <br /> Work resumed there last year when President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered the removal of IAEA seals, unilaterally breaking the Paris Accord of November 2004.<br /> <br /> This was negotiated with the European Union as Iran promised to suspend its nuclear activities until IAEA inspectors had satisfied themselves that Teheran's nuclear intentions were purely peaceful.<br /> <br /> Isfahan has the capacity to process 300 tons of yellowcake a year, and before work was suspended in 2004 it was known that 37 tons had been developed to make uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas. UF6 is a key component in achieving weapons grade.<br /> <br /> Once the UF6 is produced, it is transferred to Natanz where it is fed into the centrifuges to enrich uranium to weapons grade.<br /> <br /> Exactly how much UF6 has been produced since the Isfahan seals were removed last August is unknown, although conservative intelligence estimates suggest there are sufficient stocks of UF6 for 30 kilos of enriched uranium. The warhead used at Hiroshima contained 25 kilos.<br /> <br /> The only question remaining for western intelligence is to assess exactly how long it will take the Iranians to complete the process.<br /> <br /> "We just don't know how efficient the Natanz plant is at enriching uranium," said an intelligence official.<br /> <br /> "This is a very complex and highly sophisticated process that requires a great deal of technical ability."<br /> <br /> IAEA officials have estimated that it will take Iran three years to produce weapons-grade uranium once the Natanz plant resumes work.<br /> <br /> Given that its Shahab-3 ballistic missile system has the range to hit southern Europe, it is clear that the threat posed by Teheran's hard-line regime is significant and urgent.</p> Wed, 18 Jan 2006 01:15:46 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4264863 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <blockquote> <div class="quote_from">Originally posted by masteryap:</div> <div class="quote_body">can make it into summary....<br /> too long... <img title="Confused" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_confused.gif" alt="Confused" /> <img title="Confused" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_confused.gif" alt="Confused" /> <img title="Confused" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_confused.gif" alt="Confused" /> <img title="Confused" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_confused.gif" alt="Confused" /> <img title="Confused" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_confused.gif" alt="Confused" /> <img title="Confused" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_confused.gif" alt= "Confused" /></div> </blockquote> <p>Err... too long to summarize. <img title="Mr. Green" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt="Mr. Green" /></p> Mon, 16 Jan 2006 21:22:57 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4259616 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p><a href= "http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/egypt/?id=15237" rel= "nofollow"><strong>Egypt's Muslim Brothers brand Israel a 'cancer'</strong></a><br /> <br /> Mehdi Akef says he expects demise of Israel soon, its peace deal with Egypt should be put to referendum.<br /> <br /> CAIRO - Israel is a "cancer" in the Middle East and its peace deal with Egypt should be submitted to a referendum, the leader of Egypt's Muslim Brothers said in an interview published Thursday.<br /> <br /> "I declared that we will not recognize Israel which is an alien entity in the region. And we expect the demise of this cancer soon...," Mohammed Mehdi Akef told the state-owned English language Ahram Weekly.<br /> <br /> Egypt signed a peace agreement with Israel in 1979, becoming the first Arab country to establish diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.<br /> <br /> Islamists opposed to the deal assassinated President Anwar Sadat in 1981 for signing the Camp David accord and opposition to the normalisation of relations with Israel remains strong in Egypt.<br /> <br /> Akef stopped short of demanding the peace agreement be scrapped but suggested it should be submitted to a popular referendum.<br /> <br /> "That is for the people to decide... If I had the power I would put it to the people," he said.<br /> <br /> The banned but tolerated Brotherhood won 20 percent of the seats in the 454-strong parliament, making it the largest opposition bloc in the house.</p> Mon, 16 Jan 2006 21:22:15 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4259611 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p>can make it into summary....<br /> too long... <img title="Confused" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_confused.gif" alt="Confused" /> <img title="Confused" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_confused.gif" alt="Confused" /> <img title="Confused" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_confused.gif" alt="Confused" /> <img title="Confused" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_confused.gif" alt="Confused" /> <img title="Confused" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_confused.gif" alt="Confused" /> <img title="Confused" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_confused.gif" alt="Confused" /></p> Mon, 16 Jan 2006 21:15:48 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4259592 masteryap http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p>Monday, January 16, 2006<br /> <br /> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <br /> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU<br /> <a href="http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48348" rel= "nofollow"><strong>Israel withdrawal<br /> from West Bank?<br /> Many regard planned eviction of Jews as start of massive future evacuation</strong></a><br /> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> Posted: January 16, 2006<br /> 1:00 a.m. Eastern<br /> <br /> By Aaron Klein<br /> <br /> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> © 2006 WorldNetDaily.com<br /> <br /> HEBRON, Israel – In what some here are calling the beginning of a possible large-scale withdrawal from the West Bank, Israeli forces are currently preparing to evict Jews from their homes in select area neighborhoods including the biblical city of Hebron, considered the oldest Jewish community in the world.<br /> <br /> Clashes broke out here yesterday between Jewish protesters and hundreds of policemen and Israeli Defense Forces soldiers deployed in Hebron ahead of the announced eviction of eleven families from a marketplace near the entrance to the city.<br /> <br /> The skirmishes began after a protest organized by community leaders was at the last minute declared illegal by Israel's Police Authority. Rioters reportedly threw eggs and paint at security forces and yelled anti-withdrawal slogans. There were some reports of soldiers using excessive force against the protesters.<br /> <br /> Protest leaders last week had obtained the necessary permits to hold the rally, but yesterday afternoon, after hundreds of Israelis had already amassed, police told the crowd the gathering had to be called off.<br /> <br /> "People came to express their rights and protest," said Mikey Rosenfeld, a Jerusalem resident who attended the gathering. "It was irresponsible of the authorities to call off the rally right as it was beginning. They knew the atmosphere was explosive, and they basically ignited it themselves with the last minute declaration."<br /> <br /> Israel earlier this month issued eviction notices to the resident's of Hebron's Mitspe Shalhevet, a marketplace built in 1929 after Arab riots temporarily forced Jews from the area. For a period of over 30 years, a sign was posted on the market boasting in Arabic the structure was built on stolen Jewish property.<br /> <br /> Arab families had moved into the market but were asked to leave by the IDF after a series of clashes broke out in the mid-1990s. Then in 2001, Jewish families took up occupancy in the market to strengthen Jewish ties to the area after a Palestinian sniper murdered a Jewish infant nearby.<br /> <br /> Even though the original owners of the property recently signed over the market to Hebron's Jewish community, Israel considers the structure, in which eleven families currently reside, an illegal outpost.<br /> <br /> Jews lived in Hebron – home to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, believed to be the resting place of biblical patriarchs and matriarchs – almost continuously for over 2,500 years. There are accounts of the trials of the city's Jewish community throughout the Byzantine, Arab, Mameluke and Ottoman periods.<br /> <br /> In 1929, as a result of an Arab pogrom in which 67 Jews were murdered, the entire Jewish community fled the city, with Hebron becoming temporarily devoid of Jews.<br /> <br /> The Jews re-established their presence in Hebron after the West Bank was recaptured in the 1967 Six Day War, with some prime ministers allowing Jewish construction in the city, and others calling it off.<br /> <br /> Hebron residents believe evacuation of the marketplace is imminent. The 11 families had until yesterday to leave on their own accord or they may be forcibly removed, according to the eviction notices obtained by WND, which were worded similarly to eviction documents distributed to Jews living in the Gaza Strip just before their withdrawal from the area.<br /> <br /> Hebron is not the only Jewish city facing evacuations. In what some commentators here are calling the start of a larger withdrawal from the West Bank, Israel has announced several other area communities now face evacuation, including nine homes in the Binyamin community of Amona, a home in the large Gush Etzion block, and three hilltop outposts in northern Samaria.<br /> <br /> Also, Israel is now debating closing off the main Jewish highway in the West Bank to Jewish traffic, rerouting the major commuter artery for the area's roughly 200,000 Jews to a series of roads that run dozens of miles away from West Bank Jewish communities. The highway was constructed in the early 1990s to ease traffic for Arab and Jewish commuters, and to make it safer for Jews to travel throughout the West Bank by bypassing major Arab cities from which snipers had fired on Jewish vehicles.<br /> <br /> Moshe Jacobs, a West Bank doctor who commutes during the week to his office in Jerusalem, told WND, "Now I am going to have to drive over 15 miles out of the way closer to major Arab cities to get to work. There is no reason in the world for this road to close. The only thing it will accomplish is make our lives uncomfortable and more dangerous."<br /> <br /> Sara Frankel, a resident of the West Bank town of Eli, said, "Before Israel evacuated Gaza, it took steps just like this to make life harder and conditions unsafe for the Gaza Jews by closing roads and taking away protection. If they close the highway it would be a clear step in the direction of a future forced evacuation."<br /> <br /> Indeed, just prior to the Gaza withdrawal, the Israeli army rerouted Jewish traffic, closed several roads and began removing army outposts from Jewish communities.<br /> <br /> Several years before the withdrawal, residents of an entire Gaza Jewish community, Nitzarim, were banned from driving their vehicles on the only access road that led to their town. Instead, Nitzarim residents had to take hourly shuttles into their community provided by the IDF.<br /> <br /> Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced he is leaving the ruling Likud Party he helped found to start his own "centrist" party, Kadima, prompting new elections that will be held in March. The new party was widely regarded as a bid to carry out further Israeli withdrawals after Sharon drew the ire of senior Likud figures for his decision to evacuate Jews from Gaza.<br /> <br /> Multiple Kadima members have stated the new party is looking to change Israel's borders. Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is filling in for Sharon as head-of-state following the Israeli leader's massive stroke two weeks ago, has expressed approval of West Bank withdrawals and has made statements to reporters about the possibility of vacating some parts of Jerusalem.<br /> <br /> Olmert, currently leading in a series of national polls for the figure most likely to win in the upcoming elections, was the first Sharon deputy to go public with the Gaza-withdrawal plan.<br /> <br /> The West Bank is considered landlocked territory not officially recognized as part of any country. Israel calls the land "disputed." The United Nations claims the West Bank is "occupied" by Israel, which maintains overall control of most of the area while the Palestinian Authority has jurisdiction in about 40 percent. The Palestinians claim a population of roughly 2.4 million, but new demographic studies show the numbers are likely inflated. The actual Palestinian population could be up to 1 million less.<br /> <br /> The territory remained under Jordanian rule from 1948 until Israel captured the West Bank in 1967 after Jordan's King Hussein ignored Israeli pleas for his country to stay out of the Six Day War. Most countries rejected Jordan's initial claim on the area, which it formally renounced in 1988.<br /> <br /> The West Bank borders most of Israel's major cities, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Military strategists have long estimated Israel must maintain the West Bank to defend its borders from any ground invasion.<br /> <br /> Many villages in the West Bank, which Israelis commonly reefer to as the "biblical heartland," are mentioned throughout the Old Testament.<br /> <br /> The Book of Genesis says Abraham entered Israel at Shechem (Nablus) and received God's promise of land for his offspring. He was later buried in Hebron.<br /> <br /> The nearby town of Beit El, anciently called Bethel meaning "house of God," is where Scripture says the patriarch Jacob slept on a stone pillow and dreamed of angels ascending and descending a stairway to heaven. In that dream, God spoke directly to Jacob and reaffirmed the promise of territory.<br /> <br /> And in Exodus, the holy tabernacle rested in Shilo, believed to be the first area the ancient Israelites settled after fleeing Egypt.</p> Mon, 16 Jan 2006 21:13:18 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4259586 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p>The Western countries are stupid... <img title="Laughing" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_lol.gif" alt="Laughing" /><br /> <br /> Iran can make enough plutonium 239 for it's bombs within weeks from the huge amount of uranium it has... <img title="Twisted Evil" src= "/images/emoticons/classic/icon_twisted.gif" alt= "Twisted Evil" /></p> Wed, 11 Jan 2006 22:54:11 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4241519 maggot http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476 <p>Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006 12:30 a.m. EST<br /> <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/1/11/03247.shtml" rel="nofollow"><strong>Report: Israel Accelerates Iran Strike Plan</strong></a><br /> <br /> A preemptive airstrike by Israel against suspected nuclear weapons facilities in Iran could come as early as March, a report in the Glasgow Herald claimed Tuesday.<br /> <br /> "The Israeli raids would be carried out by long-range F-15E bombers and cruise missiles against a dozen key sites and are designed to set Tehran's weapons program back by up to two years," the paper said.<br /> <br /> "Pilots at the Israeli air force's elite 69 squadron have been briefed on the plan and have conducted rehearsals for their missions."<br /> <br /> One of the primary targets would be the enrichment plant at Natanz - where Iranian scientists removed seals on Tuesday that had kept one of the country's largest uranium stockpiles under wraps since 2004.<br /> <br /> According to an Iranian defector's account published in the Australian on Wednesday, Tehran has 5,000 centrifuges ready to install at the Natanz facility.<br /> <br /> The same defector said Iran has also been building underground centrifuge cascade installation platforms at Natanz which could process enough enriched uranium to produce a nuclear bomb.<br /> <br /> Other nuclear sites said to be among Israel's primary targets include a heavy-water production site at Arak, 120 miles southwest of Tehran, and a site near Isfahan in central Iran that produces uranium hexafluoride gas.<br /> <br /> Plans for a preemptive strike were accelerated, the Herald said, after Russia agreed last month to sell Tehran advanced SA-15 Gauntlet mobile missile systems with an eye towards foiling an Israeli attack.<br /> <br /> The paper quoted an unnamed Israeli source who warned: "We believe Iran will have useable nuclear weapons by 2007 unless something is done to prevent it. If Tehran is allowed to start enrichment of uranium, it will be too late."</p> Wed, 11 Jan 2006 22:39:15 +0800 sgforums.com:2237:170476:4241408 News http://sgforums.com/forums/2237/topics/170476