Bush Pledges Hike in Military Aid to Israel

Just days after Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hamas fighters imposed full control over the Gaza Strip, U.S. President George W. Bush promised his Israeli counterpart a 10-year military aid hike to help it handle new regional threats.

Posted 06/25/07 14:23
By BARBARA OPALL-ROME, TEL AVIV

Israel is seeking an additional $50 million to $60 million each year, which would raise total U.S. military grant aid from $2.4 billion in 2008 to nearly $3 billion by 2018. Nicholas Burns, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, will lead bilateral discussions here in July aimed at determining the parameters and conditions of the new aid package, sources here said.
Aside from the Iranian nuclear program, which continued to dominate the bilateral security agenda; the coup in Gaza; and residual instability in Lebanon, Bush was referring to Syrian and Iranian efforts to arm and train Hizbollah-style proxy forces throughout the region, according to U.S. and Israeli sources here.
With Israel sandwiched between what many here call “Hizbollahland” in the north and “Hamastan” in the south, Bush vowed to uphold sanctions against Hamas while improving material and diplomatic support for the newly constituted mainstream Fatah-led government in the West Bank.
“I’m committed to reaching a new 10-year agreement that will give Israel the increased assistance it requires to meet the new threats and challenges it faces,” Bush said following a June 19 White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Although Israel’s request to raise aid levels had been on the table for nearly a year, Bush’s public pledge to quickly conclude an agreement reaffirmed the U.S. commitments to preserve Israel’s qualitative military advantage over its neighbors.
Arms Industry in Gaza Sparks Alarm
The Hamas takeover from Fatah is transforming the Gaza Strip into a veritable arms bazaar, with smugglers from the Sinai finding it even easier to circumvent Egypt’s already lax border security, U.S. and Israeli sources here say.
In a June 19 interview, an Israeli security source said Hamas — and to a much lesser extent, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups — has amassed combat capabilities through smuggled arms deliveries.
Israeli security data estimates that 16,000 rifles, 40 tons of explosives, 1,800 anti-tank missiles, second-generation night vision gear, 50 rockets, hundreds of rocket-propelled grenades and 20 anti-air missiles have found their way into Gaza. The source emphasized that data is partial and approximate, but indicates an alarming trend that will only worsen under Hamas rule.
“Everything is of concern, but the anti-air missiles represent a relatively new level of threat being introduced into this theater,” said Uzi Rubin, a former Ministry of Defense official and missile expert here.
In addition to illicit imports, Israeli security sources expect Hamas to expand its own indigenous production of rockets, mortars and even anti-tank missiles, they said.
A March report by Israel’s Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center — a nongovernmental organization associated with the Israeli intelligence community — noted that beyond Qassem rockets, Hamas produces various types of explosive devices. Patterned after the side charges used by Hizbollah in Lebanon, the Hamas explosively formed projectiles, called shawaz, or flame, are more effective than those used by other Palestinian organizations due to “improvements in manufacture and ... [high-grade] explosives ... using Iranian and/or Hizbollah know-how.”
More alarming, the report cited Hamas’ ability to produce anti-tank missiles capable of penetrating up to 200 millimeters of steel from ranges of about 250 meters. The Al-Yasin missile, named after the Hamas spiritual leader killed in an Israeli air strike, is based on the Russian PG-2. The report also cited two other indigenous anti-tank missiles, the al-Bana and Al-Batar, but did not provide performance specifications.
On top of all that, sources here said, are the dozens of vehicles, thousands of mortars and rocket-propelled grenades and the tens of thousands of mostly U.S.-supplied rifles and ammunition seized recently from the formerly Fatah-controlled Palestinian security forces.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=2853143&C=mideast

Israel braces for July war with up to five enemies

Israeli military intelligence has projected that a major attack could come from any of five adversaries in the Middle East. Officials said such a strike could spark a war as early as July 2007.

World Tribune
Monday, June 25, 2007
Jerusalem

Israel is preparing for an imminent war with Iran, Syria and/or their non-state clients.
Israeli military intelligence has projected that a major attack could come from any of five adversaries in the Middle East. Officials said such a strike could spark a war as early as July 2007.

On Sunday, Israeli military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin told the Cabinet that the Jewish state faces five adversaries in what could result in an imminent confrontation. Yadlin cited Iran, Syria, Hizbullah, Hamas and Al Qaida.

"Each of these adversaries is capable of sparking a war in the summer," Yadlin was quoted as saying.
[On Monday, Al Qaida's No. 2 Ayman Zawahiri endorsed the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, Middle East Newsline reported. The Al Qaida statement came after Zawahiri repeatedly criticized Hamas for tolerating Palestinian Authority cooperation with the United States.]

Yadlin said Hamas could be planning a major attack to divert attention away from efforts by the Palestinian Authority to isolate the Gaza Strip. He said Syria might be promoting such an attack.

Officials said Iran has direct influence over Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas. He said Al Qaida has increasingly come under Iranian influence and was being used by Iran and Syria in such countries as Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon.

Already, military intelligence has assessed that Hamas acquired more than 50 missiles with a range of 22 kilometers. Officials said this would allow Palestinian missile strikes on any part of Ashkelon, the largest city in southeastern Israel and which contains strategic sites.

Hamas has also deployed at least 20 SA-7 anti-aircraft systems, officials said. They said the missiles threaten Israeli combat helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft that conduct missions over the Gaza Strip.

On Monday, Palestinian gunners continued missile fire into Israel. Hours earlier, the Israel Air Force struck an Islamic Jihad squad said to have been driving toward the northern Gaza Strip to launch missiles toward Israel. One Jihad operative was killed and two others were injured.

Israeli military intelligence has assessed that Hamas was being quietly supported by neighboring Egypt. Officials said that despite Egypt's announced ban, Cairo has continued to allow Hamas leaders to enter the Sinai Peninsula from the Gaza Strip.

Over the weekend, officials said, a Hamas delegation led by former PA Interior Minister Said Siyyam entered Sinai. They said the 15-member delegation was escorted by Egyptian security forces to Cairo for a flight to Damascus, where they were scheduled to meet Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Masha'al.

On Monday, Egypt was scheduled to host a regional summit meant to support PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Israel, Jordan and Abbas were expected to attend the meeting in the Sinai resort town of Sharm e-Sheik.

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2007/me_israel_06_25.asp

Israel to ready public for 'all-out war'

Yaakov Katz
THE JERUSALEM POST
May. 31, 2007

With Iran racing toward nuclear power and IDF preparations for the possibility of a conflict with Syria and Hizbullah in high gear, the Home Front Command plans to launch a publicity campaign to prepare the public for war.

Within a few weeks it intends to inform the public about what people need to do in the event of attack.

The campaign was not connected to a specific event or threat but was meant to brace the public for war in general, senior IDF officers said.

"Our job is to prepare for an all-out war," Col. Hilik Sofer, head of the Home Front Command Population Division, told The Jerusalem Post Wednesday. "We prepare for a wide range of possibilities since it doesn't make a difference where the threat comes from."

Several weeks ago, the Home Front Command distributed pamphlets in Netivot and Ashkelon explaining how to behave during a Kassam attack. Both cities are within 15 kilometers of the Gaza Strip.

The IDF has deployed early warning systems outside Netivot and Ashkelon. They have not been activated, pending government approval.

Next week, Sofer will meet with heads of government offices and local councils to discuss ways to improve service to the public at a time of emergency.

"We know that the Palestinians have Kassams that can reach 12-kilometer distances and even farther," Sofer said. "And even though Kassams have yet to fall there, we'd best be prepared."

In March, the Home Front Command, the Israel Police, Magen David Adom, the Fire and Rescue Services and other emergency services held a two-day exercise throughout the country that dealt with extreme scenarios, including mega-terrorist attacks and nonconventional missile attacks.

The drill was the country's largest ever and implemented lessons from the Second Lebanon War last summer.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShow...