Biden calls Bush's argument  'fundamentally flawed'

WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release) – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (Democrat, Delaware) issued the following statement today after President Bush’s speech at the Annual Convention for the Veterans of Foreign Wars:

"President Bush continues to cling to a fundamentally flawed premise – that Iraqis will rally behind a strong central government. That will not happen. There’s no trust within the Iraqi government; no trust of the government by the Iraqi people; no capacity of that government to deliver security or services; and no prospect that it will build that trust or capacity any time soon. Unless Iraq moves towards a federal system that gives the warring factions breathing room, we will end up trading a dictator for chaos that will set back our national security interests for a generation. President Bush today attempted to draw an analogy to Vietnam, but in fact it’s the President’s policies that are pushing us toward another Saigon moment – with helicopters fleeing the roof of our embassy – which he says he wants to avoid.  

 

“The President also continues to play the American people for fools – conflating the terrorists of 9/11 with Al Qaeda in Iraq today. Al Qaeda in Iraq didn't exist before we invaded – it is a Bush fulfilling prophecy.”

The preceding story was provided by the office of Senator Joseph Biden

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U.N. envoy meets with Israeli and Palestinian leaders

UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. (Press Release)—The United Nations Middle East envoy is in Jerusalem today for talks with Israeli and Palestinian political leaders on the need for dialogue between the two sides and to help prepare for a future meeting of the Quartet, the international diplomatic grouping trying to resolve the conflict.

Michael Williams, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, met Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad today, a day after holding discussions with Israeli Vice Premier Haim Ramon.

Tomorrow he is scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters.

The Quartet—comprising the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States— agreed at a summit in Lisbon, Portugal, last month to meet again in September as part of efforts to “provide diplomatic support for the parties in their bilateral discussions and negotiations in order to move forward on a successful path to a Palestinian State.”

Ms. Montas said Mr. Williams had also held talks during this trip to the region with officials from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, which ended last year's war between the IDF and Hizbollah in neighbouring Lebanon.

The preceding story was provided by the United Nations

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Since Hamas' takeover of Gaza, 121 missiles fired at Israel; 1,964 since Israel pulled out

JERUSALEM (Press Release)—Since Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip in  August  2005,  1,964 missiles have been fired into Israeli  territory from Gaza .
 
Since the Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in mid-June 2007, 121  missiles have been fired at Israeli cities, as follows:

Rocket fire from the Gaza Strip continues as the preferred modus operandi of the Palestinian terrorist organizations. Most of the rockets are locally manufactured and have an approximate maximum range of 9 kilometers (6 miles), although some have a range of 12.5 kilometers (7 ¾ miles). In addition, also launched were a number of standard 122 mm rockets with a range of 20.4 kilometers (12 2/3 miles) which had been smuggled into the Gaza Strip.

Since the disengagement there has been a sharp increase in the number of rockets launched at the western Negev. (Until the disengagement, massive rocket fire was aimed at the Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip.) The preferred targets during 2006 were the city of Sderot and civilians living in settlements in the western Negev, although attempts we made to launch rockets as far away as Ashkelon.

In 2006, 861 rockets were fired at population centers in the western Negev, as compared with 222 in 2005 and 268 in 2004 (not including rockets fired at Israeli settlements inside the Gaza Strip).

In May 2007, Palestinians launched some 300 Kassam rockets from Gaza at Sderot and the western Negev. Hamas openly claimed responsibility for the attack.

  The preceding story was provided by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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  'Yael' is Israel's Harvard for combat water transport
 
  By Dor Blech

JERUSALEM (Press Release)—The water exercise of the elite 'Yael' unit, which trains soldiers to maneuver around obstacles in water, takes place over approximately two and a half weeks. The exercise brings roughly a year and a half of training to a close.

'Yael' is under the jurisdiction of 'Yahalom', the Combat Engineering Unit for Special Missions. It operates as the spearhead of the Unit, which is the only elite Combat Engineering unit in the IDF.

"Yael soldiers alone know how to transport forces in water," explains Major Roi Nahari, the commander of the unit, who will soon receive a citation for his actions in the Second Lebanon War.

As part of the exercise, which teaches soldiers to transport forces through narrow waterways such as rivers, the soldiers of the unit are trained in transporting

Yael Unit training exercise    IDF photo

equipment and mounted forces through water safely, while keeping a careful watch on the equipment on board. "Throughout the exercise, the soldiers learn to identify obstacles in the water, to categorize them, and to overcome them."

The soldiers of Yael enlist at first to the combat Engineering Corps, where they have the option of joining the trial march for the Yahalom unit a few weeks later. Only a select few pass and are sent to the elite unit. They go through basic training with the regular Combat Engineering soldiers in the Combat Engineering School.

At the conclusion of basic training, they perform an acceptance march for Yahalom, and arrive at the unit's base in central Israel. When they reach the unit, they begin their training to join the combat soldiers of Yahalom. "Within eight months, which are split into two parts, they become elite engineering soldiers," explains Major Nahari. In the first stage, the soldiers undergo training which includes personal combat exercises, in squads and teams. During the same period, they are trained in the use of various types of weapons, execute exercises under fire, and specialize in combat engineering.

"The second stage, where the soldiers go through a command course and are trained as squad commanders, provides an encompassing and solid basis," adds Major Nahari. This stage focuses on different types of explosives, such as mines and IEDs. In addition, an emphasis is placed on teaching academic and practical classes on the difference between the various different types of armaments. Towards the end of the stage, Yahalom soldiers go through warfare and command exercises.

At the conclusion of the stage, the soldiers of the unit split up into the various specializations of Yahalom. These are: 'Samur', the unit charged with protection against explosive tunnels and tunnels for smuggling terrorists. As well as 'Yahsap', which is responsible for detonating bombs and neutralizing IEDs, 'Midron Mushlag', which specializes in non-explosive breaching, 'Habazak', the robotics specialists, and of course 'Yael'.

In the final stage, which takes place over the course of four months, each division goes through training for its field of operations. Those who were chosen to be part of the 'Yael' unit take part in the water maneuvers, and later learn how to carry out engineering patrols both mounted and on foot. Finally, they learn to understand the specifications of terrain, and to deal with complex obstacles.

"As soon as I enlisted I dreamt of being accepted into Yael," recalls Nahari, who did not manage to pass the trial march, and served instead in the 'Lahav' Battalion of the Combat Engineering Corps. "Despite the fact that I ultimately reached the unit, I feel that I missed out on something because I have not gone through the specialization training of Yael.  In addition to the fact that it is one of the most elite and significant units of the military, its training - despite its extremely difficult - is also one of the most challenging and enjoyable in the IDF."

The preceding story was provided by the Israel Defense Force

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The Peres Diary

Peres cautions van der Linden on oil sales to Iran

JERUSALEM (Press Release)—The President of Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres, met on Tuesday, August 21, in the President’s Residence with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr. Rene van der Linden.

President Peres raised, during the meeting, the Iranian nuclear issue and said that Europe’s decision to invest 10 billion dollars to develop the oil fields of Iran will cause great danger to the entire world. According to him, the Iranian Ayatollah regime interprets this decision as the free world’s clear support of the extremist and dangerous policy of Iran.

The President also said that Europe can avoid war with Iran if it coordinates a clear and consistent policy with the United States of America and Russia, based on a series of strong economic sanctions against Iran.

The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe congratulated President Peres on his election and said that many leaders in Europe look up to him. “You have given inspiration to many of us and taught all of us what true determination and efforts to attain peace are.”

According to him, the countries of Europe are very optimistic about the possibility of attaining overall peace in the Middle East. “Europe expects Israel to make peace, not only with the Palestinians but also with Syria and additional Arab countries in the Middle East.” The European President also said that great hopes are also being placed on the peace conference being led by the U.S.A. and its intention to widen the economic involvement of Europe in everything concerning the building of the Palestinian economy and increasing the economic cooperation between Israel, the Palestinians and Jordan.

President Peres emphasized again that Israel will continue to supply water, electricity and humanitarian equipment to the Palestinian Authority but that Europe must clearly understand that the Hamas do not want peace. Despite the fact that Israel evacuated the whole of the Gaza Strip, they are continuing to fire missiles, are increasing the terror, are not respecting previous agreements and are refusing to recognize Israel.

“Does the God of all us want murder or peace?” asked the President and added that the Hamas must understand that feeding their children is far more important than firing missiles on Israel. In reply to the question of a reporter, President Peres said that since assuming office he has held work meetings with several Palestinian leaders and that a date for a meeting with the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Abu Mazen, will be coordinated shortly with the Office of the Prime Minister.

The office of Israel's President Shimon from time to time releases accounts of his official activities. We have been publishing them as they are made available.

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Appeal made for bone marrow donors who just might be able to save bar mitzvah boy's life

HOLON, Israel (Press Release)—Last month, bar mitzvah boy Omri Attia was called up to the Torah for the first time, at the Western Wall.  His faced wreathed in smiles, with tefillin (phylacteries) adorning his head and right arm, Omri's voice rang our resoundingly as he made the traditional brachot on the Torah.

His hand on his head to keep his kippa from falling off Omri matter-of-factly commented:  "I don't have hair to keep my kippa on my head."  Omri went up to the Wall, where he placed a note asking G-d for "a complete recovery for the entire Jewish people."  

Omri, who lives in Holon with his parents and two brothers, recently finished seventh grade. But he will not be entering eighth grade when school starts in September.  Instead, he will be fighting for his life.  

Last year Omri began experiencing severe headaches.  A blood test revealed that the boy had been struck by leukemia.  In January, he was hospitalized at Schneider Children's Hospital in Petach Tikvah.   Unfortunately, the treatment has not succeeded in beating the disease.  Doctors have advised that a stem cell transplant from a genetically compatible donor offers the only chance to save Omri's life.  

His doctors turned to Ezer Mizion's Bone Marrow Donor Registry, Israel's National Registry, which includes 300,000 potential donors and has to date saved the lives of 253 cancer patients around the world. Sadly, a suitable match for Omri has not yet been found.  Expanding the Registry offers the only chance to save Omri's life!

In a race against time, campaigns to find a suitable donor have been conducted on IDF bases and at Bar Ilan and Tel Aviv University campuses.  The more people that undergo blood testing, the greater the chance is of finding a match for Omri!  All those that are tested will be added to the Bone Marrow Donor Registry, where they will be on call to save the lives of sick people the world over.      

The cost of testing each blood sample is $60. You can help realize Omri's wish to grow up by sponsoring the cost of laboratory testing for potential stem cell donors. Your contribution  could save his life and the lives of so many others who are waiting…hoping…praying for their match to be found.

For further information, please call (718) 853-8400, or email information@ezermizion.org

The preceding story was provided b Ezer Mizion

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 Reform Jews mourn Yazidi victims; urge
 protection for other minority ethnic groups

WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release) – In response to last week’s tragic bombings in Qahataniya and Jazeera, Iraq, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:

"The Reform Jewish Movement is both saddened and outraged by the violent attacks perpetrated against members of the minority religious Yazidi sect in Iraq. We mourn the loss of life, and send our condolences to the families of the nearly 400 people who were killed in the attacks. 

"Over and above the bloodshed, these attacks are an example of the emerging violent oppression of minority groups in Iraq, and raise fears of coordinated ethnically motivated attacks that would only further destabilize reconstruction and efforts towards peace. 

"We urge the government of Iraq, the U.S. government, and the international community to pay particular attention to this past week’s events in the hope of averting further violence and protecting vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities. "

The preceding story was issued by the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism
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 Israeli commentator sees radical and moderate
 realignment politically reshaping Middle East

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)—Avi Issacharoff, a reporter for the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz, spoke to a Capitol Hill audience to discuss Palestinian internal politics and the situation in the Gaza Strip after Hamas’ violent takeover.

Issacharoff’s address was sponsored by the American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF), a non-profit charitable foundation affiliated with AIPAC.

Discounting the likelihood that Hamas would relinquish control of Gaza any time soon, Issacharoff asserted that the
                                                                                                  Issacharoff

Palestinian Authority government of President Mahmoud Abbas would be focused on consolidating its control over the West Bank.

Given recent events, he asserted that Abbas had “lost his shame” about making conciliatory statements toward Israel. Issacharoff also illustrated how the Middle East is splitting into two camps, with Iran, Syria, Hizballah and Hamas in one camp and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Israel in the other. While traveling in the U.S., Issacharoff addressed AIPAC audiences in a number of cities.

The preceding story was provided by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee

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Israel's new volunteer corps will provide non-military opportunities for service to the country

Related story: American Jewish Committee proposes volunteer corps for U.S.A.  See below

JERUSALEM (Press Release)—A first-of-its-kind administration, one that will allow young volunteers to perform national service in a civilian framework, was established  August 19 in the Prime Minister's office. The Administration will regulate the community volunteering issue, effectively allowing those young people not serving in the IDF for various reasons to contribute their part to the State by performing community activity.

Volunteering for National Service is through various associations which refer the seekers to other institutions. The current plan is to add 500 additional volunteers each year and allow them to volunteer in a variety of institutions such as: geriatric care, or care for people with various disabilities, hospitals, the law courts, schools, and even helping to prevent traffic accidents, and raising awareness regarding environmental protection issues.

In an effort to provide as broad a spectrum of possibilities as possible, it was decided that Arab youth wanting to join the national service will be allowed to volunteer in their own communities, an option that is certain to increase their desire to join the project.

Today there are about 10,000 people volunteering for National Service, the vast majority of whom are religious girls helping in the education system, mostly as teachers-soldiers. Also, there are about 300 Arabs volunteering to the law courts, health clinics, and other such institutions.

With the establishment of the Administration, it will be possible for more youth to volunteer to the service, doing so in a civilian and not a military framework, giving both Arabs and religious Jews the opportunity to contribute more to the community.

Volunteers, whose activity will be anchored in law, will have to commit themselves for at least a year, during which they will receive the same benefits as soldiers on the home front. At the end of the year, volunteers will receive both a grant and a trust.

Additionally, many institutions will train the volunteers for professional work, thus the volunteers will have the benefit of finishing their volunteering period with a profession and work experience. This will increase the possibility of their being integrated into society and in the work force, as well as provide a focus for employment growth.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hopes that these measures will advance Israeli society towards equality and allow those not able to serve in the army to contribute in a civilian framework.  (Jump to continuation)

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Europe

Nazi documents copies sent to Holocaust museums

BAD AROLSEN, Germany (Press Release)—Israel’s Holocaust memorial institution Yad Vashem and other Holocaust museums, have received a first batch of digitalized copies of files documenting Nazi atrocities. The 12 million documents, containing files from more than 50 concentration camps, include transportation lists, medical reports and ‘death books’ listing the names of those who perished. The transfer to Yad Vashem and other Holocaust museums took place following a decision by the International Tracing Service (ITS), the custodian of the archive, to permit the transfer of material to other archives, so that they can prepare the groundwork for making the material available to the public.

“These documents reflect the most despicable operations of the Nazi era and constitute an essential part of our archive,'' said ITS director Reto Meister. Digital copies of the files were also sent to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. The ITS is managed by the International Committee of the Red Cross and based in Bad Arolsen, Germany. Its huge archive documents the Nazi Holocaust. The transfer is part of an international agreement to open up the files to researchers and the wider public.

The body is governed under a treaty signed in 1955 by Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2006 the countries agreed to make the archive, which includes a total of 30 million documents, available to researchers. However, the files will not be open to the public until Italy, France and Greece have joined the other countries in ratifying that agreement.

The preceding story was provided by the World Jewish Congress

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Attack on foreigners in Germany raises question
whether xenophobia and racism are increasing

MÜGELN. Germany (Press Release)—A vicious attack by 50 right-wing extremists against eight people of Indian background in Germany has stirred public debate about a rise of xenophobia and racism in the country.

The attack took place last weekend during a festival in the town of Mügeln, in the eastern state of Saxony. Two possible perpetrators, ages 21 and 23, were arrested and released on their own recognizance. Although authorities said they are not sure whether this was a hate crime, witnesses reported hearing xenophobic chants, including ‘Foreigners out’, during the attack, which took place on Sunday night. Some of the victims appeared on television, with stitches and black eyes clearly visible. According to reports, there were many witnesses but none who tried to help during the incident.

Stephan Kramer, the secretary-general of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said that an "apparently dangerous situation" existed for foreigners in certain parts of the country. The authorities should warn foreigners not to settle in certain eastern German regions, Kramer told the online newspaper ‘Netzeitung’, adding that a long-running discussion about declaring ‘no-go’ areas should be revived. He underlined that this was not an hysterical response but "bitter reality." Kramer accused the German government of not presenting a coherent strategy in combating racism and xenophobia.

The preceding story was provided by the World Jewish Congress


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United States of America

American Jewish Committee urges a year of voluntary service for Americans between ages of 18 and 25

NEW YORK, N.Y. (Press Release)—A national task force sponsored by the American Jewish Committee is urging that a year of voluntary national service become the rule, not the exception, for young American adults, ages 18 to 25.

The task force recommendations are detailed in its report, Imagining America: Making National Service a National Priority. "At least one year of full-time, intensive service, either military or civilian, should be the standard, not the exception," concludes the task force. The full report is available at www.ajc.org.

"We want to invigorate the conversation so that our political leaders will partner with businesses and universities to make a solid investment in this effort," said Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, president emeritus of George Washington University, where he is now a professor of public service. Trachtenberg chaired the AJC-sponsored task force. "The goal is to enlist one million participants per year."

The 30-member task force met over the course of the past year to assess the history of national service in the United States, existing programs such as AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, and ways to greatly expand the national service efforts to make them available to a diverse group of young adults across the country. Task force members included leaders in business, education, politics and the not-for-profit service sector.

"Service programs link the rights and privileges of being American with a clear sense of responsibility," states the report. "By helping to create habits of civic engagement in young people that last a lifetime, they provide benefits to both participants and society."

Existing service programs receive more applicants than they can take, and they are not always able to provide the financial and other type of assistance to draw young adults from diverse backgrounds and with diverse abilities. A broad expansion of the national service concept will require a commitment of support from the nation's business, education and public sectors.

The task force is calling on Democrats and Republicans to make a commitment to civilian national service part of their party platforms.

The preceding story was provided by the American Jewish Committee

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Zajanckauskas deported to Lithuania for Nazi past

BOSTON, Massachusetts (Press release)—A 92-year-old man who was involved in the Nazis’ destruction of the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw in 1943 must be deported, an immigration judge in the US state of Massachusetts has ruled.

Judge Wayne R. Iskra ordered that Vladas Zajanckauskas be deported to his native Lithuania because he was a member of a notorious Nazi unit ‘Operation Reinhard’ that aided in the brutal killings in the ghetto in Poland.

The deportation order comes more than two years after a federal judge in Boston revoked Zajanckauskas’ US citizenship, ruling that he had lied about his activity during the war. Zajanckauskas denied he was in Warsaw at the time. Zajanckauskas emigrated from Austria in 1950 and became a naturalized American in 1956. He has a wife, daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who are all US citizens.

His ailing wife said she was not sure whether she would accompany him back to Lithuania, where they have no close relatives, according to court documents. The judge rejected those factors as grounds for letting Zajanckauskas stay here.

“Vladas Zajanckauskas was an accomplice in Nazi mass murder,” said Eli Rosenbaum, director of the US Justice Department’s Office of Special Investigations. “Had he told the truth after the war, he never would have been permitted to enter this country.”

  The preceding story was provided by the World Jewish Congress
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Features

The Jewish Grapevine

CYBER-REFERRALS— We thank contributors who pass along stories of interest for your benefit:

● Israel's Consulate General in Los Angeles forwards a story in today's Jerusalem Post in which Iran claims it has developed a 'smart' bomb that can be laser guided to a target from an aircraft.

● Bruce Kesler, who noted that a report by Mike Allen of The Politico that a new organization called Freedom's Watch is planning on purchasing $15 million in advertising to pressure Congress to support President George W. Bush's troop surge policy in Iraq.  Among organizers are Bush's former press secretary Ari Fleischer and Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition.

JEWISH ELECTED OFFICIALS—California State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced the conviction on insurance fraud and sentencing to two years imprisonment of Manuel Carreon, 45, 0f Pomona.  Poizner said while the man was  receiving total disability payments for allegedly wrenching his back as a nurse, he continued to work as a carpenter.