Clinton warmly endorses Netanyahu, Abbas

JERUSALEM: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warmly endorsed Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Wednesday ahead of negotiations to try to break a deadlock over Jewish settlement building in the occupied West Bank.

“This is the time, and these are the leaders,” Clinton said before she was to see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who resumed direct peace talks two weeks ago after a 20-month hiatus.

Saying the two were “getting down to business” and tackling the main issues of the six-decade conflict, Clinton gave no sign they were any closer to resolving the dispute over Jewish settlement building that threatens the U.S.-brokered talks.

Speaking after she met Israeli President Shimon Peres, Clinton described Netanyahu and Abbas as sincere and serious and urged them to seize what she called “a moment of

Peres: blockade ends when Hamas leaves terror

BRDO PRI KRANJU, Slovenia: Israeli President Shimon Peres says the blockade of Gaza will end when the territory abandons terrorism.

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Peres: blockade ends when Hamas leaves terror

Israel offered nukes to South Africa in 1975

Apartheid era documents declassified by South Africa have revealed the nation was offered nuclear weapons by Israel in 1975.
In top secret meetings between South African defence minister PW Botha and his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres, who is now the country’s president, South Africa was offered nuclear warheads ‘in three sizes’. Documents proving the meeting and offer occurred were recently declassified by South Africa’s ANC government, despite pressure from Israel for them to remain secret. The details were discovered by U.S. academic Sasha Polakow-Suransky while researching a book on the two countries’ close relationship, The Guardian reported. The timing of the release is poor for Israel, which is currently involved in UN nuclear non-proliferation talks in New York, with discussions centering on the Middle East. It also damages Israel’s claim that if it has nuclear weapons, it is a responsible power that would not misuse them. The country has a policy of neither confirming nor denying whether it has a nuclear arsenal.South African documents show the country wanted the Jericho missiles as a means of deterring its enemies, including neighbouring nations and was offered the firepower on March 31, 1975.A secret memo written by South African military chief of staff General RF Armstrong read: ‘In considering the merits of a weapon system such as the one being offered, certain assumptions have been made: a) that the missiles will be armed with nuclear warheads…’When the countries met again on June 4, 1975, they had code-named the project Chalet. Minutes of the meeting reveal that South Africa was ready to order the weapons if the ‘correct payload’ was available.The transaction eventually fell through. The documents corroborate claims by former South African naval commander Dieter Gerhardt, who was jailed in 1983 for spying on the Soviet Union that identified Chalet by name.Mordechai Vanunu published photos and descriptions of nuclear manufacturing processes used by Israel in the Sunday Times in 1986, but – like Gerhardt – could not provide documents to support his information.

Egypt dismisses Israel”s Hezbollah Scud warning

BEIRUT: Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit dismissed as “laughable” on Saturday US and Israeli fears that Syria has been supplying Lebanese militant group Hezbollah with Scud missiles.

“These allegations are lies and are laughable,” Abul Gheit told reporters in Beirut as he began an official visit.

“Egypt stands by Lebanon under all conditions and in the face of all threats,” he added.

Earlier this month, Israeli President Shimon Peres accused Syria of arming Hezbollah with Scuds, a charge Damascus has strongly denied.

Washington has stopped short of openly accusing Damascus of supplying Hezbollah with the missiles, but has said Syria has been providing the group with a “wider array” of weaponry.

The Scud allegations come as the US administration has boosted relations with Syria and US lawmakers have seized on them to argue against a bigger rapprochement.

Relations between Damascus and Washington plummeted after the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri in a Beirut car bombing widely blamed on Syria and its allies.

Relations were already strained amid US allegations that Syria was not doing enough to prevent the flow of arms and recruits to the anti-US insurgency in neighbouring Iraq.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Has Warned Israel

Full Story And Original Content. TrendPK.com Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Has Warned Israel:Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has warned Israel that it would earn the wrath of the Muslim world if it does not halt its settlement activities in the occupied lands, including in East Jerusalem. At a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres here Mubarak said that the

Full Story And Original Content. TrendPK.com Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Has Warned Israel:Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has warned Israel that it would earn the wrath of the Muslim world if it does not halt its settlement activities in the occupied lands, including in East Jerusalem.
At a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres here Mubarak said that the [...]

President Shimon Peres hospitalized

Israeli president Shimon hospitalized, JERUSALEM: Israeli media reports that President Shimon Peres has fainted on stage while speaking at an event in Tel Aviv.

The 86-year-old Peres passed out Saturday while answering questions from the crowd. He regained consciousness a few seconds later.

According to media reports, Peres refused to be taken to hospital and is still at the venue.

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President Shimon Peres hospitalized was first posted on September 13, 2009 at 6:08 am.
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