Israeli Air Force Strikes In Gaza

Jerusalem – Israeli aircraft attacked at around midnight yesterday in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip.

Ibrahim Abu Ilba, a senior Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) operative, was killed in the attack. Another three people were reportedly injured in the airstrike. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) confirmed that the attack had been carried out and said that Mr. Abu Ilba was responsible for numerous attempted infiltrations of Israel.

An IDF spokesman said that Mr. Abu Ilba had served as the commander of the DFLP in the northern Gaza Strip. He also said that Mr. Abu Ilba was responsible for a number of attempted infiltrations into Israel that were thwarted, including the attempted infiltration of Erez in August.

Jews Targeted Over Passover

“I am speaking unequivocally: Anyone who goes to Sinai over Passover is gambling on his life and his security.”

It was those harsh words that Brig. Gen. (res.) Elkana Harnof from the Counter-Terrorism Bureau chose to warn the thousands of Israelis who are planning on spending the Passover holiday in Sinai on Monday. Counter-Terrorism Bureau officials are concerned by the fact that a few hundred Israeli tourists are currently in Sinai despite the unremitting travel advisory, and many others intend to cross the border over Passover.

“The threats in Sinai have multiplied a lot in the past while,” said Brig. Gen. (res.) Harnof on Monday.

“The threat we have is concrete and is about both a killing attack and a kidnapping. There are all types and kinds of terrorists in Sinai-Palestinians, global jihad activists and al-Qaida. The common denominator among all of them is that they’re plotting to attack Israelis.”

The threat is not restricted to Sinai alone. The number of intelligence warnings about planned terror attacks against Israeli tourists around the world in revenge for the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh has reached a record peak. Counter-Terrorism Bureau officials are concerned about an attempt to attack large groups of Israelis overseas, mainly during mass Seders or at hotels that have numerous Israeli guests on the night following the Seder.

The Chabad movement plans to hold dozens of mass Passover eve Seders throughout the world for the thousands of Israeli backpackers. In all of the countries in which events of that sort are scheduled to be held – including Thailand, India and countries in South America – requests have been made to local security officials to upgrade protection.

“The Passover holiday provides the terror organizations with enticing targets,” said Brig. Gen. (res.) Harnof on Monday. “One small place where there are 500 or 1,000 Israelis who are celebrating the Seder is a very attractive target for the terror organizations. I say that even though we don’t have a concrete intelligence warning about events of that type, but the potential threat has definitely increased.”

Battalion Commander Takes Responsibility

Lt. Col. Yair Baranes, the commander of Battalion 9 of the IDF “Steel Division,” responsible for the sector in which the infiltration took place into the Nahal Oz fuel terminal, asked his commanders to be allowed to be relieved of his duties.

The battalion commander decided to resign in wake of the inquiry by Gaza Division Commander Brig. Gen. Moshe (Chico) Tamir, who was very critical of Lt. Col. Baranes for the fact that he did not try to confront the terrorists even though he was 150 meters away and waited for more forces.

Last Wednesday, four Arabs infiltrated the fuel terminal and killed Oleg Lipson and Lev Cherniak, who worked for the Dor Alon company. The initial inquiry found that there were no guards there, as there should have been, and that the company and the army exchanged accusations as to who was responsible for security. It also found that the security there – both military and civilian – was faulty and that the IDF observations did not identify the terrorists who crossed through open territory to the Israeli side.

Spilling Secrets For The Holiday

In honor of Israel’s 60th anniversary, the IDF Intelligence Branch will open one of its bases to the public for the first time.

This refers to the Israeli intelligence base at Glilot, near Herzelia.

This coming Israel Independence Day, which this year falls on May 7, there will be a special exhibit that any citizen with a blue ID card can visit. This means that minorities who do not serve in the army will also be able to enter the base that day.

IDF Intelligence Branch sources said that before the decision was made to open the gates, many consultations were held about the problems of keeping information secret. Some top officers were adamantly opposed to opening the base, but Director of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin ultimately decided that the risks could be minimized and that citizens could be let in.

One of the important subjects in the exhibit will be a section about the war in Lebanon. A simulation of Hezbollah’s nature reserves will be shown, which is expected to be one of the main attractions. Weapons that were seized in the war will also be displayed.

Palestinian Cownapping Surges

Palestinian farmers have found an original way of establishing an independent Palestinian dairy. They simply steal cows from Israel and smuggle them into Palestinian Authority territory.

Farmers and Israeli Agriculture Ministry and Israeli dairy executives are deeply concerned. Informed sources said that cownappings, mainly of calves, by Palestinians has had a deleterious impact on the Israeli dairy industry. And while the Israeli dairy industry is suffering, the Palestinians have been building themselves an independent dairy in the West Bank.

The director general of the Israel Cattle Breeders Association, Haim Dayan, said that between 1,200 and 2,000 heads of cattle were stolen in Israel annually. He said that the thieves have lately focused on the most choice calves, the ones that are earmarked as Israel’s top milk producers.

“We’ve discovered that the thieves steal calves whose genetic quality is very high. Raising them takes years and the cost of the calves – the next generation of Israel’s milk makers – is thousands of shekels,” said Mr. Dayan. He said that the fact that the rustlers focused their attention on the calves proved that their plan was to establish an independent dairy in the Palestinian Authority.

The Israel Border Police are the ones who have been given the task of stopping the robberies, which occur mainly in central and southern Israel. Amitai Levy, the commander of the Border Police’s central district, said that the “thieves wait for night and, after they’ve gathered accurate information about the location of the cowsheds, they break in, load up the calves and flee.”

Kibbutz Gezer’s secretary said that his kibbutz has had more than 40 cows stolen.

“Because of the robbery we don’t have any potential milk-makers for the future, which poses a threat to our dairy. On the other hand, we hear that cowsheds are being built in the Palestinian Authority with the young cows that we raised. The frustration and distress is immense.”

Academic Jihad In London

Since the mid-1990s, Muslim organizations, mainly from Saudi Arabia, have donated 233.5 million pounds sterling to eight leading universities in Britain, including Oxford and Cambridge. This is the largest external investment in British academia.

Anthony Glees, director of the Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies at Brunel University in Great Britain, examined the link between enormous donations, lecturers and curriculum. His conclusions were the reverse. Since the mid-1990s, he says, Islamic study centers have been established at British universities, most of them with Saudi funding.

According to Mr. Glees’s report, which is already beginning to make waves in the kingdom, the result was that these leading universities turned into hothouses for spreading anti-Western hatred and hatred for Israel.

“If it proceeds,” Mr. Glees says, “it will create the very situation the government wants to avoid: the development of self-imposed Muslim apartheid in the U.K.”

In some of these universities, there is now high support for the academic boycott of Israel.

David Bedein can be reached at Media@actcom.co.il. His Web site is www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com

©The Bulletin 2008