Last week the chairman of the Palestinian negotiation team with Israel, Ahmed Qureia Abu Ala voiced unequivocal support for the candidacy of his negotiation partner, Israel Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, for chairman of Kadima.

His revelation came at an intimate meeting in his home on Monday in Jerusalem, with a number of Arab journalists from Israel in which Mr. Abu Ala presented to them a picture of the negotiations between the parties.

The journalists wanted to hear from the senior Palestinian official his opinion about the four candidates for Kadima chairman, and which one he personally preferred.

Mr. Abu Ala agreed to share his views with those present but stipulated, “this must not appear in the Israeli media, so as not to harm Palestinian interests,” as he put it.

One of the participants at the meeting said that Mr. Abu Ala said that he preferred that Tzipi Livni win the primary for a number of reasons, which he detailed. The first is that Ms. Livni is very involved in the negotiations and, if she wins, the negotiations would not affect their progress. He added that, despite the difficult disagreements between them, Ms. Livni’s positions on the peace process were relatively close to the Palestinian positions.

Another reason Mr. Abu Ala mentioned was connected to his aversion for the other candidates, particularly the ‘two security experts,’ Mr. Shaul Mofaz and Mr. Avi Dichter, as his past experience, and that of the Palestinians, with them was not good.

At the meeting, Mr. Abu Ala said he was pessimistic about the possibility of reaching an agreement between the sides in the coming months. He said that the political situation in Israel, in the U.S. and the PA was not conducive to reaching an agreement, because the three leaders in power today – President Bush, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) – were about to end their terms.

PA sources are pleased with the “new ideas” that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice presented during her last visit to region last week.

A senior Palestinian official told the Palestinian newspaper Al-Hayat that Ms. Rice presented “a position closer to the Palestinian demands in relation to stopping settlement activity, to establishing an independent Palestinian state in the June 4, 1967 lines that includes Jerusalem, and a territorial swap of identical quality on a one to one basis between the sides.”

It should be noted that at Ms. Rice’s meeting with Mr. Abbas in Ramallah two weeks ago, Ms. Rice supported Mr. Abbas on most of the core issues. In an interview that Mr. Abbas gave to the Al-Arabiya network last week, he said that Ms. Rice had proposed the establishment of a secure land crossing (instead of a tunnel or bridge), to divide Jerusalem on the basis of the 1967 lines instead of on a demographic basis, and giving the Palestinians control of the water sources.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com. His Web site is www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com

©The Bulletin 2008

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) recently announced he intends to extend his term in office into 2010.

He said he plans to do so by means of what is being called a legal ploy that will involve dissolving the Palestinian Legislative Council before the end of his term in January 2009.

Mr. Abbas will then complement the dissolution of parliament with an extension of his own term by six months, in the event that the reconciliation talks among the various Palestinian factions should fail.

Arab sources report that Mr. Abbas made his decision following consultations with senior PA officials and experts on the Palestinian constitution, which confirmed the report.

A high-ranking Palestinian source said that Mr. Abbas would announce his decision in the event that the reconciliation talks that are to be held in October in Cairo were to end in failure.

According to reports, Hamas is not expected to be forthcoming with Fatah or to take any measures that are likely to contribute to Palestinian unity.

Meanwhile, PA officials said that Mr. Abbas intended to extend his term in office by another year.

This confirms the statements that were made yesterday by Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki during a lecture he gave in Jerusalem to Israeli Foreign Ministry officials. He said Mr. Abbas would remain in office until January 2010.

Mr. Maliki said that following the death of former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat, any decision to extend the chairman’s term had to be made in conjunction and with the cooperation of others. One high-ranking Palestinian official said that the decision was made after senior PA officials advised Mr. Abbas to dissolve the Palestinian parliament, which is comprised of a Hamas majority. “Ending Abbas’s term this coming January creates a situation in which his replacement is his deputy, the PLC speaker from Hamas, Ahmed Bahar,” said the official. Hamas has threatened that it will not recognize a new Palestinian Legislative Council and said that “a decision of that sort will be a continuation of a series of illegal decisions that Abu Mazen has made,” said a Hamas spokesman.

Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat, tried to say that all options were open and in a conversation with Israeli media denied the above report and said that the issue of Palestinian unity was at the top of the PA chairman’s agenda. “Abbas intends to act to end the division between Hamas and Fatah and to achieve a full agreement to his reelection,” he said.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com. His Web site is www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com

©The Bulletin 2008

Herzelia, Israel – The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC) has declassified an intelligence report of masses of women in Gaza being trained for combat and suicide bombing attacks against Israel.

The report, considered an unusual revelation, was found within the Intelligence and Terrorism Center’s Web site at www.Intelligence.org.il. It describes a major role contemplated for women by the ruling Hamas terror organization in the next round of fighting against Israel.

As part of the military buildup of Palestinian terrorist organizations in Gaza, which continue on a large scale even when the current lull in the fighting is in place, each of the terrorist organizations provide military training to women, teenagers, and even little girls.

These women are being trained to fire small arms, launch RPG rockets, throw grenades; they also are learning techniques behind ambushes and how to blow themselves up near Israelis using explosive belts.

In the view of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, Hamas views the use of women for combat activities with considerable operational advantages, because of the relative ease with which they can operate without raising suspicions, both in Gaza, during IDF operations, and if and when they perpetrate terrorist attacks in Israel itself.

Over the past two weeks, Hamas allowed media coverage of women combat training, which is taking place during the current lull in the fighting.

Hamas allowed a Lebanese TV correspondent and, prior to that, an Al-Jazeera TV correspondent to film and interview women terrorist training exercises.

The women interviewed and featured on the media undergo defensive training and offensive training, such as firing rockets and perpetrating suicide bombing attacks.

It is the assessment of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center that such public messages about women in combat training are designed to deter Israel from launching attacks against Gaza in the future.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com. His Web site is www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com

©The Bulletin 2008

Jerusalem – Following months of investigations, the Israeli Police announced Sunday night that they were recommending Prime Minister Ehud Olmert be indicted for bribery.

In addition, police recommended Mr. Olmert be indicted for fraudulent reception of goods under aggravated circumstances, fraud and breach of trust, money laundering and tax offenses in both the bribery and fraud allegations.

The decision to recommend indictment was led by the Investigations and Intelligence Branch Cmdr. Yohanan Danino and Economic Crime Unit Lt. Cmdr. Yoav Segalovich.

Yesterday morning, the police recommendation was formally relayed to Israeli Attorney General Meni Mazuz, who must now decide whether to order Mr. Olmer’s indictment, subject to a hearing.

On Wednesday, police handed over several cardboard boxes to the Israel State Attorney’s Office, containing thousands of documents that constitute the raw evidence against Mr. Olmert.

At the meeting, a legal opinion was heard that there was no need to show evidence as to what Mr. Olmert gave businessman Morris Talansky in order to charge him with bribery, and it was enough that Mr. Talansky had expected something in return when he gave Mr. Olmert the cash envelopes. Nonetheless, the police said, the investigation team managed to obtain evidence that shows that Mr. Olmert acted to help Mr. Talansky’s business.

This refers to Mr. Olmert’s attempt to persuade businessmen to buy mini-bars from a company owned by Mr. Talansky for their hotels. Mr. Olmert did not just write letters, say the police, he also put pressure on businessmen to meet with Mr. Talansky.

In addition, police said the prime minister would be questioned once more in an affair involving allegations of Mr. Olmert in the Israel Investment Center.

Among other allegations, Mr. Olmert is being investigated for his personal investments in the Palestinian Authority, at a time when Mr. Olmert is conducting sensitive negotiations with it.

It is expected that the Israel attorney general and the Israel state attorney will only make a decision after the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashana, which falls on Sept. 30, about whether to adopt the police recommendations and to indict Mr. Olmert.

If a decision is made to indict, the final decision will only be made after Mr. Olmert is given a hearing. With this timetable, a final decision may be made at the beginning of 2009.

Olmert: We’ll Wait For The Trial

The Prime Minister’s Bureau responded as if it is still business as usual.

In the past few days, the working assumption of the prime minister’s aides was that police were about to recommend that Mr. Olmert be indicted. Consequently, the announcement Sunday evening came as no surprise.

The prime minister’s associates continue to say that he has promised to resign if he is indicted, and until Attorney General Meni Mazuz makes a decision, Mr. Olmert will continue in his role. No meetings were canceled and his schedule was expected to continue as planned.

According to his associates, Mr. Olmert will continue to advance the initiatives he has begun and make decisions on all matters, including the peace process.

The prime minister’s lawyers said yesterday that in all previous cases in which the police recommended that prime ministers be indicted, the attorney general did not accept the recommendation.

The prime minister’s lawyers issued statements yesterday.

“The only person authorized by law to decide whether to indict the prime minister is the attorney general,” wrote the lawyers. “He has the authority and he bears responsibility. The police recommendations have no significance. It would have been more appropriate for the police to refrain from expressing opinions on matters that are not within their expertise or authority …”

On Sept. 17, Mr. Olmert’s party, Kadima, will choose a new leader. If that leader is able to form a governing coalition, only then would Mr. Olmert be forced to resign his position as the prime minister of Israel. The chances of a Kadima leader being able to form a new ruling coalition in Israel are not great.

Indeed, while newspapers around the world had erroneously reported on July 31 that Mr. Olmert had resigned his position as the prime minister of Israel, The Bulletin had accurately reported that Mr. Olmert had only stated that he had “intended” to resign when a new prime minister would form a new coalition.

Epilogue: The Precedent

In April 1977, Israeli headlines blared that then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and his wife were illegally holding two bank accounts in Washington from the time that Mr. Rabin was ambassador to the U.S., 1968 to 1972.

Mr. Rabin resigned his position as prime minister, handing over the leadership of the Israel Labor Party to then-Defense Minister Shimon Peres.

After his decision to resign, the Israeli media reported that Mrs. Leah Rabin held about $2,000 in that illegal account.

Mr. Rabin did not have to disclose or discuss what was in his account, because he had resigned in disgrace as the prime minister of Israel.

In late October 1995, two former Nixon administration officials confirmed that Mr. Rabin had received more than $250,000 from the “Committee to Re-elect the President” of Watergate fame. Following Mr. Rabin’s assassination on Nov. 4, 1995, this revelation was never published.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com. His Web site is www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com

©The Bulletin 2008

Jerusalem – As talks between Israel and Syria continue, tensions continue to rise between the United States and Russia.

In a meeting between Vice President Dick Cheney and Israeli President Shimon Peres on Thursday, during a diplomatic-economic conference they both attended in Italy, Mr. Cheney accused Russia of arming worldwide terrorism.

“Russia has sold advanced weapons to regimes in Syria and Iran. Some of the Russian weapons sold to Damascus have been channeled to terrorist fighters in Lebanon and Iraq,” Mr. Cheney said.

During the 2006 Lebanon War, Hezbollah fielded the RPG-29 anti-tank grenade launcher against Israeli tanks with great success. The weapon is among Russia’s latest, compared with the older Soviet RPG-7, dating back to the 1960s, more commonly used by terror groups. According to reports, Hezbollah obtained the RPG-29s from Syria, which had in turn received them from Russia.

Mr. Cheney also referenced Russia’s recent invasion of Georgia and the tens of thousands of Georgians who had been displaced or killed by Russian forces.

“It’s unfortunately the case that Russia’s leaders regard the expansion of free governments and democratic values as a threat to their country’s own interests,” Mr. Cheney said of Russia antagonism toward Georgia’s pro-Western government.

Mr. Peres told Mr. Cheney about his meetings with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and said that he had gained the impression that Russia opposes Iran’s acquisition of nuclear arms.

“In the name of religious fundamentalism, Mr. Ahmadinejad is seeking to impose terrorism and religious hegemony upon the entire Middle East,” he said. “The United States and Europe must create a clear alternative to oil, which is the main funding source of worldwide terrorism.”

In an interview that he gave to the Sunday Times in London over the weekend, Mr. Peres said that he had advised Prime Minister Ehud Olmert not to attack Iran.

Mr. Peres added that Israel is determined to fight against terror by using advanced technology.

“War against the terrorist groups is not like war against armies,” Mr. Peres said. “A joint intelligence array of Israel and the moderate Arab states must be formed, with assistance from the United States and Europe, in order to provide an appropriate response to worldwide terrorism, whose major centers are located in the Middle East.”

For his part, Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem made it clear over the weekend that Israel’s answer regarding the future border between the two countries would be key to peace.

In an interview with the London-based Arabic lauguage newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, published last Wednesday, Mr. Muallem referred to the six-point “statement of principles” his government had given the Turkish mediator during the talks in Istanbul.

It appears the Syrians are demanding a written Israeli commitment or public statement of its agreement to withdraw to border as it stood prior to the June 1967 Six-Day War. Consequently, the Syrians could once again position troops and mortars on the Golan Heights to once again pose a security challenge to Israel’s Upper Galilee region if they chose to do so. This remains a serious Israeli concern when it comes to discussions with Damascus.

“That is not a subject for discussion anymore, but rather a basis for the opening of direct negotiations,” Mr. Muallem said. As a result, the fifth round of talks will be “substantial and important” and will deal with this matter.

Syrian officials said over the weekend that full Syrian sovereignty over the Golan Heights is not subject to negotiation. As of now, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remains entrenched in his position.

He has conditioned the holding of direct negotiations on having the United States accompany the talks. From his perspective, American support is essential, mainly for economic reasons. In order to end his increasing economic dependence upon Tehran, he needs American financial support.

In the past, Mr. Olmert contacted President George W. Bush, updating him Israel’s talks with Syria. However, the chances of an agreement being reached between Israel and Syria before Mr. Olmert ends his term are nil.

Report: US To Take Part In Israel-Syria Talks

The next round of talks between Israel and Syria will be held in Istanbul in about two weeks at the presence of a senior American delegate, according to another London-based Arabic language newspaper, al-Sharq al-Awsat reported Saturday.

According to the report, the American representative will act as an observer in the talks.

State officials denied the report on an American observer being sent to the talks. A source in Jerusalem said, “We are not aware of such a plan.”

A senior source in Damascus refused to address the report directly, telling the newspaper that “Syria is not dealing with the arrival of an American observer to the indirect talks.”

Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy was Mr. Assad’s guest in Damascus on Thursday, in a visit which officially ended years of severed relations following the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, in which senior Syrian officials were implicated.

Mr. al-Assad stated during the meeting with the French president that the fifth round of Turkish-mediated talks with Israel would be postponed due to the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s chief of staff, Yoram Turbowicz. He resigned as the Israeli emissary to the talks at the end of July, when he heard that Mr. Olmert had announced that he intended to resign. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office awaits the opinion of its legal advisor and the attorney general as to whether Mr. Turbowicz could participate in the talks with Syria on a voluntary basis.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com. His Web site is www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com

©The Bulletin 2008

Jerusalem – The Middle East Newsline has confirmed that Egypt’s intelligence chief is considered in line to become the country’s next president.

Gen. Omar Suleiman, director of Egypt’s foreign intelligence service, has been described as a leading candidate to succeed President Hosni Mubarak.

Egyptian sources said the 73-year-old Gen. Suleiman was supported by Egypt’s powerful military, expected to play a major role approving any successor to the 80-year-old Mr. Mubarak.

“Suleiman is not Mubarak’s candidate, but he is certainly the military’s man and that means a lot,” an Egyptian source said. “Remember, this is Egypt not Syria, where one family controls everything.”

Some Egyptian sources and analysts raise the prospect that Mr. Suleiman would either become president or vice president in a post-Mubarak Egypt.

For his part, Mr. Mubarak, in power since the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat, had been regarded as promoting his 44-year-old son, Gamal, as president.

However, the Mubarak regime has also raised Gen. Suleiman’s stature.

The general conducts much of Egypt’s foreign policy, particularly with the Hamas regime in the neighboring Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority and Sudan.

Gen. Suleiman also serves as a Mubarak envoy to the United States.

Mr. Dia’a Rashwan, a political analyst with state-owned Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, has asserted that the military has already selected Gen. Suleiman to succeed Mr. Mubarak.

Mr. Mubarak has increasingly appreciated the advice of Gen. Suleiman, a former infantry officer. They said Gen. Suleiman saved Mr. Mubarak’s life in 1995 when he persuaded the president to ride in an armored limousine during a visit to Ethiopia. Mr. Mubarak’s motorcade was attacked but the president was not injured.

“Suleiman has the image of a respected law-and-order guy,” said Amr Hamzawy, an Egyptian political scientist and analyst for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the Los Angeles Times. “He represents stability in a time of rising social tension.”

Mr. Suleiman has also been a quiet but instrumental force in monitoring

Islamic opposition. Hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members have been arrested and imprisoned in 2008, the latest on July 21 when 39 members were detained in the Nile Delta.

Reliable sources in Egypt’s ruling elite said the younger Mubarak, secretary-general of the ruling National Democratic Party, has encountered suspicion by both young Egyptians as well as the Old Guard in the government. They said Gamal’s career has been characterized by an absence of a military or foreign policy record.

Yet there is another intrigue that hovers over Gamal Mubarak. As The Bulletin reported in July 2006, the younger Mubarak visited Beirut and gave full support to the massive Hezbollah missile attacks on Israel, which rattled Egyptian-Israeli relation.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com. His Web site is www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com

©The Bulletin 2008

Summit In Damascus To Discuss Negotiations With Israel

The indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria are expanding the circle of partners. Syrian President Bashar Assad will convene a four-way summit today with the participation of the leaders of France, Turkey and Qatar, in order to discuss his indirect talks with the Olmert government. This was stated Tuesday night by unofficial sources in the Syrian leadership.

The four leaders who will convene in Damascus are French President Nicolas Sarkozy; Qatar Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani; and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. News agencies in Syria noted on Tuesday at the symbolic nature of the summit: It will bring together the acting president of the Arab League, Syria; with the acting president of the European Union, France; and the acting president of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Qatar. According to reports from Damascus, the four leaders will also discuss the Iranian nuclear crisis and the volatile situation in Lebanon.

Israeli Missiles Sold To India For About $260 Million

After long months of competition with other systems and prolonged negotiations, India ordered from Israel’s Rafael Spyder air defense systems valued at $260 million. This is a system that makes use of the company’s two air-to-air missiles, the heat-guided Python 5 and the radar-guided Derby. The two were converted for launching from a ground launcher installed on a truck. The system also includes a radar system made by Israel Aircraft Industries.

©The Bulletin 2008

The Middle East Newsline has confirmed that the Netherlands has been working with the United States to gather intelligence on Iran’s military programs.

A Dutch newspaper, De Telegraaf, had reported the Netherlands has identified a range of military and industrial targets for a U.S. attack on Iran. De Telegraaf said the Dutch AIVD intelligence agency withdrew a leading agent from Iran amid an assessment that the United States would conduct a major air strike over the next few weeks.

“The United States was thought to be making a decision within weeks to attack Iran with unmanned aircraft,” the newspaper said. Western intelligence sources said the report appeared to be part of a psychological campaign against Iran. But the sources said the CIA has been working with several NATO and other intelligence agencies in an effort to determine Iranian nuclear and strategic targets.

De Telegraaf said AIVD infiltrated Iran’s defense industry and hampered development projects. The newspaper said the Dutch agency shared data on Iranian programs with the CIA.

“The operation, described as extremely successful, was halted recently in connection with plans for an impending U.S. air attack on Iran,” De Telegraaf said. “Targets connected to the Dutch espionage operation would also be bombed. Information from the AIVD operation has in recent years been shared with the CIA.”

The report was published amid renewed Iranian threats to retaliate against any Israeli or U.S. strike. In late August, Iranian Deputy Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Masaoud Jazayeri warned that any attack on Iran would trigger what he termed World War III.

“The exorbitant demands of U.S. leaders and world Zionism, which have created the current situation in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and the Caucasus, are gradually directing the world to the brink,” Gen. Jazayeri said.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com. His Web site is www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com

©The Bulletin 2008