OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2005 NEWS ARCHIVE

Wednesday, December 14, 2005
IRAN PRESIDENT: HOLOCAUST A MYTH
Reuters has the story:

“Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that the Holocaust was a myth, triggering a fresh wave of international condemnation.

Last week Ahmadinejad first aired his doubts on the veracity of the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were killed by the Nazis. His comments drew a rebuke from the U.N. Security Council.

"They have fabricated a legend under the name 'Massacre of the Jews', and they hold it higher than God himself, religion itself and the prophets themselves," he told a crowd in the southeastern city of Zahedan on Wednesday."

Wednesday, November 30, 2005
IRAN PRESIDENT CLAIMING TO BE "12TH IMAN" MESSIAH?
Radio Free Europe carries a story about the apparent claims from the Iranian President:

“Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad says that when he delivered his speech at the UN General Assembly in September, he felt there was a light around him and that the attention of the world leaders in the audience was unblinkingly focused upon him. The claim has caused a stir in Iran, as a transcript and video recording of Ahmadinejad's comments have been published on an Iranian website, baztab.com. There are also reports that a CD showing Ahmadinejad making the comments also has been widely distributed in Iran. Is the Iranian president claiming to be divinely inspired?

Since the presidential elections in Iran, many bizarre stories and rumors have circulated about Ahmadinejad. Many of them are related to his devotion to the 12th Imam, also known as Imam Mahdi, who according to Muslims has disappeared and will return at the end of time to lead an era of Islamic justice.
 
During his September speech at the UN, Ahmadinejad called for the reappearance of the 12th Imam.
 
In mid-November, during a speech to Friday prayers leaders from across Iran, Ahmadinejad said that the main mission of the revolution is to pave the way for the reappearance of the 12th Imam.
 
In recent weeks, the president's aides have denied a rumor that he ordered his cabinet to write a pact of loyalty with the 12th Imam and throw it down a well near the holy city of Qom, where some believe the Imam is hiding."

Where does the Iranian President stand on relations with Israel? Also from Radio Free Europe:

"Iran’s President Mahmud Ahmadinejad yesterday [27 October 2005] cited comments by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic revolution, when he declared, "As the imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map."

Ahmadinejad told an audience of 3,000 students that there was "no doubt the new wave [of attacks] in Palestine will soon wipe off this disgraceful blot from the face of the Islamic world."

Saturday, November 26, 2005
EU BACKS JERUSALEM FOR PALESTINIANS
Yahoo carries a story on a leaked EU memorandum which shows where the future of Jerusalem lies with the EU:

“The European Commission downplayed the significance of the leaking of a report accusing
Israel of seeking to prevent Jerusalem becoming the Palestinians' future capital, although admitting it was "unfortunate".

The European Union's executive arm pointed out that EU foreign ministers last week publicly announced that such a report is due to be published, and also publicly made such criticism of Israel at a meeting in Brussels."

Wednesday, November 23, 2005
YEARLY PRESBYTERIAN HEZBOLLAH LOVE-IN
The Middle East Media Research Institute reports on the October visit to Hezbollah camps in Lebanon by a American presbyterian committee:

“On October 20, 2005, the Lebanese press reported that a delegation from the Presbyterian Church USA, headed by Father Nihad Tu'meh and with Robert Worley as its spokesman, visited southern Lebanon at the invitation of Hizbullah, and met there with the terrorist organization's commander in southern Lebanon Nabil Qawuq.

Delegation spokesman Robert Worley said: "We do not wish to defend the U.S. administration. We all elected the Democratic Party against the Republican Party. Rest assured that we will return to the U.S. in order to continue our activity for peace, and we want to hear about the charity activities and the cultural and social activities organized by Hizbullah in south [Lebanon]. The Americans hear in the Western media that Hizbullah is a terrorist organization, and they do not hear any other opinion. They know nothing about the party's concern for the people of the south. We have suffered much pressure on the part of Jewish organizations in the U.S. because [of our help in] divesting corporations working with Israel. We want Jerusalem to be a united city, just as we encouraged the Palestinians and the Jews to work for peace, and we demanded that our administration adheres to this position."

Monday, October 19, 2005
ISRAEL IS "28TH LEAST CORRUPT COUNTRY"
The Jerusalem Post has a story on the ranking of Israel in a survey of corruption in individual nations:

“The index draws on corruption-related data from surveys carried out by a variety of institutions. It reflects the views of business people and analysts from around the world, including experts who are locals in the countries evaluated.

More than two-thirds of the 159 nations surveyed scored less than 5 out of a clean score of 10, indicating serious levels of corruption in a majority of the countries. Israel scored a 6.3."

AVIAN FLU EXPECTED IN ISRAEL
The Ha'aretz web site reports on preparations in Israel for the expected bird influenza that is spreading into Europe.

“The Agriculture Ministry's chief veterinarian for fowl, Dr. Shimon Pokomonsky, has warned that the fears over an Israeli outbreak of avian flu center on the possibility that a bird whose migratory path passes through Israel may contract the disease in one of the countries in which there is an epidemic, and then somehow come into contact with domestic fowl.

A veterinarian for a commercial company in the chicken farming sector says that when it comes to fowl raised for eating, the coops are almost hermetically sealed, with little chance of infiltration by an affected bird. The same goes for the breeding flocks.

The big problem comes with the coops that house chickens raised for their eggs. According to the veterinarian, these coops are often primitive structures in small communities - moshavim and villages in the periphery."

Some related links on Avian Flu Pandemic threats:
Washington Times
Moscow Times
CDC Canada
The Baltimore Sun
Nature.com

Monday, October 14, 2005
AL QAEDA BASE IN SINAI?
The Khaleej Times carries a story on the accusations betwen Egypt and Israel about a AAl Qaeda presense in Sinai:

“There is absolutely no Al Qaeda base in the Sinai. We’ve made this point again and again,” said the Egyptian official who asked not to be named.

“We excluded from the start any link between the perpetrators of the Sinai bombings and Al Qaeda,” he added, referring to deadly attacks targeting tourist hotspots in the Sinai last October and this July.

General Aharon Zeevi was quoted by Israeli media as saying that Egyptian authorities were aware that an Al Qaeda base had been established on their soil but that they were wary of launching a full-frontal assault for fear of exacerbating tensions.

Zeevi also said that members of the hardline group had planted landmines around the base to prevent Egyptian security officials from approaching.

The Egyptian security official said that Zeevi was “apparently referring to the region of Jabal Halal where a group of people involved in the Sinai attacks are hiding and have been surrounded by police for several weeks.”

ARCHIVE OF OLD NEWS
2006 January - March here
2005 January - April here
2005 May - Sept here
2005 October - December here
2004 January - February here
2004 June - December here
2003 January - October here
2003 November - December here