This week at Israel Insider: Holiday Greetings to Friends and Foes

	April 14, 2006

Jump to today's weblog | support us SPONSORED BY: Shmooze: The Jewish Social Network Shmooze is a gathering place for the Jewish People in all its diversity, enabling Jews the world over to define themselves, create friends and business connections, upload and share photos, create and join groups, each with built-in forums, multi-user blogs and file collections. Organizations and publications can use Shmooze to created their own branded social networks. It's more than a dating site, and it's not just for singles... though singles will LOVE it. There's nothing quite like it and, best of all, it's free for individual members. Check it out! PASSOVER CLEANING: Waiting for Godot, or a Strike at Iranian Nuke Centers Dear Israel Insider Readers: Pesach is traditionally a time for Jews the world over to clean out their homes and cars and minds of chametz, crumbs of leftover foodstuffs and half-baked ideas. The Jewish version of spring-cleaning, it's a boon to the obsessive-compulsive and a pain in the butt for people like me who wallow in the clutter of too many things to do and not enough time. The elections are, gratefully, over and inconclusive. Today marks the date when Ariel Sharon is officially deemed permanently incapacitated, and Ehud Olmert is officially the Prime Minister with every chance of forming the next government. The government he forms, due to Kadima's disappointing showing, is likely to be weak and riven with internal strife. Despite his tough talk of implementing new borders in 18 months, mark my words: 18 months will come and go and Israel will not implement his "convergence" program. (Note to Olmert spinmeisters: Convergence is a stupid name. Converging to what? The vanishing point? Consolidation or Ingathering would have been a lot better, but hey -- you guys limp along with your poor PR. See if I care.) Of course, Iranian and al-Qaeda leaders are converging on their own fixed idea: Israel -- like a withered, rotten tree that will vanish sometime soon. "In every generation they rise to try and wipe us off the map" -- I paraphrase from the Passover Haggadah -- but they don't succeed. Like Haman before them, they have their own trees awaiting. Like Pharaoh, they will soon see sea (and I don't mean email). Here's my prediction that the only Convergence Plan that will be implemented will be American and Israel jet fighters with bunker-busting bombs converging on strategic centers in Iran. May it come soon. Meanwhile, please take my advice and check out the fantastic new movie, destined to be a Jewish cult classic: When Do We Eat? You'll thank me. Finally, please do, if you are a Jew, please sign up for Shmooze, our Jewish social network. It's fun, it's free, it's interesting and you'll thank me when you find your bashert or future business partner. And if you're not Jewish, don't fret. We have plans to roll out a pro-Israel site for non-Jews as well. If you're connected with an organization interested in your own social network, please contact me directly! Last but not least, we are proud to offer all our readers, in cooperation with Shmooze, the world's first gefilte fish screensaver. It's safe for your computer, contains no evil software and it's addictive to watch. Of course if you hate gefilte fish, you can celebrate the fact that you can watch the critters and not have to eat them! Dear readers, whatever your faith, or lack thereof, my warmest wishes for a wonderfully clean, spiritually enriching and deeply fulfilling Holiday! Reuven Koret Publisher TOP OF THE NEWS: Ahmadinejad: Israel a "rotten, dried tree" that will be felled by a storm "The Zionist regime is heading toward annihiliation," Iran's President said, calling Israel "a rotten, dried tree that will be eliminated by one storm." Articles US objection prevents unbalanced UN resolution against Israeli anti-terror The U.N. Security Council failed to agree on a statement Thursday on a surge in violence between Israel and the Palestinians. Passover goes high-tech as observant Jews 'sell' forbidden foods over net With the Palestinian territories sealed off and armed guards posted at synagogues, Israeli families gathered Wednesday for the ritual Passover meal. New exhibition of Anne Frank letters shows a different side of wartime diarist The furious letter from Anne Frank to her father Otto was written nearly two years after the Frank family locked itself into a concealed apartment to escape deportation by the Nazis. FIFA to pay for repairs of Gaza soccer field after air strike FIFA will pay for repairs to a soccer field in the Palestinian-run Gaza Strip, damaged in a bombing earlier this month. FIFA said it was not yet sure how much the repairs would cost. As UN ends free ride for Palestinian terrorists, Russia slams boycott efforts The UN said it has ended its policy of unrestricted political contacts with the Palestinians and will now assess every request for political talks with the new Hamas-run PA. Cabinet declares Sharon permanently incapacitated Israel's Cabinet on Tuesday declared ailing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon permanently incapacitated, marking the official end of his five-year tenure. Primitive Gaza rockets stump Israel's mighty military Israel has pounded crowded Gaza with some 2,200 artillery shells in the past 11 days, but has failed to stop the Palestinian projectiles from reaching Israeli border villages. Israeli army chief says uranium-enriching Iran on threshold of nuclear club Israel's army chief said Wednesday that Iran has taken another step toward nuclear capability by enriching uranium, but still has a way to go in the process. Austrian president says official document whitewashes Nazi-era collaboration President Heinz Fischer criticized Austria's postwar declaration of independence for representing his country as a victim of the Nazis instead of a participant in the atrocities. Who's willing to meet with Hamas? France denied requests for visas from two Hamas members of the Palestinian legislature invited for talks at the headquarters of Europe's leading human rights organization. EU foreign ministers endorse indefinite freeze of direct aid to Palestinian government The EU has endorsed an indefinite freeze of direct budgetary aid to the Hamas-led PA, but said they will continue to fund health care, education and humanitarian projects. Palestinians call on U.N. Security Council to stop Israeli anti-rocket campaign The Palestinians called on the U.N. Security Council Monday to take urgent action to stop an "escalating" Israeli anti-rocket campaign. Report: Olmert aims to complete his pullout plan by end of Bush's term Ehud Olmert will complete his plan to withdraw from much of Judea and Samaria, and draw the country's final borders before 2008, a senior Olmert aide said. Thousands retrace Jesus' path to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday Joyously waving palm fronds and flags, about 20,000 Christian pilgrims from around the world marched on Sunday from the Mount of Olives into the Old City of Jerusalem. Brooklyn matzohs - made the same way for 3,000 years In a Brooklyn bakery, each fresh batch of matzoh is timed - 18 minutes flat - from the moment the flour touches water until the unleavened bread leaves the oven. RECENT VIEWS Five Things to Bring with you to Israel By Paula R. Stern More than the sum of all the daily frustrations and worries, welcome to the most fantastic experience of your lives. Hold on to your hat. You're in Israel! Israel Should Support Regime Change in Iran By Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker It is time for Israel's Foreign Ministry to start thinking "outside the box" and take the offensive in its ideological war with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Olmert's Retreat: Hardly Pragmatism Over Ideology By Dr. Aaron Lerner Is it "pragmatic" for Israel to signal its enemies that the more costly they make it for Israel to defend a given location the greater the odds of retreat? When Do We Eat? After You See This. By Reuven Koret Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the seder, someone drops Ecstasy and the ritual of liberation takes on a funkadelic new dimension. Et tu, FIFA? Football's killing fields By Tom Gross FIFA apparently thinks it's OK for Palestinian terror groups to keep targeting Israeli children, and objects only when Israel hits empty fields in response. Palestinian 'Three Card Monte' By Howard Galganov A Hustler playing Three Card Monte on a street corner is very good at manipulating the cards, but not nearly as good as the Palestinians. Ten Commandments Miniseries: Mount Sinai or Brokeback Mountain? By Shelomo Alfassa The new "Ten Commandments" is an ethnically sanitized film that flops before it reaches the first commercial break. Idealist Rachel Corrie was misled By Gilead Ini ISM's partial and simplistic views are more geared toward building hatred against Israel than toward forwarding peace, human rights or justice. How best to remember Caspar Weinberger By Avram Hein A man I deeply revile, Caspar Weinberger, died last week. He effectively sentenced Jonathan Pollard to death. Now is the time to redeem a Jewish hero. Olmert's Unilateralism Undermines Unity By David Singer Sugarcoating a policy that can have catastrophic effects for the Jewish people in the name of "convergence" is doublespeak of the worst kind. Does Amir Peretz want to work on his C.V. or for his People? By Dr. Aaron Lerner Political analysts explain that Peretz wants to be Minister of Defense so that the public will consider him more appropriate for the prime minister's post. Why George W. Bush declined, and how he can recover By Harry W. Weber Let the new school of diplomacy be called "Isrealism" -- for the reality of Israeli should be the cornerstone of all nations' foreign policy. And There Was No Referendum In Israel... By Ariel Natan Pasko By Divine and historical right, and internationally recognized law: Jews may settle, build homes and towns, and live in all parts of their homeland. Shattering the Post-Election Myths By Ze'ev Orenstein It's time for Myths and Facts: Post-Israeli Elections edition. Today's myths are sponsored by M.J. Rosenberg in "Let's seize the opportunity". Let's seize the opportunity By M.J. Rosenberg We are at a moment of equilibrium. We have a new Palestinian and Israeli government, both democratically elected. Briefs Two suspects in torture, killing of French Jew turns themselves in to police German Jewish leader protests plan to honor air pioneers Messerschmitt, Dornier Judge sets $10 million bail for alleged Israeli drug kingpin British lawmaker suggests sanctions against Israel for killings of U.K. citizens A British legislator on Tuesday said sanctions should be imposed against Israel if it does not hand over those suspected of responsibility for killing two British civilians. Comatose Sharon undergoes CT scan Israeli police, Jerusalem Palestinians clash after Jews buy home in Arab neighborhood Israeli artillery fire kills Palestinian officer as weekend death toll climbs to 15 IDF kills Palestinian terrorist in West Bank raid Pope Benedict XVI to visit Poland May 25-28, visiting Wadowice, Auschwitz USEFUL LINKS Israel News in English Wiresearch/Newsportals about Israel Israel Insider Yahoo Jerusalem Post Google Israel news (by relevance) Haaretz (English) Google Israel news (by recency) Israel National News   Israel News in Hebrew Other Maariv Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ynet Israel Defense Forces Haaretz CoP/JCPA Daily Alert Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio) WebLog of Mideast Politics Voice of Israel (Second Network) OpinionJournal Best of the Web The Israel Insider daily briefing is a limited circulation newsletter intended for supporters and subscribers only. 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