Israel Matters!

What Israel Fears in EgyptBy Sallai Meridor, Israeli Ambassador to the United States, 2005 to 2009 [Washington Post, Feb. 9] One might expect that Israelis, who live in the only democracy in the Middle East, would turn out in the squares of Jerusalem and the gardens of Tel Aviv to show solidarity with the demonstrators in Egypt. The protesters, after all, are seeking to overthrow an authoritarian regime. Israelis, however, have stayed at home, warily following events on TV and the Internet. click Israel Matters! 45 to read the complete issue.

Israel Strikes Gold: Confirms Major Gas FindExploratory drilling off Israel’s northern coast has confirmed the existence of a major natural gas field — one of the world’s largest offshore gas finds of the past decade — leading the country’s infrastructure minister to call it “the most important energy news since the founding of the state.”click Israel Matters! 44 to read the complete issue.

WikiLeaks: Israel, Gulf States Conducted Secret DiplomacyA classified 2009 diplomatic cable disclosed through the website WikiLeaks recently provided a rare glimpse into the secret and often high-level diplomacy between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, all countries that officially do not recognize the Jewish state. Contrary to the condemnatory rhetoric opposing Israel in public, behind the scenes Arab diplomats have asked Israel to carry messages to the U.S. government and urged tougher action on Iran.click Israel Matters! 43 to read the complete issue.

Biden: “No Daylight Between Israel and the US”US Vice President Joe Biden delivered an impassioned speech in support of Israel at the recent Jewish Federations of North American’s General Assembly in New Orleans.click Israel Matters! 42 to read the complete issue.

Ahmadinejad: 9/11 Was U.S. Plot to “Save Zionism” Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, well-known for denying the Holocaust, used an address to the United NationsGeneral Assembly to suggest that elements within the U.S. government were behind the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. click Israel Matters! 41 to read the complete issue.

Israel Begins Peace Negotiations; Demands Palestinians Recognize Israel as Jewish StateIn remarks at the September relaunch of peace negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened bysaying, “I began with a Hebrew word for peace, “shalom.” Our goal is shalom. Our goal is to forge a secure and durablepeace between Israelis and Palestinians. We don’t seek a brief interlude between two wars. We don’t seek a temporaryrespite between outbursts of terror. We seek a peace that will end the conflict between us once and for all. Weseek a peace that will last for generations -- our generation, our children’s generation, and the next.” click Israel Matters! 40 to read the complete issue.

House Republicans Give Green Light for Israeli Strike on IranNearly one third of the Republican congressmen in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a resolution that would support Israel’s right to use “all means necessary to confront and eliminate nuclear threats posed by Iran”, including military force. The resolution was introduced by Rep. Louie Gohmert [RTexas] and 46 co-sponsors. click Israel Matters! 39 to read the complete issue.

Netanyahu: “The Truth is Slowly Spreading Around the World”According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he addressed his Cabinet, the truth about the flotilla clash was slowing sinking in to people’s minds around the world. As he was speaking, a leading Turkish newspaper published photos of brutal beatings of Israeli Naval commandos by Turkish terror activists.click Israel Matters! 38 to read the complete issue.

U.S., Israel: Syria Arming Hezbollah with MissilesU.S. and Israeli defense ministers recently accused Syria of arming Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas with increasingly powerful missiles, but Israel said it did not intend to provoke a conflict over the buildup. The comments by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Israel’s Ehud Barak stopped short of identifying what type of missiles were being supplied to Hezbollah, after reports that the group had obtained long-range Scud missiles capable of hitting targets across Israel.click Israel Matters! 37 to read the complete issue.

Pelosi: Congress Stands by IsraelIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a warmer public reception from Congress than from the Obama administration, with a top Democrat and Republican welcoming the leader who has refused to back down in a disagreement with the White House over Israeli housing expansion in a disputed part of Jerusalem. “We in Congress stand by Israel,” the leader of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, assured Netanyahu at an all-smiles appearance before the cameras. “In Congress we speak with one voice on the subject of Israel.”click Israel Matters! 36 to read the complete issue.