AIPAC TODAY - Friday, November 21, 2008

AIPAC - America's Predators

Hizballah Recruits Youth for War Against Israel

Hizballah, an Iranian proxy, has vowed to continue its fight against Israel.

The Lebanon-based terrorist army Hizballah has developed an extensive training and recruitment network to enlist Lebanese youth the group's military campaign against Israel, The New York Times reported. "It's like a complete system, from primary school to university," said Talal Atrissi, a political analyst at Lebanese University. "The goal is to prepare a generation that has deep religious faith and is also close to Hizballah." During physical training sessions, young recruits sport tiny pictures of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Shiite cleric who led the Iranian revolution, on their chests—a sign of the Islamic Republic's growing influence across Israel's northern border. The United Nations has repeatedly called for Hizballah, a terrorist proxy of the Iranian regime, to be disbanded. Click here to learn about the threat of Hizballah.

Qassam Rocket Slams into Ashkelon

Hamas rockets continue to strike Israel.

Hamas rockets continued to rain down on southern Israel on Friday, pounding the major population and industrial center of Ashkelon, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported. Palestinian terrorists have fired nearly 200 rockets and mortars at Israel over the past two weeks, despite pledges by Hamas to rein in attacks on the Jewish state. Though a fragile calm had taken hold along the Gaza border in recent months, Hamas terrorists in the coastal strip have overseen a massive arms buildup, and are again using the territory as a base for launching attacks at the Jewish state. Click here to learn about Hamas' terrorist activity in Gaza.

Iran Said to Have Nuclear Fuel for One Weapon

Iran has made significant strides toward acquiring nuclear weapons.

Iran has now produced roughly enough nuclear material, with additional processing, to make a single nuclear bomb, according to nuclear experts analyzing the latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), The New York Times reported. "They clearly have enough material for a bomb," said Richard L. Garwin, a top nuclear physicist who helped invent the hydrogen bomb. "They know how to do the enrichment. Whether they know how to design a bomb, well, that's another matter." The IAEA report added that Iran was moving ahead with plans to install further centrifuges and had refused to answer questions about its covert work on nuclear warheads and other suspected elements of its nuclear program. Iran faces further sanctions as a result of its continued defiance of U.N. Security Council demands that it halt its nuclear activity. Click here to learn about the importance of further sanctions against Iran.

IAEA: Syrian Site Strongly Resembled Atom Plant

The IAEA said the site resembled a nuclear reactor.

A new report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said a secret Syrian complex destroyed by Israel last year strongly resembled a nuclear reactor and urged Damascus to cooperate more with U.N. inspectors, The Washington Post reported. The report also noted that Syria had gone to great lengths to alter the site before admitting outsiders, but failed to cover-up significant amounts of natural uranium—the fuel used by North Korea in its own reactor. American officials previously claimed that the Syrian site was designed with assistance from Pyongyang. Thus far, Damascus has denied any secret nuclear activity and has said it would not allow further visits to the site by U.N. inspectors under any circumstances. Despite the destruction of the nuclear reactor, Syria maintains the largest stockpile of WMD in the Arab world—based on its ability to domestically produce nerve gas and other chemical weapons, along with research into various biological weapons.

Islamic Jihad: Hamas to Replace Abbas

Hamas said it intends to oust Abbas.

Hamas intends to challenge the authority of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in January of 2009, setting the stage for a renewed showdown between the terrorist group and the moderate leadership of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported. Though Abbas has indicated his desire to run for another term when parliamentary elections are held in 2010, Mohammed al-Hindi, a leading Islamic Jihad figure in Gaza, said Hamas will soon recognize Sheikh Aziz al-Dweik as president of the PA. Dweik, a Hamas member who serves as speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, is currently in an Israeli prison for his involvement in terrorist activity. Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in a violent coup in June 2007, faces international isolation until it recognizes Israel, renounces terrorism and accepts previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements.

Israel to Free 250 Palestinian Prisoners in Goodwill Gesture

Israel has released prisoners to bolster Abbas.

In an effort to bolster Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Monday that Israel would release 250 Palestinian prisoners at the beginning of December, the Israeli Web site Ynet reported. Most of the prisoners – who will be forced to sign a commitment that they will not return to terrorism – belong to Abbas' Fatah faction. None belong to Hamas or Islamic Jihad. Despite the risks to its security, Israel has freed hundreds of prisoners, removed checkpoints and roadblocks and allowed the deployment of armed PA police in the West Bank, all in order to demonstrate its commitment to peace with the Palestinians. The PA must match Israel's commitment to peace by isolating Hamas, fighting terrorism and laying the groundwork for historic political compromise.