Palestinian pardoned by Israel put back on wanted list

• Published 18:53 29.12.11 Latest update 18:53 29.12.11

Zakaria Zbeidi, the former commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Jenin who now runs the Freedom Theater, says he did not know his pardon was canceled.

By Avi Issacharoff Tags: West Bank Jenin Palestinian Authority

Zakaria Zbeidi, the former commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Jenin who was pardoned by Israel two years ago, has been added to Israel's wanted list again.

In recent days, Palestinian security services informed Zbeidi that upon Israel's request, he must remain in the Palestinian Authority's detention facilities during all hours of the day and night, otherwise Israel will arrest him.

	Zbeidi in Jenin during the second intifada, December 2009.
	Photo by: Natasha Mozgovaya

Zbeidi confirmed the report to Haaretz, yet said he did not know why the pardon was rescinded. Last week, Palestinian security forces arrested one of Zbeidi's brothers, along with one of the workers at Jenin's Freedom Theater, which Zbeidi directs.

In the summer of 2007, Zbeidi was among 200 wanted Fatah militants in the West Bank who turned in their weapons, under an arrangement in which Israel grantedthem effective amnesty as a gesture to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. 


In 2009, actor Juliano Mer Khamis founded the Freedom Theater and appointed Zbeidi as its director. Zbeidi also began working as an official in the Palestinian Authority's prisoners division. The theater's founder, Mer-Khamis, was shot and killed last April. The case has not yet been solved.
33-year-old Zbeidi, one of the symbols of the second intifada, also garnered media attention for his relationship with Israeli left-wing activist Tali Fahima.
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Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox protesters riot in flashpoint town of Beit Shemesh

 Published 21:42 29.12.11 Latest update 21:42 29.12.11

Protesters set fire to trash cans and hurl rocks; Police arrive in large numbers and arrest three.

By Oz Rosenberg Tags: Ultra-Orthodox

Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews protested on Thursday evening on a Beit Shemesh street, throwing rocks, blocking the road and burning trash cans. Police arrived in large numbers and have so far arrested three of the rioters.

The incident began as a small local gathering of about 20 people, who waved signs with slogans attacking Zionism. Shmuel Fefenheim, who lives nearby, said that "this group has been coming out every night recently with signs. Today, because of the atmosphere and people under arrest, someone decided to set fire to a large trash can and things spiraled from there."

	ultra-Orthodox protests in Jerusalem.
	Photo by: Emil Salman

Earlier on Thursday, An 8-year-old girl who became the symbol of a recent public struggle against gender segregation and religious extremism returned to school for the first time since a violent incident that sparked a nation-wide protest movement.

Na'ama Margolese turned into a household name last week after Channel 2 broadcasted a segment in which the young girl's described being spat on and accosted by ultra-Orthodox men over what they deemed to be her indecent apparel.

The story soon became a focal point for a rising protest movement against the exclusion of women in the public sphere, with thousands of Israelis amassing in Beit Shemesh to speak out against gender segregation.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/hundreds-of-ultra-orthodox-protesters-riot-in-flashpoint-town-of-beit-shemesh-1.404470

The IDF's alcohol plague

Ynetnews special: Alcohol abuse at Israel’s military bases is spiraling out of control

Shosh Mula

 

Published:  12.29.11, 14:34 / Israel News

According to a recent survey commissioned by Israel’s Anti-Drug Authority, some 9% of IDF soldiers performing their mandatory service said they drink alcoholic beverages at military bases, in violation of army orders. What once was a marginal phenomenon mostly confined to home front bases is spreading across Israel’s military, including among elite units and senior officers.

An IDF General Staff order forbids the drinking of alcoholic beverages at military bases. Moreover, soldiers are not allowed to drink outside their bases ahead of operational activity or while carrying weapons. However, the orders are increasingly violated at bases nationwide, with officers often preferring to deal with the matter internally, rather than seeing troops serving time in military prison.

Drugs in IDF?

'IDF major sold 125 kg of heroin' / Yoav Zitun Indictment filed against IDF major suspected of heading drug ring. Charges include money laundering, fraud, breach of trust and exceeding authority to the point of compromising state security. Officer meant to pocket NIS 2 million Full story

One soldier interviewed for the story admitted that drinking on base has become widespread. “Usually we drink vodka, but I personally drink whatever is there, he said, while also revealing that troops drink even when on high alert.

Another soldier, who serves in the elite Golani brigade, said some troops regularly take alcohol into outposts while on guard duty. “They mostly take vodka. It’s a regular procedure,” he said, adding that some commanders at the base are aware of the situation but turn a blind eye to it.

Yet another soldier said troops use a variety of hiding spots for stashing away their alcohol. “We have one guy who has his own private locker. Others put it under their bed…we drink at all sorts of hidden spots. If it’s on Friday we sit at the office or at the emergency warehouse.”

Brawls, sexual abuse  

 

Several alcohol-related incidents in recent weeks alone shed light on the growing phenomenon. In one case, a female soldier serving at a central Israel base drank alcohol with a fellow soldier, who became intoxicated and apparently resorted to sexual abuse. The soldier is currently facing a trial before a military court. Earlier, three alcohol-related brawls were reported at different IDF facilities, while in three other cases soldiers were tried for drunk driving within their bases.

In another grave incident, a senior officer summoned one of his female subordinates to his office, offered her a drink, and later attempted to approach her sexually. The commander now faces a sexual assault investigation, but in any case has seen his military career draw to an end after violating the ban on alcohol.

In yet another case, an officer serving at a base holding advanced electronic equipment in central Israel was found to have allowed his soldiers to drink alcohol during a military trip, and on the same occasion also “cursed and behaved in a crude manner, while humiliating himself and the soldiers in the presence of civilians.”
The judges did not detail the commander’s actions, but female soldiers who participated in the trip in question said the officer, who was drunk, took off his pants at one point and exposed his rear-end to his stunned soldiers.

Paratroopers caught  

 

As noted, the phenomenon has also spread to the army’s most elite units. Earlier this year, five paratroopers serving near the Gaza border were found in possession of alcoholic drinks in their outpost. The troops were sent to 20 days in a military jail.

Officially, the IDF Spokesman’s Office claims that it only recorded a few cases a year where soldiers consume alcohol while on duty. However, in practice the army is aware of the issue has boosted its preventative and enforcement activity. Colonel Haim Sasson, commander of the IDF’s Investigative Military Police, says he is aware of the problem and its scope and that his unit performs hundreds of enforcement operations throughout the year.

However, the alcohol plague seems to have spread to the Military Police as well. A recent raid concluded with several bottles being seized in the room of one Military Police soldier, who was tried and sent to prison.

 The IDF Spokesman’s Office issued the following response: “The IDF is a mirror of Israeli society, and as such, regrettably it also experiences cases of alcohol consumption among soldiers. Army orders forbid alcohol consumption during one’s military service, and recently these orders became stricter.”  

 The army added that it undertakes intensive efforts to address the issue in lectures and other activities among soldiers, in order to stress the danger inherent in alcohol abuse.

The full story was originally published by Yedioth Ahronoth





http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4168725,00.html

'IDF major sold 125 kg of heroin'

Indictment filed against IDF major suspected of heading drug ring. Charges include money laundering, fraud, breach of trust and exceeding authority to the point of compromising state security. Officer meant to pocket NIS 2 million
 

Yoav Zitun

 

Published:  10.27.11, 18:32 / Israel News

The IDF Operations Directorate officer suspected of heading a major drug ring that sold narcotics smuggled into Israel was indicted on Thursday at the Kastina Military Court.

Serious Affair

IDF major suspected of heading drug ring / Eli Senyor Cleared for publication – Operations Directorate officer from Southern Command arrested on suspicion of heading drug smuggling network, which sold narcotics seized by security forces on Israel border Full Story

According to the indictment, the officer, who holds a rank of major, was supposed to have pocketed NIS 2 million but de facto only earned NIS 330,000, a part of which was found in his home while the rest, it was claimed, was laundered at the bank.

The charges against the officer include money laundering, fraud, breach of trust and exceeding authority to the point of compromising state security.

Officer en route to court (Photo: Eliad Levy)

The indictment states that the officer, who was considered a senior official in the Gaza Division's Southern Command's hierarchy, was the leader of a drug ring that was dealing in narcotics smuggled over the Egyptian-Israeli border.

He is suspected of selling 125 kg of heroin and 150 kg of hashish, which have been caught during anti-smuggling operations along the border.


Officer in court (Photo: Eliad Levy)

Two other civilians who were the alleged buyers were also charged in the affair. According to the indictment, the officer gave one of them, who was a former subordinate of his, a uniform and officer's ranks so he could enter restricted areas, where the transactions were allegedly carried out.

 The military prosecution is asking the court to extend the officer's remand until the end of legal proceedings against him.  



Prosecutor Lt.-Col. Asher Halperin said, "The transactions were carried out between July and until recently. They were very large in scope. The felonies are especially severe because of the officer's senior position in the division as he was in charge of the operational plans of the division and was responsible for the entire sector once every three weeks."



http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4140407,00.html

Mossad chief: Nuclear Iran not necessarily existential threat to Israel

 Published 01:23 29.12.11 Latest update 01:23 29.12.11

Tamir Pardo says Israel using various means to foil Iran's nuclear program, but if Iran actually obtained nuclear weapons, it would not mean destruction of Israel.

By Barak Ravid

A nuclear-armed Iran wouldn't necessarily constitute a threat to Israel's continued existence, Mossad chief Tamir Pardo reportedly hinted earlier this week.

	A Shahab missile. Even a hundred of them wouldn’t bring Israel down, one reckless voice said.
	Photo by: Reuters

On Tuesday evening, Pardo addressed an audience of about 100 Israeli ambassadors. According to three ambassadors present at the briefing, the intelligence chief said that Israel was using various means to foil Iran's nuclear program and would continue to do so, but if Iran actually obtained nuclear weapons, it would not mean the destruction of the State of Israel.

"What is the significance of the term existential threat?" the ambassadors quoted Pardo as asking. "Does Iran pose a threat to Israel? Absolutely. But if one said a nuclear bomb in Iranian hands was an existential threat, that would mean that we would have to close up shop and go home. That's not the situation. The term existential threat is used too freely."

The ambassadors said Pardo did not comment on the possibility of an Israeli military assault on Iran.
"But what was clearly implied by his remarks is that he doesn't think a nuclear Iran is an existential threat to Israel," one of the envoys said.

	Tamir Pardo
	Photo by: Moti Milrod

Pardo's remarks follow lively a public debate in recent months over a possible Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. One of the figures at the center of this public debate has been Pardo's predecessor as Mossad chief, Meir Dagan. Dagan has argued that Israel should only resort to military force "when the knife is at its throat and begins to cut into the flesh." He has also criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, accusing them of pushing for an Israeli attack on Iran, and warned that such an assault would have disastrous consequences.

For the past several years, Netanyahu has characterized a nuclear Iran as an existential threat to Israel. The prime minister has even compared Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Adolf Hitler and argued that Iran should be treated as Nazi Germany should have been dealt with in 1938, just before World War II. In contrast, Barak said in April 2010 that Iran "was not an existential threat at the moment," but warned that it could become one in the future.

In the cabinet, Netanyahu and Barak have been the leading proponents of a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. So far, however, they have not managed to convince a majority of either the "octet" forum of eight senior ministers or the diplomatic-security cabinet to support their position.

In related news, The Daily Beast website reported yesterday about one aspect of the disagreement between Israel and the United States on the Iranian nuclear issue. It said that Washington and Jerusalem are discussing "red lines" for Iran's nuclear project that, if crossed, would justify a preemptive strike on the nuclear facilities.
The website's defense reporter, Eli Lake, wrote that Israel's ambassador to Washington, Michael Oren, lodged an official protest with the American administration following a speech a few weeks ago by U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at the Saban Forum, in which the American defense chief warned of the consequences of an attack on Iran. The Daily Beast reported that Panetta's remarks infuriated the Israel government and that Oren was directed to lodge the protest.

A short time later, the White House conveyed a message of reassurance to Israel that the Obama administration has its own red lines for attacking Iran, so there is no need for Israel to act unilaterally. The Israeli protest was also followed by a shift in Panetta's rhetoric: In an interview with the American television network CBS, Panetta said the United States would not take any option off the table with regard to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

The crux of the disagreement between the two countries revolves around the question of to what extent Iran has managed to develop clandestine sites for uranium enrichment. As a result, Israel and the United States are having a hard time settling on common "red lines."

Patrick Clawson of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy told The Daily Beast that "if Iran were found to be sneaking out or breaking out [toward obtaining nuclear weapons], then the president's advisers are firmly persuaded he would authorize the use of military force to stop it." However, he added, "when the occasion comes, we just don't know how the president will react."

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/mossad-chief-nuclear-iran-not-necessarily-existential-threat-to-israel-1.404227