Replies

“Current Threat Level”
SNIPPET: “March 5, 2008 — The United States government’s national threat level is Elevated, or Yellow.
The U.S. threat level is High, or Orange, for all domestic and international flights.”

61 posted on 03/06/2008 4:48:12 AM PST by Cindy

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49196

“Soldiers Help Comrades Understand Islamic Cultures”

By Sgt. Brandon Little, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, March 6, 2008

75 posted on 03/06/2008 2:18:16 PM PST by Cindy

To: All; Jeff Head; Jet Jaguar

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/china/
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/russia/

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1982744/posts

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080307/NATION04/676427087
“INSIDE THE RING - Page 1
“CHINA MISSILES” (March 7, 2008)
by Bill Gertz

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “One little-noticed intelligence disclosure contained in the Pentagon’s annual report on Chinese military power says China now has ballistic missiles designed to hit U.S. aircraft carriers and ships at sea.”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Other new weapons that are part of the precision-guided missile arsenal are advanced cruise missiles, medium-range ballistic missiles, the direct ascent anti-satellite missiles, like the one tested in January 2007.”

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080307/NATION04/676427087&template=nextpage

“INSIDE THE RING - Page 2
“NIMITZ BUZZED AGAIN” (March 7, 2008)
by Bill Gertz

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the overflight was not viewed as threatening or a concern.”

202 posted on 03/09/2008 1:32:47 AM PST by Cindy

http://www.investigativeproject.org/article/617

“Who Will Stand Against Terrorism?”

by Steven Emerson
IPT News
March 7, 2008

243 posted on 03/09/2008 9:15:15 PM PDT by Cindy

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17517&Itemid=1

Last Week’s Iraq Ops Leave 10 Terrorists Killed, 16 Captured
Sunday, 09 March 2008
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON — Ten terrorists were killed and 16 captured in operations across Iraq Friday, military officials reported.

Northeast of Samarra, Coalition forces targeted an alleged al Qaeda in Iraq leader for the Kanan village. In the raid, forces killed eight terrorists, including the wanted individual. Seven suspects were detained.

Also in Samarra, forces captured three suspected terrorists. One of the suspects allegedly is a leader for the al Qaeda in Iraq network in Samarra. Another is believed to be a direct associate of al Qaeda in Iraq senior leadership.

North of Tarmiyah, forces captured an alleged associate of the al Qaeda in Iraq network in Baghdad’s northern belt. The suspect reportedly is responsible for providing information on Coalition operations in the area for use in planning attacks. Two others were detained.

In Baghdad, forces captured another alleged associate of the northern-belt network. The suspect is believed to have direct ties to the senior leader of the network and to terrorists involved in a car-bombing network in Karkh.

Coalition forces captured a suspected Iranian-supported “special groups” facilitator and killed an armed criminal in Baghdad. The target reportedly arranged for criminal militia members to receive training in Iran.

In operations north of Tal Afar, forces killed one suspected terrorist and wounded another. The wounded suspect was detained.

In northeastern Mosul, Coalition forces captured a suspect believed to be the replacement for the former Saudi al Qaeda in Iraq senior leader Abu Yasir al-Saudi, also known as Jar Allah, who was killed by Coalition forces Feb. 27. Three other suspects also were caught. Also, Coalition forces detained three suspects east of Tikrit while looking for an alleged weapons facilitator wanted for smuggling and kidnapping operations.

In other recent Iraq operations, Coalition forces detained Hajji Muhammad Shibl, an alleged top-tier criminal special groups leader, March 5 in the West Rashid district in southwestern Baghdad. Hajji Shibl is wanted as a key financier for criminal special groups who murder Iraqi civilians and security forces, officials said.

Iraqi security forces and “Sons of Iraq,” a citizen’s security group, detained four suspected terrorists March 5 in Baghdad.

Also on March 5, Sons of Iraq led Coalition forces to an al Qaeda in Iraq torture house and prison in northern Zambraniyah, and members of the Sons of Iraq turned two weapons caches over to Soldiers in Arab Jabour in two separate incidents the same day. Forces recovered six 120 mm projectiles, (20) 22 mm anti-aircraft rounds, and 300 heavy machine gun rounds.

Citizens in Arab Jabour unearthed a large weapons cache and turned it over to Soldiers March 5. The cache, loaded in a truck, held (111) 57 mm projectiles and (22) 60 mm projectiles. Each was rigged with detonation cord and packed with homemade explosives.

Also in Arab Jabour, local residents and Sons of Iraq turned over four weapons caches to Soldiers in separate operations March 4. The caches contained five 120 mm projectiles, four liters of homemade explosives, four pressure plates, three propane tanks, one 60 mm mortar and four 57 mm projectiles.

Iraqi Police recovered another large cache in a house south of Iskandariyah on March 4. The cache held (165) 1-pound blocks of C-4 explosive, 19 rocket-propelled grenades, five RPG launchers, a 60 mm mortar tube, (25) 107 mm high-explosive rockets and 23 rocket fuses, (10) 120 mm high-explosive mortar rounds, (84) 60 mm and (60) 81 mm high-explosive mortar rounds, along with six 60 mm mortar fuses.

255 posted on 03/10/2008 3:01:20 AM PDT by Cindy

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/020255.php

March 10, 2008
“New Jihad Watch video: Afghans with fake Mexican passports”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC6MaThJbIY
“Jihad Watch 53”

Video - Description - Quote:

About This Video
What do Afghan nationals want with fake Mexican passports? (less)
Added: March 09, 2008
Category: News & Politics
Tags:
hot air jihad watch robert spencer afhganistan fake passport mexican

Previously...

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=25065
“NATIONAL SECURITY AT THE BORDER”
by Robert Spencer
(February 19, 2008)

270 posted on 03/10/2008 1:49:39 PM PDT by Cindy

To: All; Jet Jaguar; backhoe; piasa; Godzilla; nwctwx

Thanks to Jet Jaguar for starting this thread.

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1984289/posts

Jordan releases leading al Qaeda mentor
reuters ^ | Mar 12, 2008 | Suleiman al-Khalidi
Posted on 03/12/2008 3:54:45 AM PDT by Jet Jaguar

AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordanian authorities on Wednesday released Jordanian Sheikh Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi, a leading al-Qaeda mentor, after several years imprisonment without trial, security sources said.

They said Maqdisi, who was regarded as the spiritual mentor of slain al Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, had been in solitary confinement since he was rearrested in July 2005 following his acquittal at a trial of al Qaeda sympathizers.

“He was released,” said one security source without elaborating on the circumstances of the release of Maqdisi.

The militant Jihadi shared a cell block with Zarqawi for four years between 1995 and 1999. Both were freed in an amnesty. Zarqawi later went to Afghanistan then Iraq.

U.S. intelligence officials say Maqdisi is a major Jihadi mentor who wields more influence over Islamist ideology than leading militants such as Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri.

A study by a private think tank of the U.S. military academy West Point in 2006 described Maqdisi, a self-taught religious intellectual, as the most influential living Islamist mentor.

367 posted on 03/12/2008 4:18:10 AM PDT by Cindy

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=251&sid=1364763

“America’s Enemies Working on WMD: ‘No Doubt in My Mind’”
March 14, 2008 - 6:09am
J.J. Green, WTOP Radio

WASHINGTON -

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “”There is no doubt in my mind that the people who would like to do us harm, would very much like to use a weapon of mass destruction of some type, whether it be chemical, biological or the worst being some type of nuclear explosive,” said Billy, in an interview with WTOP.

“Terrorism can no longer be viewed as one nation’s issue over the other. We try to look at this as there are no borders — literally — in the world of international terrorism, meaning that operatives can originate from any country, including our own, and work to plan operations targeting whether it be our homeland or some place else around the world.”

Leaning forward in his chair, with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped, the salt-and-pepper-haired veteran of the war on terror dispelled the common misperception that al Qaida is made up of hot-headed, Islamic radicals with limited education who can only make and use crude weapons.

Billy, who offers no time table or intelligence to suggest an attack is imminent, warns that al Qaida’s membership consists of people with technical expertise that could be used in the development of weapons of mass destruction.”

478 posted on 03/14/2008 3:56:58 AM PDT by Cindy

To: All; backhoe; piasa; nwctwx

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49282

General Lays Out Challenges of Defending Cyberspace

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb., March 14, 2008 – Air Force Minuteman and Navy Trident missiles stand outside the headquarters of U.S. Strategic Command here as reminders of the command’s mission of strategic deterrence and nuclear operations.

But walking past the missiles are servicemembers using cell phones and other wireless devices. And that, too, represents a mission of the command: cyberspace operations.

Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said defense networks see more than a million suspicious “hits” a day.

“These are pings where someone is coming in and trying to open something or access information from someone within our military networks,” Chilton said during an interview March 11. “This could be everything from some curious citizens, to people who maybe are trying to hack for sport, to people who are trying to collect information.”

He said what concerns the command is what some people call data mining. This is where analysts use computers to shift through enormous quantities of data to glean information. It is the new form of espionage.

“The way I think of it is various organizations are coming in and doing espionage work,” the general said. “You can imagine the downloading of files from personnel agencies or other branches of government.”

In the past, to get that information “you would hire someone to break in with a flashlight in their teeth and go through the drawer and photograph the files,” Chilton said. Now, all this information is stored on discs or on computers. Spies don’t have to leave a computer terminal in their own countries to try to get this information.

China has written openly of cyber warfare, and U.S. officials write in the current “Military Power of the Peoples’ Republic of China” assessment that Chinese officials see cyber warfare as an asymmetric brand of warfare.

“China’s current thinking on asymmetric warfare is encapsulated by a military theory termed ‘non-contact,’ which seeks to attain a political goal by looking for auxiliary means beyond military boundaries or limits,” the publication says. “Examples include: cyber warfare against civilian and military networks – especially against communications and logistics nodes; fifth column attacks, including sabotage and subversion, attacks on financial infrastructure; and, information operations.”

There have been a number of “intrusions” against DoD computers from China, but the United States has not attributed these to any country. “The thing about China that gives us pause is they have written openly about their emphasis in particular areas: space, cyber,” Chilton said.

In the cyber world it is tough to figure out who is attacking. In April 2007, Estonia came under cyber attack. The denial-of-service attack targeted the government, banks, newspapers and other computer dependent businesses. Estonian officials immediately charged Russia with initiating the attacks, but to date, a computer hacker in Estonia has been the only person charged in the attack.

“The kind of attack that you would worry about is the kinds of things we saw in Estonia last year — a denial-of-service attack, where they flood the system with so many e-mail ‘botnets’ you don’t shut the system down, but you slow it down to the point that it’s unusable,” the general said.

STRATCOM and the rest of the military are more aware than ever of intrusions of their networks, reporting on them and taking actions.

“A big step forward for us was unity of effort,” the general said. Joint Task Force Global Network Operations is part of the command tasked with defending the military and classified systems. The task force put in place guidelines and restrictions for the way the services operate in the cyber world. This includes security measures, firewalls and what people shouldn’t be doing, the general said.

“We have a lot of work in front of us in training people in our military, because defense of the network goes from high-end technical solutions to the very low-end, which is making sure the very newest and youngest person on the network understands that their actions can create vulnerability that is significant and teach them what to watch out for and what they should and shouldn’t do,” Chilton said.

All computer defenders must be worried about the whole range of attacks or intrusions, Chilton said.

“You have to be worried about it all — I mean, we can have a bored 16-year-old do damage to our networks,” he noted. “It’s not just a nation-state that you worry about. It can be from any organization like al Qaeda.”

499 posted on 03/14/2008 4:37:34 PM PDT by Cindy

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/03/20080314-7.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 14, 2008

Statement by Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto on Partisan House Bill

Today, the House of Representatives took a significant step backward in defending our country against terrorism and passed a partisan bill that will please class-action trial lawyers at the expense of our national security. Their bill would make it easier for class-action trial lawyers to sue companies whose only “offense” is that they are alleged to have assisted in efforts to protect the country after the attacks of September 11. These companies already face multibillion-dollar lawsuits, but even the status quo — which our intelligence professionals have said is undermining our ability to get cooperation from the private sector — is better than the alternative proposed in the House bill, which would preserve these lawsuits and give trial lawyers more weapons to attack companies for doing their patriotic service. The good news is that the House bill will be dead on arrival in the Senate and, in any event, would be vetoed by the President if it ever got to his desk.

The House bill is not a serious effort to move the legislative process forward, nor is it a serious effort to protect our national security. It is a partisan bill designed to give the House Democratic leadership cover for their failure to act responsibly and vote on the bipartisan Senate bill. The President trusts that Senate leaders, who have acted in a far more bipartisan and responsible way than their colleagues in the House, will see the House bill for the political ploy that it is, reject it, and send back to the House the strong bill the Senate has already passed.

# # #

512 posted on 03/15/2008 1:52:09 AM PDT by Cindy

Ding Dong. Ding Dong. We have a totally STUCK ON STUPID award winner today. And the winner is:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1986062/posts

“Iran’s bad behavior blamed on Bush”
Washington Times ^
Posted on 03/15/2008 3:33:51 AM PDT by Sub-Driver

“Iran’s bad behavior blamed on Bush”
March 15, 2008
By Rowan Scarborough -

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Sen. Barack Obama’s most senior military adviser says President Bush is to blame for Iran’s bad behavior.

The assessment from an interview with retired Air Force Gen. Merrill McPeak provides a glimpse into how an Obama administration would deal with Iran.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called repeatedly for the destruction of Israel, is pursuing nuclear weapons in the opinion of some national security experts, and his Revolutionary Guard is training Iraqis to kill American military personnel in Iraq.

Earlier this month, Mr. Ahmadinejad said of Israel, “the world powers established this filthy bacteria, the Zionist regime, which is lashing out at the nations in the region like a wild beast.”

In the view of Gen. McPeak, the most-senior retired officer to back Mr. Obama’s presidential run, Iran’s behavior is a reaction to Mr. Bush’s tough talk.”

515 posted on 03/15/2008 4:04:36 AM PDT by Cindy

More Details UPDATE:

blog:

http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/004009.html

March 15, 2008

“UK: Muslim Youths Assault Priest”

SNIPPET: “News from the BBC, Reuters, Daily Mail, Spectator, TImes, Sunday Times, Press Association, Hindu, East London Advertiser, Telegraph and In the News:

An Anglican priest, Canon Michael Ainsworth, was assaulted by two young Muslims in the grounds of his church. 57-year old Canon Ainsworth was approached by three “Asian” youths on Wednesday March 5. Two of these then physically attacked him in the churchyard at St George-in-the-East Church in Shadwell, Wapping, East London.

According to the Daily Mail, the incident happened after Canon Ainsworth asked the three youths to “quieten down”. As he was attacked, one of the youths shouted out: “Fucking priest”.

According to an Asian member of the church community, the church has been attacked before by Asian youths who hate Christians. He said: “I’ve been physically threatened and verbally abused on the steps of the church. On one occasion, youths shouted: ‘This should not be a church, this should be a mosque, you should not be here’. just walked away from it - you are too frightened to challenge them. We have church windows smashed two to three times a month. The youths are anti-Christian. It’s terrible what they have done to Canon Ainsworth. We’ve never had violence like that before. I know his face was very smashed up and bruised because I saw him just minutes after the attack when I called round to deliver some papers.”

Canon Ainsworth’s wife claimed her husband did not want publicity concerning the attack.

Alan Green, the Area Dean for Tower Hamlets, said: “It was a nasty cowardly attack. There were several groups in the churchyard and two from one group attacked him and the other group came and helped him back to the house. He was kicked and punched in the head as he lay on the ground, I believe that what was shouted was ‘you f***ing priest before they attacked him. He’s still in hospital because he lost a lot of blood following the attack.””

548 posted on 03/16/2008 1:41:11 AM PDT by Cindy

ON THE INTERNET...

www.ekhlaas.org
www.ekhlaas.org/forum/

691 posted on 03/19/2008 2:36:55 PM PDT by Cindy

To: Oorang; penguino; backhoe

ON THE INTERNET...

revolution.muslimpad.com/

693 posted on 03/19/2008 2:40:07 PM PDT by Cindy

Note: The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3521853,00.html

Youth wounded in Ariel blast still in serious condition
Published: 03.21.08, 08:37 / Israel News

The 15-year-old youth from Ariel who was wounded on Thursday after opening a package containing explosives underwent surgery overnight and is currently in serious condition at the Schneider Hospital in Petah Tikvah.

Doctors fought throughout the operation to save the youth’s hands, legs and eyesight. (Meital Yasur-Beit Or)

###

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3521806,00.html

Fatah’s al-Aqsa Brigades claim responsibility for West Bank shooting attack
Published: 03.20.08, 23:48 / Israel News

The Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades’ “Struggle and Return cells” claimed responsibility for the shooting attack in the Mount Hebron area.

A 13-year-old boy sustained light wounds in the attack. (Ali Waked)

###

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3521805,00.html

Al-Aqsa Brigades claim responsibility for bus shooting near Nablus
Published: 03.20.08, 23:44 / Israel News

The al-Aqsa Brigades’ “Martyr Imad Mugniyah cells” claimed responsibility for a shooting attack on a bus near Nablus earlier Thursday.

No one was hurt in the attack, but the bus was damaged. (Ali Waked)

###
###

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_922.html

Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520

This information is current as of today, Fri Mar 21 2008 00:37:54 GMT-0700 (PDT).

ISRAEL, THE WEST BANK AND GAZA

March 19, 2008

This Travel Warning is being issued to update information on the general security environment in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, and to remind American citizens of threats to themselves and to U.S. interests in those locations. The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to remain mindful of security factors when considering travel to Israel at this time. In addition, the Department of State urges U.S. citizens to defer travel to the West Bank and to avoid all travel to the Gaza Strip. This warning supersedes the Travel Warning issued July 13, 2007.

The Gaza Strip

Areas of conflict shift rapidly and unpredictably in the Gaza Strip and American citizens should avoid all Gaza travel. Those already in the Gaza Strip should depart immediately. This recommendation, which the State Department has maintained since the deadly roadside bombing of a U.S. Embassy convoy in Gaza in October 2003, applies to all Americans, including journalists and aid workers. No official travel is permitted inside the Gaza Strip at this time.

Hamas, a State Department-designated foreign terrorist organization, violently assumed control over Gaza in June 2007, making worse the already dangerous security situation there. The Gaza Strip is wracked by ongoing violence between Israeli security forces and several Palestinian terror groups. In recent months, extremist factions in the Gaza Strip have specifically targeted Palestinian Christian groups. Militants there have abducted Western citizens, and terrorist organizations have threatened attacks against U.S. interests. The American International School in northern Gaza was the target of an attack on April 21, 2007, and again on January 10 and 12, 2008. Hamas and Islamic Jihad (another designated foreign terrorist organization) have intensified the launching of daily rocket attacks against Israeli towns as far north as Ashkelon. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are responding to these attacks with military force.

The security environment is very fluid in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip. Rocket and mortar launches into Israel are unpredictable and occur frequently with little or no notice, resulting in a potentially unsafe situation. Gunfire from Gaza into Israel is a danger. On January 15, 2008, a Palestinian sniper killed an Ecuadorian kibbutz volunteer working near the Gaza border. As a result, travel in the surrounding area is strongly discouraged. Due to heightened tensions and violence in and near the Gaza Strip, all U.S. Embassy and Consulate General employees are required to provide 24 hours advance notice of any official travel to the city of Sderot, crossing points into Gaza, and any other areas bordering Gaza. Hamas has recently threatened to carry out suicide bombings in the neighboring Israeli towns.

The West Bank

The security environment in the West Bank remains volatile. Violent demonstrations, kidnappings, and shootings are unpredictable and can occur without warning. The Department of State urges Americans to defer travel to the West Bank at this time.

The IDF continues to carry out security operations in the West Bank, including nightly raids to arrest terrorist suspects that sometimes result in gun battles. Israeli security operations can occur at any time, including frequent raids to arrest terrorist suspects that result in shootings, demonstrations and often violent conflict. This heightens the risk of Americans being caught in the middle of potentially dangerous situations. Some Americans and Europeans involved in demonstrations and other such activities in the West Bank have become involved in confrontations with Israeli settlers and the IDF. The State Department recommends that Americans, for their own safety, avoid demonstrations.

All those who pass through the West Bank should exercise particular care when approaching and transiting Israeli military checkpoints. Travelers should be aware that they might encounter delays and difficulties, and might even be denied passage through a checkpoint.

American citizens should be aware that as a consequence of the current limitations on official travel to the West Bank, and the prohibition on travel by U.S. Government employees to the Gaza Strip, the ability of consular staff to offer timely assistance to U.S. citizens in these locations is extremely limited (particularly in the Gaza Strip).

Travel Restrictions for U.S. Government Personnel

American U.S. Government personnel and their dependents are prohibited from traveling to any cities, towns, or settlements in the West Bank, except when they are on mission-essential business or are traveling for other Mission-approved purposes. For limited, personal travel, U.S. government personnel and family members are permitted to travel through the West Bank only by using Routes 1 and 90 to reach the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge or the Dead Sea coast near Ein Gedi and Masada. They are also permitted to travel north on Route 90 from the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge to the Sea of Galilee. Use of these routes is approved for transit only, with stops permitted only at Qumran National Park off Route 90 by the Dead Sea. Each such transit requires prior notification to the Consulate General’s security office and must occur during daylight hours. U.S. Government personnel and family members are permitted both official and personal travel on Route 443 between Modi’in and Jerusalem without prior notification, during daylight hours only.

General Safety and Security

Israeli authorities remain concerned about the continuing threat of terrorist attacks. A March 2008 shooting in Jerusalem and a February 2008 bombing in Dimona are reminders of the precarious security environment. The threat of such attacks is on-going. American citizens are cautioned that a greater danger may exist in the vicinity of restaurants, businesses, and other places associated with U.S. interests and/or located near U.S. official buildings, such as the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem. Rocket fire from Lebanon into Israel, except for one recent incident, has ceased since the end of military hostilities between Israel and Hizbollah forces in southern Lebanon in the summer of 2006. Although Israel denied any involvement, the killing of a Hizbollah leader in Syria on February 12, 2008, raises the possibility of Hizbollah attacks against Israel.

American citizens are urged to exercise a high degree of caution and common sense when patronizing restaurants, cafes, malls, places of worship, and theaters — especially during peak hours. Large crowds and public gatherings should be avoided to the extent practicable. American citizens should take into consideration that discos and nightclubs, as well as public buses, trains and their respective terminals are “off-limits” to U.S. Government personnel.

The State Department urges American citizens to remain vigilant while traveling throughout Jerusalem, especially within the commercial and downtown areas of West Jerusalem and the city center. Israeli security services report that they continue to receive information of planned terrorist attacks in and around Jerusalem. Spontaneous or planned protests within the Old City are possible, especially after Friday prayers. Some of these protests have led to violent clashes. The Old City of Jerusalem is off-limits to U.S. Government personnel and their family members after dark during the entire week and between the hours of 11 am and 2 pm on Fridays.

Entry/Exit Difficulties

The Government of Israel considers American citizens who also hold Israeli citizenship or have a claim to such dual nationality to be Israeli citizens for immigration and other legal purposes. For example, an American citizen child of an Israeli parent will be considered an Israeli citizen by Israeli immigration officials and Israeli law will apply to the child’s travel to, and departure from, Israel.

American citizens whom Israeli authorities judge (based on their name or other indicators) may be of Palestinian origin are likely to face additional, and often time consuming, questioning by immigration and border authorities. If judged to have, or judged to have a claim to, residency status in the West Bank or Gaza, such American citizens may be required by the Government of Israel to use a Palestinian Authority travel document to transit Israel to enter the West Bank or Gaza. Such a determination could be made for American citizens if they or their immediate family members were born in the West Bank or Gaza, currently reside there, or lived there for any appreciable amount of time.

American citizens who hold a Palestinian Authority ID, as well as persons judged by the Israeli authorities to have claim to a Palestinian Authority ID, are subject to Israeli law and regulations that apply to residents of the West Bank and Gaza, regardless of the fact that they hold U.S. citizenship. A Palestinian ID number might be active or inactive. If active, the Government of Israel may stamp the Palestinian Identification Number in the U.S. passport, and the American citizen may be required to obtain Palestinian Authority travel documents prior to departing Israel. In addition, American citizens considered to have or to be eligible for a Palestinian Authority ID who entered Israel via Ben Gurion Airport might be required to depart via the Allenby Bridge to Jordan. Upon arrival, such persons should ask Israeli immigration authorities from where they are required to depart.

The United States Government seeks equal treatment for all American citizens regardless of national origin or ethnicity. American citizens who encounter difficulties are encouraged to contact the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv or the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem at the telephone numbers below.

Americans in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are strongly encouraged to register with the Consular Sections of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv or the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov. U.S. citizens who require emergency services may telephone the Consulate General in Jerusalem at (972) (2) 622-7250 or the Embassy in Tel Aviv at (972) (3) 519-7575.

Current information on travel and security in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the United States and Canada, or, from overseas, 1-202-501-4444. For additional and more in-depth information about specific aspects of travel to these areas, U.S. citizens should consult: the Country Specific Information for Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza; and the Worldwide Caution. These along with other Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts and Country Specific Information sheets are available on the Department’s Internet website at http://travel.state.gov. Up-to-date information on security conditions can also be accessed at http://usembassy-israel.org.il or http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov.

812 posted on 03/21/2008 12:38:13 AM PDT by Cindy

816 posted on 03/21/2008 2:19:12 AM PDT by Cindy

http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3522337,00.html

“Netanyahu: If we leave Jerusalem, Iran and Hamas will take control”

SNIPPET: “Opposition leader meets with US Vice President Cheney, two discuss need to remove Iranian threat before Islamic republic obtains nuclear bomb. Following meeting, Netanyahu tells Ynet, ‘We must prevent Iran from building their main bases in the region, and particularly in Jerusalem’”
Roni Sofer
Published: 03.23.08, 09:47 / Israel News

914 posted on 03/23/2008 3:07:15 AM PDT by Cindy

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