Israel News 23/11/2008

Hizbullah conducted a series of military exercises on Saturday morning in the area south of the Litani River, in southern Lebanon, despite such activities being in violation of United Nations Resolution 1701. 11/23/08

Months after offering Russia the opportunity to deploy long-range ballistic missiles in his country, Syrian President Bashar Assad was informed this week that Moscow will not sell its Iskander missiles to foreign clients due to delays in production. According to a reports Russia’s state arms exporter has decided that despite interest from a number of countries, including Syria, Moscow will not export the Iskander missile until the Russian Armed Forces are fully equipped with the system. 11/21/08

According to nuclear experts quoted in the New York Times on Thursday, Iran has produced approximately enough nuclear material to assemble an atomic weapon. The experts, who were analyzing data from the most recent IAEA report on the Iranian nuclear program, added, however, that although Iran has a weapon's worth of nuclear fuel, it still needs the technological know how to purify the fuel and produce an operational warhead. 11/20/08

Hamas military wing Izzadin al-Kassam released a video report on their website about their newest generation of Grad missiles which they claim to have fired at Ashkelon at the beginning of the week. The Hamas video report that was also published on the Fatah Al Aksa Brigades website warned that additional missiles will be fired in the event Israel launches a military operation in the Gaza Strip.11/20/08

Dubbed the Arab Peace initiative based on Beirut declarations of 2002 and 2003, otherwise known as the Saudi initiative, the Palestinian Authority advertized full page ads in Israel's main Hebrew dailies Thursday calling on the Israeli public to support the move. A just peace is a strategic choice, the ad says.11/20/08

Clashes erupted on Thursday morning between right wing settlers and Israeli security forces at a disputed property slated for evacuation in the West Bank city of Hebron. On Wednesday night scribbled graffiti, including the words 'Mohammed Pig', was written on the walls of a local mosque and gravestones were reportedly desecrated in a local Moslem cemetery. 11/20/08

New on Infolive.tv, the faces of Israel, people from all walks of life and origins speak to Infolive.tv how they feel about being an Israeli and what Israel means to them. 11/20/08

A Syrian site bombed by Israel in September 2007 had the characteristics of a nuclear reactor, the UN nuclear watchdog agency said in a report it issued Wednesday. The International Atomic Energy Agency also said its probe into Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program is deadlocked. 11/20/08

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni announced on Wednesday that Israel has made a final decision to boycott the United Nations "Durban II" conference on human rights this spring, fearing it would be used once again as a forum for anti-Israeli sentiment. The upcoming conference is to be held in Geneva in April and is a follow-up to a 2001 summit in Durban, South Africa which was hijacked by anti-Israel elements and turned into an Israel bashing event. 11/19/08

In Al-Qaeda’s first televised reaction to the American election, the terrorist groups second in charge, Ayman al-Zawahri, called Barack Obama a demeaning racial term implying that the president-elect is a black American who does the bidding of whites. Infolive.tv brings you scenes of the televised message. 11/19/08

Defense Minister Ehud Barak rebuffed a call Wednesdayby UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza after Israel was forced to shut down the border crossings and halt supplies due to the constant barrages of rocket attacks on southern Israel. On Monday Israe permitted 33 truckloads of supplies to enter Gaza despite the attacks. The Palestinian Authority meanwhile accused Hamas of staging power cuts in the narrow strip in a bid to win sympathy and incite the Palestinian public against Israel and the PA. 11/19/08

Israel’s socio-economic cabinet convened on Wednesday to discuss the Finance Ministry proposed economic stimulus package, designed to help the Israeli economy weather the looming global financial crisis. The proposal has already been endorsed by the Prime Minister and awaiting approval by the socio-economic cabinet, after which it will be presented to the Knesset Finance Committee before being unveiled to the public. 11/19/08

Talks between Egyptian and German defense officials over Cairo's intentions to purchase a number of Dolphin-class submarines is a cause of concern to Israel's defense establishment, who fear that if Egypt gets its hands on the submarine it will have the ability to close major sea routes in the region. Will Cairo's plan to purchase Dolphin-class submarines from Germany threaten regional stability? 11/19/08

Jordan’s Queen Rania will accept an award from YouTube, for her efforts to fight the racial and religious stereotyping of Arabs and Muslims around the world. Rania began her efforts by featuring a video on YouTube, asking people to send in questions and stereotypes about Islam and the Arab world and then encouraging people to respond to the videos and explain the truth. 11/19/08