How did Israel's Heron IAE come to serve Syria?

Syrian troops and Kurdish tribesman are locked in fierce battle since the Syrian army blasted four northeastern Kurdish towns and neighborhoods at the end of June, debkafile's military and intelligence sources report. Hundreds of Kurds are reported dead.
The Syrian campaign is backed by Heron (Eitan) spy drones Israel sold Turkey, made accessible on the personal say-so of Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan. Turkey therefore becomes the first NATO member to make advanced Western military technology available for the use of a strong ally of radical Iran and an active sponsor of terrorists. Following intense exchanges between Jerusalem and Washington, the NATO command was urged to put Ankara on the carpet - with no response as yet.

The drones are being used to track Kurds in flight across Syria's borders, mainly into Lebanon, where Hizballah is helping Syria hunt the refugees down. The accessibility to Damascus of the unmanned aerial vehicles is in direct breach of the Israel-Turkish sales contracts which barred their use - and the use of other Israeli high-tech items sold to Turkey during years of close military collaboration - in the service of hostile states or entities.
Extending their sphere to Syrian and Lebanese skies gives the Syrian army and Hizballah (Iran's external arm) a unique opportunity to study the Heron (Eitan)'s sophisticated attributes in real combat conditions at close hand and adjust their own tactics accordingly to outwit them.

debkafile's intelligence sources have no doubt that Iranian intelligence officers stationed in Damascus and Beirut jumped at the opportunity to learn more about the Israeli wonder-drones.
Regarding the crackdown on the Kurds, our military sources report that three large-scale Syrian military operations against the Kurdish people are in progress under the guidance of Turkish generals based at Syrian staff headquarters in Damascus:

1. Syrian elite forces are battling suspected Kurdish members of the Turkish PKK in at least four northeastern Syrian towns near the Syrian-Turkish-Iraqi border triangle: the big Kurdish town of Qamishli, the mixed Kurdish-Assyrian town of Al Asakah and two others, Qaratshuk and Diwar. All four and their outlying villages are under massive Syrian army siege after complete residential blocks were blasted - acting as the trigger for the current fighting.
Not all the victims are PKK fighters by any means. Most were civilians. Turkish intelligence sources tried to justify the Syrian massacre and their government's complicity by claiming that 2,000 of the 6,000 PKK fighters conducting terrorist attacks in Turkey from North Iraqi havens are Syrian Kurds or providers of alternative bases for their Turkish comrades to strike Turkish military positions from a second direction.
While until Saturday, July 17, Damascus was tight-lipped about its grim campaign against its Kurdish community, Turkish military sources were more vocal. They placed the number of Kurdish dead in battle at 185 and another 400 taken captive, many of whom will be turned over to Ankara. Our sources estimate the number of dead as much higher - more than 300, with at least 1,000 injured.
2. Large Syrian contingents are sealing the Iraqi border against the flight of Syrian Kurds - but also to block the entry of PKK reinforcements for aiding their beleaguered brethren.
3. The Syrian-Lebanese frontier is similarly sealed to keep Kurdish fighters from fleeing the country. debkafile's military sources report that on this border, Syrian and Hizballah units are working together, with the latter forcibly blocking the roads to Lebanese cities.
debkafile reports an all-night gunfight in the Al-Naba'a (Tel Azaatar) district of south Beirut which ended Wednesday morning, July 14 with an unknown number of Kurdish fighters dead.
One was identified by residents as Al Haj Reid, aged 37, a recent arrival from Syria.
When Turkish reporters finally tackled Syrian president Bashar Assad on his anti-Kurd campaign Saturday morning, July 17, their questions were smoothly turned aside. "I'm not following the details concerning this operation," said the Syrian ruler. "The issue is not about capturing 10 or 100 terrorists. What matters is the principle."

He added: "Our cooperation with Turkey in the security field is not new (!). We have coordinated for many years. Intervening when there are preparations for a terrorist attack or for infiltration is a dimension of this cooperation."
debkafile's military sources comment: Syrian military cooperation dates recently from the military pact they signed in October 2009.

As a big ceremony was staged Saturday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bashar Assad's ascent to power, the US-based Human Rights Watch group published a report called "A Wasted Decade" declaring there is "no freedom, no rights" in Syria. Instead of the transparency and democracy he promised, his regime suppresses criticism and its prisons soon filled with political prisoners, journalists, and human rights activists.

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Reaction to Obama outreach to take time
By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER
07/18/2010 02:24

US Jewish leaders react to 'Post' poll showing Israelis wary of Obama.

WASHINGTON - American Jewish officials cautioned that additional time was needed to assess the affect of US President Barack Obama's recent outreach to Israelis, after a Jerusalem Post-commissioned poll found their attitudes toward him hadn't changed.

The poll reported that just 10 percent of Israeli Jews said Obama's administration was more pro-Israel, compared to 46% who said it was more pro-Palestinian and 34% who said it was neutral.

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The survey of 515 Jewish Israelis, with a 4.4-percentage point margin of error, was conducted last week following Obama's warm welcome of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at the White House and his first interview for Israeli television.

Yet the results of the Smith Research poll were just a few percentage points different - 9%, 48% and 30% respectively - from those reported to the same questions in March, at a point of deep tension between the two countries.

"Public opinion doesn't change overnight. It takes time," said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Despite the results, "people have seen the last visit in very positive terms," he said.

But he added that a public skeptical on a range of issues, including politicians' intentions, were also waiting to see what Obama did next.

"People will look to see how policies and positions are implanted.

That's the real measure," according to Hoenlein.

"Israel opinion will improve when Obama visits J'lem"

Another Jewish organization leader, who asked to not be named, said the recent White House overtures to Israel - while welcome - still hadn't fully registered. He also said, though, that relations between the two countries had been so strained it would take some time to recover.

"At the very least it's going to take a while if those attitudes are going to change, because the shock to the system was quite pronounced," he said.

National Democratic Jewish Council president David Harris contended that Israeli opinion would improve more dramatically once Obama visited Israel.

"As the Israeli people get to know the president better - including when the president has an opportunity to visit Israel in the future - I have every confidence that they will be as strongly supportive of him as the American Jewish community has been," Harris said. "The fact is that as Israel's leaders have noted repeatedly, President Obama has demonstrated that he is unshakably committed to Israel's security, and he's gathered an unprecedented global coalition to counter Iran's nuclear ambitions."

Other Democratic Jewish activists, including strategist Matt Dorf, charged that the poll was flawed.

"One should not draw any conclusions about President Obama's standing in Israel from this poll," he said. "This is like asking, ‘Did you ride the bus or buy your lunch?'" Dorf argued that surveys asking whether Israelis approve of Obama's job performance and whether his policies are enhancing Israel's security would provide accurate assessments of public opinion.

"This question [the poll's] is designed to elicit a negative response," he said.

The White House declined requests from the Post for comment.

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Schalit dismisses Clinton, Carter
By JPOST.COM STAFF
07/17/2010 21:34

Noam Schalit will not "hang his hopes" on foreign negotiators.
Noam Schalit, father to kidnapped soldier Gilad, was indifferent to reports Saturday that former US Presidents Clinton and Carter would travel to Gaza to attempt to mediate a deal for Gilad Schalit.

Noam Schalit said he would not "hang his hopes" on foreign negotiators, and he called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to act to free his son.

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Schalit addressed a crowd of protesters at a tent outside the Prime Minister's residence, where they plan to remain until Gilad Schalit is released.

"Hundreds of people came for Shabbat," said Noam Schalit, "and tomorrow we will march to protest at the Prime Minister's government meeting."

An Egyptian newspaper report Saturday claims that Former US presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter may visit the Gaza Strip to broker a deal for the release of captured IDF soldier Gilad Schalit and to discuss the blockade on the Strip.

According to the report in Al Mesryoon, Washington, Cairo and Hamas are in talks to facilitate the visit. Such a visit, the paper noted, would signify greater openness by the Obama Administration towards Hamas, as previous contacts have been held unofficially and at a much lower level.

The report was not confirmed by any official Egyptian sources and could not be independently verified by The Jerusalem Post.

The possibility of Clinton serving as mediator in a prisoner swap deal with Hamas was raised by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu earlier this month when he met with the former president in the US.

Meanwhile Gilad Schalit's family remains in a tent site outside the Prime Minister's Residence, where they have been living for the past week, and where they say they will stay until the soldier returns home.
Talkback
Mr. Schalit, Carter and Clinton

Mr. Schalit is a brave soul deserving of everyone's admiration, respect and support. Carter is an enemy of Israel, an anti-semite and is not to be trusted (our worst president ever only perhaps to lose his title as worst president to Obama. As for Clinton...well...maybe..

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Turkey Claims Foothold in Old City

by Maayana Miskin
The Turkish organization TIKA, established and funded by the Turkish government, has recently put up several signs in the Old City of Jerusalem bearing the Turkish flag. The signs were hung without authorization, says Jerusalem activist Aryeh King, who has informed Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman of the matter.

TIKA is the Turkish government body responsible for regional development projects.

Two of the signs are hung along a major road with historic significance, Motti Gur Way. Motti Gur was the IDF commander who directed troops in retaking the Old City during the Six Day War. The road bearing his name leads from Jericho Way to Lions' Gate.

"That's where the order 'Go Bentzi, go!' was given as the paratroopers broke through Jordanian defenses around the Old City. From there the first paratroopers entered the Old City, from there they made it to the Temple Mount and the Kotel," King said.

The signs flout Israeli sovereignty in the Old City, he said. King plans to file a complaint with the Jerusalem municipality and to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

The TIKA website states that the signs were placed alongside projects in "Palestine." Turkey backs the Palestinian Authority's demand to include the Old City in a future PA-led Arab state.

"It seems the Turks have decided to challenge not only our right to exist in security not only within the borders of 'the state of Tel Aviv,' but also our sovereignty in Jerusalem," King said.

"Perhaps the time has come," he added, "for the Israeli government to start supporting tourist initiatives and social projects in Kurdistan? Perhaps the time has come for the honorable foreign minister to make some declarations regarding the Turkish occupation and widespread slaughter in Kurdistan?"

(IsraelNationalNews.com)
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Nazareth Weapons Gang Nabbed

by Maayana Miskin
Less than a month after the public was informed of the existence of a terrorist cell in the Israeli-Arab city of Nazareth, the Nazareth District Court revealed a second plot: a gang based in Nazareth that stockpiled, and dealt in, illegal weapons.

Ten Israeli-Arab residents of Nazareth and of the nearby town of Yafya were arrested in connection to the gang. One suspect is a minor.

The gang was active over the course of at least two years, police believe. Members are accused of dealing in weapons, illegal weapons possession, attempting to build a bomb, and other crimes.

At one point, members of the group planned to set fire to a local church. However, upon reaching the building they found the gate locked, and ultimately turned back without carrying out the planned attack.

The Nazareth-based terrorist group exposed in late June was also accused of attacks on local Christians. Members of the terror gang attacked and stabbed Jews and Christians, and threw firebombs at Christian homes in Nazareth.

(IsraelNationalNews.com)
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PA Says No to Obama Envoy on Direct Talks

by Maayana Miskin
Senior Fatah member Mohammed Dahlan announced Saturday that the Palestinian Authority will not hold direct negotiations with Israel at this time. The announcement followed a meeting between PA leaders and United States envoy George Mitchell.

Mitchell termed his meeting with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas "constructive" and "fruitful." He told reporters that the latest round of meetings with Israeli and PA leaders "began to achieve President Obama's vision for comprehensive peace."

US President Barack Obama spoke to Abbas by phone last week. Senior PA official Saeb Erekat later confirmed that the president urged Abbas to agree to direct talks.

Dahlan said the call for direct talks had been rejected because Mitchell "did not offer President Abbas and the Palestinian leadership any new Israeli responses regarding security and borders." The PA has demanded that Israel agree to the 1949 armistice line as the basis for determining the border of a PA state before moving to direct negotiations.

Abbas has also insisted that when it comes to security, talks begin at the point where negotiations between the PA and the Olmert administration left off in 2008.
(IsraelNationalNews.com)