Doc's Talk: Hezbollah Planned Three Synchronized Attacks in Egypt

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Hezbollah Planned Three Synchronized Attacks in Egypt

Abdul Sittar Hatita
Asharq Alawsat

Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat - Sources close to the investigations into the Hezbollah cell in Egypt, which includes 49 suspects including Egyptian, Lebanese, and Sudanese nationals, revealed that the cell planned to carry out three major bombing operations in tourist areas of Egypt. Egypt stated Thursday that it told ambassadors of Arab countries about the investigations taking place with regards to the Hezbollah in Egypt case. Informed legal sources said that this case will be referred to the tribunal next week and that the 24 suspects at large include three Sudanese working for Hezbollah intelligence to transfer weapons from the Sudan-Egypt borders to the Sinai region, where Egypt borders Israel.

Ahmed Ragheb, the lawyer representing a number of suspects involved in the case, stated that it is most likely that the case will be transferred within the next few days to the concerned tribunal.

Meanwhile, sources close to the investigations said that on Wednesday night Supreme State Security continued interrogating a number of suspects on the role played by Hezbollah intelligence figure Mohammed Qablan, who is at large, in the case of the Hezbollah cell that was discovered in Egypt in order to know when he visited Cairo and Giza and other areas in the Suez Canal and Sinai regions.

The investigations with the accused suspects revealed that Qablan, along with some of his Hezbollah aides that came with him to Egypt on a number of occasions using code names, was planning to carry out three major attacks using explosive belts and car bombs in the tourist area of Taba, close to the Israeli-Egyptian borders, which is frequently visited by large numbers of Israeli tourists.

Sources added that the price of one of the vehicles that Hezbollah wanted to use in an operation to be carried out in tourist hotspots in the Red Sea area was paid during a meeting attended by Qablan, Mohammed Yousuf Mansour (also known as Sami Shehab) who has been detained in Egypt, and a number of Egyptian suspects, who are 1948 Arabs, living in Sinai. The vehicle was a small second-hand van, the kind usually used by local citizens in areas of the Red Sea and Sinai.

However, security sources denied that the van was among the items that were seized along with the suspects. The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat, “The issue of the van is being investigated and we know who paid for it but we do not know whether this vehicle is in the possession of State Security or if they are still looking for it, especially as there are other suspected members of the cell at large, some of which are hiding in the rugged mountains of Sinai.”

The sources close to the investigations said that following interviews carried out by Supreme State Security apparatus with a number of suspects – and after the Egyptian suspects (of Palestinian origin) admitted that there was another person of Lebanese origin [involved in the case] apart from Mohammed Mansour Yousuf (Chehab) – the suspects were interrogated once again in order to find out the identity of this Lebanese figure. The suspects said that he was the head of the Hezbollah cell in Egypt. It became clear that the figure was Mohammed Qablan, a senior Hezbollah activist close to the party’s intelligence division.

Sources added that Nasser Abu Umra, the accused Egyptian national of Palestinian origin, stated during an interrogation session on Wednesday night that he met a Lebanese person who was part of the Hezbollah cell and was planning to carry out bombings in Taba and that when Mohammed Yousuf Mansour (Chehab) was brought to Abu Umra, Abu Umra stated that it was not him even though Chehab knew him and admitted to meeting him a number of times in Al-Arish. The sources added that investigators showed a number of suspects a recent picture of Qablan, and that Abu Umra and other suspects in the case knew who he was. Abu Umra also said that he had met Qablan more than once in various parts of Egypt including Cairo and Giza.

The Supreme State Security continued its investigations on Wednesday night under the supervision of Hisham Badawi, the first Attorney General of the Supreme State Security, and launched an investigation into Nissar Jibreel who said in his statements that he is a member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in Al-Arish.

Jibreel admitted that he met Nasser Abu Umra at the beginning of 2005 and said that Nasser asked him to gradually distance himself from the Muslim Brotherhood so that he could join another group that aims to help the Palestinian nation, i.e. Hezbollah. He added that Abu Umra introduced him to Mohammed Youssef Mansour (Chehab). On Wednesday night, he added that Mohammed Youssef Mansour introduced himself as a Palestinian, and admitted that he was a member of Hezbollah, and said that he had taken part in a number of meetings with leading members of the party who were working towards setting up a cell inside Egypt.

The sources added that the accused members of the organization are facing a number of charges including spying for a foreign party (Hezbollah) intending to carry out terror attacks in Egypt, joining an unlawful group that uses terrorism as a means to achieve its goals, being in possession of explosives and forging official documents (passports).

Ahmed Ragheb, a lawyer from the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, who has been following the investigations with the suspects, expects that the case will be transferred next week. He said, “At present, investigations are being carried out…we are awaiting the decision to transfer the case to the tribunal and at the beginning of next week, the fate of these suspects will be clearer.”

Sources from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it had given Arab states all the information available on the case of the Hezbollah cell in Egypt. This took place during an open meeting held by Minister Abdel Rahman Salahaddin, Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs, with a number of Arab ambassadors based in Cairo.

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The IDF’s Minorities in Numbers and Pictures

In honor of IDF Diversity Week, we present diversity through numbers and pictures. Each year, more and more Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouin and immigrants from around the world take on the responsibility of defending Israel.

MUSLIMS:

Muslim Arab Israelis are not required to draft in the IDF, but there are many who volunteer. In 2013, there were over 200 Muslims serving in the IDF and over 300 in the reserves.

Bedouins:

Bedouins are nomadic Muslims who were in Israel when modern borders were set in place and are now considered Israeli citizens. They are not required to draft but a growing number choose to enlist. In 2012, there were over 1,400 Bedouin Muslim soldiers doing regular IDF service and almost 1,500 in the reserves.

Read more:http://www.idfblog.com/2014/02/27/truth-idf-numbers-pictures/#more-34027

Are you aware that in 2013, Middle class taxes go up-significantly?

In January of next year, the federal income tax rate for middle-class taxpayers is scheduled to rise from 25 percent to 28 percent, and the payroll tax is scheduled to rise from 13.3 percent to 15.3 percent… This drives the marginal tax rate based on the aforementioned three taxes to 48.12 percent. Add in state and local property, corporate, excise, and other state and local taxes, and the percentage of each additional dollar that is taxed hovers around 50 percent… When half of each additional dollar earned is taxed away, taxpayers experience a disincentive to start businesses or expand existing ones. This leads to fewer jobs being created.

Why is HAMAS Inside Tampa Schools?

Clare Lopez

Kelly Miliziano, who teaches history classes at Steinbrenner High School in the Tampa, Florida area apparently thinks it’s perfectly OK to invite a senior official of a HAMAS-affiliated organization into her classroom to discuss Islam with her students. According to local media reports, not only has this been going on for years, but in spite of the civil and criminal proceedings that could result from such reckless negligence, the Hillsborough County school superintendent, Mary Ellen Elia, and the chairman of the school board, Candy Olson, also expressed approval for students under their responsibility to be exposed repeatedly to guest speaker, Hassan Shibly, who is the Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the Tampa area.
More...

Did You Know... Ignoring the Call to Islam will Bring Jihad

‘Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa.’
-- Yousef al-Qaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader The Arabic word ‘Da’wa’ means the “call to Islam.” But do not think that Da’wa is the same thing as an invitation to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctrine of jihad mandates that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax before it is permissible to attack them.
Clare M. Lopez

Who is being discriminated-facts tell the truth

Religious bias

Hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,409 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-bias offenses showed:

65.4 percent were anti-Jewish.
13.2 percent were anti-Islamic.
9.5 percent were anti-other religion, i.e., those not specified.
4.3 percent were anti-Catholic.
3.8 percent were anti-multiple religions, group.
3.3 percent were anti-Protestant.
0.5 percent were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2010/narratives/hate-crime-2010-incidents-and-offenses.

On March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview

with PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a PLO executive, said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism."

"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

The Arab Apartheid

Ben-Dror Yemini
In 1948, the Arab countries refused to accept the UN partition proposal and they launched a war of annihilation against the State of Israel which had barely been established. All precedents in this matter showed that the party that starts the war - and with a declaration of annihilation, yet - pays a price for it. Between 550,000 and 710,000 Arabs fled because of the war and a larger number of 850,000 Jews were expelled or fled from Arab countries (the "Jewish nakba").
Population exchanges and expulsions were the norm at that time, occurring in dozens of other conflict points and affecting about 52 million people. In all the population exchange precedents that occurred during or at the end of an armed conflict, there was no return of refugees to the previous region, which had turned into a new national state.
Only the Arab states acted completely differently from the rest of the world. Instead of assimilating the refugees, they crushed them despite the fact that they were their coreligionists and members of the Arab nation - instituting a regime of apartheid. So the "nakba" was not caused by the actual dispossession, which had also been experienced by tens of millions of others. The "nakba" is the story of the apartheid, oppression, abuse and denial of rights suffered by the Arab refugees at the hands of the Arab countries. (Maariv)

International Law and Military Operations in Practice - Col. Richard Kemp

"Islamist fighting groups study the international laws of armed conflict carefully and they understand it well. They know that a British or Israeli commander and his men are bound by international law and the rules of engagement that flow from it. They then do their utmost to exploit what they view as one of their enemy's main weaknesses. Their very modus operandi is built on the correct assumption that Western armies will normally abide by the rules, while these insurgents employ a deliberate policy of operating consistently outside international law. "

Lost Historical Moments

What Rabin’s last Knesset speech really said:repudiation of a Palestinian state

Rabin ruled out a fully sovereign Palestinian state :

“We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority.”

Rabin ruled out a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and thus a return to the pre-June 1967 borders :

“The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines.”

Rabin ruled out withdrawing form the Jordan Valley:

“The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term.”

Rabin ruled out uprooting settlement blocs, like the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza (which was subsequently uprooted by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon):

“The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif.

AND

Rabin ruled out removing any settlement before coming to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians:

“I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.”

Rabin insisted on Israel retaining full security control of the borders with Egypt and Jordan, contrary to Israel’s relinquishment of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt:

“The responsibility for external security along the borders with Egypt and Jordan, as well as control over the airspace above all of the territories and Gaza Strip maritime zone, remains in our hands.”

Correcting Oslo Myths-Part 2

3) Kuttab laments that the post-1993 Oslo process resulted in a Palestinian Authority "whose ministers and legislators are not guaranteed passage between Gaza and the West Bank ...."

Before free passage or other perquisites, PA leaders were obligated, among other things, to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, end anti-Israeli, antisemitic incitement in schools, mosques, and communications media, and resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiations. They met none of these commitments, sometimes bolstering terrorism and greatly increasing incitement.

4) Kuttab complains that under Oslo the PA got "lightly armed police ---- but no real sovereignty over the land or contiguity between our communities in Gaza and the West Bank."

Oslo agreements repeatedly were revised, regardless of Palestinian non-compliance, until the authorized number of police grew from 8,000 to 40,000. Though they were to be the only armed forces in the territories, Israeli estimates early in the second intifada put the number of gunmen - police, "security services," terrorists, and armed gangs - at 85,000. Their armament reportedly included not only heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but also anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Sovereignty was to be negotiated in the envisioned 1998 "final status" talks - after a five-year period of confidence-building. Palestinian leadership chronically undermined the process. Palestinian terrorism made the 1993 - 1998 Oslo period more deadly for Israelis than the 15 years preceding it.

The United States doesn't have contiguity between the lower 48 states and Alaska and Hawaii; territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip - that is, through the 20 miles of Israeli territory between them - was never promised and would destroy Israeli contiguity.

5) "Palestinians have been made to endure hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank, an eight-foot wall deep in our territories, and tight Israeli control over borders."

The security barrier is not "deep in Palestinian territories," but rather encompasses less than 8 percent of Judea and Samaria, and is mostly a fence, rarely a wall; the land in question is not "our [Palestinian] territories" but disputed territory to which, according to the authors of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, Jews as well as Arabs have claims; and there are no international borders, only the 1949 armistice lines with Jordan. Under 242, borders remain to be negotiated. As for checkpoints - like the security barrier and "tight Israeli control" - Palestinian Arabs precipitated these measures themselves. No terrorism and there would be no fence or tight Israeli control and few checkpoints - like before the first intifada.

Correcting Some Oslo Myths

1) In Oslo "Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders promised that ... Palestinian sovereignty would be solidified."

No, they didn't. The 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent Oslo agreements outlined a process by which final status negotiations about the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be reached. The process required an end to anti-Israel terrorism and incitement and a commitment to peaceful negotiations. The PA, Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other terrorist groups, sabotaged the process from the start.

2) "The reality is that, in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which states that it is inadmissible to occupy land by force, Palestinian territories are still under foreign military occupation."
Wrong again. Resolution 242 (1967) does note "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." It also affirms the right of every state in the area "to live in peace with secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." There were no "Palestinian territories." Jordan occupied the West Bank, Egypt controlled Gaza. Israel did not have "secure and recognized boundaries," so retention of some of those territories was possible under 242. Israel is not a "foreign" military occupier in the West Bank but, pending final negotiations, the lawful military administrator as a result of a successful war of self-defense.

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