This issue looks at Israel’s friend in Washington, Abbas’s latest threats, a thwarted Palestinian attack, a Federal Court ruling for Shariah, another suspicious death in Iran, more bluster by Ahmadinejad and Chavez, and the latest steps to curb Iran’s nuclear weapons program. OUR ISRAELI CONNECTION

Israel Finds a Friend in Washington

Jerusalem Prayer Team reports: Though the Obama Administration has been very hostile toward my friend Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government, the people of Israel still have friends in the capital. I was so pleased to read this story, and I wanted to share it with you. Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, who has been in the Senate for almost fifty years, said this week that an Iranian attack on Israel would be an act of war against the U.S. as well. Speaking to a group of students in Israel, Inouye said, “If the Iranians should ever develop a nuclear device or bomb, that could mean the end of the world as we know it in the Middle East. It would have an impact on all countries, not just Israel. As a result, our position is that if you attack Israel, you are attacking the United States.”

Abbas Threatens Tough Measures if Talks Fail
The Israel project reports: Senior Palestinian officials cast a large shadow over the latest talks with Israel taking place in Amman today. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned he would take “tough measures” if the parley failed. “Israel does not want serious negotiations,” said Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary-General Yasser Abd Rabbo. The Israelis have called for a successful outcome in their public statements on the Jordanian-chaired meetings, the first of which took place last week. The Israelis say further meetings are planned, while the Palestinians say they are considering once again turning to the United Nations in a bid to gain recognition there.

The Middle East peace Quartet, which is brokering the peace process, has repeatedly urged the Palestinians not to go down the unilateral route but gain statehood via negotiations. The Quartet is comprised of Russia, the United Nations, the European Union and United States.

Palestinian Nabbed with 11 Explosive Devices
Worthy News reports: A Palestinian was arrested by Military Police and Border Guard officers Sunday morning at the entrance to a checkpoint in the Jenin area in possession of an improvised gun, a commando knife and 11 explosive devices of different sizes. Three other men suspected of aiding him were also detained. According to suspicions, the four were on their way to carry out a terror attack. The checkpoint has been closed. Read more.

IT’S NEWS TO ME

Court: Oklahoma Can’t Enforce Shariah Law Ban
Yahoo News reports: A federal appeals court upheld an injunction against a voter-approved ban on Islamic law in Oklahoma on Tuesday, saying it likely violated the U.S. Constitution by discriminating against religion. A three-member panel of the Denver-based U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that the rights of plaintiff Muneer Awad, a Muslim man living in Oklahoma City, likely would be violated if the ban on Sharia law takes effect. Read more.

Iranian Uranium Enrichment Director Killed In “Suspicious” Attack
The Israel Project reports: Professor Ahmadi Roshan, 32, was a deputy director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. He was killed by a bomb placed in a car in Tehran, the Iranian Fars News Agency reported.  The blast occurred exactly two years after another Iranian nuclear scientist, Massoud Ali Mohammadi, was killed in a similar attack in Tehran in January 2010. Read more.

Ahmadinejad and Chavez Joke about a Coming “Big Atomic Bomb”
Jerusalem Prayer Team reports: Meeting together in Caracas, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reaffirmed their enmity toward the United States and Israel and joked about a “big atomic bomb” they said was about to be revealed. “When we meet, the devils go crazy,” Chavez said. The two nations have been increasing their trade and military ties, bound together by their common hatred of the Jewish people and the Western world.

Confronting the Global Threat from Iran
The Israel Project reports: Last month, President Barack Obama signed the Defense Authorization Act that for the first time imposed tough sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran – the mechanism by which Iran received foreign currency from its oil exports which finances its illegal nuclear weapons program. Just this week, Iran announced it was enriching uranium in a mountain bunker – a new step toward making a bomb. Now the fight is on to implement those sanctions – which represent the best hope of averting military actions to prevent Iran becoming a nuclear weapons state.

The law gives the President of the United States the ability to declare waivers to the law and several foreign countries are expected to apply for such waivers. At the moment, the top buyers of Iranian oil are China, Japan, India, Italy and South Korea. At the same time, several state legislatures have enacted disinvestment legislation. The New York State Assembly was the latest, passing a bill that will bar companies doing business in Iran from contracting with the State of New York. But other states have yet to act. Click here to see what you can do.

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