Author: Michael Tobin

I was recently given a private intelligence briefing about the Iranian nuclear program, on the condition that I would refer to the source only as a “Western source.” The briefing presented three conclusions very relevant to concerns about nuclear threats in the world.

1) The Iranian Nuclear program is not a civilian program with a military potential. It is a pure military program thinly cloaked as a civilian one for the purpose of delaying international pressure.

2) Iran already has the capability to make a bomb. When they will do it is, “mainly a political question.”

3) The nuclear program is vulnerable to air strikes.

Addressing the first point, the source pointed to the number of centrifuges Iran is operating: roughly 5000. To produce fuel for one power plant, “They need to have 50,000 centrifuges of the type they have at Natanz.” However, they have more than enough operating centrifuges to enrich enough uranium for a bomb. “If they want to produce one bomb a year, they need 2500 or 3000 centrifuges.”

The discovery of the mountainside enrichment facility at Qom showed that Iran is having trouble with its technology because the enrichment there didn’t work. Also, according to the source, it showed the intent of the Shiite regime. “It is way too small to serve civilian interest…You would need Qom to work 20 years to produce one year of nuclear fuel. But it is exactly what you need for a military program.”

He also pointed to the fact that Iran’s Defense Minister has been operating a shadow nuclear program, paralleling the steps of the Atomic Energy Agency.

On the second point, the source says Iran had perfected most of the technology for a nuclear bomb in 2003. “We know that the Iranians don’t only have documents but produced the components, fabricated some components of nuclear weapons and tested them…They were good enough to prove that their design works.” Only one problem kept Iran from taking the final step. “There was one thing missing in 2003 which kept them from building a bomb, the ability to enrich uranium,” said the source.

Then, press reports leaked details of Iran’s nuclear ambition and the US toppled the neighboring regime in Iraq citing the threat of weapons of mass destruction.  Iran put the brakes on its nuclear program.

When the Shiite regime eventually resumed the quest for nuclear capability, the emphasis was on its weakness: the ability to enrich uranium. Some effort was paid to the development and improvement of ‘dual use’ components. Which means components that could be explained away to the international community as having a different purpose, but could be used in a nuclear bomb.  There is also a top-secret effort to develop and test components specific to a nuclear bomb. He singled out the ‘neutron initiator’ as an example. This acts like a spark plug to begin a nuclear reaction.

The source believes Iran is trying to minimize its “breakout time” before making a sprint toward a nuclear weapon. There will come a point when Iran takes a step, which removes any doubt in the international community that the ambition is indeed a weapon.  That step will shock the international community into action and bring a great deal of pressure on Iran.  Leaders of that country want that pressure to be on them for as short a time as possible until they can announce they have the bomb.

The source predicts the breakout will occur when Iran makes the move toward highly enriched or weapons grade uranium. Uranium sits in the ground at .7% purity. To fuel a nuclear power plant you only need to get the uranium to 3.5% purity. Weapons grade uranium is 93.5% pure. But 3.5% purity does not mean the uranium is only a fraction of the way toward weapons grade. The source says once the uranium is at fuel grade 60% of the work has already been done.  If the uranium is brought up to 20% purity, only a short step remains to arrive at weapons grade.  Iran has already enriched a small amount to 20% purity saying it was for the research reactor in Tehran.

So, the source believes Iran is buying time, preparing and testing components for a weapon. But the focus is on building better confidence with their centrifuges and stockpiling fuel grade uranium.  That way, when the regime decides, Iran can make a bold move and the mad dash to get a weapon before the world can stop it. However, no one knows when the starter gun will fire for that sprint to start. “The answer is that we don’t know when they will have a bomb. They don’t know.”

Iran’s glaring vulnerability is still enrichment. “The centrifuges are Pakistani by design. They are not good centrifuges.” I mentioned earlier that the enrichment facility at Qom wasn’t working. Other centrifuges also crash frequently. Although Iran possesses a vast underground network of tunnels, the intelligence community believes the only working centrifuges are in Natanz. “We do not know of another enrichment facility,” Said the source.

Iran does have more than a dozen nuclear facilities spread out around the country. However, because all of the effective centrifuges are in one location, there exists a target for air strikes, which could effectively set back Iran’s nuclear program. “If Natanz is hit or severely damaged in terms of capacity…the Iranian program will be compromised, damaged. They will not have the capability to enrich,” said the source.

After more than a half a decade based in the Middle East , this was supposed to be my smooth transition back to stateside living. I guess I should have thought to check my volcano forecast before getting on the plane in Tel Aviv.

No one on the plane seemed to suspect a thing was wrong. On approach to Heathrow the TV monitors were all askew. The airline blankets were kicked about like a teenager’s bedroom and the flight attendants had bright shiny smiles on their faces as I was asked to store my laptop for landing.

Just as we were getting ready to get off one plane and I was getting ready to switch to another, the announcement went out that all of us needed to fill out immigration cards in London , get off the plane and get our bags. There was a cloud from a volcano in Iceland and the airspace over Great Britain would be closed. A couple of shrieks went out among the passengers. I just wondered how long this delay would last. This is my first volcanic cloud. Rockets, grenades, tear gas, I’m a conniseur, but a volcanic cloud? I’ve got no prior experience for that and no idea what to expect for how long this is going to take.

The line was long through passport control but then again, after six years coming and going through Israel, I’ve seen worse. Re-claiming baggage was hectic because the bags were all coming off on the wrong belts. My luggage was easier to locate cause each bag was big enough to haul a small pony. After all, I’m not just headed on vacation, I’m moving. So, I got the baggage cart and took an elevator to the top floor to the British Airways help counter. Forget discussing plans for a new flight, BA’s assistance was only geared towards getting people into hotels. The scheduled flights were all still listed on the departures board with the word ‘cancelled’ flashing after each flight. Meanwhile, British Airways employees worked their way up and down the line handing out water and snacks.

Then the discussion began about whether British officials were being too cautious at our expense. But the majority consensus seemed to accept that they delays were preferable to taking a risk that could cause a tragedy.

However, it became apparent, after a while, that this line was not the path to my salvation. I contacted Fox headquarters in NY to see if anyone wanted me to jump on the air and talk about this, wheeled my towering baggage cart out of the line and got a cab. I hadn’t picked up any British pounds so I had some hassles with the cab (I figured I could get away with credit card.) But the bright spot to this whole thing is that I had an unplanned reunion with my colleague Amy Kellogg and some of the rest of the Fox crew doing lives by the airport.  I jumped on the air for a quick live shot and Bill Hemmer busted my chops because I haven’t shaved in a while.

That wraps up the adventure to this point. The official word is that British airspace will open up sometime around 6pm on Friday. I don’t think many people here have much experience with volcanic clouds either. I get the feeling that time frame could slide. I’ve been stuck in worse places than this and the pubs are open. I’ll try to be strong.

Ever since there have been cell phones, intelligence experts have understood the importance of tracking cell phone communications of people involved in the planning of terrorist attacks.

Problem is: terrorists understood that as well and got around sophisticated tracking by simply switching cell phones and SIM cards. An Israeli company called Genesis has combined tracking technology with algorithms that generate profiles of suspects.  These profiles based on who they call or where they call from exist independent of SIM cards and phone numbers. When the suspect suddenly breaks the pattern, like moving to a new city, the system sends out an alert. Intelligence analysts know to start paying closer attention.

Genesis is not marketing this program as the fool proof plan that can expose every terrorist plot. It’s just one more tool to keep an eye on violent radicals.

The defiant persistence to keep building in the West Bank coupled with announcements of new construction in east Jerusalem has left Israel all alone in the world.  The Jewish State is taking shots from every angle and can’t find a friend, even in Washington.

Arab leaders, of course, hate every brick laid because each one represents, at best, the weakened bargaining position of Palestinians before they even take the, seemingly futile, step of 3 party proximity talks.  At worst, they represent the gobbling up of land Palestinians believe to be theirs and the diminished possibility of a viable Palestinian state.  So, it would be a waste of your time for me to quote Arab anger in this forum.

It is more significant when you note the top diplomat of Israel’s best friend took a jab at the Jewish state. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, “New construction in east Jerusalem or the West Bank undermines that mutual trust and endangers proximity talks that are the first step toward the full negotiations that both sides say they want and need.”

Then General David Petraeus, took a rare diplomatic jab while still in his capacity as commander of US Central command. He said the lack of progress toward a resolution in the Israel/Palestinian conflict troubles the US position in the Middle East. “Israeli-Palestinian tensions often flare into violence and large scale confrontations. The conflict foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of US favoritism for Israel.  Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of US partnerships with governments and peoples in the AOR and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world.”

No one was ever under the perception that the UN coddled Israel, but Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon got in his jabs as well. “I made it clear that all this settlement activity is illegal and inserting settlers into Palestinian communities in Jerusalem is particularly troubling. This leads to tensions and undermines the prospects for addressing the final status of Jerusalem.”

The status of Jerusalem is centerpiece in the most recent troubles. Hawks in Netanyahu’s government like interior minister Eli Yishai keep announcing new construction there and leave Netanyahu the burden of answering to the US leaders who would have asked for the bricklaying to stop.

Their position has long been that East Jerusalem is not up for negotiation. It will remain a unified capitol of Jerusalem after final status negotiations. Therefore, as Netanyahu told his cabinet, “from our point of view, construction in Jerusalem is like construction in Tel Aviv.” And the hawks in Netanyahu’s government have timed the announcements of their point of view to crash into Netanyahu’s visits with American leaders for maximum impact.

The world community has a different view of East Jerusalem. The border that existed before the 1967 war ran right down road #1.  The East side was controlled by Jordan. The West Side was Israel. Both sides were called Jerusalem.  As Israel builds on the East side, the UN calls it illegal and the Palestinian President says he will not return to talks.

The rest of the West Bank is held in different regard by Netanyahu’s government. It is negotiable, with the exception of the major settlement blocks.  That is why he agreed to halt permits for new construction for a 10 month period.  That moratorium ends in September. Although construction never stopped on partially completed housing, in September the moratorium on new housing expires.  Expect great outrage because Netanyahu has already promised to break new ground for Jewish housing in the West bank then.

The only supporters Netanyahu can find are the same right-wing ministers who keep announcing the new construction.  They have polarized against the US administration. Y-net quotes Science and technology minister Daniel Hershkowitz, “We are not an American satellite.”  Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said, “The Americans also need to understand that if the pressure continues to be one-sided it won’t contribute, and may even lead to an opposite effect – AKA boomerang.”  The Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Dany Dannon, played the exodus card in the lead-up to Passover, “President Obama’s condescending and insulting behavior reminds us of how we were treated by the Pharaoh in Egypt…We won’t bow to foreign rulers.”

If you ever read Dennis Ross’ book, ‘the Missing Peace’ you saw that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been in this position before: caught between an act of contrition desired by the White House, and the bellicose defiance so admired by the hawks in his right wing government.

Netanyahu was already caught between a rock and a hard place.  Then while US Vice President Joe Biden was visiting Israel, Interior Minister Eli Yishai decided to give Uncle Sam a slap upside the head.  Yishai announced plans to build 1600 new apartments in East Jerusalem, clear defiance of the US wishes to stop all construction which could aggravate tensions with the Palestinians.  The Vice President was embarrassed.   Netanyahu’s place in the world became a little more rocky and hard.

As he jets West toward Pennsylvania Avenue, we’re getting a rough sketch of how the Prime Minister intends to chart a path of least resistance between the ally which keeps his Army well supplied and the Ministers who keep his ship afloat.

First, he refused to back down on the proposal for East Jerusalem housing construction.  Netanyahu’s government has always insisted that East Jerusalem is a separate issue from the rest of the West Bank and will remain part of Israel at the end of negotiations. “As far as we are concerned, building in Jerusalem is the same as building in Tel Aviv,” Netanyahu told his cabinet. That satisfied his Ministers.

To the US, he offered a number of concessions to the Palestinians. Netanyahu spoke of easing closures in and out of the Gaza strip to allow construction supplies through. The supplies will go to re-build homes destroyed in last January’s war.  He has also proposed a release of prisoners from the Fatah party, not Hamas.  That move is intended to be a shot in the arm to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, from the Fatah party.

The third, and possibly most important concession, has to do with the upcoming 3 party talks, to be mediated by the US. Netanyahu has agreed to allow discussion of the, so called, “Core Issues”: Final borders, East Jerusalem, Rights of Palestinian refugees and the Holy sights.

Discussion on those subjects creates a chance – and I stress chance – that the 3 way talks could be substantive and serve as more than a stepping-stone back to direct negotiations.

After private discussions, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton described Netanyahu’s concessions as “Useful and Productive.”

Following that, US Middle East envoy George Mitchell extended a formal invitation for Netanyahu to meet with US President Barack Obama, which is more than Netanyahu had the last time he visited the US.

I asked Netanyahu’s spokesman, Mark Regev, if he was relieved to get the invite.

“We welcome the invitation,” said Regev.

“But are you relieved?” I pressed.

“I’ll leave that for the columnists,” Responded Regev. “We welcome the invitation

Attempting to end his visit to Israel on a positive note, in his final speech, US Vice President Joe Biden stressed the enduring friendship between Israel and the United States.  But it was impossible to ignore the bad blood which boiled to the surface on this visit. The headlines in the Hebrew press read that He’d been “embarrassed” by Israel, “The Slap heard Round the World”, read once newspaper. It was a reference to Israel’s announcement of new Jewish housing to be built in disputed East Jerusalem. Palestinians want that for the Capitol of their future state. The Government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says East Jerusalem is not negotiable and will be part of Israel after a final peace agreement.  His government seems committed to claiming the land one brick at a time, with no Palestinian input.

This, of course, humiliated Vice President Biden who is here representing a President who once demanded Israel halt all construction on disputed land. The only option for the Vice President was to rebuke the Israelis. He said, “That decision, in my view, undermined the trust required for productive negotiations. I, at the request of President Obama, condemned it immediately and unequivocally.”

The call for 1600 new apartments in East Jerusalem was bolstered by newspaper reports saying another 50-thousand units are in various stages of planning for East Jerusalem as well.

The probable casualty of Israel’s defiance is the only victory the Obama administration can boast in the Middle East.  Envoy George Mitchell was able to secure an agreement for 3 party talks with the US mediating.  It represents a step back from direct negotiations, but the hope was that the talks could steamroll into something more productive.

Upon hearing Israel’s plan for new construction, the Secretary General of the Arab league, Amr Moussa, told reporters that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pulled out of the three way talks. However, a PLO representative later clarified to Fox News that Palestinians feel it is justified to abandon negotiations but they want to let the US have a chance to pressure Israel into scrapping the construction plans before they bail on the talks. PLO executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi said of the construction plans; “All these are designed to scuttle American efforts at trying to re-launch any kind of talks, be they direct or indirect.”

It was Israel’s interior Minister Eli Yishai who made the announcement about the new construction, while Vice President Biden was meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Defiant as ever, Yishai offered an apology, but only for the timing of the announcement.

It is a different kind of mission on which five of America’s greatest heroes of flight are now embarked.  Instead of breaking the sound barrier, setting foot on the moon or heroically steering a wounded spacecraft back to mother earth, Jim Lovell, Neil Armstrong, Gene Cernan, Bob Gilliland and Steve Ritchie are now orbiting the Middle East, touching down at US bases. They want to remind the people who are honoring their commitment to national defense that someone stands behind them, all politics aside.

Neil Armstrong, in particular, has publicly shared his opinion that the US should not take on the burden of being the world’s police force. However, he shows nothing but support when it comes to the individual soldier, sailor, airman or marine.  “They were asked to come,” said Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon. “I’m just here to bring them a little bit of home. To tell them that people do appreciate and acknowledge what they’re doing.”

Steve Ritchie, is the only pilot to achieve the title ‘Ace’ in the Vietnam war. He got that for shooting down five enemy planes in dogfights. That was the last time someone earned the moniker.  He returned to find a “hostile” segment of the American population that had turned against the fighting men and women because of disagreements with the politicians who sent them to fight.  “Being on a college campus was a very unhappy experience,” he told me. “One good thing about this time is that even those who disagree with our policy, seem to, pretty much, support our men and women.”

Ritchie also noted the complexity of the current enemy: the individuals are spread out, hard to define and parents pass the fight down to their children. He called it the most important conflict America has ever engaged.

Jim Lovell, the guy who famously never stood on the moon but steered Apollo 13 back into Earth’s atmosphere, seemed unimpressed with himself.  “I’m just a plain old citizen who, in the past perhaps, I did something unusual,” he told me. “I’d like to pass that along to these people who are also unusual and going a good job.” The troops he came to support showed disagreement with Lovell’s ‘pain old’ assessment by packing an auditorium at a forward air base.  Sr. Airman Mark Alexander said a visit by these heroic pilots/astronauts does more for him than any actor, athlete or pin up girl. “They’ve been outside the world. People like me in the Air Force, we look up to people like that,” he said.

After taking the unprecedented step of locking up a British Journalist in the Gaza strip, the Iranian-backed, radical, Hamas has now decided to extend his detention by 15 days.

Paul Martin was abruptly taken into Hamas custody on February 14 as he was testifying in a Palestinian military tribunal.  He was testifying on behalf of a Gaza man accused of collaborating with Israel and the prosecutor just ordered Hamas forces to jail Martin, according to witnesses.

Hamas has never been very clear as to why Martin is being held. The charge is that he “Harmed state security.” His lawyer says prosecutors told him more time was needed to investigate the charges.

3D looks cool, but you can’t be bothered going to the theatre? Or you just can’t stand the idea of wearing those glasses? Well an Israeli company has brought 3D to a flat screen near you.

When the peace process is deadlocked and Palestinian hopes for statehood seem beyond reach, frustration peaks. Violence can flare up with only a spark.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu provided that spark when he included two more shrines in the list of Israeli national heritage sights.

The shrines are Rachel’s tomb in Bethlehem and The tomb of the Patriarch in Hebron. The latter being particularly contentious because Abraham is believed to be buried there. Therefore, the site is sacred to both Jews and Muslims.

Netanyahu made the declaration under pressure from right wing politicians in his government. Palestinians viewed it as a land grab. President Mahmoud Abbas from the Fatah party called the move a “severe provocation” and said it could spark a religious war.

The Gaza based Prime Minister from the radical Hamas, Ismayel Haniya, called on Palestinians to return to the streets and begin another “Intifada” or uprising.

The young rock throwers had already answered his call. In the West Bank town of Hebron they have taken to the streets for the last two days throwing rock. In the usual cat and mouse game, Israeli soldiers responded with tear gas.

Israeli President Shimon Peres said the clashes were trumped up with the intention of putting pressure on Israel.

Rattling a saber and marketing a product at the same time, Israel rolls a new Unmanned Arial Vehicle into action.

The Eitan or Heron is not just any drone. It’s a whopper as big as a Boeing 737, capable of staying in the air for 20 hours and capable of reaching Iran.

That brings us to the saber rattling motivation of rolling this aircraft out before the cameras.  An Israeli Air Force commander said, “It could reach anywhere that the Israeli air force needed to reach.” Consider that a thinly veiled reminder to Iran and the rest of the world that Israel is aggressively maintaining its ability to strike Iran if sanctions are not effective at discouraging the nuclear ambition of the Islamic regime.

The other motivation is commercial. Israel Aerospace Industries want to sell this UAV to other countries.

It is capably of flying higher than any other drone. The original plan for the aircraft was deep penetration to do things like surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition. But at the end of the day, it is a big airplane that can be customized to carry all types of loads including mid-air refueling gear and weapons.

After faltering on the brink of success, the prisoner exchange deal intended to free the kidnapped Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, will get what appears to be a final push at the end of this month.

The German mediator is returning to Israel/Palestinian territories pushing his own proposal to both Hamas and Israel. He laid down his proposal last November then returned to Germany, giving both sides time to think it over.

Hamas has demanded a total of 1000 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails in exchange for Shalit. The biggest hang up, still troubling the deal is Israel’s demand that certain prisoners be exiled upon their release.

The German mediator is expected to tell both Israel and Hamas that this is their last chance. They need to make compromises now or Gilad Shalit and the designated Palestinian prisoners will not see freedom. This will put him at odds with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said earlier this week that Israel made its final offer.

It is usually a last ditch effort when the negotiator writes up his own proposal.

The mediator is also expected to meet with Egyptian intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman and urge him to put all of Egypt’s resources to work, encouraging the completion of the prisoner swap.

The cloak and dagger world of international espionage and assassinations has had its cloak lifted, to some extent, in this modern world monitored by security cameras.

Never before has the lead up to and aftermath of an assassination been documented as it was in Dubai, January 18 of this year when Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh was killed. Mabhouh was a top operative for Hamas connected to the kidnapping and killing of two Israeli soldiers as well as rocket smuggling to Gaza.

Security cameras catch the 10-men and 1 woman on the alleged hit squad, following the intended victim from the airport, through Al Bustan Hotel and right to his room. Two of the alleged members of the hit squad, dressed in tennis gear, ride the elevator with the target to confirm he stayed in room 230.

Cameras catch members changing their appearances, donning wigs and mustaches. Ultimately, after alleged members of the hit squad entered the room, spotters patrolled the hallway in front.  Mabhouh is caught on camera headed to room 230 in the final minutes of his life. 26 minutes later, apparent assassins and their spotters casually head for the elevators. Even their departure through Dubai international airport is caught on camera.

Two days later, Mabhouh’s body was found. Cause of death: suffocation.

Alon Ben David, who specializes in security analysis for Israel Channel 10, went to Al Bustan Hotel. “The first thing that struck me was the amount of cameras,” he said. “They had to know they would be videotaped.”  That is why you see some of them changing disguises several times. Ben David assumes the operatives don’t look much like the images caught on the video and passport photos Dubai police released to the media.  Therefore their cover may not be blown. “I would not consider them burnt already,” says Ben David. “But they probably won’t travel to Dubai soon.”

Although it is widely suspected that Israel is behind the assassination, even the Dubai police cannot make the accusation. Police Chief, Lt. General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, can only say that Israel is not ruled out.

An order for Israel’s Mossad to carry out an assassination would have to come from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself. Predictably, his office is not commenting. In fact his assistants now ask reporters to submit their questions in writing then wait for a response. Therefore, while they sit on the written question, a reporter can not even say the Prime Minister’s office refused to respond.

Ben David says, if indeed Netanyahu is responsible, this reflects an aggressive tactic from his government; keep the radicals in fear for their lives and on the run. That way, they don’t have time to attack.

The Iranian backed, radical Islamic group Hamas has taken the unprecedented step of detaining a freelance journalist working in the Gaza strip. Documentary filmmaker Paul Martin was detained Sunday. Hamas says he will be held for 15 days on a charge that he “harmed State security and the safety of the people of Gaza.”

His arrest happened abruptly during a military tribunal in Gaza on Sunday. Martin had been called to testify on behalf of Mohammed Abu Muailik, a Gaza man accused of collaberating with Israel.  Martin had just begun to speak when the prosecutor ordered Hamas police to take him into custody. Ehad Jaber, the attorney representing Muailik says police were rough with Martin.

There are indications that the impetus to even turn attention to Martin came from statements Muailik made in his confession. Jaber says the confession was coerced. “Anyone was under such torture would say the same,” he said.

The Foreign Press Association out of Jerusalem issued a statement. “We expect Hamas as we do all parties, to respect the rights of every journalist on assignment to work without fear of being arrested.”

The Palestinian Minister in the middle of the Palestinian Sex Tape/corruption scandal crawls out of hiding, and blames it on Israel.

Rafiq Al-Husseini, former Chief of Staff to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas broke his silence. He is accused of telling a female who applied for work in his office that her path to employment was through the bedroom.  She allegedly told intelligence officers who hooked up cameras in her apartment. Al-Husseini showed up, then nuded-up and the boys from intelligence stepped in and ruined the romance of Ramallah.

Al-Husseini held a press conference and said the whole scandal, which was first aired on Israel Channel 10, is a conspiracy. He says his voice was dubbed on the videotape for the purpose of blackmail, both political and financial. He said the tape was intended to compel him to resign and “leave the homeland.” Al-Husseini promised he would “continue to fight corruption and confront the occupation in Jerusalem, my city, my battle, my destiny.”

President Abbas suspended Al-Husseini pending an investigation.

It also came to light that the whole incident is a year and a half old. Al-Hussieni says he told President Abbas at the time and stayed on the job. A senior Palestinian oficial, who asked to be nameless, told me today that it would have been better for the Palestinian Authority if Al-Husseini had bowed out then.

Maybe…There was a lot more news taking place a year and a half ago. That was the run-up to the war in Gaza. It’s possible no one would have picked up the story back then.

All the sordid details of the Palestinian sex tape scandal are rising to the surface the way scum does on a stagnant pond.

The allegations in the sex scandal itself read like a textbook sexual harassment or coercion case. The whistleblower provided the tape to Israel Channel 10 reporter Tzvi Yehezkeli and told him it starts with the Secretary General to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.  Rafik Al Husseini is his name and he wanted to hire a second secretary. A woman applied. Yehezkeli says through a series of text messages and meetings, Al Husseini let the applicant know, if she wanted the office job, she needed to meet him in the bedroom for a little manual labor first.

She reported that to Palestinian intelligence, who set up cameras in her apartment. When Al Husseini showed up, allegedly to welcome the applicant to the work force in the most primitive way, tape was rolling. Shortly after Al Husseini got in his bureaucratic birthday suit, intelligence officers blew the mood by storming the boudoir. The allegation goes on to say Al Husseini apologized and offered them “anything” to make this story go away.

The whistleblower, Fahmi Shabaneh, is now on the run.  He was the head of the anti-corruption unit in the Palestinian Authority. In addition to the sex tape, he has provided to Yehezkeli evidence of millions and millions of dollars leaking from government bank accounts to private ones.

A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, Tayeb abdel Rahim,told reporters that Shabaneh’s allegations are, “lies and unreal stories made by a former low ranking Palestinian officer.” He said, “this officer was fired more than 2 years ago and he is a collaborator with the Israeli government.” The Palestinian Authority issued an arrest warrant for Shabaneh alleging the following crimes: damaging the honor of the State, conspiracy to commit murder and real estate crimes.  Shabaneh is no where to be found.

If you thought politicians in the Western world had the market cornered on sex scandals and the pious Islamic faithful in Palestinian Government could stay smut free, think again. There is a scandal bursting open in the West Bank that has all the elements: sex, politicians, videotape and blackmail. However, what makes this scandal unique is that the man executing the blackmail is doing it in the name of clean government.

Fahmi Shabaneh was the head of the anti-corruption unit in the Palestinian authority. He rounded up a pile of what he calls evidence of chronic corruption in the government. In that pile is a tape showing the Secretary General to President Mahmoud Abbas, Rafik Al Husseini. Shabeneh claims the tape shows Husseini doing things he doesn’t want his Mullah or wife to see with an unidentified woman.

Shabaneh deposited the incriminating documents and the sex tape with Israel Channel 10 reporter Tzvi Yehezkeli with instructions to publish the sex tape tomorrow night.  Then he demanded that President Abbas take serious steps to clean up the Palestinian Authority. If not, Yehezkeli is instructed to go public with the rest of the documents in 2 weeks.

Like a good reporter does, Yehezkeli pulled a  few stills off the videotape and released them to promo his upcoming reports.

The Israeli media is alight with a story that has nothing to do with the Arab conflict today. They watched the superbowl ads and Israelis say one of the Coca Cola ads is a knock off of a campaign that ran in Israel for years.

Take a look at the links and make your own judgement: Knock off? Or great minds thinking alike?

Now here’s the add for Coca Cola:

Israeli President Shimon Peres stood just a few hundred yards from spot where Nazi Leadership orchestrated the “Final Solution” to the “Jewish Question.” At his podium he wore a yarmulke and addressed the German Bundestag, or Parliament.  He spoke on the 65^th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, a day now known as Holocaust Remembrance Day. In Hebrew, he recited the prayer for the dead.  As Peres honored six million Jews who’s lives were simply discarded by Nazi Germany, every man woman and child in the chamber rose to his or her feet.

Peres told Germany’s leaders of the last time he saw his grandfather at a train station in Vishniev, Belarus, when he was just 11 years old. Then he told of how his Grandfather and family were herded in to their community Synagogue, the doors locked and the wooden building burned to the ground.

As Peres talked about the shared darkness in their past, it was clear Israel and Germany are striving toward a unity in their future. The Israeli president was preceded by House Speaker; Dr. Norbert Lammert. “We Germans bear responsibility for the state of Israel” He said, “Israel’s right to exist is non-negotiable.”

That last line is an indicator of the unified front the two nations are now presenting to Iran. A German contractor broke an agreement for construction on the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran, because that is the port from which the weapons smuggling ship ‘Francop’ originated.  German giant Siemens cancelled a massive natural gas contract and announced and end to future business with the Iranian regime. Both of those deals ended at the urging of the Government.

Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a new round of sanctions against Iran.  She also suggested that if Russia and China block new sanctions in the UN, friendly nations should assemble their own front against Iran’s nuclear ambition.

Yesterday evening I had a conversation with President Peres in his Hotel suite. He told me, as they forge a new future together, the German leaders “Are showing their friendship in words and in deeds as well.”