Prime Minister Ehud Olmert informed American Jewish leaders Monday that Jews outside of Israel have no right to intervene in any decision regarding the status of Jerusalem.

Olmert declared at a news conference Monday following his meeting with leaders of U.S. Jewish communities that "the government of Israel has a sovereign right to negotiate anything on behalf of Israel," making it clear that Jews outside of Israel had no right to participate in decisions about the future of Jerusalem.  The prime minister told reporters that the issue had "been determined long ago."

His remarks were seen as a slap to American Jewish leaders who oppose tentative plans by the Olmert administration to put Jerusalem on the negotiating table.

Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Vice President of the National Council of Young Israel, told hundreds of Jews in Chicago Monday night that "Yerushalayim is not for discussion, Yerushalayim is not for sale, Yerushalayim must remain undivided forever." Participants at the prayer vigil were led by the rabbis of the community in chanting tehillim (psalms) and speaking out against the division of Jerusalem and the Land of Israel. A statement sent to the media noted that "for at least one night both the Religious Zionist/Modern Orthodox and Aguda communities stood side by side to pray for what most matters."

Chicago prayer vigil against territorial concessions in Jerusalem and Israel
Photo: Yosef Rabin

The prime minister's statement also did not seem to take into account a declaration that was made decades ago by his predecessor, a founding father and the first Prime Minister of the State of Israel, David Ben Gurion during a session of the first Knesset in Tel Aviv.

"The attempt to sever Jewish Jerusalem from the State of Israel," warned Ben Gurion in 1949, "will not advance the cause of peace in the Middle East or in Jerusalem itself. Israelis will give their lives to hold on to Jerusalem, just as the British would for London, the Russians for Moscow and the Americans for Washington."

The Orthodox Union (OU) immediately responded to the prime minister's remarks with a statement saying it did not intend to dictate policy to Israel, but expressed its "resolute stand" that all Jews in the world have a share in "the holy city of Jerusalem."

Agudath Israel of America adopted a resolution Sunday at its 85th national convention in Connecticut bluntly stating "Israel should not relinquish parts of Jerusalem to Palestinian sovereignty, and the American government should not pressure the Israeli government into doing so."

Both statements echoed an assertion published on the website of the Coordinating Council on Jerusalem which states unequivocally that "World Jewry opposes Israeli negotiations which would include any discussion of ceding sovereignty over part or all of Jerusalem." 

The group soberly notes in its statement that this is "the first time since the establishment of the State of Israel that a significant group of American Jewish organizations have created a broad united front to pursue a policy directly involving Israel that is based on an explicit principle that supercedes deference to the sitting Israeli government."

American Jewish and Christian leaders met Monday with White House officials to discuss their concerns about the events taking place in Annapolis Tuesday.

Nathan Diament, public policy director for the Orthodox Union, led the group of American Jewish and Christian leaders who met with Stephen Hadley, the National Security Advisor for U.S. President George W. Bush and other senior White House officials.

Included in the delegation was Jeff Ballabon, head of the Coordinating Council for Jerusalem, as well as representatives from Agudath Israel and the National Council of Young Israel, David Brog of the Christians United for Israel, the Southern Baptist Convention and former presidential candidate Gary Bauer. 

"We had a constructive and meaningful conversation…." said Diament following the meeting, adding "We were happy to share with them the perspective of Americans who in their synagogues and church pews regularly pray for the peace of Israel and the rebuilding of Jerusalem."

The Paris Square protest, held under the slogan "It Will Blow Up in Our Faces," comes on the heels of a mass prayer gathering for the sake of Jerusalem's unity held at the Western Wall in the capital's Old City earlier in the day. The prayer gathering was promoted by leading rabbis of the religious Zionist community in Israel.

Four young Land of Israel activists were arrested Monday night when they tried to voice their protest by blocking a road in Jerusalem. Police say one of the activists was carrying a sharp object. The four have been taken in for questioning.

Yesha Council head Danny Dayan spoke with Arutz Sheva during the Paris Square protest:

"Tens of thousands came. And as the danger to Jerusalem - to the Land of Israel grows, the numbers will grow larger. I very much hope that we will not have to gather larger demonstrations, that we will be able to halt this dangerous process, but we can tell Olmert and the People of Israel, 'Be sure of this: if need be, Land of Israel loyalists will volunteer for that effort. And because we have the greater determination, the greater faith, we will win.'"

Coalition MKs Speak Out
Knesset Member Zeev Elkin, a member of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Kadima party, said that the true success of the protest is measured by the presence and participation of coalition members. "What will ultimately determine things is the Israeli political system," Elkin told Arutz Sheva, "that is the true test."

Another Knesset member from within the coalition, David Rotem of Yisrael Beiteinu, said in an interview, "The public says - and we say - that we oppose the division of Jerusalem; we oppose concessions and gestures; we also oppose the release of terrorists. And we want the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister to wipe out terrorism."

MK's Effie Eitam and Aryeh Eldad of the joint National Union-National Religious Party faction did not attend the Paris Square event. The two opposition legislators explained that they did not wish to attend in protest over the participation of MKs from Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu.

"It makes no sense that, on the one hand, the Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu parties remain part of the government, and on the other hand, they will take part in a rally calling to cancel the government's evil decrees," Eitam and Eldad said in a joint statement.
"What will ultimately determine things is the Israeli political system." -- Kadima MK Zeev Elkin

Knesset Member Tzvi Hendel addresses the protest.

In response to the absence of the two leaders from the right-wing opposition, MK Rotem said, "What can I do? Part of the work of certain Knesset Members is creating division. They are without understanding. They don't understand that we are sitting in the government in order to prevent what they are unable to prevent from the opposition."

Both Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu spokesmen have said they will leave the government if Prime Minister Ehud Olmert compromises on "core issues," such as the status of Jerusalem or the final borders of an Arab state within Israel.

Speaking on Voice of Israel government radio on Monday morning, Yisrael Beiteinu MK Yisrael Hasson said that the current government is not likely to last much longer if Prime Minister Olmert continues its present policies and does not provide better security for the citizenry. If the government does not change course, Hasson explained, he will recommend to party leader and Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman that Yisrael Beiteinu withdraw from the coalition. Along with Lieberman's party and Shas, other members of the coalition are the Kadima, Labor and Pensioners parties.

Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman said the multinational Annapolis Summit had no chance of leading to significant change in the Middle East. Opposition leader
There is "no chance" Abbas will be able to control Gaza, Minister Lieberman said.
Knesset Member Binyamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, said that the conference could produce decisions that compromise Israeli security.

In an interview with the Knesset TV Channel on Monday, Minister Lieberman expressed confidence that Israel would not make dangerous concessions to the Palestinian Authority (PA). The Annapolis Summit is "a terrific cocktail party and a fantastic photo-op," but nothing else, Lieberman said.

Lieberman explained that he expects Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to rule out the formation of a Palestinian State until PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas can regain control of Gaza, which fell in a Hamas coup last summer. According to Lieberman, as long as Abbas does not control Gaza, he does not truly represent Arab public opinion.

Yet, there is "no chance" Abbas will be able to control Gaza, Minister Lieberman said, observing that Abbas cannot control Judea and Samaria at this time, either. "Because he is so weak, our minimum requests are more than he can accomplish," he added.

Saudis Refuse to Shake Hands
Minister Avigdor Lieberman's characterization of the Annapolis Summit as a "photo-op" may also have been overly generous. Saudi Arabian delegates to the conference categorically refused to shake hands with Israelis or to sit next to them at the conference's opening dinner in Washington Monday night.

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal said, "We are here for the serious business of making peace. It is not a sporting contest where you shake hands and let the best man win."

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert commented on the snub, "If someone doesn't want to shake my hand, I won't extend mine." He characterized his presence as representing the People of Israel, saying that the offense is not personal, but to the entire nation.

During the dinner, American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sat between Prime Minister Olmert and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. The Saudi delegate's seat was not placed next to that of an Israeli, in order that they would not be photographed together.

Likud Warns Against 'Israeli Submission'
Likud party chief Binyamin Netanyahu warned on Monday that Prime Minister Olmert might strike a deal in Annapolis that would compromise Israel's security.
"I don't think there is any American pressure. There is only Israeli submission." - MK Netanyahu

Addressing the Likud faction in the Knesset on Monday, Netanyahu explained that pressure from United States officials was not the problem: "I don't think there is any American pressure. There is only Israeli submission." If Israeli leaders had made clear demands based on security needs, US President George Bush would not have disagreed, MK Netanyahu said.

The attempt to make peace with weak leadership such as Olmert and Abbas is what could lead to dangerous concessions, Netanyahu added.

Meanwhile, Moshe Feiglin, head of the Manhigut Yehudit faction in the Likud party, has called on Netanyahu and all Likud MKs to pledge that any and all agreements reached at this week's Annapolis Summit will not be honored by any future Likud government. Feiglin has succeeded in attaining some signatures on the pledge. The latest polls indicate that the Likud will form Israel's next government.

The official Likud party charter clearly opposes ceding Israeli sovereignty over any part of the Land of Israel.

An estimated 25,000 people took part in a mass prayer service at the Western Wall against the Israeli government's positions at the Annapolis summit.

The prayer service was followed by a massive protest, co-sponsored by the Council of Jewish Communities of Judea and Samaria (Yesha), near the Prime Minister's residence.  The protest is entitled, "It Will Blow Up in Our Face." At the time of the Western Wall prayer vigil, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was meeting in Washington with U.S. President George Bush in preparation for the Annapolis summit on Tuesday.
We sometimes think that if we act, protest, settle the Land, teach, and do all sorts of things, that everything will be OK. But today, we are coming to the Western Wall with humility, awe, and serene faith.

Click here to see a video of the prayer service.

The front line of religious-Zionist rabbis, led by Former Chief Rabbi of Israel Mordechai Eliyahu, called for the public to attend the Western Wall prayers.  MK Uri Ariel (National Union party), among those who initiated the prayer service, said, "It is critical for us to offer prayer to our Father in Heaven when the Prime Minister wants to sell our national homeland.  We are here [at the Wall] to say that we trust in G-d, and that Olmert has no mandate to give up Jerusalem."

Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, a resident of the Old City, was one of the paratroopers who liberated Jerusalem from Jordanian occupation in the 1967 Six Day War.

Another organizer, Rafi Atiyah, told Arutz-7's Chizky Ezra, "The feeling of despair that has overtaken some of the public has not escaped the eyes of the rabbis who called for the prayer service.  But while this feeling can lead to a dead end and to a sense of helplessness, it can also be an opening for a new type of genuine and mature turn to G-d; to a taking of responsibility from a new, pure angle. It could be that out of this tiredness, we will come to the realization that it's not we who control the situation.  We sometimes think that if we act, protest, settle the Land, teach, and do all sorts of things, that everything will be OK. 

Center: Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel Mordechai Eliyahu presides over the prayer service.

"But today, we are coming to the Western Wall with humility, awe, and serene faith.  We return the ball that has been repressed in our hearts for the past two-plus years, and that is threatening to choke us, to our Father in Heaven. We plead with Him that He will show us the way, and that we can be partners with Him in our Redemption.  We want to work with Him, to sanctify His Name."

Photos by Arutz-7 Photojournalist Josh Shamsi

Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar announced Tuesday that his nation's military has built a second missile capable of reaching Israel.

"The Ashoura, with the range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) is among the accomplishments of the Defense Ministry," Najjar told a group of Islamic religious militiamen holding maneuvers this week.

Najjar also announced delivery of a new domestically-produced submarine to the Iranian navy expected on Wednesday, according to the Fars News Agency.

The Iranian defense minister did not explain how the Ashoura missile differs from the Shabab-3, the existing Iranian long-range missile.

Former Iranian Nuclear Negotiator Suspected of Spying
Former Iranian nuclear negotiator Hossein Mousavian was cleared in an Islamic Republic courtroom Tuesday on charges of spying. Mousavian was charged earlier this month of passing classified information to the British Embassy and other foreign officials.

The former nuclear negotiator was convicted of a lesser charge "acting against the Islamic government," said an Iranian judiciary spokesman.

Mousavian was accused by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of being a "traitor" and a "spy."

Confronting Syria on Decision to Attend Annapolis Summit
Syrian officials found themselves facing the outrage of the Iranian ambassador to Syria as well as Hamas politburo head and chief terrorist Khaled Mashaal Tuesday at the country's decision to attend the Annapolis summit, according to IDF Radio.

The Iranian-backed Hizbullah terrorist organization in Lebanon was equally miffed by the decision, according to the report.

Foreign Minister Walid Muallem met in Damascus with Mashaal and Mohammad-Hassan Akhtari in an attempt to justify Syria's participation in the conference.

Muallem allegedly explained that Syria's top priority was finding a way to retrieve the Golan Heights, which was liberated by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War.

The Shas party's spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef promised other leading rabbis
The rabbis said that the Israeli attendance at the Annapolis Summit was sufficient justification.
Monday night that he would instruct the Shas party to quit the coalition if the government decides to re-divide the capital.

A delegation of rabbis met with Rabbi Yosef at his Jerusalem home in an effort to persuade him to order Shas to quit the government immediately. The rabbis said that the Israeli attendance at the Annapolis Summit was sufficient justification for the political move, in light of the Israeli concessions already expected.

In response to their entreaty, Rabbi Yosef told the rabbis, "If there will be a decision to divide Jerusalem, then I will instruct Shas to withdraw from the coalition."

Among the rabbis in attendance at the meeting were the Chief Rabbi of the Old City, Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl, Rehovot Chief Rabbi Simcha HaCohen Kook, and Rabbi Yisrael Ariel of the Temple Institute. Their meeting came one day after Vice Prime Minister Chaim Ramon said that Rabbi Yosef was "considering" Ramon's proposal, which would cede most of eastern Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Earlier Monday, Rabbi Yosef met with Rabbi Hillel Horowitz, Director General of the organization representing the Jewish community of Hevron, and with Nachman Zoldan, whose son Ido was murdered by PA terrorists one week ago. Ido, a father of two young children, was shot to death in a drive-by shooting on his way to his Shavei Shomron home, 20o miles east of Herzliya. Rabbi Horowitz and Zoldan met with Rabbi Yosef to express their views on the Annapolis Summit, as well as issues surrounding the murder of Ido.

Rabbis of Agudath Yisrael of America Issue Jerusalem Statement
In a resolution adopted at its 85th National Convention on Sunday, in Stamford,
Agudath Yisrael of America Israel declared that Israel "should not relinquish parts of Jerusalem...."
Connecticut, Agudath Yisrael of America Israel declared that Israel "should not relinquish parts of Jerusalem to Palestinian sovereignty, and the American government should not pressure the Israeli government into doing so."

According to the resolution, and "following the direction of Agudath Israel's rabbinic leadership," the American branch of the international haredi-religious organization was "deeply pained and concerned about the prospect of Israel relinquishing parts of Jerusalem to Palestinian sovereignty." The reasons for its resolution, the Agudath Yisrael statement said, were "relating to considerations of security as well as the singular place Jerusalem has always occupied in Jewish religious and communal life...."

Last month, a leading scholar and acknowledged spiritual leader in the non-Hassidic haredi world, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, joined the struggle against the re-division of Jerusalem.

Saudi Arabia not only continues to deserve its title as the world's "beheading capital," but has now also sentenced a rape victim to 200 lashes.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabian authorities carried out the kingdom's 136th beheading of the year, surpassing by far its combined totals for the two previous years. The latest victim was a man convicted of murdering another with an assault rifle.

Saudi Arabia often defends its practice of beheading by explaining that it follows an interpretation of the Quran by which the crimes of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery are punished by public execution with a sword.  Those convicted of sodomy, apostasy and certain other offences can also be beheaded in the kingdom.

Nearly 40 people were beheaded in Saudia Arabia in 2006, including four women, and between 83 and 90 the year before, including two women.

Rape Victim Sentenced to 90, Then 200, Lashes
Just a week earlier, a woman who was gang-raped over a year ago in the Saudi capital of Riyadh was sentenced to six months in jail and 200 lashes.  Her crime: Being in the car of a man who was not a relative. 

She had initially been sentenced to 90 lashes on charges of violating the rigid Saudi laws on segregation of the sexes. However, the number of lashes was more than doubled because of her "attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media," ArabNews reported.  Her lawyer's license to practice law was confiscated, and he has been summoned to a disciplinary hearing, after expressing public criticism of the original verdict.

The seven men convicted of raping the 19-year-old were not beheaded, but rather sentenced to between two and nine years in prison.  Three of the convicts were also convicted of raping her male companion.

The Saudi Arabian flag features a sword underneath the Arabic inscrption, "There is no G-d but Allah, and Muhammad is his Messenger."

The Knesset Law Committee on Monday gave its final stamp of approval to enforce fines that are meant to stamp out smoking in public places, including restaurants, coffee houses, bars and shopping centers.

Smokers who choose to ignore the law face a fine of up to NIS 1,000 ($260) for lighting up in public places.

Business owners will be penalized as well: fines of up to NIS 5,000 ($1,300) will be levied on businesses which allow smokers to puff away in violation of the law. Restaurant and coffee house owners will also be fined NIS 1,290 for each ashtray present on a table outside of special smoking zones.

"These are reasonable sanctions, and I hope that the public will take the legislation to heart," said Kadima Knesset Committee Chairman Menachem Ben Sasson.

Until July, business owners were only required to hang "No Smoking" signs in their establishments and essentially the no-smoking law already in existence was not enforced.

The new law, proposed in July by Likud Knesset Member and chairman of the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee, Gilad Erdan, passed unanimously.

As of November 7, the strict fines went into effect, requiring business owners to ask their customers not to smoke, and to report them to the local inspection authority if they persist in doing so.

Moreover, they are also required to post a hotline phone number in their establishments where customers can reach an inspector if they want to report a violation.

There is one accommodation, however: the establishments may set up separate ventilated areas for smokers. Owners of public recreation places are required to instruct smokers to put out their cigarettes, and are also mandated to file a complaint against violators with the municipality.

Last week, attorney Ido Almagor struck back with a petition to the High Court of Justice claiming the new bill infringed on the civil rights of Israeli smokers.

"There are over 1,250,000 smokers in Israel today," contended Almagor in his petition, "but their voices are silenced, and they are persecuted as a community." Almagor said the regulations set forth in the law that make allowances for those who want to light up are too complex and expensive for the average business owner to comply with.

Statistics published earlier this month by the Health Ministry belied concerns by business owners who are worried they will lose their customer base.

Only 23.2 percent of adult Israelis smoke, according to the survey, although 44 percent of non-smokers say they're uncomfortable telling those who puff that they would like them to cease releasing their second-hand smoke.

The study found that 80.3 percent of Israeli citizens agree that smoking should be prohibited in clubs, pubs and discotheques. In addition, 78.2 percent of the 3,154 respondents also felt smoking should be prohibited in cafes and restaurants. The highest percentage of anti-smokers came from those who said puffing should be prohibited in shopping malls – 84.8 percent. All of the respondents were over age 18.

Actually, the first law against smoking in public was passed by the Knesset in 1983, according to a report by the Israel Council for the Prevention of Smoking. By 1994, all private and public workplaces were included in the prohibition, and in 2001 restaurants, cafes and other public places joined the list. Local authorities, however, were often unwilling to risk their customer base by enforcing the law.