Opposition leader Benyamin Netanyahu warned Sunday that an Israeli withdrawal from any part of Jerusalem would lead to the creation of an Iranian base in the heart of Israel.

"The Iranian threat (must be neutralized) before it arms itself with a nuclear bomb. In addition, Iran must be prevented from building its main bases in the region, from Gaza to Lebanon, and particularly in Jerusalem," he said.

Netanyahu has been warning about Iran's nuclear ambitions for more than a decade. His 1995 book Fighting Terrorism contains a chapter entitled "The Specter of Nuclear Terrorism" that focuses largely on the Islamic Republic, and outlines the history of Iran's nuclear installations at Bushehr and Isfahan and concludes with a chilling warning about terrorist groups and states obtaining nuclear weapons: "(They will)  invariably deploy them in the service of their aggressive purposes."

In addition to security issues, Netanyahu told US Vice President Dick Cheney that basic religious freedoms for non-Muslims would be endangered by ceding parts of the capital to Iran and its latest prodigy, the Hamas terrorist organization.

"Hamas, Iran and other forces affiliated with them will take control of it. They will threaten Jerusalem's wellbeing, Israel's security and the freedom of worship for millions of pilgrims and members of the different religions who visit the city today," he said. Cheney replied that the US administration understood the situation.  

Netanyahu also reiterated his call to the Shas Party to quit the government over ongoing negotiations over Jerusalem with the PA, which Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni confirmed on Friday. Earlier this month, the Shas party received some 185 million shekels in government funding for its institutions as part of its coalition agreement.

Israel will finally equip its commercial aircraft with anti-missile systems as a result of concrete threats that terrorists will try to shoot them down.

The new systems, talked about for years but held up for various reasons, will respond to a missile-launch by shooting flares meant to confuse heat-seeking missiles’ guidance systems.

The system is already in place on Air Force aircraft and will be added to flights through Asia and Africa first.

The program was initially launched after terrorists tried to shoot down an El Al plane in Mombassa, Kenya in 2002. It stalled due to the government’s insistence that the airlines shoulder the cost of developing the system for commercial aircraft, but has now been embraced by the government.

According to Maariv, the government decision is tied to the increased global terror threat posed by Hizbullah and other Iranian and Syrian-backed groups in the wake of the killing of arch-terrorist Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus. The paper reported that the flare system would be used for a few years before being replaced by a more advanced optical system.

The United States is considering installing the anti-missile systems on its commercial airliners as well.

The U.S. will “never pressure Israel to take risks regarding its security,” American Vice President Dick Cheney said in a joint news conference with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Saturday evening.

Although the U.S. would like to see a solution to the Israel-Arab conflict, Cheney said, such a solution could not come at a risk to Israel's security.

"America's commitment to Israel's security is enduring and unshakable, as is Israel's right to protect itself always against terrorism, rocket attacks and other attacks from forces dedicated to Israel's destruction," he stated.

"America is committed to moving the process forward," Cheney said. However, he said, "it is not America's role to dictate the outcome."

'A new beginning'
"We want to see a resolution to the conflict, an end to the terrorism that has caused so much grief to Israelis and a new beginning for the Palestinian people," he told reporters.

Cheney added a warning, however: "We must not and will not ignore darkening shadows of the situation in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Syria and Iran," and the threats they pose to Israel.

After two days in Saudi Arabia, the vice president and his wife Lynne were received at the airport by F
"We must not and will not ignore darkening shadows of the situation in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Syria and Iran."
oreign Minister Tzipi Livni and headed directly into a Saturday evening meeting with Olmert.

Main focus - Iran?
Most news organizations presented Cheney's visit as part of the US strategy to pressure Israel and the PA to agree on a framework for peace before US President George W. Bush leaves office in January. Channel 2, however, noted that Cheney was a hawk whose views on the Middle East were "to the right of the Israeli government" and said the main focus of the talks would be Iran.

Cheney reaffirmed Washington's commitment to the establishment of an Arab state next to Israel in the Land of Israel, and assured PA leaders that "they, too, can be certain of America's goodwill" as it tries to help broker an accord between them and Israel.

He added that he was especially pleased to be in Israel as it marked 60 years since its establishment. He called Israel "a modern country, whose very creation after the Holocaust is a miracle." Israel, he said, survives and thrives despite all the threats, and added that "our two nations are connected through history, religion and culture. We share the ideas of freedom and democracy. The two countries stood solidly against the threats of terror and intimidation, he said, and showed a willingness to sacrifice for peace.

Cheney going to church, Ramallah
Olmert praised Cheney for always being involved in Middle Eastern affairs and said he was proud of his friendship with him. "I will be glad to hear your observations on the events in various parts of the world, and mainly the in Middle East," he said. Olmert said he would discuss the continued "Kassam" rocket attacks on Israel by Gaza.

On Sunday, Cheney is scheduled to meet Livni, as well as Defense Minister Ehud Barak, President Shimon Peres and Opposition Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu. In addition, he will attend Easter church services in Jerusalem. Later in the day he will head for Ramallah, to meet with PA chairman and head of the Fatah murder gang Mahmoud Abbas.

Bush asked Cheney to visit Israel to discuss the peace process and other regional issues in advance of Bush's trip in May to mark the 60th anniversary of the modern state of Israel, according to Cheney spokeswoman Lea Ann McBride.

Israel will transfer to the Palestinian Authority 25 armored vehicles from Russia for use in PA controlled areas of Judea and Samaria. Permission for the transfer was granted by the Olmert government during a high-level meeting Thursday night.

An additional 25 will be supplied if the first shipment is “properly used,” Israeli officials said.

Russia has been attempting to transfer the vehicles to the PA for several months, but until Thursday's meeting Israel had refused to permit the transfer. Israel's permission for such transfers is required by the Oslo agreements. PA sources said that Israel had opposed the transfer because of the PA and Russia's insistence that automatic weapons be installed on the vehicles. Israel agreed to permit the delivery after Russia agreed to ship the vehicles without the weapons.

MKs have criticized the proposal ever since it first cropped up last year. Many pointed out that all the armor and weapons supplied to Fatah in Gaza found their way to Hamas after the Islamist group decided to take over the rea.

“The prime minister will be personally responsible for each Jew that will be harmed [from the PA's use of the vehicles against Jews], and he will be put on trial for crimes against the Jewish people," MK Aryeh Eldad (NU-NRP) warned.

Legal Forum: Vehicle Transfer Repeat of Old Mistakes
In a statement issued Saturday night, the Land of Israel Legal Forum said that the transfer of 25 armored vehicles to the Palestinian Authority was a “repeat of old mistakes,” giving weapons to the PA that would eventually end up being used against Israelis.

“It stands to reason that the weapon used by the terrorist who killed the students in Mercaz Harav Yeshiva was transferred to the PA by Israel. Now the government is giving terrorists the ability to safely transport terrorists” in the armored vehicles to be transferred to the PA.

Fatah and Hamas are close to reconciliation, according to Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qurbi, whose country is hosting talks between the two terrorist groups which rule Judea and Samraria, and Gaza, respectively. 

The agreement ripening between the groups, according to Al-Qurbi, involves returning Gaza to the control of Mahmoud Abbas's PA-Fatah, the establishment of a unity government and the creation of "Palestinian national security forces." The accord was reportedly fashioned by Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Salah, and also involves new elections in Gaza.

Al-Qurbi denied earlier reports, according to which the talks, which are taking place in the capital, Sanaa, had failed. He said a draft of the accord had been ratified by Fatah, and the sides are now awaiting approval by Hamas.  

Murder groups blame each other
A meeting between Fatah and Hamas Thursday discussed Yemen's seven-part plan for reconciliation but ended on a sour note, with both sides blaming each other for the failure. PA-Fatah chief Abbas' aide Yasser Abed-Rabbo said the talks had failed because Hamas "refused to accept the Yemeni initiative as it is."

Al-Qurbi's claims notwithstanding, Channel 2 TV's Ehud Ya'ari estimated Saturday night that the talks between the two terror organizations were stuck. Proof of this, he said, was the release of documents today by Hamas which purportedly contain evidence of corruption by Ahmed Qurei ("Abu Ala"), the PA's chief negotiator w
The Hamas-Fatah meeting ended on a sour note, with both sides blaming each other for the failure.
ith Israel.

In the meantime, talks between Hamas, Fatah and Egypt over reopening the crossings between Egypt and Gaza have also stalled. Hamas refuses to accept Egypt's conditions for the way the crossings will be run. One sticking point is Hamas's demand that all of the officers in the crossings, including those representing Fatah, will be residents of Gaza.   

Rocket attacks continue
The bickering between the murderous PA factions did not prevent them from continuing to fire rockets at Israeli civilians, though fire has not been very intense in the last two days.

Channel 2's Ya'ari called the present situation a "near lull." According to Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency, Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists met in Rafiah on Saturday to debate the possibility of a ceasefire with Israel, a source "with direct knowledge of the meeting" revealed.

The meeting came after a visit by Amos Gilad, the head of the Political-Military Bureau at the I
The sound of a distant explosion caused many of the people present to leave. The commotion was "very unpleasant."
sraeli Defense Ministry, to Cairo, where he met with Egyptian officials to discuss a potential ceasefire, according to Ma'an. Israel has denied it is negotiating with Hamas.

Purim party spoiled
Friday at around noon, Gaza terrorists fired three short-range ("Kassam") rockets which exploded near the security fence. The attack coincided with the Purim celebrations at the Sdot Negev council.

For about 600 celebrants at Kibbutz Alumim, the Purim party was spoiled. The sound of a distant explosion caused many of the people present to leave. The commotion was "very unpleasant," according to a participant who told Ynet: "A lot of the participants are not local residents, but guests. They were simply frightened and left the place in a hurry."

Two short-range rockets were fired from northern Gaza Saturday afternoon and exploded in unpopulated areas in the Shaar HaNegev regional council. No one was hurt and no damage was caused.

At 4:30 P.M. Saturday, a "Color Red" alert sounded in Sderot, and was reportedly followed by two loud explosions. Security forces combed the area outside Sderot in search of the explosions' locations but were not able to find them. Before dawn Saturday, a mortar shell exploded near the Gaza security fence, hurting no one.

MKs Ami Ayalon and Avshalom Vilan visited the Shomron community of Shavei Shomron last week, seeking to publicize their initiative to pay Jews to leave Judea and Samaria.

The two men, together with a resident of the Samarian town of Karnei Shomron, make up the Bayit Echad organization, which seeks to induce the government to offer compensation to Jews that agree to leave areas on the eastern side of the Partition Wall.

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The two men held a parlor meeting in Shavei Shomron in an effort to drum up support and find residents who would be willing to join their advertising campaign, which includes billboards declaring: “Prime Minister Olmert, Help Us Return to Israel.”

Most residents were puzzled by their arrival, according to an IsraelNationalTV report. “What we see here in Shavei Shomron in the best Purim shpiel [satirical play] around,” said former Sa-Nur resident Yossi Dagan, now living in Shavei Shomron. “Minister Ami Ayalon and Abu Vilan have come to sell the media a sack of goods in honor of Purim. We decide to see this provocation for what it is. A spaced-out provocation by Knesset Members that are dying for some ratings.”

A residential street in Shavei Shomron. More pics

MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud) said of the visit: “It looks like Minister Ayalon, who is minister-without portfolio, has nothing to keep him busy in the government and is looking for a family in Judea and Samaria who is willing to relocate for compensation. If he asked me, I would have put him in touch with a family within the green line which would also willingly leave for money. For those who seriously want an eviction-compensation law and want to start with those who have already shown willingness, I offer a fair competition. They will evict those who want to be evicted and I will settle those who want to settle in Judea and Samaria. In six months time we will compare results and I know who is going to win.”

A spontaneous protest took place outside the home where the parlor meeting took place. “You are neglecting the children of Sderot,” one protestor yelled at the Minister and MK Vilan. “You don’t care that children die. You don’t care that children lose their legs.”

Across town, however, and even more powerful response to the event took place: a large meeting of prospective residents. By the end of the evening twelve new families had signed up to build their homes in the flowering community, located to the east of the Partition Wall.

Shavei Shomron is a budding town located 20 miles east of Netanya.

Israel and Jewish communities around the world are on high alert for terrorist attacks as Hizbullah and Iran mark the end of the traditional 40-day mourning period for arch-terrorist Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated on February 12 in Damascus. 

Hizbullah officials have called for a mass rally in Beirut to mark the end of the formal mourning period for Mughniyeh, and Hizbullah deputy chief Naim Kassem claimed on Iran's Press TV Saturday that the organization possessed "100 percent proof" that Israel was behind the assassination.

Israel denies any connection to the strike on Mughniyeh, and analysts in Israel and abroad suggested at the time of the killing that Mughniyeh could well have been targeted by Lebanese Christians, the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad or even political opponents within Hizbullah.

In Israel, the IDF has increased patrols along the northern and southern borders, and police and border patrol officers in major cities have been placed on high alert for Hizbullah attempts to stage a major terrorist attack to avenge Mughniyeh's death. In addition, IDF Army Radio reported that security officials have heightened security details for political and military leaders. A general closure is also in effect for PA Arabs until the three-day Purim holiday ends Sunday evening.

Jewish communities overseas have also been advised to take security precautions for the foreseeable future, in light of Hizbullah's history of attacking Jewish and Israeli targets abroad to avenge what they believe to be Israeli attacks on the organization.  Following the 1992 assassination of former Hizbullah chief Abbas Musawi, terrorists believed to have been connected with Iran struck a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina with an explosives-laden van, leveling the seven-story building and killing 85 civilians. Specific kidnapping warnings have been issued for Cyprus, less than an hour's flight from Tel Aviv and a popular holiday destination for Israeli families.