Palestinians Use Truce to Regroup

Palestinian militant groups, weakened by more than four years of fighting against Israel, are utilizing the relative calm of an informal truce with Israel to strengthen their positions politically and militarily

Exports from Israel Up, Up, Up!

Israeli exports to the European Union (EU) rose 21.9% in the three-month period comprising November 2004 to January 2005, in comparison with the same period a year earlier, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reported in February. The EU remains Israel’s most significant trade partner, with 37% of the country’s imports and exports involving the European continent.

Rice: US $100 a Month to Terrorists “On Pension”

United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has proposed a US $100 monthly allowance to terrorists who agree to lay down their arms and retire or find another profession, in a proposal of a pension fund for at least 1,000 terrorists.

Hamas Turns Street Signs Into Kassams

Hamas is using the lull in Israel’s offensive actions to stock up on Kassam rockets, mines, and mortar shells in the Gaza Strip, according to defense sources.

Kassam rocket makers have begun stealing and using street-sign pipes because of a lack of raw materials. Apparently, street signs are becoming rare in Gaza. Hamas is working at a heightened pace to produce more weaponry, in order to be better prepared for future hostilities if and when the de facto cease-fire breaks down and they are again targeted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Hamas, Hizbullah Agree on War Against Israel

Hamas and Hizbullah agreed to continue the war against Israel. Leaders from the two groups met in Beirut and discussed strategy amid efforts to arrange a Palestinian Authority cease-fire with Israel. The Islamic terrorist organizations rejected the cease-fire and said they would maintain the war against the Jewish state.

El Al to Provide In-Flight Internet

In February, El Al said that it was investing US $3 million to provide in-flight, high-speed Internet service to passengers using laptop computers. The airline signed an agreement with Boeing subsidiary CBB (Connexion By Boeing) to install the Internet service in all El Al Boeing 747-400 and 777 planes.

Russian Lawmakers: Outlaw All Jewish Organizations

Moscow (AP)—A group of nationalist lawmakers is calling for an investigation aimed at outlawing all Jewish organizations in Russia, accusing Jews of fomenting ethnic hatred and provoking anti-Semitism. In a letter dated January 13, about 20 members of the lower parliament house, the State Duma, asked Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov to investigate their claims and, if they are confirmed, to launch proceedings “on the prohibition in our country of all religious and ethnic Jewish organizations as extremist.” Arguing that Jews were to blame for anti-Semitism, the authors of the letter want Jewish groups outlawed based on legislation against extremism and fomenting ethnic discord.

Yad Vashem Database Reunites Sisters

Sixty years after the Holocaust, survivors, who thought their loved ones were lost forever, are still rediscovering each other. In November 2004, Yad Vashem made its central database accessible to the world via the Internet. This has provided the tools for many survivors or their family members to find out the fate of loved ones.

PA TV Cultivates Culture of Terror and Death

The promises of Palestine Liberation Organization chief Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) notwithstanding, official Palestinian Authority (PA)-controlled television continues to encourage Arab males to seek death while attacking Jews, and their mothers to rejoice in their demise. “Creating a supportive social environment for terrorists has been a critical factor in the Palestinian Authority’s successful promotion of suicide terrorism,” wrote Palestinian Media Watch director Itamar Marcus in March.

Israeli Technology to Help Breast-Cancer Patients

An Israeli company, together with the Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheva, is exploring the treatment of breast cancer using revolutionary Israeli-made Virtual Cancer Patient technology.

Israeli Scientists Develop NEW Explosives Detector

Researchers at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology have developed a pen-sized device to detect triacetone triperoxide (TATP), an explosive commonly used by terrorists. The device resembles a pen with three buttons on it. It dispenses chemical solutions, which change color upon contact with the material.

Forbes: Israeli Web site “Best Innovation in Years”

The prestigious magazine Forbes has termed Israeli start-up GuruNet the “best Internet innovation in years.” The company’s software enables users to click on any word on their screen—whether in an e-mail, a Word document, or even a PDF file—to receive an instant pop-up box full of relevant information.

For example, clicking on the word “Intel”—or typing it in—turns up a single page with a brief company history, including pictures of the founders, a company profile, annual sales, employees, office phone numbers, executives’ names, stock charts, and recent news.