March 1-15 Stories

Israel Sealing Camps After Terrorist Kills People Leaving Synagogue
Friday night, March 1, on the third day of their first large-scale counter-terror operations in the refugee camps of Nablus and Jenin, Israeli armed forces, led by troops of the Golani infantry brigade, pulled back from the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin to its outskirts.
     A few hours later, a Palestinian bomber struck the heart of the ultra-orthodox Jerusalem district of Beit Israel, near Mea Shearim. The narrow streets were crowded with families coming out of synagogue at Sabbath’s end. Most of the nine killed and the 51 injured were children. (Full Story)

The President Expresses Sorrow and Anger at the Loss of Danny Pearl
Beijing– Speaking from Beijing China during his meetings across Asia, President Bush responded to the grave news: " Laura and I, and the American people, are deeply saddened to learn about the loss of Daniel Pearl’s life. And we’re really sad for his wife and his parents, and his friends and colleagues, who have been clinging to hope for weeks that he be found alive. We are especially sad for his unborn child, who will now know his father only through the memory of others.
     All Americans are sad and angry to learn of the murder. All
around the world, American journalists and humanitarian aid workers and diplomats and others do important work in places that are sometimes dangerous. Those who would threaten Americans, those who would engage in criminal, barbaric acts, need to know that these crimes only hurt their cause and only deepen the resolve of the United States of America to rid to world of these agents of terror.
     May God bless Daniel Pearl."

Scientific Group Finds Anthrax Vaccine Safe, Effective
WASHINGTON — The current anthrax vaccine used by the US Department of Defense is safe and effective in protecting against all forms of the deadly disease, according to a new report.
     The Institute of Medicine, a private, nonprofit scientific organization, released its findings in a comprehensive report March 6th, 2002. (Full Story)

Health & Human Services will Complete it’s Rescue-related Work at the World Trade Center this Month
Over 2,000 HHS-supported rescue workers and public health professionals who responded to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 were honored this week by HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson . Many of those were volunteers health and mortuary professionals as part of the NDMS, and more than 600 were health professionals from HHS’ Commissioned Corps Readiness Force and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Full Story)

Names of Child Victims of Terror Attacks in Israel
Nonstop reign of terror continues to strike the tiny country of Israel, as the parasitic evil of terrorists and their leaders deepens –now using even more insidious strategies to murder innocents, of which most are children. Now zombie like Palestinian female teens have gone into neighborhoods and used their bodies as bombs to kill innocent people. And in rapid time since then, male terrorists have penetrated nearly every area of public gatherings in Israel including bombing cafes and firing rounds of bullets into places of relaxation, such as hotel lobbies.
     Findings by those trying to understand the constant bloody terrorist attacks against Israel, revealed that the Palestinian extremists’ mission is to kill every Jew and Christian residing in the tiny country and to take the land. Last year a California congressman that is against Israel giving up more land for peace said, ..’by simply looking at a map of the Middle East it’s not difficult to see the reality of these reports.’
     The death toll of the tiny Jewish state continues to rise, despite Israel’s Prime Minister’s various efforts to protect the people, including pleas a few months ago to Palestinian officials to give at least one week of relief from terrorist attacks ‘for peace.’ The round of terrorist attacks that has recently hit, killed women and children wounded many more. The terrorist suicide bombing that struck the ultra-orthodox district of Mahane Israel, Jerusalem, killed and injured mostly young children: Shlomo and Gafnit Nehmad, their two daughters, Shiraz, 7 and Liran, 3 and nephew, Shaul Nehmad, 15; Lidor Ilan, 12, and his sister, Oriya, 1 and a half; Tsofiye Yaarit-Elihahu, 23, and her son Avraham Eliyahu, 7 months. Names released of the 10 Victims killed at Ofra roadblock Sunday, March 3, in deadly crossfire from three Palestinian snipers shooting an FN MAG machine gun, M-16 assault rifle and M-14 rifle from high ground: Capt. Ariel Hovav, 25, from Eili; Sgt.-Maj. Rafael Levy, 42, from Rishon Lezion; Sgt.-Maj. Yohai Porat, 26, from Kfar Saba; Lt. David Damlin, 29, fromMizar; Sgt. Maj. Avraham Ezra, 38 from Kiryat Bialik. Three civilians: Vadim Balgula, 32 and Sergei Butrov, 33, from Ariel; Yizhak Didi, 66, from Ofra. The soldier killed at the Kissufim checkpoint outside the Gaza Strip was Sgt. Stephen Koenigsberg, 19, from Hod Hasharon.

Coalition Forces ‘Turning up the Pressure,’ but Battle not Over
Afghan and coalition forces are turning up the pressure on Al Qaeda and Taliban troops in the mountains south of Gardez, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today.
     Still, he told Pentagon reporters, "The battle will likely take some time to play out." Rumsfeld said enemy forces fighting coalition troops near Gardez are hardened fighters without many options. "Real dead-enders," he called them, but added he believes they will surrender or be killed "in the days ahead."
     U.S., Afghan and coalition forces have been fighting a pocket of Al Qaeda and Taliban holdouts in a 60-some- square-mile area since March 2 (Afghan time) in an effort dubbed Operation Anaconda. Eight U.S. servicemen have been killed in the fighting.(Full Story)

Congressman Brad Sherman Discusses "Right Of Return" With Egyptian President
Congressman Brad Sherman met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and discussed recent violence in the Middle East and the prospects for peace. Sherman specifically asked about Mubarak*s views on how to deal with the so-called right of return, a major point of contention between Israel and the Palestinians. (Full Story)

Ivanov Visits Washington
In continuing the effort to rid the world of terrorism, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov met this week with President Bush, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and officials at the CIA. Talks centered around anti-terrorism efforts and sources say they surely included discussions on the problem with the Chechnyan rebels. In 1999, Russia launched a campaign targeting the rebels for terrorist bombings that killed more than 300 people. Ivanov spoke on the matter Wednesday at the Pentagon, saying there have been direct ties between Chechen rebels and Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network: "Those links are… unquestionable. They are very obvious. And we passed information of that kind to some U.S. security services many times." (Full Briefing)

US Defense Missile Intercept Test Successful
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced Friday it has successfully completed a test involving a planned intercept of an intercontinental ballistic missile target. The test took place over the central Pacific Ocean. A modified Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) target vehicle was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., at 9:11 p.m. EST, [March 15, 2002] and a prototype interceptor was launched approximately 20 minutes later and 4,800 miles away from the Ronald Reagan Missile Site, Kwajalein Atoll, in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The intercept took place approximately 10 minutes after the interceptor was launched, at an altitude in excess of 140 miles above the earth and during the midcourse phase of the target warhead’s flight. This was the fourth successful intercept for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Segment, formerly known as National Missile Defense.

 

March 16-31 Stories

Journalists in Midst of Armed Palestinians
After the tragic death of Italian Journalist Raffaele Ciriello, it makes sense that due to the ongoing suicide bombings and Israel’s efforts to protect the lives of innocent people, that the Israeli government would discourage journalists from being in areas that are known to be dangerous.
     The Deputy Consul General of Israel Zvi Vapni backed the concern saying Friday, that " Mr. Ciriello was in the midst of an armed group of Palestinians when he was killed.." He emphatically stressed that any other conclusion would be "..inappropriate and preposterous.."
     It’s a reminder of the dangers war correspondents experience in the field; "Mr. Ciriello was a wartime journalist covering an intense conflict and [his death] was a result of a tragic turn of events." said Vapni.
     Last week the State of Israel’s Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, expressed his sorrow and regrets over the unfortunate death of Italian Journalist Raffaele Ciriello and ‘sends our heartfelt condolences to his family.’

Anaconda is over, but Operation Enduring Freedom continues
Senior DoD leaders today called Operation Anaconda a success, while noting the difficulty to fully ascertain enemy losses as the campaign continues to wind down.
     Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Pentagon reporters that the two-week-old Operation Anaconda campaign against al Qaeda and Taliban troops in eastern Afghanistan was "highly successful." (Full Story)

Hubble Telescope Has New Power Capabilities
The 7 astronauts of Space Shuttle Mission STS-109 have successfully completed their mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.During the 4th spacewalk of the STS-109 mission, James Newman and Michael Massimino on Thursday installed the Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys, replacing the Faint Object Camera, the last of Hubble’s original instruments. The new camera will make the telescope’s imaging capability 10 times better. The mission has showcased the intricate work that can be done in space as the crew installed new equipment on the telescope in a series of space walks over the last several days. Since its launch in April 1990, Hubble has provided scientific data and images of unprecedented resolution revolutionizing scientific knowledge. (Visit NASA)

Nations Join Together In Remembrance
This week marks 6 months since the attack on America by terrorists who sought to destroy Freedom.
     Ceremonies of remembrance took place in New York, London, Washington D.C and Pennsylvania honoring the victims that died and the heroes of September 11th.
     More than 150 ambassadors from nations around the world joined President Bush for a memorial on the South Lawn along with over 300 family members who had relatives that lost their lives at the World Trade Center, aboard Flight 93 and at the Pentagon. As the NYFD bell tolled during a moment of silence in New York, and prayers and tears were given in at the Flight 93 crash site, the President declared "America will not forget the lives that were taken and the justice their death requires."

Zinni‘s Bridging Proposal
Amid another suicide bombing in South Jerusalem, Tuesday, United States Special Envoy Anthony Zinni said that gaps between the Israelis and Palestinians were too wide for the two sides to reconvene the joint security committee.
     The next meeting of the committee has been postponed and no new date has been set. Zinni’s bridging proposal for implementing the Tenet plan was presented to both sides on Sunday and contained a compromise between the Israeli demand that security measures be implemented over a four-week period and Palestinian insistence on moving to the implementation of diplomatic steps within two weeks.

U.S. Keeps Watch Over Afghan Khost
U.S. military officials are carefully watching the Khost area in Afghanistan where al Qaeda and former Taliban fighters may be regrouping. "The Khost area is a tense situation. It remains a dangerous place," Air Force Brig. Gen. John W. Rosa told reporters at the Pentagon today. U.S. forces continue surveillance and intelligence gathering in that area, he said. (Full Report)

President Addresses 1st Responders & Condemns Terrorist Attacks Upon the State of Israel
Atlanta, Georgia– As news was breaking in the U.S. about another terrorist attack in Israel –this time at a popular shoreline resort hotel– President Bush addressed first responders at the Center for Emergency Response Technology Instruction and Policy. While visiting the Center, Bush was given a demonstration on the preparedness of the emergency firefighters and police to respond to an attack and how best to keep citizens safe. Though terrorist threats have mainly been directed towards big cities, the President reiterated the fact that the rest of America needs to be just as prepared:"We’ve got a big focus on the big cities, like Atlanta and the surrounding counties. But we’ve also got to make sure that our rural areas all across America also have got a capacity to respond."
     At one of the more stirring points in his address, President Bush strongly condemned the acts of terror in the State of Israel and expressed sorrow and anger over the loss of more innocent lives: "My heart breaks for those innocent lives that are lost on a daily basis, and today there was another suicide bomber who murdered innocent Israelis. This callous, this cold-blooded killing — it must stop."