Israeli Killed in Shooting Attack West of Hebron
An Israeli security guard was killed this afternoon after two Palestinian gunmen shot him as he was guarding parked bulldozers near a section of the security fence west of Hebron, HA'ARETZ reported. The guard was shot in his stomach and died of his wounds a short time after the attack, which took place near the village of Idna. The gunmen escaped with the weapons of the security guard they had killed. Palestinians threw two firebombs at Israel Defense Forces troops searching the area for suspects.
Elsewhere in the West Bank, Border Police officers arrested near Jenin two Tanzim members suspected of planning to carry out terror attacks in the coming days.
Three days after the end of Operation Orange Metal in Khan Yunis, IDF troops returned to the southern Gaza refugee camp early today to continue their actions aimed at preventing mortar and rocket fire by Palestinian terrorists. Three Palestinians were killed during the raid.
Earlier in the day, IDF sources said troops shot and killed a terrorist trying to scale a border fence out of Gaza. Also today, an Israel Air Force helicopter destroyed an anti-tank missiles launcher in Gaza.
Mother of Four Murdered in Moshav South of Beit Shemesh
A mother of four, 39-year-old Ariella Fahima, was murdered on Tuesday at the door of her home in Moshav Nehusha south of Beit Shemesh by a knife-wielding assailant who had infiltrated Israel from the West Bank, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Her 12-year-old daughter discovered her bloodied body when she came home from school and rushed to her neighbors in shock. Police immediately launched a widespread manhunt, but failed to apprehend any suspects. However, searches detected a hole in the perimeter fence and tracks leading to one of the Palestinian villages across the Green Line just a few miles away.
It was the first fatal terrorist attack in the region in over a dozen years. However, repeated terror warnings had been issued owing to the absence of security fence in the area. Moshav Nehusha is located on an isolated hilltop less than 1.2 miles from the Green Line. For decades, the moshav's residents have been the victims of theft from Palestinians living across the border.
Fahima is survived by her husband and four young children. Her husband is a well-known veteran Border Police officer. He is responsible for the work of volunteers who help protect the region's moshavim and villages from Palestinian thieves.
In Israel, Blair Pushes for Return to Road Map
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who arrived in Israel on Tuesday night, said today that the London conference on Palestinian reform he is planning in January would allow the resumption of the process laid out in the internationally-backed road map, HA'ARETZ reported. Earlier today, Blair declared that a halt to Palestinian terrorism was an essential pre-condition for a return to the road map peace plan.
Blair held talks with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other Israeli leaders this morning, before traveling in a motor convoy to the late Yasser Arafat's Muqata compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah to meet PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas. Blair applauded Israel's disengagement plan, calling it an excellent opportunity to move back to the road map.
Responding to Israel's announcement that, though supporting it, it would not attend the conference in London, Blair said that, "It was never anticipated that Israel would attend next year's Middle East meeting in London."
Labor Gets Ready to Enter Government
The Labor party will hold elections on Thursday to determine the names of the ministers and deputy ministers who will be appointed when the party joins the government, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The Labor candidates for ministerial positions are: Attorney Yehiel Gutman, Isaac Herzog, Ophir Pines-Paz, Amram Mitzna, Avraham Shohat, Shalom Simhon, Haim Ramon, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Ephraim Sneh, Matan Vilnai, Yuli Tamir, and Dalia Itzik. The deputy ministerial candidates are: Orit Noked, Eli Ben-Menahem, Raleb Majadleh, and Colette Avital.
Meanwhile, the double vice prime minister bill, submitted to the Knesset to enable Labor to join the Government by appointing the party's leader, Shimon Peres, as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's co-No. 2 alongside Ehud Olmert could be ready for approval within two weeks. The bill, which has already been nicknamed the "Peres law," is an amendment to "Basic Law: The Government", which has quasi-constitutional status. According to the bill, submitted by Labor MK Haim Ramon, the prime minister would have to define the roles of the two vice prime ministers and inform the cabinet and Knesset of their duties.
Other News in Brief
* More than 700 victims of violence by Islamic groups in Israel have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. federal court in New York against the Arab Bank, accusing the institution of funding terrorist activity, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL, reported. The plaintiffs are seeking billions of dollars in compensation from the Jordan-based bank. The lawsuit accuses the bank of promoting terrorism by paying money to the families of suicide bombers recruited by Hamas. In a statement issued through its attorney, the bank rejected the charges as entirely false.
Economic & Hi-Tech Briefs
* Information security start-up V-Secure is in preliminary talks for its sale to several major U.S. corporations, including software giant CA and Cisco Systems, HA'ARETZ reported. V-Secure specializes in the prevention of network intrusions. Founded in 2000, the company recently signed major contracts with the U.S. transportation and agriculture departments. The company has 50 clients including El Al, communications equipment maker Gilat Satellite, Israel Electric Corporation, Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, and several U.S. military bases.
* U.S. -based IT management solutions provider SMARTS has entered into an agreement to be acquired by EMC, GLOBES reported. SMARTS founder and president is Shaula Alexander Yemini, sister of Comverse Technology chairman and CEO Kobi Alexander. When the acquisition is complete, SMARTS will be integrated into the EMC Software Group with a dedicated sales force focused on selling SMARTS products. "This is the right move at the right time for SMARTS," said Alexander Yemini. "EMC and SMARTS share a complementary vision for the increasing importance of infrastructure management, sell to the same large enterprises and service providers, and a have mutual respect for each others' culture of innovation."
[Today's Israel Line was prepared by Victor Chemtob at the Consulate General of Israel in New York.]