October 5, 2009: Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians are still stalled. The basic problem, that the Palestinians want Israel destroyed, not negotiated with, remains. Palestinian media continues to be full of calls for attacks (terrorist or otherwise) on Israel. Even media (including TV) directed at Palestinian children, emphasizes the need to kill Jews and destroy Israel. As soon as possible. No wonder the Palestinians have a difficult time entering into peace negotiations with the Israelis. UN, American and European diplomats are trying to arrange another round of peace talks, but to no avail. The Palestinians (at least the radicals) want it all, and they want it now. The less radical Palestinians want it all in the near future. The Palestinians see peace talks as an opportunity to scam gullible, but well meaning, foreigners out of cash, and other goodies. There's also an outside chance that the foreigners might be able to coerce the Israelis into giving something up. Peace, however, has never been a major goal in these negotiations.
Israel has received two more Dolphin class submarines from Germany, with Germany picking up a third of the cost. Israel now has five Dolphin class subs.
Police in Lebanon are seeking 700 (out of 100,000 who arrived this Summer) tourists from the Persian Gulf, who apparently did not return home. It is believed that many of the missing are Islamic terrorists.
Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah has been hurt by the continued presence of Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers along the Israeli border. Although Hezbollah has bullied the peacekeepers and Lebanese troops into allowing thousands of rockers to be brought to hidden launching sites near the border, many of those sites are now known to the peacekeepers, soldiers, and Israelis. If there is another war with Israel (like the one in 2006), Hezbollah expects to face a more determined, and better prepared foe. Hezbollah also faces more hostility from the Lebanese government (and the 60 percent of Lebanese who are not Shia, or are simply hostile to Hezbollah).
October 4, 2009: Israeli police raided terrorist hideouts in the West Bank, and arrested twelve suspects.
October 3, 2009: In response to the continuing rocket and mortar attacks, Israeli warplanes hit two smuggling tunnels on the Egyptian border.
October 2, 2009: The Shalit video was delivered and shown on Israeli and Palestinian TV, and Israel released the Palestinian prisoners. Hamas believes that capturing more Israelis (soldiers or civilians) is their best prospect of getting anything from Israel. But the Israelis refuse to exchange terrorists convicted of murder, for any kidnap victims. Moreover, Hamas, or any other Palestinian group, has been remarkably unsuccessful at grabbing any more Israelis.
October 1, 2009: Israel agreed to release twenty Palestinians from jail, in return for a video proving that kidnapped (by Hamas) Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is alive.
September 30, 2009: Terrorists in Gaza fired a mortar shell into Israel, but failed to hit any buildings or people. In response to the several recent rocket and mortar attacks, Israeli warplanes hit three smuggling tunnels on the Egyptian border, killing up to seven smugglers.
September 29, 2009: In the West Bank, someone shot and wounded an Israeli motorist, who was driving near an Israeli settlement.
September 28, 2009: Iran said it successfully tested another of its Shahab 3 ballistic missiles. These have a range of 2,000 kilometers, and can reach Israel (which has developed several anti-missile systems to shoot down the Iranian warheads.) In Gaza, Palestinian terrorists fired rockets into Israel, and at a border crossing. There were no casualties.
September 27, 2009: For the first time this year, Islamic radicals fired rifles into the air during a funeral (of three terrorists killed yesterday). The falling bullets wounded three people. Hamas had forbidden the firing of guns into the air after the recent war with Israel ended last January, but did not try to stop the Islamic radical mourners in this case. Seventeen more Palestinians were wounded by Israeli troops, who fired on a large crowd of mourners, some of them throwing rocks, who approached the border fence. In Jerusalem, another 40 Palestinians (and 17 police) were injured as Palestinians rioted against the Jewish presence in the city. The Palestinians attacked a group of French tourists by mistake, and the tourists had to be rescued by police.
September 26, 2009: Terrorists in Gaza fired a mortar shell into Israel, but failed to hit any buildings or people.
September 25, 2009: Israeli helicopters attacked a vehicle in Gaza, that was carrying six members of a terrorist group, and killed three of them.
September 21, 2009: Israel has obtained small landing craft, which enable them to move about 500 troops at a time to landing areas in Lebanon or Gaza.
