The charred remains of an Israeli bus blown up in a Palestinian suicide bombing in Jerusalem in 2003. Photo: JTA

JERUSALEM — A Hamas leader has disowned his son after learning that he spied on the terrorist group for Israel.

Sheik Hassan Yousef, who has been held in an Israeli prison since 2005, said in a statement released on March 1 that he, his wife and other children disown his oldest son. The statement was reportedly smuggled out of the prison.

Mosab Hassan Yousef, 32, served for more than a decade as the Shin Bet’s most valuable source on Hamas. He converted to Christianity 10 years ago and left the West Bank in 2007 for California, where he now lives.

His spying was reported last week by the Israeli daily Haaretz in advance of this week’s release of Son Of Hamas, a book written by Yousef and Rob Brackin.

Yousef reportedly was codenamed “The Green Prince” by the Mossad. His intervention reportedly led to the prevention of dozens of suicide bombing attacks and assassination attempts on Israeli officials, and the exposing of several terrorist cells.
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IDF forces during ground maneouvres in Gaza. Photo: AJN file

GIDI GRINSTEIN

JERUSALEM — A year on from Operation Cast Lead, one thing is increasingly clear: together with the Second Lebanon War in 2006, the two military operations exposed a dire need to reform Israel’s security and foreign policy doctrine.

The borders of Gaza and Lebanon may be quiet, but a fierce global battle for our basic legitimacy is raging.

Many Israelis are frustrated. Within three years, we failed to achieve a decisive success in recent confrontations with Hezbollah and Hamas in spite of overwhelming military, technological and economic superiority.

In 2006, we were dragged through 33 days of an exchange that left a relatively high number of casualties, 133, as well as a trauma to Israeli society that will take years to heal. In the 2009 Cast Lead operation, our military power was unmatched, yet it was offset by the offensive on Israel’s international legitimacy that led to a significant setback in our standing among the family of nations and would constrain Israeli military planning and operations more effectively than any Arab military deterrence. This is a score card Israel finds hard to accept.
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Kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Photo: AJN file

ALI WAKED

JERUSALEM — Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal said the Islamist organisation will provide a “final” answer regarding the deal to release captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit to the German mediator within days.

According to Hamas’ website, Mashaal made the statements during a visit to Doha, the capital of Qatar, on January 10. He noted that the deal is currently at a delicate stage.

Mashaal also accused Israel of trying to “manipulate and play games” as well as other elements of trying to hinder it.

Mashaal’s message contradicts the statements made by his deputy Moussa Abu Marzouk as quoted on January 10 by the London-based al-Hayat newspaper.

According to the paper, Marzouk estimated that Hamas would receive Israel’s official response via the German mediator Gerhard Conrad in respect to the organization’s demands within two days.
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Kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Photo: AJN file

JERUSALEM — Hamas has not accepted Israel’s counter-offer for a prisoner swap but indirect negotiations will continue, according to a senior Hamas official.

A Hamas delegation from Gaza returned from Damascus after two-days of marathon talks on the deal. The delegation will likely give its official answer to the German mediator in coming days.

“Hamas didn’t close the door for Shalit’s deal,” Mahmoud Zahar, a member of the Hamas politburo, told reporters on December 31, Haaretz reported.

“Debates and discussions are still going on in Hamas although we have some reservations on the recent Israeli offer.”

The deal would see hundreds of Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli prisons in exchange for captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
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Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni. Photo: AJN file

LONDON — Hamas has acknowledged that it masterminded the campaign to pursue war crimes cases against Israeli politicians and military officials in Britain and other European countries.

The group, considered to be a terrorist organisation by the United Kingdom and the European Union, says it has been working with lawyers to have the Israelis charged with war crimes in connection with Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in December 2008.

According to reports in two major British newspapers, The Times and the Daily Telegraph, the Islamic organisation is acting to have Israeli leaders arrested in the United Kingdom.

Earlier this month, a judge in London issued an arrest warrant against Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni on suspicion of committing war crimes during the Gaza war. The warrant was withdrawn when it became clear that the Kadima leader was not in Britain.
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AHRON SHAPIRO

THE Israel Defence Forces have deepened their probes into possible ncidents of suspected wrongdoing by its soldiers during the Gaza war of earlier this year, according to a report in The Jerusalem Post.

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JERUSALEM - Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced he would not run for reelection.

In a live televised speech Thursday evening from his headquarters in Ramallah, Abbas said he would not run in the elections he has called for January.

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Former prime minister Malcolm Fraser speaks during the Monash debate. Photo: Peter Haskin

PETER KOHN

SHOULD the West engage Hamas? If ever there was an explosive debating topic, this was it.

The Monash Association of Debaters chose the proposition for its annual Vice-Chancellor’s Debate on October 14 featuring six debaters including former prime minister Malcolm Fraser, federal MP for Isaacs Mark Dreyfus and Zionist Council of Victoria president Dr Danny Lamm.

Knitted kippahs mixed with keffiyehs in a crowd nudging 1000, spilling into the aisles of a lecture theatre and adjoining foyer.

To the obvious relief of Monash vice-chancellor Professor Ed Byrne, the debaters remained civil, respected time limits and shook hands and chatted with opponents after the 90-minute debate.

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Richard Goldstone (UN Photo)

WASHINGTON - The United Nations Security Council will meet to discuss a request for an emergency session on the Goldstone Commission report.
The meeting next Wednesday comes at the request of Libya, the lone Arab member of the 15-nation council, according to reports.

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Kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Photo: AJN file

DALIA SABLE

AUSTRALIA’s Zionist community has expressed hope that kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit will be released alive following a video delivered last week by Hamas.

The video, released last Friday, shows Shalit in good physical health, holding a newspaper dated September 14, 2009.

He is recorded as saying he is being well looked after and that he yearns to be reunited with his family. He calls on Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to waste no opportunities in finalising a deal to secure his release.

President of the Zionist Council of Victoria (ZCV) Dr Danny Lamm said: “Since June 25, 2006, his family has lived in limbo, not knowing his fate or the state of his physical or mental wellbeing. The videotape is a sign of life.
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