News from Jerusalem

'Fatah officials warn of third Palestinian intifada'

Fatah had made a strategic decision to declare a third intifada against Israel, movement officials told Nazereth-based newspaper Hadith Anas, citing the failed peace talks as the reason for their resolution.

The newspaper report quoted Fatah Central Committee members as saying that the movement wished to implement a decision made during its sixth convention, which assembled last August in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

One of the movement's top officials i...

Iran is advancing on dual nuclear bomb track: uranium plus plutonium

DEBKAfile's military sources report that the UN inspectors' October visit to Iran turned up dual-track progress in support of its nuclear weapons program: Feverish activity was registered in the production of plutonium at Isfahan as an alternative to the Fordo enriched uranium plant near Qom which starts up in 2011.

The IAEA experts discovered 30 metric tons-IS of heavy water hidden in 600 tanks, each holding 13 gallons, according to the report they handed ...

Israel warship to join NATO anti-terror force

Israeli and North Atlantic Treaty Organization officials say Israel will dispatch a warship to join a NATO naval force, marking an upgrade in ties.

An Israeli missile ship will join NATO's Active Endeavor naval force, aimed aimed to prevent the passage of terrorists and weapons of mass destruction as well as improve the security of the region's shipping industry.

Israeli defense officials say Israel already has a liaison officer with the naval force. They sa...

A wheelless cart before a lame horse

One should never underestimate the propensity of the Palestinians for shooting themselves in the foot, to wit, the situation Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has put himself in with regard to the peace process.

True, this may not have been entirely his fault - mixed signals from abroad also had something to do with it, but Abbas seems to be bent on doing everything to get himself into an even deeper hole by adopting ever more intransigent posit...