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This Week in Israel
Commander of the Anti-aircraft forces, Brig. General Yair Dori said that Israel is now capable of intercepting ground-to-ground missiles. "I can say quite unequivocally: We are more prepared to face any threat from ground-to-ground missiles today than during the Gulf War. We have been preparing for this threat for 10 years, and we are ready", said Dori.
Following the American attack on Afghanistan and statements by Osama bin Laden linking Israel to the attack security precautions and alerts at Ben Gurion International Airport have been stepped-up. Transport Minister Ephraim Sneh said that there are no changes in air traffic to and from Israel as a result of the war against terror.
Since September 12th, the day after the terror attack in the US, Israeli citizens have been checking and refreshing their gas masks. This month, almost 400 new gas masks were distributed to citizens who presented themselves at the allocation points. At this rate, within two months all Israeli residents will have received new masks. Deputy Defense Minister Daliah Pilosoph-Rabin, who is responsible for the Home Command, said that there is no shortage of gas masks.
The mother of Yelena and Yulia Galimov, two sisters who were killed in the Dolphinarium terror attack in Tel Aviv, has sent a letter to more than a million and a half Jews worldwide asking them "not to turn your backs on Israel". The letter was placed on seats in synagogues in preparation for Yom Kippur prayers in the US and Canada as well as several European countries. The girls' mother, Elah, also wrote: "Despite the fact that my life is full of unbelievable pain, I am committed to living in this country. Israel welcomed me and my family, and offered us a home. Please do not turn your backs on Israel, innocent children are being killed. My daughters were killed. They were in no way guilty. They simply wanted to live, to study and to laugh. They dreamt of getting married, having children and raising families. The people of the world must pay attention". The Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized the distribution of the letter as part of a worldwide campaign called "returning to one's roots", aiming to reaffirm the connection between world Jewry and Israel.
In the wake of the American airline company Delta, which cancelled all flights to Israel, the Scandinavian airline company SAS also announced that is it canceling its flights on the Copenhagen-Tel Aviv route. The company announced that the security situation forced the company to undertake large-scale expenditure, in part because of the need to allow crews to stay in Cyprus overnight. It is anticipated that other European airline companies will also reduce the frequency of their flights to Israel.
The global aviation crisis has also hit El Al. After the voluntary retirement of 240 company employees, a further 240 jobs are shortly to be slashed - 7% of the company's workforce. Nevertheless, it should be stated that compared with other airline companies around the world, job losses at El Al are relatively limited. For example: "Continental" has announced the dismissal of 12,000 employees - 20% of it staff, and "American Airlines" and "United Airline" have announced that they will slash 20,000 jobs each. Meanwhile, the Knesset's Finance Committee has approved $4 billion in state guarantees for insuring war risks for Israeli airline companies, until the global aviation insurance market stabilizes.
Last week the IDF rescued two settlers who had mistakenly entered a Palestinian village in Samaria and feared being lynched. The two had set out from the settlement of Tapuach on foot at night, en route to Jerusalem, but lost their way and ended up in the village of Jaljouliya. They were soon encircled by a crowd of Palestinians who began throwing stones. The two managed to escape to a house in the village and in order to protect themselves held the occupants of the house hostage. One of the settlers had an M-16 rifle and the other was unarmed. Using a walkie-talkie, which they had with them, they reported their situation to the IDF and asked to be rescued. The IDF contacted the Palestinian Authority, which stated its willingness to assist in rescuing the settlers. However, when the IDF realized that such help was being delayed, it decided to enter the village by force and rescue the settlers. A group of artillery soldiers arrived at the village on armored personal carriers, under cover of helicopter fighters, and pulled the two settlers out of the house in the center of the village, near the mosque. The two were taken for questioning and clarification of the details of the incident. Military sources said that they "had acted extremely irresponsibly. We expect residents from the area to be aware of the risks entailed in night-time excursions in such areas".
The Prime Minister's office confirmed that at a special meeting of Directors General it was decided to promote the preparation of a plan to hold the Olympic Games in Israel in 2012. A steering committee was formed comprising the DG's of the Finance Ministry, Ministries of Culture & Sport, National Infrastructure, Environment, Internal Security and Tourism, as well as representatives of Tel Aviv City Hall. The committee will shortly publish a tender aimed at investigating this possibility in greater detail. The idea was suggested by students in a special presentation which demonstrated how to turn the Olympic Games into a lever for upgrading Tel Aviv and making possible such money-consuming projects as the underground railway and rehabilitation of Tel Aviv-Jaffa's ports.
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