February 11, 2003

Here are 2 big clues that our war with Iraq is imminent from our ally and friend Israel:
IDF clamps rare full closure on Palestinians

The IDF, citing a spate of warnings of planned terror attacks, clamped a rare full closure over Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip overnight, effectively cancelling plans to ease restrictions for a major Muslim holiday beginning Tuesday.
[...]
As of late Monday, the Shin Bet had received 48 active alerts of potential attacks. Security sources said most of the cells were working on attacks inside Israel in the immediate future. In addition, there is evidence that they are working on "mega-attacks," high-profile strikes designed to exact unusually large numbers of casualties and damage sensitive, often symbolic targets. Most of the alerts refer to Islamic Jihad or Hamas cells, but there are also alerts referring to the Popular Front and Fatah.

In a cabinet meeting Sunday, Mofaz recommended a series of measures that would have eased restrictions on Palestinians prior to Id al-Adha, the Muslim Feast of the Sacrifice, which begins Tuesday.

But late Monday, amid the dozens of warnings, Mofaz ordered the complete closure on all Palestinian areas in the territories. The closure is expected to remain in place through Friday, with the Palestinians prohibited from entering Israeli territory until further notice. Under the closure order, entry to Israel will only be allowed in special humanitarian cases. People with permanent permits to enter Israel will not be allowed in.
[...]Army officials have suggested that the rise in planned attacks is due in part to an attempt by Islamic groups to move quickly to disrupt reported high-level contacts between the Palestinian Authority and Israeli officials.

Another factor may be the growing tension in the Gulf, and the impending U.S. attack on Iraq. A senior defense source said late Monday that in recent weeks Iraq and Iran have taken leading roles in pressing militants in the territories to initiate major attacks.
[...]
Perhaps the most potentially serious attack of those foiled recently was the one thwarted in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where the IDF arrested a Hamas suicide bomber and discovered a suitcase containing a 20-kilogram bomb that was ready to be detonated, apparently in a terror attack in Jerusalem. Sappers detonated the device safely.

Ramallah, huh? Fancy that. Arafat's neighborhood....
And then there's this other story out of Israel, too:
U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv to start evacuating
non-essential staff

The U.S. embassy in Israel said on Monday it would start evacuating non-essential personnel and diplomats' families later in the week, with a U.S.-led war against Iraq looming.

A senior embassy source in Tel Aviv told Haaretz that the non-essential staff and diplomats' families have been on "authorized departure status" since Friday, when the State Department advised all but essential diplomats, along with family members, to leave Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
[...]
But it [the U.S. State Dept.] said the move did not mean that war with Iraq was imminent or inevitable. However, the United States took similar steps before the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq.

On January 30, the State Department announced an authorized departure for U.S. diplomats and dependants in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

It's good to know that Israel is securing itself as best it can.
They know only too well that if Saddam lashes out at his enemies, Israel will be the first to know about it.
Am Yisrael Chai...and Baghdad Delenda Est!
Let's roll.