Eye on the Enemy: US fears Iraq will release Hizbullah commander

The new Iraqi government insisted on keeping Daqduq in a local jail, where he is held for four years, and the Americans agreed. But the decision raises dissatisfaction, by military and intelligence agencies or legislators, who sought to charge him in a court-martial. Even before officially handing the detainee to the Iraqis, 21 senators signed a petition calling on President Barack Obama to transfer Daqduq to Guantanamo prison or to a military prison outside the United States - before the withdrawal of the troops from Iraq later this month.

According to the senators, there is a concern that the Iraqis will release the Daqduq or allow him to escape from prison. "The failure of transferring Daqduq to Guantanamo or to another US-controlled facility will keep him under the supervision of the Iraqi regime which will later release and transfer him to Iran to return to the battlefield," Senators wrote. "His Iranian handlers want him to be transferred to the Iraqis, so they can apply pressure to allow his escape or release."

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor who announced Tuesday the transfer of Daqduq to the Iraqis, made it clear that Iraq promised to bring him to trial for his crimes, but lawmakers are not convinced. "Daqduq was linked to Hizbullah' (special operations unit of the Revolutionary Guards), and he trained its troops," insisted the Republican senator from Iowa, Charles Gresli, "The decision to release him is a slap given to the families of the five soldiers who were killed under his leadership."

Daqduq, who is a high-ranked official in Hizbullah, was arrested by American troops in Basra in March 2007 on suspicion of involvement in an attack that occurred two months before against the American forces in Karbala. The Americans confirmed his capture after six months and said he was a Hizbullah member in the service of Iran. His capture was the most tangible proof of the involvement of Hizbullah and the Revolutionary Guards in attacking American forces in Iraq. According to the Daily Beast, one reason Daqduq could not be sent to the United States is that Obama had not permitted new detainees to be sent to the Guantánamo prison in Cuba.

A storm in Norway: ""Israel" is responsible for attacks in the country" 

Walla news portal - Tal Shalev

An Article published in a magazine in Norway, claiming that "Israel" was behind the massacre that took place in July in Oslo caused a stir in recent days in Norway.

The new Norwegian magazine Nytt Nordisk Tidsskrift published last month an academic article entitled " Inspiration, interests, initiation and investments in Breivik's world ", in which a senior expert at the Institute for Peace Research in Oslo, Ola (John) Tunander, claimed that "Israel" was behind the acts of the terrorist Anders Behring Breivik who was charged with carrying out two attacks in Norway, which killed 77 people and wounded dozens.

Late last month, and following a report submitted by a team of psychiatrists, Breivik won't be going to trial or imprisoned in jail , but he will be hospitalized in a mental institution.

Few days after the events, conspiracy theories about the motives of Breivik increased, and they were expressed in a Manifesto published online that showed him as a dedicated admirer of "Israel". In a paper published last month in the respectful magazine, Tunander, a prominent professor in Geopolitics and Security Studies at the Peace Research Institute Oslo, linked Breivik's killing spree to the bombing of the British military headquarters at the King David Hotel in 1946 and to the Lillehammer affair of 1973, when Mossad agents misidentified their target and killed an innocent man instead.

Tunander further noted, "Just to give a chronological order", the proximity of the statements of "Israeli" officials against Norway in the months before the fatal attack, and presented an allegation that "Israel" sought to influence Norway's position in the Middle East via Breivik. 

The article stirred up controversy in Norway. This week the country's leading newspaper, AftenPosten, published an article asking the journal editors an apology. "The article is a mishmash of innuendos and representations of hidden relationships, and it raises doubts about the author and the editors," the article sharply attacked the magazine for making a fool of itself "by publishing the text," The article is an insult to the public and consists of a conglomeration of misrepresentations, loose ends and vague statements that better suit the websites of conspiracy ".

The paper mentioned a new concept, "speculative conspiracy" and said it has "no serious place in a magazine." Tunander responded and said that the article was misunderstood, as he himself is certain that "Israel" is not involved at all and this argument is presented in the article, but allegations raised by other people were also presented in the article. Tunander slammed the readers saying that "they may not be used to read arguments of an analytic polemical style, yet they are more used to recapped articles that simply indicate the situation."
"Vicious and dangerous part is unanimously rejected" 

"Israel"'s ambassador to Norway, Michael Eligal, notified the Foreign Ministry with the publications, and commended the appropriate response to what is being said in the Norwegian media. "Israel" has praised the reactions raised in Norway, which faced in recent years some tensions with Jerusalem in light of the extensive activities of pro-Palestinian organizations that promoted for the boycott of "Israel" and created disputes about the "Israeli" - Palestinian conflict. 

"The ridiculous conspiracy concocted by Professor Ola Tunander should had never seen the light", said Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor. "The fact that a magazine that purports to be serious and respected then publishes such an article is very disturbing and casts doubts on the opinions of the editors." However, Palmor added, "Fortunately, men and women of good will and common sense all over Norway unanimously rejected the evil and dangerous part of this. We are encouraged by this response and rely on the Norwegian legal system that would reveal the truth of this tragic event." 

IEC approved a gas agreement with the "Tamar" partnerships

NFC website - Amiram Barakat

IEC board of directors has approved a gas supply agreement with the Tamar partners after two years of negotiations. "Globes" website revealed that the huge agreement is to be signed by the end of December or before - which actually happened. 

IEC has not backed down from demanding a floor price in the agreement and appended that in the final signing. In addition, it demanded that the price set will be subject to any government decision on regulating the price of gas, so that the price will not be higher than the regulated price of natural gas. IEC has not backed down from demanding a price floor, despite the intervention of the Antitrust Authority director David Gilo, who warned that this might be a judicial violation of a binding agreement.

The Gas deal between IEC partners and "Tamar" partners, Delek Group Ltd. controlling shareholder Yitzhak Tshuva, Alon Gas, Noble Energy and Isramco, is considered as a huge deal in terms of "Israel's" energy economy. This is an agreement to purchase gas for 15 years, in financial terms, the total mounts to $ 8 billion - reflecting a price of 5 dollars per Btu. However, this is about the current price, which will be the actual starting price to be paid in mid-2013 - the date of commencement of supply. 

According to IEC Chairman Yiftah Ron Tal, "The agreement brings forth the revolution of the gas we are amid, and "Israel" could reach full energy independence. This is perhaps the largest agreement signed in the "Israeli" economic history. This agreement ensures us stability in gas supply."
Until two days ago the agreement was expected to be jeopardized, since the IEC disagreed to provide the company with the lowest priced gas market. IEC feared the entrepreneurs of "Tamar" will end the gas agreements with private power producers at low cost, in order to block the road of their future competitors. 

Delek Group and Alon gas which own 36% of the concessions in the "Tamar" in need of the agreement with the IEC in order to obtain bank financing in exchange of their contribution in developing the equipments. Moreover, the agreement is supposed to open the way for signing additional agreements between Tamar and smaller business customers, as the private power station Dalia Power Energies, which could not provide the financial coverage to establish a station without the gas purchase agreement. The Agreement with Dalia Power Energies is expected to be signed in the coming days; the deal is worth approximately $ 1 billion - according to the terms of the agreement between the parties.

Source: Hebrew Newspapers, Translated and Edited by moqawama.org