In today's category of "things folks could see coming from a thousand miles away"...

Greece condemns far-right party's Holocaust denial

Greece's government and Jewish community on Monday condemned the leader of a far-right party for saying there were no gas chambers in Nazi concentration camps.

Nikolaos Mihaloliakos, whose Golden Dawn party became potential kingmakers after an inconclusive election on May 6, also challenged the view that six million Jews were killed in World War Two.

"There were no ovens, this is a lie... there were no gas chambers either," Mihaloliakos said on Sunday in an interview on the private Mega television station.

Golden Dawn, whose members give Nazi-style salutes, took nearly 7 percent of the vote in a surge for fringe parties opposed to austerity policies under Greece's international bailout deal.

Mihaloliakos said the number of six million Jewish victims was an "exaggeration" and that "many people from different nations" died in German concentration camps, just like many Japanese died in US camps.

"I most categorically condemn such views, which distort history and offend the memory of millions of Holocaust victims," said government spokesman Pantelis Kapsis.

About 70,000 Greek Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps in World War Two, most from the northern city of Thessaloniki.

24 hours ago, everyone in Israel, from citizens to senior politicians alike, had accepted the fact that the current Israeli Knesset would be dispersed, with elections seemingly slated for September 2012.
In a shocking turn of events, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Kadima party leader Shaul Mofaz (who narrowly defeated former party leader Tzipi Livni weeks ago) announced hours ago that elections will not be held, with Kadima becoming a member of the Israeli parliament's coalition in the framework of a unity government and the Knesset remaining in its current form.

Political Drama: No elections - Kadima to Join Government

No elections, Kadima joins government: In a dramatic move, the Likud and Kadima parties agreed on a unity government early Tuesday, averting the prospect of early elections.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kadima Chairman Shaul Mofaz finalized the surprising unity agreement hours before the Knesset was expected to approve its own dissolution and set September 4th as the date of the next elections.

PM Netanyahu announced that Kadima's Mofaz will be appointed deputy PM and minister without portfolio, while also being included in Israel's security cabinet. Mofaz told Kadima members the party will likely get more portfolios later on, apparently in 2013. As part of the deal, Kadima will also chair the Knesset's Economics Committee.

The Egyptian government has announced the unilateral termination of gas and purchase agreement with Israel. Sources close to the Israeli corporation responsible for the pipeline stated that the cancellation of the agreement will set Egypt back 30 years. Egypt is obligated to supply gas to Israel in the framework of the three decade-old peace agreement between the countries.

Egypt cancels natural gas deal with Israel

Egypt's national gas company EGAS announced Sunday that it will be cancelling its natural gas supply deal with Israel.

Ampal-American Israel Corporation, a partner in the East Mediterranean Gas Company (EMG), which operates the pipeline, said the Egyptian companies involved had notified EMG they were "terminating the gas and purchase agreement".

The company said in a statement that the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company had notified them of the decision, adding that "EMG considers the termination attempt unlawful and in bad faith, and consequently demanded its withdrawal".

It said EMG, Ampal, and EMG's other international shareholders were "considering their options and legal remedies as well as approaching the various governments.

Sources close to EMG said in response, "Egypt does not understand what it is doing. This move will bring back the country - politically and economically – by 30 years. This is a breach of the peace agreement with Israel."

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US Congress: Increase Iron Dome Funding by $680 Million

The Armed Services Committee of the US Congress announced a proposal aimed at increasing the funding to Israel's Iron Dome anti-rocket active defense program. A congressional aide stated that the committee would seek the approval of $680 million to be provided for the system's continued development and deployment, beginning with the current fiscal year up through 2015.

The committee's announcement follows the Pentagon's statement of its intention to request that Congress will approve the transfer of supplementary funds to Israel, to aid in its procurement of additional Iron Dome batteries..

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Emergency Events at Airports Largely a Result of Intoxicated Passengers

An Israeli-managed European research initiative has determined that most of the emergency events at airports occur due to confrontations with drunk and violent passengers.

This research was the first comprehensive survey of European airports, and was carried out by the BEMOSA project, funded by the EU and headed by Professor Avi Kirshenbaum from the Technion in Hiafa.

The report is based on 360 interviews conducted at eight different European airports. The research reveals that most events that required security personnel to intervene involved the confiscation of prohibited items and handling of intoxicated and violent passengers. From these results, BEMOSA researchers compiled a list of emergency scenarios that require security personnel to intervene.

According to the report, 131 out of 369 events where there was a genuine threat to security involved passengers seeking to bring prohibited items past security, including knives, guns, ammunition, and explosives. Ninety of these events involved violent passengers, most of which were drunk.

The report explains that these events significantly affect security procedures, as additional security employees or police had to be called in order to assist in the handling of passengers under the influence of alcohol.

More at the link

France: Shooter dead after police raid

An al-Qaeda-inspired gunman who killed seven people in France died on Thursday after jumping out of a window of his apartment, where he had been holed up for some 30 hours in a standoff with police, Interior Minister Claude Gueant said.

Mohammed Merah, a 23-year-old Frenchman of Algerian origin, had been silent for hours but opened fire on special forces who stormed the building and was killed in the ensuing gunbattle.

"At the moment when a video probe was sent into the bathroom, the killer came out of the bathroom, firing with extreme violence," Gueant told reporters at the scene, adding that Merah was firing several guns at once.

"In the end, Merah jumped from the window with his gun in his hand, continuing to fire. He was found dead on the ground," he said..

French media reports said three police commandos were wounded in a shootout with the suspect, one in serious condition.

Earlier on Thursday Minister Claude Gueant said Merah wanted to "die with weapons in his hands."

Suspicions had surfaced that the gunman, who had been holed up in an apartment in the southern city of Toulouse, may have already committed suicide. Gueant said Thursday morning that the suspect had not contacted negotiators since Wednesday night, adding "it's rather strange that he never reacted" to the detonations overnight.

Authorities say Merah has boasted about carrying out the shootings of three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi, and three French paratroopers in three separate incidents over the last two weeks. They are believed to be the first incidents of killings inspired by Islamic radical motives in France in more than a decade.

Authorities said the shooter, a French citizen of Algerian descent, had been to Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he claimed to have received training from al-Qaeda.

In an absolutely despicable and sickening attack, at least 2 children at a Jewish school in the French city of Toulouse were killed, after a shooter opened fire at students as they left of the school bus and entered the establishment:

Jewish School Attacked in France, 3 Killed

According to initial details, a man riding on a motorcycle opened fire on the Ozar Hatorah School and then fled the scene.

The school's rabbi and the headmaster's daughter are believed to be among the fatalities. Three of the injured are in serious condition.

ZAKA's Paris headquarters are said to have sent delegated to the school, to assist authorities.

French Interior Minister Claude Gueant is making his way to the site as well. Paris' Interior Ministry had ordered to increase surveillance and protection of Jewish institutions across France.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is also said to be making his way to Toulouse.

Patrick Rouimi, of the school's parent teacher association, said that the shooter fired on people waiting at a pickup point near the school.

The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem issued a statement saying that Israel was "horrified" by the attack.

Chief Rabbi of France Gilles Bernheim expressed the Jewish community's horror at the incident as well.

The shooting happened in the same region where a gunman on a motorbike opened fire on three uniformed paratroopers at a bank machine Thursday, killing two and critically wounding the other. The attack in the town of Montauban occurred not far from the soldiers' barracks. Four days earlier, a gunman on a motorbike shot and killed another paratrooper in Toulouse, about 30 miles away.

Authorities said at the time that forensic analysis showed that the same weapon was used in the shootings in Montauban and Toulouse.

Update: latest details place the casualties at four - a 30 year old Israeli teacher, his two 3 and 6 year old children and another 10 year old boy.

Israeli cities hit by rockets after death of top PRC official

Southern Israel under heavy fire: Eight people were wounded Friday, one of them seriously, following a rocker salvo at southern Israel by Gaza terrorists.

Meanwhile, the IDF struck several times in the Gaza Strip, killing seven terrorists.

More than 40 rockets and mortar shells were launched at Israel's south throughout the day, prompting the Air Force to mount several strikes on Gaza terror cells. According to the IDF, shortly after midnight, the IAF targeted two terror cells gearing to fire rockets at Israel, killing two terrorists.

Palestinian sources said at least two Islamic Jihad terrorists were killed in the strike, near the Palestinian parliament in central Gaza City.

Iron dome in action
According to Magen David Adom emergency services, three people sustained rocket moderate shrapnel wounds, three others were lightly hurt while running for cover, and two others were involved in a car accident as result of the panic. The injured were rushed to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

In the early evening hourse, the Iron Dome rocket defense system intercepted at least four Grad rockets fired at the southern communities of Ashdod, Gan Yavne and Kiryat Malachi.

The Color Red alert sounded in the Ashdod region immediately after the long-range rockets were fired, prompting residents to rush into bomb shelters and secured rooms. At least one rocket landed in an open area in the city's vicinity.

Late Friday night, the Color Red alert sounded in Beersheba, southern Israel's largest city. The Iron Dome system engaged and several explosions were reported in the area. Officials later said several rockets hit the city's outskirts.

The Air Force targeted several terror cells in Gaza during the evening, killing at least three Islamic Jihad terrorists.

An IDF security assessment prompted the Home Front Command to bar mass gatherings within a 40km radius of the Gaza border, as well as order more public bomb sheltered opened....

The latest round of fighting in the Gaza region began Friday afternoon, after the IDF targeted a vehicle traveling in Gaza City, killing Popular Resistance Committees' Secretary General Zuhir al-Qaisi and another senior group figure recently freed in the Gilad Shalit swap.

The army said al-Qaisi was in final stages of planning a major terror attack at Israeli targets on the Egypt border.

Updated: More than 100 rockets have hit Israel's south so far, with 15 Palestinian terrorists reported killed during the IAF retaliation against launch sites.

"Iran tried to cover up nuke efforts"

Satellite images of an Iranian military facility show trucks and earth-moving vehicles at the site, indicating that crews were trying to clean it of radioactive traces possibly left by tests of a nuclear-weapon trigger, diplomats told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Two of the diplomats said the crews may be trying to erase evidence of tests of a small neutron device used to set off a nuclear explosion. A third diplomat could not confirm that but said any attempt to trigger a so-called neutron initiator at the Parchin site could only be in the context of trying to develop nuclear arms.

The images, provided to the IAEA by member countries, are recent and constantly updated, said one of the diplomats.

The diplomats are nuclear experts accredited to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and all asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive information.

Iran is under growing international pressure over its nuclear program, which it insists is peaceful. Israel has warned that it may resort to a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran from obtaining atomic weapons.

The IAEA has already identified the Parchin military site as the location of suspected nuclear weapons-related testing. In a November report, it said it appeared to be the site of experiments with conventional high explosives meant to initiate a nuclear chain reaction.

It did not mention a neutron initiator as part of those tests but in a separate section cited an unnamed member nation as saying Iran may have experimented with a neutron initiator, without going into detail or naming a location for such work.

In contrast, the intelligence information shared with the AP by the two diplomats linked the high-explosives work directly to setting off a neutron initiator at Parchin.