Netanyahu: Iran has recently accelerated nuclear program

PM tells EU ambassadors to Israel that Tehran has taken advantage of reduced pressure from West in order to speed up nuclear program, accuses international community of "rushing to judgment" over IDF strikes on Gaza.Talkbacks (5)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday said that Iran has recently accelerated its nuclear program as it appeared to sense a reduction in international pressure, Israel Radio reported.

Speaking to European Union ambassadors to Israel, Netanyahu also commented on the recent violent escalation that broke out along Israel's border with Gaza in the past week, telling them that Hamas deliberately fired a missile at a school bus that was hit last Thursday.
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No country, the prime minister continued, can accept such actions and Israel will act to protect its citizens.

He charged that in the past, the "international community rushed to judgment" regarding Israel's response to terror attacks.

The prime minister also requested that the European delegates do what they can to prevent their citizens from taking part in the upcoming flotilla to Gaza scheduled for mid-June.

The prime minister's comments came hours after Foreign Minister Avigdor Liebermanspoke out against a conditional ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. "Hamas is fighting a war of attrition against us. We won't come to terms with a situation in which they decide when there's quiet and when the area heats up," he told Israel Radio.

Terrorists Attack Israel, Bomb Jerusalem Bus Station--Gaza Fires Mortars/Rockets.

First photos of the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Jerusalem, killing one elderly woman and woundng 50 others, one seriously. The terrorist escaped.

Police, emergency medical services increase presence after one person dies, 39 hurt in J'lem bus station bombing and barrages of rockets, mortars fired from the Gaza Strip into southern districts.

  Israel Police and Magen David Adom emergency medical services on Wednesday evening raised their alert level as the result of the Jerusalem bombing attack and recent rocket and mortar barrages which have hit the South.

Police Insp.-Gen. David Cohen and Jerusalem District Police chief Cmdr. Aharon Franco met to discuss the current security situation after a two kilogram explosive went off outside Egged bus number 74 at a station opposite the Jerusalem Conference Center (Binyanei Ha'uma) in the center of town.

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One woman died and 39 people were injured in the attack. Three were injured seriously from the explosion itself, five moderately from shrapnel packed into the explosive device and the remainder were in light condition.

The injured were taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem, Hadassah Mount Scopus, Bikur Holim and Shaare Tzedek hospitals. All hospitals in the area were opened to receive casualties.

Several hours after the explosion, the scene of the attack was cleaned and all activities returned to normal, daily routines. Public transportation operated normally and error-free, hiding the day's earlier events.

Officials have said that the Jerusalem Marathon, which is set to begin at the site of the bombing on Friday, will take place as scheduled.

In addition, police in the South increased the number of officers and patrol cars in the country's largest police districts in response to the threat of further rockets and shells from the Gaza Strip.

Lt.-Cmdr. Kobi Cohen, acting southern district head, held an evaluation meeting over the security situation, and concluded with a decision to increase the number of officers at the disposal of station chiefs.

Patrol cars on urban roads will be beefed up as well, and a stand-by police force will be available in case of an additional flare up.

Officers will also be deployed on roads leading to hospitals, and police volunteers have been called up.

Since the beginning of the week, 69 rockets were fired from Gaza into the southern district, while 109 rockets have been fired since the beginning of the year.

Since the end of Operation Cast Lead, 450 rockets were fired into southern Israel, police said.

h/t: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/143086
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=213491 

Visions of 2012: Video Recap of Sarah's Israel Trip

1st Photos of Sarah and Bibi

2012 can't get here fast enough !!!

Palin from Israel: "Overwhelming to be with Our Ally Israel, @ Cornerstone of Our Faith."

Sarah Palin Arrives in Israel, Will Meet With Bibi.

By REUTERS  
03/20/2011 17:55 

Palin says she looks forward to meeting with PM to discuss key issues "as the world confronts sweeping changes and new realities."

JERUSALEM - Leading US Republican Sarah Palin began a private visit to Israel on Sunday, her first to the Jewish state, and planned to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and tour holy sites.

Palin, a 2008 vice presidential candidate, is a potential White House contender in 2012 and a leading light in the fiscally conservative Tea Party movement.

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Sarah Palin to visit Israel, meet Netanyahu, Danon 

"As the world confronts sweeping changes and new realities, I look forward to meetingwith Prime Minister Netanyahu to discuss the key issues facing his country, our ally Israel," Palin, who flew in from India, said in a statement on her website.

Israeli media described her trip as a bid to show support for Israel, whose standing is strong among US voters, and gain more experience in international affairs ahead of a possible presidential run.

Palin, who is keeping her supporters guessing on whether she will run for the presidency, made no comment to reporters on arrival at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion airport for the two-day visit.

The former Alaska governor has used lucrative television, book and speaker deals to emerge as one of her party's biggest stars since running as the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee. During that campaign she was criticised for a lack of foreign policy expertise.

Palin was scheduled to have dinner with Netanyahu and his wife on Monday after visiting holy sites in Jerusalem, including Judaism's Western Wall.

Sarah Palin to visit Israel

The Governor gave the following statement to ABC News:

“I’m thankful to be able to travel to Israel on my way back to the U.S.,” Governor Palin said.  “As the world confronts sweeping changes and new realities, I look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu to discuss the key issues facing his country, our ally Israel.”

The Jerusalem Post has published the following:

By JPOST.COM STAFF  
03/17/2011 09:24 

Potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate Sarah Palin is expected to arrive in Israel for a visit next week, Army Radio reported on Thursday.

The former Alaska governor and 2008 vice-presidential candidate follows several other prominent republicans who have visited Israel recently, including Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Haley Barbour.


According to the report, Palin's visit will be private, but she will meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other members of Israel's right-wing, including Likud MK Danny Danon.

Savage Murder: Netanyahu blames Palestinian incitement for deadly attack

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