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WAR REPORT
Abbas heads to Arab meet with backing to quit talks
by Staff Writers
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories (AFP) Oct 7, 2010


US man offered to send Israel tech company info: documents
Washington (AFP) Oct 6, 2010 - An employee of a US tech company was arrested and charged in federal court Wednesday with stealing trade secrets and attempting to apparently sell them to Israel, according to court documents. Elliot Doxer, 42, reached out to a foreign country's consulate in Boston saying he was "willing to provide any information he had access to," said the court filings. "I am a Jewish American who lives in Boston. I know you are always looking for information and I am offering the little I may have," Doxer allegedly wrote, according to an affidavit presented by the FBI agent who interacted with him. In later communication, Doxer said his main aim "was to help our homeland and our war against our enemies," and allegedly asked for 3,000 dollars in return "for the risks he was taking," officials said.

The foreign country, apparently Israel, cooperated with the US investigation, the Justice Department said in a statement though it only referred to it as "Country X." The complaint alleged Doxer visited a "dead drop" where he could exchange written communication with the undercover FBI agent at least 62 times between September 2007 through March 2009. He allegedly passed on a list of customers for the company Akamai Technologies Inc., which provides Internet content delivery services and where Doxer worked in the finance department. He also allegedly gave to the agent some contracts between Akamai and its customers, a comprehensive list of employees, and described the company's computer security systems. Charged with one count of wire fraud, Doxer, if convicted, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a 250,000-dollar fine, officials said.

Four wounded in Israeli raids on Gaza: witnesses, Hamas
Gaza City, Palestinian Territories (AFP) Oct 7, 2010 - Israeli warplanes staged three raids in the Gaza Strip overnight wounding four Palestinians, Hamas security officials and witnesses said Thursday. Two people were wounded in strikes on the east and west of Gaza City and two others were hurt in a third attack on the centre of the Gaza Strip, they said. An Israeli military spokeswoman refused to comment. Earlier Wednesday, a rocket fired from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip hit southern Israel but no one was hurt, an Israeli army spokesman said. Army radio said that another rocket fired at Israel fell short and landed inside the strip. The number of rocket attacks declined sharply following Israel's massive 22-day offensive against Gaza, which ended in January 2009, and the radical Hamas movement which rules the enclave has taken steps to rein in the attacks, believed to be the work of rival factions. However, since the start of this year militants have fired more than 120 rockets or mortar rounds into southern Israel, according to the military.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has strong backing on Thursday to quit peace talks after inconclusive US efforts to strike a compromise with Israel over settlements.

The Palestinian leader is to make a final decision on whether to stick with the US-led negotiations after meeting with the Arab League Follow-Up Committee for the peace process on Friday in the Libyan city of Sirte.

The past week has brought a flurry of reports that Washington has offered incentives to both sides in a bid to rescue the talks launched a month ago but imperiled by the expiration of a settlement moratorium on September 26.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given no indication he will revive the moratorium, and Abbas had repeatedly threatened to quit the talks if settlement activity continues.

Abbas had strong support from the Palestinian leadership and public opinion ahead of Friday's meeting.

He is expected to seek the support of the Arab foreign ministers before making what he has described as a "very important speech" in which he would announce "historic decisions."

A senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), said its position announced on Saturday -- that there should be no negotiations as long as settlement building continued -- had not changed.

Salih Rafat told AFP the Palestinians were hoping to "prepare for a plan whereby Arab and international parties can go to the United Nations or the Security Council to oppose Israel's continuing settlement activity.

"Even if the United States is able to use its veto, there is nothing preventing us from demanding this," he told AFP.

A poll this week found that two-thirds of Palestinians support quitting the US-backed peace talks launched on September 2, and the militant Hamas movement -- Abbas's main domestic rival -- has always adamantly opposed the talks.

Top Israeli ministers have meanwhile held a series of meetings this week but the government made a point of saying that the renewal of the moratorium was not on the agenda.

Israel's security cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss measures "to enable apartment owners to reinforce their buildings against the threat of missile attacks or earthquakes," a government statement said.

Last week a report by an analyst with close ties to top US officials suggested that President Barack Obama had offered a raft of security and other incentives to Israel in return for a 60-day moratorium extension.

The writer, David Makovsky, is considered close to senior White House adviser Dennis Ross, with whom he has co-authored a book on Middle East peace efforts.

Neither Israeli nor US officials have commented on the report.

The reported proposal would face stiff opposition in Israel, according to an informal poll by an Israeli newspaper this week, which found that a majority of ministers in Netanyahu's mostly right-wing cabinet oppose such a deal.

Netanyahu has insisted that "restrained" settlement construction would not interfere with the talks, which have the goal of reaching a final peace deal within a year, and has urged Abbas to stick with them.

Washington has meanwhile stepped up efforts to press Arab ministers to back continued peace talks.

"What we want out of the Arab League is continued support for direct negotiations that we have just launched," US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.

Crowley said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed how to obtain a "successful outcome" at the Arab League meeting when she spoke by phone Monday with Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh of Jordan, a sponsor of the peace talks.

US Middle East envoy George Mitchell, who toured the Middle East last week in a bid to save the fledgling talks, has also made calls of his own from Washington, Crowley said.

"We are intensively engaged. We are in touch with the Palestinians. We are in touch with the Israelis. We are in touch with countries that will be participating in the Arab League meeting on Friday," Crowley said.

"Our message is clear... We are at a critical stage in this process. We want to see the negotiations continue. We don't want to see the parties step away from this process," he said.

But the Palestinians view the presence of 500,000 Israelis in more than 120 settlements in the occupied West Bank and annexed Arab east Jerusalem as a major threat to the viability of their future state and see the freezing of settlement construction as a key test of Israel's seriousness about the talks.

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