Hamas recognizes Israel's Right to Exist

There are some sentences I never thought I'd read outside of Science Fiction. This is one of them.

Hamas has accepted Israel's right to exist and would be prepared to nullify its charter, which calls for the destruction of Israel, Aziz Dwaik, Hamas's most senior representative in the West Bank, said on Wednesday.

Hamas, you may recall, has historically been dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic state in its place. They have fired thousands of rockets into Israel and killed many, many innocent civilians. But now, in control of the Palestinian territories, they are realizing that there may be more to gain by accepting Israel and actually considering peace.

There is no way to know how long this will last. It may simply be a PR stunt to facilitate getting foreign aid. But previously, this was unimaginable. And who knows what will happen, once you have crossed the rubicon

A Milestone in the Nuclear Age - A Cure for Radiation Sickness

If you have done any reading on the Manhattan Project, then you have read countless stories about the horror experience by the scientists there as they began to understand the phenomenon of radiation sickness. The atom bomb was originally engineered to simply be a VERY LARGE conventional explosive, but the radioactive fallout from the bombs caused unexpected side-effects. Days or weeks after the bomb, survivors began seeing hair falling out, teeth and fingernails rotting away, sores and burns appearing spontaneously, etc. Some believe more died from radiation poisoning after Hiroshima than were killed directly by the explosion. Scenes from these events have become emblematic of the nuclear age, and movies such as THE DAY AFTER have burned images like this into the collective consciousness.

But now, faced with a future nuclear Iran, scientists in Israel have developed a cure for radiation sickness!!! Using a protein found in human gut bacteria, they found a medication that could be ingested anywhere from 24 hours before exposure to 72 hours after. Animals treated with the medication showed an almost 100% survival rate, and in many cases showed no evidence of radiation sickness at all.

This is a game changer. Here is hoping that in the Age of Terrorism government will be loading up stockpiles ASAP.

Memo To World: Barack Obama is not yet president

There has been a storm of criticism of President-Elect Barack Obama over his silence on the subject of Israel's action in the Gaza Strip. International commentators, especially those in Britain and the Arab world, are furious that during a crisis of this magnitude, the president-elect takes the time to go on vacation and says nothing substantive to the Press.

Arab commentators and editorialists say there is growing disappointment at Obama's detachment - and that his failure to distance himself from George Bush's strongly pro-Israeli stance is encouraging the belief that he either shares Bush's bias or simply does not care.

The Al-Jazeera satellite television station recently broadcast footage of Obama on holiday in Hawaii, wearing shorts and playing golf, juxtaposed with scenes of bloodshed and mayhem in Gaza. Its report criticising "the deafening silence from the Obama team" suggested Obama is losing a battle of perceptions among Muslims that he may not realize has even begun.

While part of me wants to snidely point out that this is the problem with running on "change" and not policy, I really have to remind the world Barack Obama is not president yet. Asking him to step up and begin taking action is like asking for a violent coup in the USA. Until January 19, George W. Bush is still President and official American foreign policy is set by him. And Barack Obama - and the American people - understand this. An orderly transition of power is key to a successful democratic republic. And the fact that Obama remains silent at this time merely raises his reputation among those who would otherwise be his political foes.

So, foreign powers, please stop criticizing Obama on this point and start wondering why, after years of complaining about American interventionism, your own governments are not acting but instead standing around waiting for America to intervene.

Israel bids goodbye to the Cease Fire

Allegedly in response to repeated rocket attacks from Gaza - though I wonder if it has more to do with the election battle with Netanyahu - Prime Minster Ehud Olmert ordered massive air strikes in the Gaza Strip. The attacks were on Hamas, and included a number of quite specific targets.

Black smoke billowed over Gaza City, where the dead and wounded lay scattered on the ground after more than 30 air strikes destroyed several security compounds, including two where Hamas was hosting graduation ceremonies for new recruits.

Among the dead were the Hamas-appointed police chief, Tawfiq Jabber, the head of Hamas's security and protection unit, and the governor of central Gaza, according to medical workers.

If anyone thought President-Elect Obama would be entering office able to focus on a single crisis, it is time to revise that opinion. Here is hoping Obama's team can handle both a sagging economy, a war in Iraq, and a near-war in Israel all at the same time.

Israeli Newspaper Publishes Obama's Western Wall Prayer

I was not aware of this, but apparently in Israel there is a tradition of writing one's prayers on a piece of paper ad sticking it into the cracks of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Apparently, this is a sign of devotion and a way to get ones prayers directly to God. While Barack Obama was in Israel, he placed his own prayer in the wall - so far nothing unusual. What *IS* unusual is a seminary student promptly plucked it from the wall and an Israeli newspaper published it! This is quickly becoming a major scandal within Israel, because Wester Wall prayers are supposed to be confidential between God and the one who prays.

At the Western Wall, Obama was greeted by a crowd of curious onlookers and photographers. He donned a white skullcap, listened to a rabbi read a prayer, and inserted a folded white paper between the stones. One hardline Israeli protester shouted, "Obama, Jerusalem is not for sale."

The visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories was part of an international tour meant to shore up Obama's foreign affairs credentials ahead of the November election. Obama's prospective rival, John McCain, visited Israel in March.

While the prayer published is itself about the most generic one possible, it is refreshing to see a newspaper held accountable for a real invasion of privacy. There was nothing newsworthy about this prayer - unlike if, say, it has asked for a divided Jerusalem - and no reason to flash it before the world. Even a man who wants to be President has the right to a private relationship with God.