News Roundup...

...which you may not want to read...

I'm not going to lie to you and pretend that things are fine, just hunky dory here. If you don't want to know the truth, just scroll down to something more fun, or read me-ander, which deals with homier, more mundane things.

Following are some news items; for the full articles, just click on the excerpts.

Poll: Olmert, Peretz and Lieberman seen as most corrupt ministers
By Ruth Sinai, Haaretz Correspondents

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Minister for Strategic Threats Avigdor Lieberman and Defense Minister Amir Peretz are considered by the Israeli public to be the most corrupt ministers in the government. The ministers considered least corrupt are Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz.

Peres must be solid Teflon, considering...
Comptroller slams Peres, Netanyahu
By DAN IZENBERG
Vice Premier Shimon Peres should consider returning, or donating to the state, the $320,000 he received as primary election campaign contributions from three businessmen two weeks before a law severely limiting the amount of money candidates could receive went into effect.

Remember, these are our enemies:

Palestinian terror organizations used woman and children as human shields this past weekend to save terrorists holed up in a mosque in Gaza. The group of terrorists were under siege and Israel was demanding their surrender. In response, the Palestinians organized a human shield of more than 200 woman and children to surround the men and walk them to safety.

It doesn't seem to be getting better.
IDF: Hamas steps up production of Qassam rockets in Gaza Strip

By Amos Harel

Senior Israel Defense Forces officers believe that Hamas has managed to overcome the technological barrier that has so far prevented it from stockpiling a large number of Qassam rockets.

According to the officers, the group succeeded in expediting its production of rockets in an effort to create a new level of deterrence vis-a-vis Israel in the Gaza Strip.

IDF forces pulled out of the town of Beit Hanun Tuesday, but in fighting in other parts of the northern Gaza Strip, seven Palestinians were killed. Within several hours of the end of "Operation Autumn Clouds" there, four Qassams struck Ashkelon.

Were you aware that...
At the time that the IDF pulled out from Beit Hanoun, was it aware that
"large quantities of weapons" remained in "sensitive civilian sites" in
Beit Hanoun?
"...The IDF aspires to minimize civilian casualties, even at the cost of missing
some operational objectives."

Know thy enemy!

Top Hamas Officials: "We Want [All of] Palestine, from the River to the
Sea"; "Resistance and Jihad Are Legitimate"
In the nine months since it came to power, and despite the PLO's demands,
Hamas has not changed its views: It refuses to recognize Israel or
acknowledge its legitimacy, insists that previous Israeli-Palestinian peace
agreements will be recognized only if they serve Palestinian interests,
continues to lay claim to all of Palestine, and, in exchange for the
establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, offers only a
temporary hudna (ceasefire). In addition, Hamas continues to express
reservations about the Arab peace initiative of 2002, and to support
resistance, jihad, and abduction of Israeli soldiers.