fufor's unregelmässige news

ISRAELI MINISTER WARNS OF 'BIGGER HOLOCAUST'
Israel minister warns Palestinians of "holocaust"
Fri Feb 29, 2008 2:20am EST

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai said on Friday the Palestinians would bring on themselves what he termed a bigger holocaust by stepping up rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza.

Tensions have escalated along the border with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, where at least 32 Palestinians have been killed in two days of Israeli air strikes.

One Israeli in the Jewish state's southern town of Sderot was killed on Wednesday in a rocket attack.

"The more Qassam (rocket) fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, (the Palestinians) will bring upon themselves a bigger holocaust because we will use all our might to defend ourselves," Vilnai told Army Radio.

The word holocaust is a term rarely used in Israel outside discussions of the Nazi genocide during World War Two. Many Israelis are loathe to countenance using the word to describe other contemporary events.

Israel has threatened to launch a broad offensive to try and stop militants in Gaza from firing rockets, which have reached deep into Ashkelon, a major southern city of 120,000 people.

The Islamist Hamas group's use of Soviet-designed Grad missiles, more powerful and accurate than improvised Gazan Qassams, has raised the stakes in the confrontation.

The Israeli army said it carried out a ground incursion into the northern Gaza Strip overnight and had shot at several gunmen. It declined to elaborate.

Israeli officials have threatened to target both militants who fire rockets as well as Hamas leaders

"Those who fire rockets at Israeli civilians will find that Israel will seek them out and neutralize them and their rocket launching squads," said Israeli government spokesman David Baker.

(Reporting by Joseph Nasr; Writing by Adam Entous and Joseph Nasr; Editing by Ralph Gowling)
http://tinyurl.com/3bcmvo

U.S. Northern Command, Canada Command establish new bilateral Civil Assistance Plan
February 14, 2008

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — U.S. Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, and Canadian Air Force Lt.-Gen. Marc Dumais, commander of Canada Command, have signed a Civil Assistance Plan that allows the military from one nation to support the armed forces of the other nation during a civil emergency.

“This document is a unique, bilateral military plan to align our respective national military plans to respond quickly to the other nation's requests for military support of civil authorities,” Renuart said. “Unity of effort during bilateral support for civil support operations such as floods, forest fires, hurricanes, earthquakes and effects of a terrorist attack, in order to save lives, prevent human suffering and mitigate damage to property, is of the highest importance, and we need to be able to have forces that are flexible and adaptive to support rapid decision-making in a collaborative environment.”

“The signing of this plan is an important symbol of the already strong working relationship between Canada Command and U.S. Northern Command,” Dumais said. “Our commands were created by our respective governments to respond to the defense and security challenges of the twenty-first century, and we both realize that these and other challenges are best met through cooperation between friends.”

The plan recognizes the role of each nation's lead federal agency for emergency preparedness, which in the United States is the Department of Homeland Security and in Canada is Public Safety Canada. The plan facilitates the military-to-military support of civil authorities once government authorities have agreed on an appropriate response.

U.S. Northern Command was established on Oct. 1, 2002, to anticipate and conduct homeland defense and civil support operations within the assigned area of responsibility to defend, protect, and secure the United States and its interests.

Similarly, Canada Command was established on Feb. 1, 2006, to focus on domestic operations and to offer a single point of contact for all domestic and continental defense and security partners.

The two domestic commands established strong bilateral ties well before the signing of the Civil Assistance Plan. The two commanders and their staffs meet regularly, collaborate on contingency planning and participate in related annual exercises.
http://tinyurl.com/2vzk6q