Israel throws 60th birthday bash under cloud of uncertainty

Israel this week celebrates its 60th birthday with military displays, barbecues and a Bible quiz but also with a cloud of uncertainty hanging over its prime minister's political future.Air shows, concerts, beach parties and fireworks will mark the six decades since the Jewish state was founded according to the Hebrew lunar calendar.For many, the three-day weekend will be an opportunity to escape to beaches or the countryside for picnics and barbecues, and opposition politicians have suggested Prime Minister Ehud Olmert should also get away from it all.Several lawmakers have urged Olmert to quit or at least step aside pending the outcome of the latest investigation into corruption allegations against him, the fifth such probe since he took power.
Olmert has denied any wrongdoing and insisted he will continue his duties as premier.While the big bash is on Thursday, celebrations will continue for weeks and some foreign dignitaries will only join in the fun later, including US President George W. Bush who is scheduled to travel to Israel next week.Israel's vaunted military, which defeated Arab armies to forge the Jewish state in 1948, will play a key role. Its displays will include a jump by 150 paratroopers from different countries over the seaside town of Ashkelon on Thursday.In a reminder that Israel remains mired in conflict with the Palestinians, the army says it will offer guided tours of copies of tunnels used to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip.It will also display a model of underground bunkers and missile launch sites used by Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia which Israel battled to a bloody 34-day stalemate in 2006.The more religiously-minded can take part in an international Bible quiz, while for those seeking intellectual stimulation, President Shimon Peres is to host a conference on challenges facing Israel and the world."Over the past 60 years, Israel has developed into a modern, vibrant country," Olmert said, stressing however that despite its achievements "we still have much to accomplish.""We must exhaust all possibilities for peace with our Arab neighbors, while always safeguarding the security of our citizens," he said.As the Jewish state celebrates, Palestinians commemorate six decades of what they call the "Naqba"-Arabic for catastrophe.The term refers to the plight of some 700,000 Palestinians who fled their homes after Israel defeated the Arab armies that invaded when the Jewish state was established in May 1948.Sixty years on, Israel and the Palestinians remain locked in a seemingly intractable conflict.Southern Israel faces almost daily rocket attacks from the impoverished Gaza Strip, where the Islamist movement Hamas seized power last June ousting forces loyal to moderate Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.UN agencies say Gaza is on the brink of a humanitarian disaster as a result of a crippling blockade Israel has imposed on the impoverished and densely-populated sliver of land.In the West Bank, construction of new Israeli homes in defiance of international calls to freeze all Jewish settlement activity is seen as a major hurdle in US-backed peace talks relaunched in November.The separation barrier and military roadblocks that prevent free travel from and within the West Bank remain a source of frustration for Palestinians and a key obstacle to economic development.The Israeli army further tightened the restrictions for the anniversary celebrations, imposing a three-day security lockdown on the West Bank that is due to end at midnight on Thursday.Israel's military intelligence chief Major General Amos Yadlin has warned of a possible "major attack" by Hamas during the anniversary celebrations, according to local media.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080506145310.y7zmcmqt&show_article=1

As in the days of Noah...