Cap Phantom

They haven’t done it yet. But some things are just inevitable and I sense that the odds of Israel attacking Iran’s nuclear plants is about a 9.9 on a scale of 10.0! Iran wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth and the only thing that keeps that from happening is a nuclear capability. So, while the rest of world twiddles its collective thumbs, Israel is preparing- to save their nation.

And Isreal is no longer waiting for America’s blessings either.

While its preference is to coordinate with the US, defense officials have said Israel is preparing a wide range of options for such an operation. “It is always better to coordinate,” one top Defense Ministry official explained last week. “But we are also preparing options that do not include coordination.” Israeli officials have said it would be difficult, but not impossible, to launch a strike against Iran without receiving codes from the US Air Force, which controls Iraqi airspace. Israel also asked for the codes in 1991 during the First Gulf War, but the US refused.

History hs shown, the last war notwithstanding, that Israel can take care of its own!

In September, a Defense News article on an early warning radar system the US recently sent to Israel quoted a US government source who said the X-band deployment and other bilateral alliance-bolstering activities send parallel messages: “First, we want to put Iran on notice that we’re bolstering our capabilities throughout the region, and especially in Israel. But just as important, we’re telling the Israelis, ‘Calm down, behave. We’re doing all we can to stand by your side and strengthen defenses, because at this time, we don’t want you rushing into the military option.’”

Easy for us to say as we sit outside the distance of their long range missles.

The IAF was preparing for a wide range of options, OC Air Force Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan recently said, adding that all it would take to launch an operation was a decision by the political echelon. “The air force is a very robust and flexible force,” he told Der Spiegel. “We are ready to do whatever is demanded of us.”  That they will- one day!

Over the past year the commercial real estate market has begun to reawaken and the significant number of transactions leave one with the feeling that reference is not to a momentary phenomenon but rather to a real change in trend, which heralds the coming of a new period in the window of opportunities for executing transactions at attractive prices and with handsome returns.

Why should foreign residents invest in Israel?
When examining any type of investment and real estate in particular, one should check the essence and quality of the transaction on the one hand and the alternatives at the investors’ disposal on the other hand. The commercial real estate market in Israel, which suffered serious setbacks over the past 10 years of recession, has only began to reawaken over the past year. This phenomenon opens the window of investment opportunities to foreign investors, as real estate prices have not yet reached a peak.
For illustration purposes, if we are refer to a productive real estate transaction in the United States of America with AAA tenants, the returns that can be expected for the transaction stand at approx.5% – 7% in the event that the transaction was successful. In Israel, however a productive real estate transaction with AAA tenants would yield average returns of 7.5% – 10%.
It should also be noted that the prices at which properties are sold and the returns that are calculated in relation to the transactions have been determined according to “dated” leases that do not yet reflect the awakening that has taken place in the branch. Id est, there is further potential for profits latent in each transaction as a result of the improvement in the value of the real estate and increases in the value of leases in the future.

Financing real estate transaction in Israel differs from procedure abroad
Executing real estate transactions and productive real estate transactions particular is, for the most part, a financial transaction. We have often read that because of unsuitable loan conditions transactions do not eventuate, as the profitability of a transaction often relies on the financing ratio that the bank authorizes, the interest-rate and finally the method of repaying the loan which leads to examining the flow of cash that remains in the hands of the investor.. What is required and how is the financing ratio for foreign residents interested in acquiring real estate in Israel determined?

A financial affidavit – Because of the fact that foreign residents do not have a permanent income in the State of Israel, they are obligated to furnish a financial affidavit signed by an authority in their country of permanent residence. In the absence of this financial affidavit, it would be impossible to raise a loan. It is important to remember that the financial affidavit is used as a yardstick for determining the financing ratio to which the borrower would be entitled.
Personal guarantees -The vast majority of loans granted in Israel require personal guarantees. In contrast to the acceptable procedure abroad, the banks are not prepared to grant loans against a pledge on the property.
The financing ratio – the financing ratio is determined according to a number of major parameters. Firstly, an appraiser’s evaluation: Any loan acceptable to the bank will be determined subject to an appraisal received by the bank from a real estate appraiser. The financing ratio that the investor receives is derived from the appraiser’s assessment and not from the price of the property. Secondly, the nature of the investment: in a productive transaction the financing ratio would be affected by the quality of the tenant and could reach a level of 85% financing. In venture transactions, the financing ratio could decrease significantly to an average of 50%-60% financing.

Of course, the quality of the financial affidavit assists in determining the financing ratio to which the investor would be entitled. Since any loan taken requires a personal guarantee, the more economically solid the investor the greater the chances of receiving a higher financing ratio.

The key to structuring a successful transaction
Because of the fact that foreign investors execute transactions at a great distance from their places of residence, they have to operate with extreme caution and make sure that they are working in pursuance of the following keys factors:

A commercial environment – Much time should be invested in an in-depth research into the business environment of the property for investment. Care must be taken to ensure that it has not been static from an aspect of price and percentage leasing in relation to other properties in the area, as a deviation of over 20% to what is acceptable in the region should be a warning light and why we were entitled to such a premium should be examined thoroughly.
Taxation programs – foreign investors pay tax on their profits according to the treaties existing between their countries of permanent residence and the State of Israel. The key to building a sound real estate transaction is formulating a taxation plan appropriate for the existing treaty between the country in which you reside and the State of Israel. Proper tax planning could save many tax payments and increase the profitability rate.
Fiduciaries – Prior to executing a transaction, assistance by a qualified realtor or attorney at law who specializes in real estate etc. is vital, as they are key factors in analyzing the transaction. They know the market and the existing trends and in most cases act as your contact people in the country.

A fiduciary assists both in analyzing and formulating the transaction and most important of all he/she takes care of the property for you once you return to your permanent country of residence.
A fiduciary should only be chosen after a personal meeting or by the recommendation of someone whom you know personally. In any event it is extremely important to ask him/her to furnish additional recommendations in order to get an impression from other bodies.

Babies today are born into a world where they will be bombarded with chemicals which they are ill equipped to deal with. In fact, the process starts before birth, with the mother’s diet likely to be laced with a chemical concoction the human immune system is not fully designed to handle. Add to that the polluted air she breathes and water she drinks, and the deadly drugs she may be taking, that innocent baby is brought into a world that is immediately hostile to their health. However, there is much a parent can do to minimize the effect of that chemical invasion, and one of those is to use organic baby care wherever possible.

What is Organic Baby Care?

There is no globally accepted definition of organic, although some countries have tried to establish enforceable standards. For simplicity, let us say that organic products should not have been grown or developed with the use of pesticides, herbicides, or artificial fertilizers, and have not been genetically modified in any way.

Organic baby care, then, is to bring up a baby using as many organically grown products as possible. Most parents would want to extend that to include as many eco-friendly products as well. So, what sort of “organic” products can play a part in your baby’s development.

Organic Baby Food

Ideally, feeding your baby organic foods should start while she is still in the womb. What the baby’s mother eats and drinks, breathes and has injected into her affect the quality of the baby’s sustenance before birth, and in the breast milk after birth. A mother who lives on organic food as far as possible will get her baby off to a good start.

Once the baby comes off breast milk to solids, it is important to keep as much control over her food as possible. It is very easy to avoid processed and canned food, whose origins you know little about, and may contain contaminants not only in the food itself but the lining of the can. Wherever possible use organic foods and chemical free juices and water in order to give the baby a good start in life so far as nourishment goes. If possible, follow the advice of a holistically trained professional nutritionist to find the right balance of food.

Organic Bedding & Clothing

Many parents these days seek out what they call organic bedding. It may be very difficult to find, but baby bedding does exist that has been made from natural fibers that have been organically grown. However, do look for some genuine indication that the cotton or wool is organic. An item that is just labeled 100% cotton, without any organic certification, is unlikely to be organic but chemically laden. The same applies to baby clothes.

Organic Baby Accessories

There are many baby accessories that can be eco-friendly or even organic. Organic baby wipes and diapers are now quite easily available, and they are items that parents need every day for their baby. Using organic bio-degradable diapers can be a great benefit to the environment compared to using the old style disposables. Many children’s toys are made of natural materials rather than plastics, and even organic teethers, made from 100% cotton, can be found if you search hard enough.

While it may not be possible in this day and age to bring up a completely organic baby, you do at least have the chance to minimize the chemical intake of your children. With trends as they are, more products will be developed as time passes, making your task that much easier.

Mr. Ronnie Kasrils is South Africa’s Intelligence Minister.

He has chosen to make many unintelligent remarks in an op-ed piece written by him for the Mail and Guardian on 18 May titled “Israel 2007 : worse than apartheid” which can be located at:

http://www.monitoringsa.com/PDFS/2007_05_18_380d2.pdf

Such remarks require rebuttal, especially as they have been uttered by a person of his prestige and stature.

Let me deal with some of these remarks that mouth so many similarly wild and unsubstantiated claims being uttered with growing frequency in the media by others under the guise of free speech.

1. “The West Bank and Gaza have become hermetically sealed prisons”

Freedom of movement between Gaza and Egypt is available through the Rafah border crossing and between the West Bank and Jordan through the Allenby Bridge.

Movement between Gaza and Israel and the West Bank and Israel is permitted but is more limited and subject to frequent closure during terrorist attacks or terror alerts.

How does this inflammatory and misleading statement serve any purpose?

2. “Its [the security barrier] route cuts huge swathes into the West Bank to incorporate into Israel the illegal Jewish settlements – some of which are huge towns – and annexes more and more Palestinian territory.”

The Israeli settlements are permitted in international law under article 6 of the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine and article 80 of the United Nations Charter provided that nothing is done which might prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities.

Where prejudice has been proved to have occurred in construction of the security barrier, Israel’s High Court of Justice has intervened and ordered relief and will continue to do so.

The West Bank is the only territory of the Mandate for Palestine remaining unallocated between Jews and Arabs, both of whom maintain claims that are still to be resolved.

3. “The West Bank, once 22% of historic Palestine,..…”

The West Bank is only 5% of historic Palestine.

Gaza is 1% of historic Palestine ,Israel is 17% of historic Palestine and Jordan is 77% of historic Palestine .

4. “It is shocking to discover that certain roads are barred to Palestinians and reserved for Jewish settlers. I try in vain to recall anything quite obscene in apartheid South Africa”

Really, is Mr Kasrils’ memory that short ? – no blacks in restaurants or on “whites only” buses, no rights for the black majority to vote or control their own futures, separate toilets at the airports and all other public places, the banning of sex between the races – to name but a few.

Mr Kasrils was in the forefront in fighting apartheid in South Africa. What on earth did he think he was fighting?

Mr Kasrils is really insulting our intelligence with this kind of fatuous remark.

Mr Kasrils’ concern for the Palestinians is obviously sincere and well intended .

However his inane remarks leads one to conclude that his views have been formulated as a result of some fairly basic misunderstandings of the conflict that has been going on since the 1880’s in what was once called Palestine.

The ongoing refusal of the Arabs to countenance the right of Jews to have their own State in their biblical and ancestral homeland comprising 0.001% of the territory freed from Ottoman occupation by Britain and France in 1917 as part of a package deal that handed the Arabs the remaining 99.999% – eventually leading to the creation of such states as Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan – still remains the sticking point in the throats of the Arabs to this very day.

Looking at Palestine only in isolation is the trap into which many well meaning persons stumble.

The Arabs now have 22 States in which hardly a Jew lives and in which selling land to Jews is punishable by death . Arabs involved in selling land to Jews in Jerusalem have been hunted down and murdered. Try and enter Saudi Arabia if you are a Jew.

The Jews have one state – Israel – in which over 20% of the population – or more than one million – are Arab citizens. They eat in the same restaurants, travel on the same buses, use the same toilets and yes, vote in elections and even intermarry with Jews.

Who is practising apartheid?

Yes, the Arabs of the West Bank and Gaza are doing it tough – but they have no one but themselves and their intransigent brethren to blame for the sorry position they find themselves in.

There was a time between 1948-1967 when Statehood in the West Bank and Gaza and even part of what is now Israel could have been achieved with the stroke of a pen. What is yearned for now was rejected then. What was available then is not available now.

This reality still eludes the Arabs as they call for 400000 Jews to pack up and vacate every square inch of the West Bank. This is cuckoo land thinking and is bound to ensure the conflict will continue.

Whilst persons like Mr Kasrils continue to make their judgements based on facts that are demonstrably wrong, they will continue to give fuel to Arab demands that are impossible for Israel to accept.

Let the influential Mr Kasrils support handing over sovereignty of the Arab occupied areas of the West Bank to Jordan as a means of ending the indignities he witnessed on his recent wanderings.

That would be an intelligent contribution to resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict. His article certainly isn’t.

Dr. Manny Alvarez of Fox News Channel debunks many of the wilder claims about formaldehyde and children’s health care products.