Granted, some will argue they did it as much for their personal benefit (and/or to help us fight "their" conflict, etc.), BUT the intel is useful to us and they didn't withold it as they sometimes have been known to do.

[url]http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/27/60minutes/main523604.shtml[/url]

[i]CBS) Israeli intelligence officials tell Lesley Stahl they can now prove that Iraq and Iran are secretly financing and directing acts of terrorism against Israel.

The proof, they say, was found in files confiscated during raids earlier this year on the headquarters of Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat and gleaned from prisoner interrogations[/i]

The documents, obtained from the Ramallah compound earlier this year, are from the Palestinian Authority’s most secret files, says Col. Miri Eisen of Israel’s Directorate of Military Intelligence. [b]“We went into what is the equivalent of the Palestinian CIA, the Palestinian FBI, the Bureau of Education, the Treasury,” Eisen tells Stahl. “We’ve taken their database.” [/b]

Israeli intelligence officials acknowledge that they have captured members of a terrorist cell who admitted during interrogation that they were [b]trained by Iraqi officials to use weapons, including shoulder-fired missiles that could be shot at airliners.[/b] Eado Hecht, a senior intelligence official, told Stahl that the cell was operating in the area of Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion airport.

“Ben Gurion is a civilian airport,” he said. “So, the obvious target would be a civilian airliner.” The Israelis say the cell was recruited by Abu Abbas, the notorious terrorist responsible for the 1985 hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro during which an American traveler was murdered.

[b]Abbas’ group, based in Baghdad, was recently reactivated by Saddam Hussein,[/b] say the Israelis, adding that there are documents showing that Arafat approved payments to members of Abbas’ group operating in the West Bank.

The Israelis say they also have learned that the [b]Palestinian Authority is earning kickbacks by illegally selling smuggled Iraqi oil.[/b] Israel believes that Palestinian officials are using the kickback money to help buy weapons like those confiscated from the freighter Karine A last January, including two tons of C-4 plastic explosive.

[b]Those weapons and explosives, say the Israelis, come from Iran. Additional documents show how Iran is helping to finance terrorist organizations operating inside Israel.[/b] Some of those terrorists have been captured, say the Israelis, and they admit an Iranian connection. “We have been interrogating hundreds, thousands of Palestinians from April of this year, and talking to them, says Eisen. [b]“We’ve found some that have been trained in Iran.” [/b]

Israel FINALLY Does Something...  ???

What do you mean FINALLY??? Steyr, they have been doing stuff like this for years. Israelis are sneaky little ones that know more stuff than we give credit to.

now if you want to title your subject Israel FINALLY Does Something... AND PUBLICIZES IT" Now THERE is a surprise.

hopefully this will mean more international support for military actions against iraq.  i've always wished we'd finished the job in desert storm.  although i'd personally hate to have to do it, i'd go if asked to, and hope the job gets done right this time.

OH let me rephrase. Israel FINALLY Does Something that benefits US. You know sorta justifies that 3 BILLION + we send them every year. But you are correct Israel has been taking care of their own for awhile.

I just wanted to give credit where credit is due. Mostly in the fact that they actually SHARED the intel this time.

And this more or less decisively points the dirty finger at Arafat, and Iraq, and Iran.

The Israelis have been kicking Arab asses on a regular basis since 1948.  If the world had not interfered, the state of Israel would consist of the entire Middle East, and we'd have a lot fewer problems today.

Yeah, as I recall, during operation desert storm we had to insist that the Israelis NOT go kick ass in Iraq but oh man did they want to.

Didn't they also wipe out a nuclear pant in '88 that the French had given the Iraqis.

Let's not forget Lebanon, Syria or any of the other places Israel has stomped arabs into the ground.

I watched a thing on 60 minutes last night about the information that Israel's took out of the palestinian compound the last time they went in there. There is a whole warehouse full of information that they took.

It was kinda interesting the CBS person went to a prison were the Israelis are holding one of the head terrorists and asked him specific questions about did Iraq activate you after so many years of not being active, and asked if he was the one who was building suicide belts. The guy was very hesitant to answer, then the interviewer said well I have here with me some documents that state these facts as true. His first response was, how did you get those documents? Those are supposed to be top secret documents belonging to the Palestinians. The interviewer said that the Israeli government had siezed them in a raid. Then the guy sang like a bird, he said yes to all questions concerning him being a terrorist!

The show had also stated that Iran and Iraq had said to begin to step up attacks in Israel right after the attack on america Sept 11, they wanted to keep things hot in Israel to only make it appear more convicing to the world that if Israel did such and such terror would stop.

Sick people, how much more information does the democrats and all the liberal anti-war idiots in america need. Iran and Iraq are exactly what the President said, axis of evil and these regimes need to be taken care of!