Note the [u]remarkable[/u] lack of dancing and celebrating on the West Bank and in Gaza this evening. Could it be...

[size=3][b]As Allies attack, and bin Laden threatens, Israelis check their gas masks[/b][/size=3]

Channel Two reported that U.S. President George W. Bush called Israeli Prime Minister about one hour before the Allied attack on Afghan targets. Sharon reportedly offered Bush Israel's continuing assistance in any way required, an offer which Bush reportedly accepted. The conversation was described as friendly, as the two sought to put behind them any lingering bad feelings in order to focus on the war against terror.

A spokesman for Sharon said Sunday evening that Secretary of State Colin Powell had updated the prime minister over the last three days with regard to the timing of the assault. "We wish the president and the American people success and we will extend whatever assistance we can," the spokesman said, emphasizing, however, that Israel was not part of the operation against Afghanistan.

Bush told Sharon that this attack is only the first phase in the war against terror," said
Ra'anan Gissin, a close Sharon aide. "All the necessary measures have been taken to ensure the protection and defense of the citizens of Israel against whatever kind of attack may ensue," Gissin said at a press conference. "Israel and the prime minister wish Godspeed and good luck to the forces who are now conducting this war against terrorism," Gissin told a news briefing on Sunday.

[u]Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres praised the U.S. attack on Afghanistan Sunday and expressed Israeli support for the campaign. "I think that all us, first of all, are praying for the welfare of the American army and its allies,'' Peres said on Israel's Channel Two[/u]. "It is a brave decision by the president, along with a very convincing and touching speech," Peres said, referring to Bush's televised address as the attack got under way. He said that America not only had a technological advantage but also moral superiority in the conflict.

[b]By contrast, Reuters reported that senior Palestinian officials said that the Palestinian Authority, which condemned the September 11 attacks in the United States, [u]would have no immediate comment[/u] on the start of what Washington calls its "war against terrorism."[/b]

However, the IDF's Home Front Command, in charge of Israel's civil defense, is holding an emergency session to confirm strategies for dealing with a possible missile strike against Israel. Security experts also expressed concern that the American offensive might trigger a larger wave of terror attacks, both by Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, and by Hizbullah from Lebanon.
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Likud Minister Tzipi Livni said Israelis should continue conducting their lives as normal, just as they were "one minute before the attack." [u]Referring to Israel's conflict with the Palestinians, Internal Security Minister Uzi Landau (Likud) said that [b]the U.S. attack was proof that "military means" could be used to defeat terror[/b][/u]. He called for increasing pressure on Arafat and initiated actions against the Palestinian Authority and the terrorists that it harbors.
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[url]http://israelinsider.com/channels/security/articles/sec_0113.htm[/url]

Eric The(MaybeTheyOnlyDanceToCertainTunes)Hun[>]:)]

This is "all quiet"?

Sorry, [b]ArmdLbrl[/b], but I was referring [u]solely[/u] to street dances and other forms of merriment as we saw 26 days ago, after the Attack on America.

It's apparent that the inhabitants of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip do not particularly care for the music being played today. Ergo, no dancing, no joyous tra-la-las.

And, of course the terrorists are making life hell for the Israelis, but nothing out of the ordinary about that!

Eric The(TerrorismIsTheBackdropOfIsraeliLife)Hun[>]:)]

Oh, I see, no there was none of that today.