This issue looks at the release of Galid Shalit, the upcoming UN vote on Palestinian statehood, Libyan missiles in Gaza, the death of Gaddafi, Ground Zero Mosque problems, the suspension of Muslim drivers, and the Iranian assassination attempt. OUR ISRAELI CONNECTION

Gilad Shalit Freed
The Israel Project reports: Kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit returned home on Tuesday, more than five years after he was kidnapped from sovereign Israeli territory by Iran-backed Hamas. Shalit was reunited with his family behind closed doors in southern Israel. The exchange involves Israel releasing 1,027 Palestinian prisoners to Gaza, East Jerusalem, the West Bank and abroad in exchange for Shalit. More than 300 of them were serving life sentences, for involvement in the killing of Israeli civilians. A number of them did not want to sign a waiver saying they will renounce terror when they return home, Israel Radio reported…Shalit was inspected briefly by a doctor and psychologist before flying to his home in Mitzpe Hila, a village in northern Israel near the Lebanese border. Since his abduction, Hamas has violated Shalit’s most basic human rights as a captive -contact with his family and visits from the International Red Cross. The only contact Shalit had with the outside would since his capture was three letters to his family, an audio tape and a video recording to the world- for which Israel released 20 Palestinian prisoners. Read more.
 
Security Council Palestinian Statehood Vote Set for November 11
The Jerusalem Prayer Team reports: The United Nations Security Council has scheduled a meeting for November 11, and sources indicate the resolution for Palestinian statehood will likely be voted on that day. Though the US has threatened to veto the measure, the Palestinians hope to get the nine votes necessary for approval, forcing the U.S. to step in to stop it. Currently eight of the nine countries needed have declared support for the measure.
 
Advanced Surface to Air Missiles from Libya Turning up in Gaza
Jerusalem Prayer Team reports: A terrifying announcement came at the end of last week that a large number of the 20,000 advanced missiles lost during the uprising in Libya are turning up in Gaza. These shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles are extremely accurate, with a range up to two miles. They pose a danger both to Israeli military aircraft and helicopters operating near the Gaza border and are small enough (less than six feet long and only 55 pounds) to be easily smuggled into Israel where they could be used against civilian aircraft as well.

IT’S NEWS TO ME

Gaddafi Dead
The Libyan dictator-murderer is dead, but what next? Will the rebels ally themselves with the West, or with the radical jihadists of Iran, Sudan and al Qaeda? For example, Abdul Hakim Belhadj, once the head of the al-Qaida underground in Libya, has resurfaced and is now the commander of the Tripoli garrison of the Rebel Forces. Then there’s the Islamist faction led by several charismatic clerics. They are the best organized “forces for change” in the mix. What will happen to all the weapons in Gaddafi’s arsenal and Libya’s oil reserves? Will the U.S. end up giving aid to those who will be soon fighting against us?
 
Con Ed Aims to Evict Ground Zero Mosque for Unpaid Rent
The New York Post reports: New Yorkutility Con Edison is threatening to evict the so-called ground zero mosque unless its developers come up with $1.7 million in back rent. The utility owns a former substation on the western half of the property, which it leases to mosque developer Park51. The developer plans to erect a controversial 15-story community center on the site, which once housed a Burlington Coat Factory store. In August, Con Edison raised the rent from the 1972 rate of $2,750 a month to $47,437 a month, retroactive to July 31, 2008, demanding payment of the $1.7 million by Oct. 4. Read the entire New York Post Article.
 
Muslim Drivers Suspended over Praying Time
According to an msnbc article by Al Olson: More than 30 Seattle-area Hertz shuttle drivers are without work in a clash over Muslim prayer, the Seattle Times reported Friday. Hertz has “suspended indefinitely” 33 drivers – all of them observant Muslims who work out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Hertz contends the drivers are taking prayer breaks without clocking out first… A Hertz spokesman said the workers had been repeatedly told they needed to clock out and that the suspended workers had not complied. The suspended drivers are members of Teamsters Local 117, which is attempting to get the workers back in their shuttle vans. Read more.
 
Iranian Assassination Plot Suspect Linked to Leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
Jerusalem Prayer Team reports: One of the men indicted for planning to attack the Saudi Arabian and Israeli embassies in Washington and kill the Saudi ambassador is a cousin of one of the top leaders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Quds Force. (Quds is the Farsi word for Jerusalem; the ultimate goal of this elite military terror unit is to capture control of the Holy City.) The news of this close relationship highlighted the involvement of Iran’s government in the plot.

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