01/28/08

* PM: Jerusalem won't be first topic on peace talk agenda Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that discussion over the future of Jerusalem should be pushed off until a later phase in negotiations with the Palestinians, to avoid the risk of derailing peace talks.

* Iran: Israel too weak to confront us Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says Jewish state's ballistic missile capability won't help it in confrontations with Islamic republic.

* Egypt, Hamas close 1 of 3 gates at Rafah Egyptian security forces and Hamas gunmen in Rafah worked together Monday to string a barbed wire fence across one of the three breaches in the border in the latest effort to stem the flood of Palestinians across the frontier.

* 'Iran producing 300 tons of UF6' An Iranian official said Sunday that the Islamic republic has increased its production to more than 300 tons of a gas used for uranium enrichment, a semi-official news agency reported.

* Europe-wide terror plot thwarted Terror cell members nabbed in Barcelona reportedly planned to strike cities across Europe.

* 20 Years of Research Reveals: Jerusalem Belongs to Jews Jacques Gauthier, a non-Jewish Canadian lawyer who spent 20 years researching the legal status of Jerusalem, has concluded: "Jerusalem belongs to the Jews, by international law."

* Iran and Egypt 'to restore ties' Officials in Tehran have announced that Iran is close to restoring full diplomatic relations with Egypt.

* Gangs on rampage in western Kenya Police are struggling to restore order in western Kenya, amid a recent wave of violence linked to disputed elections.

* Fatah TV Broadcasts Daily Call For Ethnic Cleansing of Jews Fatah chief and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's PA television has been repeatedly broadcasting a hate-filled music video calling for the ethnic cleansing of the Jewish people from Israel.

* Dutch reject Serbia deal with EU The Dutch government has rejected calls from EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn for Serbia to be allowed to sign a pre-membership agreement shortly.