04/30/08

* Dichter: Egypt giving Hamas legitimacy Public Security Minister Avi Dichter on Wednesday criticized both Israel and Egypt for their handling of the situation in the Gaza Strip.

* Top Syrian emissary: We won't sever ties with Iran for peace with Israel Syria will not sever ties with Iran and Hezbollah even as part of a possible peace agreement with Israel.

* 'Disclosure sends message to Iran' US President George W. Bush said Tuesday that his administration broke its silence last week over Israel's strike on an alleged Syrian nuclear site.

* Iran dumps U.S. dollar for oil trades Iran, OPEC's second-largest producer, has stopped conducting oil transactions in U.S. dollars.

* Palestinian factions in Gaza agree in principle to cease-fire A dozen small Palestinian factions agreed in principle to a cease-fire with Israel on Wednesday.

* Rightists 'fix' flag ahead of Israel’s 60 On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day and a week before Israel's 60th Independence Day celebrations, the rightists have decided to redesign the Israel flag.

* Holocaust Remembrance Day to begin tonight at Yad Vashem Israel will pause Wednesday night in memory of the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, as the country marks the start of Holocaust Remembrance Day.

* Major anti-Semitic attacks triple in 2007 A 6.6% rise in the number of anti-Semitic attacks has been registered across the world in 2007.

* Quartet to discuss ME conference The possibility of holding an international conference in Moscow sometime in June is expected to be one of the main issues the Quartet will discuss.

* EU warns Russia against boosting troops in Georgian breakaway regions In a sharp escalation of tensions in the South Caucasus, Russia has claimed that Georgia is set to invade its breakaway region of Abkhazia.

04/29/08

* Hayden: Syria was close to getting nukes CIA Director Michael Hayden said Monday the alleged Syrian nuclear reactor destroyed by an IAF air strike in September would have produced enough plutonium for one or two bombs.

* Score one for the Muslim Brotherhood The Bush administration has decided that calling the enemy by his name is too risky, too politically incorrect, or oddly, somehow too laudatory.

* Mofaz: Land-for-peace will put Iran in Golan Giving Syria the Golan Heights will mean bringing Iran there as well, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz said.

* Carter Mis-Representing Hamas Positions In a New York Times op-ed on Monday, ex-Pres. Jimmy Carter says Hamas wants peace.

* Turks try to find middle ground for Syria, Israel talks One of the issues Turkey is trying to work out between Israel and Syria as a prelude to direct negotiations is whether a Syrian announcement of ending support for terrorism needs to precede an Israeli guarantee.

* Iran, Pakistan 'in pipeline deal' Pakistan says it has cleared the way with Iran to finalize an agreement on a $7.5bn gas pipeline to India.

* Opec says oil could hit $200 Opec’s president on Monday warned oil prices could hit $200 a barrel and there would be little the cartel could do to help.

* Abbas's PA Sentences Man to Death for Fighting Terrorism A Palestinian Authority court in the city of Hevron sentenced a 25-year-old man to death Monday for giving Israel information that led to the elimination of four terrorists.

* Iran official warns of 'danger' of Barbie, Harry Potter toys A top Iranian judiciary official warned Monday against the destructive cultural and social consequences of importing Barbie, Batman, Spiderman and Harry Potter toys.

* UN sets up food crisis task force The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, is setting up a task force to tackle the global food crisis.

04/28/08

* Iran demands Russian nuclear shipment Iran demanded Sunday that Azerbaijan deliver a Russian shipment of nuclear equipment blocked at its border with Iran for the past three weeks.

* N. Koreans may have died in Israel raid in Syria Japanese public broadcaster quotes South Korean intelligence officials as saying 10 North Koreans helping build nuclear reactor in Syria may have died in airstrike last September.

* Turkish FM: Mediation efforts aimed at direct Syria-Israel talks Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Monday that while much remains to be achieved before any peace agreement between Israel and Syria, Ankara would continue to act as a go-between to encourage the two sides to restart direct negotiations.

* Israel agrees to lift key West Bank roadblock upon request from Blair Israel on Monday agreed to remove a strategic roadblock near the West Bank city of Nablus, after Middle East envoy Tony Blair presented a list of travel and trade restrictions he wants removed to bolster peace talks with the Palestinians.

* Mofaz: All options on table to stop Iran Iran must be prevented from attaining nuclear weapons and all the options are on the table in order to stop this from happening, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz said late Sunday night.

* Top US official to head Blair's Jerusalem mission In an effort to upgrade US involvement in the work of the Quartet's Mideast envoy Tony Blair, Washington has sent senior State Department official Robert Danin to work for the former British prime minister in Jerusalem.

* As polls narrow, Irish PM warns of 'disaster' if EU treaty defeated Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has issued a stark warning on the consequences of rejecting the EU treaty as the latest poll shows a narrowing gap between the yes and no side.

* UN meeting to address food crisis Key United Nations development agencies are meeting in Switzerland to try to develop solutions to ease the escalating global food crisis.

* Shi'ite vs. Shi'ite in Iraq Hundreds have died in Shi'ite areas since Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki, a Shi'ite, launched a crackdown against Shia militias.

* US 'very concerned' about Karzai attack The White House said Monday that it was "very concerned" by a weekend attack which saw Afghan President Hamid Karzai survive a hail of rockets and bullets that killed three people.

04/26/08

* Syria: CIA fabricated 'reactor' pictures Syria's ambassador to the United States said Friday that the CIA fabricated pictures allegedly taken inside a secret Syrian nuclear reactor.

* Iran hardliners strengthen hold Iran's conservatives have consolidated their victory in the country's parliamentary elections, after taking more seats in a run-off.

* Analysis: Assad's PR peace promise Some would call it ironic that on the very day the US Congress was hearing damning testimony about Damascus's nuclear collusion with North Korea, Syrian President Bashar Assad confirmed Syrian press reports.

* Turkey PM in Syria on peace mission Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, is in Damascus to discuss the possible resumption of peace talks between Israel and Syria.

* Turks attack Kurds in Iraq Turkish warplanes and artillery units struck Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

* Abbas: I failed in U.S., no progress in peace talks Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Friday that he failed to achieve any progress in Middle East peace talks with U.S. President George W. Bush.

* US sharpens warnings on Iran Apr. 25 - The Pentagon sharpened its warnings about Iran, saying Tehran had boosted its support for Iraqi militias.

* Muslim Brotherhood allegedly helped Hamas develop drones Egyptian prosecutors are investigating a group of Muslim Brotherhood members alleged to have provided Hamas operatives with equipment and technology.

* Changing of the Guard General David Petraeus appears headed for promotion to lead the U.S. Central Command.

* 'Muslims' hack into Bank of Israel site The Bank of Israel took down its Web site on Friday night after it was sabotaged by hackers, apparently from Algeria.

04/25/08

* ElBaradei slams Israel for attacking Syrian nuclear reactor The head of the UN nuclear monitoring agency on Friday criticized the US for not giving his organization intelligence information sooner.

* Oil prices to double by 2012: Canadian study The price of oil is likely to hit 150 dollars (Canadian, US) a barrel by 2010 and soar to 225 dollars a barrel by 2012 as supply becomes increasingly tight.

* First images released from Syrian plant During a US Congress deliberation Thursday of the Israeli air strike on a Syrian nuclear facility pictures and a video of the reactor were shown.

* Sadr Tells Forces Not to Attack Iraqis Under pressure from Iraqi government troops and the American military, Moktada al-Sadr called on his followers to stop the bloodshed.

* US: Syria must tell truth about reactor North Korea's secret work on a nuclear reactor with Syria was "a dangerous and potentially destabilizing development for the world," said the White House.

* Under criticism, Bush talks with Palestinian leader As he prepares for his second trip this year to the Middle East, President George W. Bush is facing mounting criticism from Palestinians.

* Rabbis: Giving up Golan against Halacha Rabbis on the Golan Heights reiterated on Thursday the majority opinion among rabbinic authorities.

* Israel's UN ambassador calls Jimmy Carter 'a bigot' Israel's ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday called former President Jimmy Carter "a bigot" for meeting with the leader of the militant Hamas movement in Syria.

* EU treaty set to be examined by Czech and German courts The Lisbon treaty is set to be examined to see if it breaches national laws in two member states.

* Israel Rejects Hamas Ceasefire Proposal Efforts to negotiate a truce between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip have hit a snag.

04/24/08

* Assad confirms Olmert's Golan offer Syrian President Bashar Assad confirmed reports in the Arab media to the effect that Israel had agreed to relinquish the Golan Heights in exchange for peace with Syria.

* Ahmadinejad to Syria: Don't side with US Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued a warning to Syria on Thursday not to side with the Americans.

* 'Golan belongs to the Jewish people' Heads of Israeli towns in the Golan Heights convened Thursday for an emergency meeting following reports in recent days that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had agreed to relinquish the Golan Heights to Syria.

* CIA reveals 'Syria reactor' files US intelligence officials have been presenting evidence to Congress they say shows that North Korea has been providing nuclear assistance to Syria.

* UN walkout over Gaza 'Nazi' remarks The US, Britain, France and other members have walked out of a closed meeting of the UN Security Council after Libya compared the situation in Gaza to Nazi concentration camps in World War II.

* Russia embraces its church, distancing western faiths It was not long after a Methodist church put down roots here that the troubles began.

* UN: Food aid to Gazans halted due to Israeli fuel cutoff An official says the United Nations has stopped distributing food to Palestinian refugees in Gaza because its vehicles have run out of fuel following Israel's blockade of the Strip.

* EU commission investigates link between biofuels and food crisis In the wake of mounting pressure from international organisations such as the World Bank and the United Nations World Food Programme, European Commission President Barroso has requested a study on whether there is any relationship between the recent skyrocketing of food prices around the world and biofuels.

* Abbas to Rice: US must pressure Israel The gaps between the two sides in the peace negotiations are still wide, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington on Wednesday.

* Iraq PM: Factions to rejoin cabinet Iraqi political groups boycotting the government of Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, have agreed to put aside their differences and rejoin the government, according to an official statement.

04/23/08

* Temple rebuilt A grandiose museum featuring an elaborated massive replica of the Temple is currently being erected opposite the Western Wall.

* UN: Darfur war worsening, with perhaps 300,000 dead The conflict in Darfur is deteriorating, with full deployment of a new peacekeeping force delayed until 2009.

* U.S. Congress to be briefed on possible nuclear ties between North Korea and Syria Members of Congress will be told this week about intelligence suggesting that North Korea was helping Syria build a nuclear reactor.

* Abbas: Last chance to reach agreement Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will urge US President George W. Bush at their meeting in Washington on Thursday to step up his efforts to reach a framework agreement between the Palestinians and Israel.

* Abdullah to Bush: Israel-PA talks must be based on fixed timetable Jordan's King Abdullah II told U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday that stalled negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis should be based on clear grounds.

* MKs will try to block Golan pullback The Knesset House Committee will convene after the parliament's spring recess to advance a bill requiring a national referendum.

* No. 2 US commander hopes al-Sadr will stop attacks The No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq expressed hope on Wednesday that radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr would use his influence to stop his followers from attacking U.S. and Iraqi forces.

* Rice at fresh peak on supply fear Rice prices have scaled fresh heights in Asian trade amid concern that export bans by key producers will hit supply.

* Haniyeh: Ceasefire must include W. Bank Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh hinted Wednesday that the group was leaning toward accepting an Egyptian brokered ceasefire agreement with Israel.

* Obama's Middle East Stance: Uninformed, or Intentionally Vague? Obama's advisors paint a murky picture of his foreign policy positions.

04/22/08

* Muslim anti-Semitism 'strategic threat' Muslim anti-Semitism is growing in scope and extremism, to the point that it has become a credible strategic threat for Israel.

* Afghanistan's myriad drug smuggling routes Heroin, morphine base, opium, and hashish are carried out of Afghanistan along traditional and newly developed smuggling routes that cross its porous borders.

* Clinton: We could 'obliterate' Iran "I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran," said Democratic Presidential hopeful Senator Hilary Clinton.

* Iraq PM seeks neighbours' support Iraq's prime minister has told a meeting of ministers of neighbouring Arab countries that his nation is on the road to recovery.

* 'US told Carter not to talk to Hamas' The Bush administration explicitly warned former US President Jimmy Carter against meeting with members of Hamas.

* Churches fear Zimbabwe 'genocide' Church leaders in Zimbabwe have called for international action to prevent post-election violence developing into genocidal proportions.

* Zawahri slams Hamas's ceasefire moves Al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri slammed Hamas Tuesday for reportedly being ready for a ceasefire with Israel subject to a Palestinian referendum.

* UN food chief urges crisis action The head of the UN World Food Program has said urgent action is required to stimulate food production and help the poor cope with soaring food prices.

* Abdullah to ask Bush to cancel visit Jordan's King Abdullah is expected to advise US President George W. Bush to postpone or cancel his upcoming visit to the Middle East.

* Brussels abandons plans to protect gays and lesbians The European Commission has abandoned its plans to protect gays and lesbians against discrimination under pressure from Germany.

04/21/08

* IDF braces for more attacks from Gaza The IDF was gearing up on Sunday for a wave of Hamas attacks along the Gaza border after the terror group carried out an ambitious large-scale attack against the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel a day earlier.

* 'Hamas won't recognize' Israel but accept 1967 borders' Hamas will not recognize Israel but will accept a Palestinian state on Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War, the Islamic terror group's exiled leader said Monday.

* Palestinians' backing for terror rises The number of Palestinians who support attacks against Israelis continues to rise and more than half of them favor suicide bombings, according to a poll published this weekend.

* Pakistan launches longest-range nuclear-capable missile Pakistan's military said a missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead anywhere in India is ready for wartime use after troops successfully launched it Monday for the first time during a field exercise.

* Netanyahu to 'Post': Iran must be stopped Opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu was treated respectfully by the 100 members of the foreign press who attended his Israel Project briefing Wednesday. The same day, the Hebrew press was not as kind.

* Muslim call to adopt Mecca time Muslim scientists and clerics have called for the adoption of Mecca time to replace GMT, arguing that the Saudi city is the true centre of the Earth.

* Stadium Mass ends Pope's US visit Pope Benedict XVI said farewell to the United States by celebrating an open-air Mass with 55,000 people at New York's Yankee baseball stadium.

* Rice joins Gulf regional meeting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Bahrain for a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

* Somalia clashes 'the worst since 1991' Bodies continued to litter the streets of Mogadishu on Monday after two days of intense fighting described by one human rights representative as "the worst" since 1991.

* Oil rises above $117 for the first time Crude oil rose above $117 a barrel on Monday for the first time after OPEC said it would maintain current production levels, rejecting calls from Japan and Britain to raise output.

04/19/08

* Carter meets with Mashaal twice in Syria Former US President Carter defied US and Israeli warnings and met twice this weekend with the exiled leader of Hamas and his deputy.

* Israelis abroad celebrate Passover under heavy security Many young Israeli globetrotters will be absent from their families' Passover seder tables this year.

* IDF places full closure on Gaza, W. Bank The IDF declared a full closure on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank on Friday, to remain in effect until after the Pessah holiday.

* Iran should defend Islamic world: top cleric A high-ranking Iranian cleric on Friday said the country should grow into a military super power to defend all Muslims.

* Pope in NY for anniversary Mass Pope Benedict XVI is marking the third anniversary of his election as head of the Roman Catholic Church with Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral in New York.

* Iraqi raids target Shia militias At least 12 people have been reported killed in overnight clashes in Baghdad's Sadr City district.

* EU tightens anti-terrorism laws European Union ministers have agreed to punish incitement to terrorism through the internet.

* Oil and rice race to record levels Oil extended its record-breaking run this week, touching the $117 level, while petrol, copper, tin and rice also achieved new peaks.

* The Real World: Putin in Libya Russian President Vladimir Putin began a two-day visit to Libya on April 16.

* Half of EU citizens on the net, but rural Europe left behind Out of the half a billion EU citizens, more than 250 million regularly use the internet.

04/18/08

* 'Iran smuggling arms into Gaza by sea' Iran has stepped up its efforts to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip by using floatable devices that it drops near the waters off the Gaza coast.

* Rice: Syria 'most certainly an issue in nuclear proliferation' U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters on Thursday that "Syria is most certainly an issue in proliferation."

* Bibi: If PM can't fix Gaza, he should go Israel will ultimately have to "bring down" the Hamas regime in Gaza.

* Israel closes off West Bank and Gaza for duration of Passover Israel has imposed a complete closure on the West Bank and Gaza for at least a week, the duration of the Passover holiday.

* Al Qaeda declares 'failure and defeat' for U.S. troops in Iraq Marking the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, al Qaeda's media arm released an audio recording, purportedly from the group's second-in-command.

* Carter: Gaza blockade is an atrocity Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip is an "atrocity," former US president Jimmy Carter said.

* Hesder Yeshiva Boys to Run Passover Seders In a joint, first-time initiative of the IDF Chief Rabbinate and the Union of Hesder Yeshivot, hundreds of army soldiers currently studying in yeshivot have been recruited.

* Abbas turns to Russia for help As fighting continues to rage in the Gaza Strip and progress bogs down in the U.S.-sponsored peace negotiations with Israel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has turned to Russia for help.

* EU to sign energy security pact with Iraq European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki announced on Wednesday (16 April) their intention to develop an energy security partnership.

* After Assimilation: The Pope Works To Bring Back Catholic Culture Call Pope Benedict XVI a "cultural Catholic" and you're likely to get puzzled looks if not angry rejoinders.

04/17/2008

* Assad: Syria is preparing for war Syria sees war with Israel as a real possibility, and is preparing for such an event.

* Iran shows off its military might Iran has been displaying its military power at a ceremony to mark the country's annual army day.

* Iran training media for Israel-Syria war The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Corporation (IRIB) has begun a training course for war journalists.

* 12 Rockets on Thursday, Including 2 Katyushas Hamas terrorists have fired 12 rockets at Israel so far Thursday, causing fear but no concrete damage.

* Abbas calls for Moscow peace summit Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas appealed Thursday for greater urgency in reaching peace in the Middle East.

* White House thousands greet Pope Thousands of guests have welcomed Pope Benedict XVI to the White House for his meeting with President George W Bush.

* Hizbullah Will Dispatch Israeli Arabs to Attack From Rear in War A Syrian newspaper reported that Hizbullah plans to activate masses of Israeli Arab terrorists in the next war.

* Iran: '9/11 an excuse for U.S. invasions' Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cast doubt over the United States' version of the September 11 attacks.

* Photo Essay: Preparing for Passover in the Promised Land Cleaning, getting ready for the seder and baking matza. Arutz-7 shows you Israel as the nation prepares to celebrate the Exodus.

* Russia cancels Libya's debt Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in a move to rebuild ties with a former Soviet ally.

04/16/08

* 'Olmert offers Abbas 64% of W. Bank' Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has offered the Palestinians 64 percent of the West Bank as part of a future peace agreement.

* Iraqi forces battle Shia fighters At least six people have been killed in fresh fighting between Iraqi government forces and Shia fighters.

* Putin in Libya to close $2.5b arms deal Only few weeks before he leaves office, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Libya on Wednesday.

* Dollar Falls to Record Against Euro as EU Inflation Quickens The dollar fell to a record low against the euro after European inflation accelerated in March.

* PMW: PA cozying up to America's enemies President Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority is snugly in bed with the United States' worst enemies.

* Police on high alert ahead of Passover, Israel 60 celebrations Police have raised their alert level throughout the country on Wednesday ahead of the Passover holiday.

* Hamas sends reps to meet with Carter Two senior Hamas leaders based in Gaza arrived in the Egyptian capital on Wednesday in hopes of meeting with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

* Iran to hold largest-ever air parade Iran will mark Iranian Army Day on Thursday with a massive air parade, the largest in its history.

* Survey: Nasrallah is the most admired leader in the Arab world Hezbollah chief Sheikh Nassan Nasrallah is the most admired leader in the Arab world, according to a poll.

* Pope in landmark White House trip US President George W Bush has welcomed visiting Pope Benedict XVI to the White House for a reception attended by thousands of well-wishers.

04/15/08

* Iran: We'll 'eliminate Israel' if it launches attack Iran will destroy Israel if Israel attacks Teheran, Iranian Deputy Chief of Staff Mohammad Reza Ashtiani warned Tuesday.

* Euro Demands More Say in World Economy The European Union's top economy official has said that Europe deserved a greater say in the global economy.

* Hizbullah: We'll take fight to Israel's backyard The victims of the next Lebanon war will lie in Israel's "backyard," a top Hizbullah official threatened.

* Poland remembers ghetto uprising Poland is holding events to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising.

* Hamas planning another border breach Hamas is planning to blow up the border with Egypt in Rafah for the second time.

* Food Costs Rising Fastest in 17 Years Steve Tarpin can bake a graham cracker crust in his sleep, but explaining why the price for his Key lime pies went from $20 to $25 required mastering a thornier topic: global economics.

* 'Land inseparable part of Syria talks' Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Sunday during an interview with the Qatari Tribune newspaper that "the discussion about land will be an inseparable part of negotiations with Syria."

* Carter greeted warmly by Hamas official in Ramallah, lays wreath on Arafat's grave Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on Tuesday warmly embraced a leading Hamas figure in the West Bank.

* Peres: Carter damaged peace process Former US president Jimmy Carter was immediately criticized upon his arrival in Israel Sunday by President Shimon Peres.

* Member states consider perks and staff for new EU president EU member states have begun preliminary talks on some of the most political aspects of the bloc's new treaty.

04/14/08

* PA Ambassador: "First Jerusalem, Then We'll Take All Palestine" "When Israel's ideology will collapse, and after we take Jerusalem, Israel's ideology will collapse altogether, and then we will proceed with our own ideology, inshallah [if Allah wills], and we will throw them out of all of Palestine."

* 'We'll take fight to Israel's backyard' The victims of the next Lebanon war will lie in Israel's "backyard," a top Hizbullah official threatened during an interview with a Syrian newspaper Sunday.

* Abbas: PA working to secure Gaza truce "The Palestinian Authority is working hard to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, with the help of the Egyptian leadership," said PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday.

* Carter in Sderot: Rocket attacks are a 'despicable crime' Former US President Jimmy Carter deplored Palestinian terror attacks on Israel as a "despicable crime" as he toured the rocket-battered town of Sderot on Monday.

* Iran-UN nuclear talks postponed A meeting between Iran's chief nuclear negotiator and the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog agency has been postponed, Iranian media have said.

* Sadr says US will always be enemy Radical Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has said the US will always be his enemy "till the last drop of blood".

* Deadly blast strikes Iran mosque At least 12 people have been killed and 160 wounded in an explosion at a mosque in southern Iran, local media reported.

* Israeli tanks withdraw from Gaza Israeli forces have withdrawn from Gaza after air and ground operations which left at least eight Palestinians dead.

* 'Back Channel' Talks Between Iran and the US Revealed While America was leading the effort to impose sanctions on a defiant Iran intent on continuing its uranium enrichment nuclear development program, the US and Iran was meeting unofficially to maintain dialogue between the two nations.

* Israel fears US will sell F-35 to Saudis Israel is increasingly concerned that the United States will allow the sale of fifth-generation, stealth-enabled Joint Strike Fighter jets - aka the F-35 Lightning II - to Saudi Arabia, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

04/12/08

* Rice slams Carter for Hamas meeting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice criticized former US president Jimmy Carter.

* China defends Tibetan crackdown Chinese President Hu Jintao has defended China's crackdown in Tibet.

* Abbas aide warns of 'anarchy' in region If the opportunity of reaching an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement is missed, there will be "anarchy" in the region.

* US Iraq envoy stresses Arab role The US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, has called on Arab countries to do more to support Iraq.

* Swarm of Earthquakes Detected Off Oregon Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off the central Oregon Coast.

* Israeli tanks withdraw from Gaza Israeli forces have withdrawn from Gaza after air and ground operations which left at least eight Palestinians dead.

* Iran complains to UN about Ben-Eliezer Iran has lodged a complaint with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon over National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin (Fuad) Ben-Eliezer's remarks.

* U.K. advertising watchdog nixes 'misleading' Israel tourist ad A British advertising watchdog has ordered a tourist office affiliated with Israel to withdraw a magazine ad that implies that a West Bank landmark is actually in Israel.

* China's President Hu, Taiwan's Vice President Meet Taiwan's incoming vice president, Vincent Siew, met briefly Saturday with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

* Gaza power plant chief: Fuel to run out in 2-3 days The director of Gaza's only power plant says he'll have to shut it down in two to three days unless Israel resumes fuel shipments.

04/11/08

* 'Site found where Iran building 6,000 km ballistic missile' New satellite imagery exposed a site where Iran was developing long-range ballistic missiles.

* 'Hamas has built up a force of 20,000' Since 2005's disengagement from the Gaza Strip, Hamas has forged a formidable military of 20,000 men.

* Israeli tanks in Gaza incursion Israel has sent tanks and bulldozers into the Gaza Strip after pledging to retaliate against a deadly militant attack on a fuel depot this week.

* Chamoun: Syria-Israel war is imminent Dory Chamoun is the sole surviving son of former Lebanese President Camille Chamoun, who founded the National Liberal Party.

* Egypt confirms Mideast summit is under discussion A Middle East summit meeting in theEgyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in May is under discussion.

* Food prices stir poverty concern The International Monetary Fund has said that rising food prices threaten to undermine gains made in cutting poverty.

* Fight in Sadr City becomes test for Iraqi army The Iraqi soldiers pushed their way up a main thoroughfare in Sadr City over the past week.

* Livni Gives Away Northern Jerusalem Negotiations for Jerusalem continue apace, with a local Jerusalem paper reporting that Foreign Minister Livni has agreed to give away Atarot Airport.

* Gov't against Carter, Mashaal meeting The Israeli government and politicians sent mixed messages on Thursday regarding plans by former US president Jimmy Carter to meet with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal.

* Iran cleric rejects Bush's accusations on Iraq An influential Iranian cleric on Friday rejected President George W. Bush's accusations that Iran was arming and funding Shi'ite militias in Iraq to kill American soldiers.

04/10/08

* US Christians 'morally' support Israel More than 80 percent of American Christians say they have a "moral and biblical obligation" to support the State of Israel.

* Peres announces 60th anniversary guest list President Shimon Peres said Wednesday that the festivities marking Israel's 60th birthday and including top personalities from around the world will open with a tribute to Israel's staunchest ally, the United States.

* Israel fears Hamas might blow up Rafah Hamas is determined to go through with its threat to forcefully breach the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in the coming days.

* Hamas: More Israeli Civilians will Be Killed Hamas promises more attacks on Israel, following the killing of two Israeli civilians.

* 'Jimmy Carter planning to meet Mashaal' Former US president Jimmy Carter is planing to visit Syria in April and meet with exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal.

* Western Wall Too 'Controversial' For Bush Visit The Western Wall has been deemed too controversial a place for US President George W. Bush to visit.

* Israeli think tank: Hamas has 20,000 armed men in Gaza Strip An Israeli think tank said in a study it released on Thursday that Hamas' military buildup is at its peak.

* Tibet: MEPs urge joint EU stance on Olympic Games opening ceremony In a resolution on Tibet following on from its debate of 26 March, Parliament condemned the repression by the Chinese security forces.

* IAF Strikes Kill Terrorists Involved in Nachal Oz Attack An Israel Air Force (IAF) strike in the Sajaya neighborhood of Gaza City killed three terrorists late Wednesday night.

* Barbed wire erected to prevent Israel-Lebanon border violations Members of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon on Thursday began erecting a barbed-wire fence along the Lebanon-Israel border.

04/09/08

* Beilin: Bush wants 2nd ME summit in May During his visit to the region in May, US President George W. Bush wants to hold a peace summit in Sharm e-Sheikh.

* Official: Hamas will pay for Nahal Oz attack "Hamas will pay a heavy price for its actions," an official in Jerusalem stated Wednesday.

* Dutch Court Rejects Ban on Anti-Islam Movie A Dutch court has upheld a conservative's legislator's right to express his opinion of Islam's violent tendencies in a film.

* Syria to hold its own Home Front drill The Syrian army and civil authorities will conduct a national home front drill in the next few days.

* Murdoch, Blair, Gorbachev to attend Israel's 60th celebrations President Shimon Peres is bringing in top personalities from around the world to celebrate Israel's 60th birthday.

* 'We won't be able to deter nuclear Iran' "Iran will be the first nuclear state in history against which deterrence won't work, even if the deterrent is nuclear."

* Attacks mark Baghdad anniversary At least six people have been killed in mortar attacks in Baghdad on the fifth anniversary of the city's capture by American forces.

* The Terrorists’ Virtual World Experts around the world are researching what may have already become the terrorists' new weapon of choice: virtual worlds.

* Two Israelis killed as terrorists infiltrate Nahal Oz Two Israelis were killed when at least four Palestinian terrorists infiltrated the Nahal Oz fuel terminal from the Gaza Strip.

* Kosovo adopts first constitution Kosovo's parliament has voted unanimously to adopt the Balkan state's first constitution since unilaterally declaring independence from Serbia in February.

04/08/08

* 'Iran installing 6,000 new centrifuges' Iran has begun installing 6,000 new centrifuges at its uranium enrichment plant in Natanz.

* Beilin: Follow-up summit to Annapolis set for May The U.S. is planning to convene a follow-up summit to the Annapolis peace conference in May at Sharm al-Sheikh in Sinai.

* Syrian official: We're prepared for war A message of reassurance from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to Damascus Monday in attempt to assuage Syrian fears over Israel's nationwide drill has done nothing.

* Home-grown terrorism rising in EU, Europol says The number of arrests connected to terrorism doubled in the European Union in 2007.

* IDF collecting settlers' weapons In recent weeks the IDF has been collecting hundreds of military-issued weapons in the Binyamin region in the West Bank.

* Oil prices approach record heights World oil prices spiked on Tuesday close to record high points as supply concerns were stoked by a recent fire at a Finnish refinery.

* Barghouti: Palestinians ready for peace Jailed Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti called for a comprehensive cease-fire and affirmed his support for a two-state solution.

* Large Israeli military drills raise alerts Tensions on Israel's northern border have increased significantly as the Jewish state began a week of the largest ever military exercises.

* PM, Abbas aim for deal by end of '08 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will meet every two weeks until the November deadline for striking a deal.

* 'Syria ready to help solve Lebanon's political crisis' Syria is willing to help Lebanon's rival factions reach a national accord to end the ever-deepening Lebanese political crisis.