Monday, January 07, 2008

01/07/08

* Iranian ships 'harass' U.S. Navy, officials say The U.S. military reported Monday on a "significant" confrontation involving five Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats that "harrassed and provoked" three U.S. naval ships in international waters over the weekend.

* Olmert to assure Bush he will remove outposts 'expeditiously' Israel will tell U.S. President George W. Bush during his visit to the region this week that it is committed to acting expeditiously to dismantle unauthorized West Bank settlement outposts, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday.

* Jerusalem readies for Bush's arrival, 10,500 police involved in security Snipers, bomb-sniffing dogs and Shin Bet bodyguards to secure US president's visit in operation dubbed ' Clear Skies'; eight truckloads of gear arrive at historic King David hotel, bearing everything from security equipment to printer paper and fax machines.

* Scroll to Mr. Bush Reminds Him of His Historic Role A historic document is planned to be submitted to visiting US President George Bush upon his arrival this week, calling upon him to choose to be remembered like Cyrus, and not like Nebuchadnezzar.

* Al-Qaida: Greet Bush with bombs when he visits Mideast Al-Qaida's American spokesman Adam Gadahn called on the terror network's fighters to greet US President George W. Bush with "bombs and booby-trapped vehicles" when he visits the Middle East later this week, according to a new video posted Sunday.

* Elon: Bush 'detached from reality' On the eve of US President George W. Bush's visit to Israel, an MK is trying to drum up support for a new peace initiative - granting Jordanian passports to all Palestinians, dismantling the Palestinian Authority and abandoning any notions of an independent Palestinian state.

* Bush to propose ME plan to combat Iran US President George W. Bush will work with Middle East allies to develop a security plan to counter Iran during his upcoming visit to the region.

* Percent of world Jewry living in Israel climbed to 41% in 2007 The world Jewish population in 2007 is estimated at 13.2 million people, a rise of some 200,000 over 2006, according to a Jewish People Policy Planning Institute report published Sunday.

* Olmert is Warned: 'Talk About Jerusalem - Break the Law' Two Jerusalem organizations have sent a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, reminding him that discussions with US President Bush or PA Chairman Abbas regarding a possible division of Jerusalem are in violation of Israeli law.

* Arab League backs Lebanon plan The Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Musa, will head to Lebanon within the next two days to discuss an Arab plan to resolve the crisis there.