Israel News

Ramallah, West Bank: The Israeli army arrested two Hamas legislators in the occupied West Bank on Monday, Voice of Palestine radio said. via Gulfnews

Police raided more than 20 government buildings and private offices Sunday morning, seeking evidence in a series of criminal investigations of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, potentially weakening his position ahead of a crucial Mideast peace conference in the United States.

The early morning sweep came just as Olmert's popularity, which plummeted after last year's inconclusive war against Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, has begun to rebound.

The raid Sunday targeted more than 20 locations, including the Industry and Trade Ministry, the Postal Authority and Jerusalem's City Hall, said police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld. Read more

Ra'anana has always been a prime location for foreign residents and finding a home in Ra'anana is known to be a tedious task, sifting through many homes and apartments until your dream home is found. This is all about to change with the long-awaited "Vision for the year 2020," which plans to create an extra 4,000 apartments in the north and west of the city.

It is not really surprising that the Israeli residential property market is so active. Quite apart from the large influx of foreign buyers, steadily growing from year to year, Israelis themselves are very active in the market. For Israelis love to be home owners; 72% own their homes, one of the highest homeowner rates in the world. Just take a look at other major countries to make a comparison: the home ownership rate in the US is 68%, in Britain 69% and in France 54%.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak hosts Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to discuss regional affairs ahead of Israeli-Palestinian talks in Maryland this month. via Daily India

“We are continuing the path, continuing the pledge, to establish an independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital, God willing”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas unveiled a $1.75 million mausoleum for Yasser Arafat on Saturday, in a pomp-filled ceremony that helped him draw on the continued popularity of his iconic predecessor as he headed into peace talks with Israel.

The mausoleum, made of glass and beige Jerusalem stone, is surrounded on three sides by water, and a piece of rail track is entombed underneath Arafat's grave. The water and piece of track are meant to symbolize the temporary nature of the grave, officials said, with Palestinians planning to rebury their leader one day in Jerusalem, their hoped-for capital. Read more

“Those of us who did were all helped by a Christian, by someone. Otherwise we wouldn't be here. At Auschwitz, the children were taken directly to the gas chambers.”

A group of Holocaust survivors, and relatives of Holocaust survivors visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem Thursday, Nov. via HendersonvilleNews.com

“The German Finance Minister is not meeting Mr Eitan when he is in Israel and does not intend to conduct talks of this nature”

Israel wants to reopen its 1952 agreement with Germany granting reparations for Holocaust survivors, an Israeli minister said in remarks published Friday. via United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

“I'm not here to defend Musharraf”

The United States should support President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to prevent Pakistan's nuclear arsenal from falling into the hands of Islamic fundamentalists or al-Qaida terrorists, former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said Friday.

The United States has repeatedly urged Musharraf to restore constitutional order since he seized emergency powers last week, rounded up thousands of opponents and sent security forces to break up protests.

'I think, in fact, the United States has contributed to some of the instability by applying less than robust support of Musharraf,' said Bolton, who stepped down as ambassador to the United Nations nearly a year ago when it became clear he could not win confirmation in the Senate. Read more

Israeli troops shot two Palestinians who were crawling near the security fence separating the Gaza Strip from Israel on Friday night, apparently planting an explosive device, the military said. via PR-inside.com

“The U.S. is encouraged by steps that the Palestinian security forces are taking in Nablus to restore law and order, and continued progress there will create the environment in which we can launch a number of new development projects”

The United States plans to rush aid to the restive West Bank city of Nablus to try to support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's government ahead of a U.S.-sponsored conference on statehood. via Reuters UK

“After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are among the ancestors of the American Indians.”

The LDS Church has changed a single word in its introduction to the Book of Mormon, a change observers say has serious implications for commonly held church beliefs about the ancestry of American Indians. via ScrippsNews

Israel's Deputy Prime Minister called yesterday for Mohamed ElBaradei to be replaced as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, accusing him of complacency over Iran's nuclear ambitions. via Jamaica Gleaner

“This opportunity and this interfaith dialogue can really much help in moving the peace process forward”

By Deborah Charles

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In an unusual joint appearance, senior Israeli and Palestinian religious leaders said on Wednesday they were not a roadblock to peace in the Middle East but a vital part of the process.

Dressed in traditional religious garb, the chief rabbis of Israel sat alongside Muslim leaders and Christian patriarchs and said they had agreed on steps to help resolve the conflict.

"It is our responsibility to find the right way to live together in peace rather than to fight and kill one another," the leaders, who make up the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land, said in a joint statement. Read more

“What (Sabbagh) did, others must have done”

A valuable gift will receive a Jerusalem institute next week. The family of man who held a fragment of a more than 1,000-year-old manuscript of the Hebrew Bible for six decades as a good luck charm will present ... via Huliq.com

Present at the Creation It took a trip to the region for me to finally understand that this peace process is unlike any other. via BrothersJudd Blog

“Israelis going to seek important agreements that would require the Palestinians to implement the first stage of the road map.”

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Tuesday that Israel would not launch a large-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip in the near future. via People's Daily

“And we are supposed to just come attend, be bemused, enjoy our time and leave?”

Syria's ambassador to the United States belittled a Mideast peace conference that the Bush administration is trying to organize as a 'waste,' saying Wednesday that he would counsel his country against attending it.

'We don't seriously believe that this is a peace conference that will lead to anywhere,' Ambassador Imad Moustapha said at a public affairs forum in San Francisco.

No proposals had been circulated beforehand to lay the groundwork for progress at the gathering in Annapolis, Md., Moustapha said, raising questions about how serious Washington is about the conference. Read more

It's a tale worthy of its own movie script: The Gaza Strip's isolated and cash-strapped Hamas rulers plan to build a $200 million media city and movie production house that will be part tourist attraction and ... via Jerusalem Post

“French and American troops are helping defend a young democracy in Afghanistan”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, center, places his hand over his heart as he is introduced to a joint meeting of Congress, Wednesday, Nov. via Kansas.com