Headlines for 10-01-07

Israel frees West Bank detainees In Gaza, hundreds of Palestinians waited in vain for the return of their relatives. Israeli troops shot and injured a 14-year-old boy when crowds began approaching a no-man's land separating Gaza and Israel, witnesses said.



Israel officially denies responsibility for death of al-Dura in 2000 Naturally.


Ex-diplomats say US faces failure of peace summit The Bush administration was warned yesterday by former senior US diplomats that it is setting itself up for the failure of its Middle East peace summit by neglecting to lay the groundwork for a successful meeting of American, Israeli and Arab leaders.


Israel urges Arab support, not terms, for talks The Arab world should offer support -- rather than set conditions -- for a new Middle East peace drive, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told the United Nations on Monday


Palestinian prisoners step into freedom Fifty-seven Palestinians rode triumphantly into Ramallah in the afternoon, flashing victory signs and smiles, after Israeli armoured buses deposed them at the Beitunya checkpoint.


Livni to tell UN: Iran nuclear issue will not resolve itself In her address to the United Nations on Monday, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is expected to lambaste international inaction on Iran's nuclear program, charging that some countries are acting as if they expect the problem to solve itself. Whose war is it?


Police to move into W. Bank headquarters near J'lem, despite US concerns Israel is determined to move police to a new West Bank headquarters by the end of the year, officials said Monday, despite US concerns that development in that particular area near Jerusalem harms prospects for establishing a viable Palestinian state.


Israel?s Toy Soldiers If you are a young Muslim American and head off to the Middle East for a spell in a fundamentalist ?madrassa,? or religious school, Homeland Security will probably greet you at the airport when you return. But if you are an American Jew and you join hundreds of teenagers from Europe and Mexico for an eight-week training course run by the Israel Defense Forces, you can post your picture wearing an Israeli army uniform and holding an automatic weapon on MySpace.


Israeli airstrike hit military site, Syria confirms


Assad sets conference conditions Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said his government will not attend a Middle East peace conference unless Syria's concerns are addressed.


Livni: U.N.'s moral authority in doubt Tzipi Livni said Monday that the Iranian president, who regularly questions whether the Holocaust happened and inveighs against the Jewish state, should not have been allowed to deliver his speech to the U.N. General Assembly last week.


AIPAC members repudiate Moran AIPAC members met with a Democratic congressman who blamed the lobbying group for the Iraq war.


Group asks Bush to press Israel A dovish pro-Israel group called on President Bush to press Israel to deal with Hamas.


Livni calls for universal election standards Israel's foreign minister called for universal election standards to prevent terrorists from taking office. That's funny, because Begin and Sharon, to name a few, would thus have been barred from running for election.


Syrian vice president disputes everything reported so far on Israeli raid


Palestinian ambassador survives traffic accident


Israeli settlers quit new wildcat posts in West Bank Hundreds of Israeli settlers and right-wing activists on Monday abandoned four of the five sites in the occupied West Bank where they aimed to establish new wildcat outposts, police said.


Holland targeted in Israel's defense Analyst responds to negative media coverage of Israel by painting European country in bad light


The Esteemed Ms. Livni Points Out the Way It is likely that Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Giuliani will emerge as the favorite candidates of voters looking for pro-Israel credentials. When the chips are down, they are the most likely to side with Israel, even when Washington insiders counsel otherwise.


The Lobby on Trial one has to wonder, why is the veil of silence being drawn over this extraordinary affair? After all, the story involves what Time magazine called "among the most politically charged espionage cases in years" ? surely a newsworthy topic. Why no follow-up?



Palestinians liven up checkpoints with a good book A new charity is easing Palestinians' frustration with their regular long waits at Israeli army checkpoints by stocking taxis with books for them to read.


Wanted Islamist captured in Lebanon: Palestinians


Syria wants Golan Heights on Middle East agenda


Arab Detroit Workshop Seeks to Dispel Arab American Stereotypes The tragic events in Lebanon last year, the Palestinian diaspora and the Iraq war have contributed to a misunderstood image of the rich heritage and culture of Arab Americans. The workshop will examine the diversity and culture of the Arab American community, explore the image of the Arab American in the media and the effects of prejudice and discrimination, and look at some of the most significant scientific contributions from the Arab and Islamic world to western civilization.



Livni caps trip by blasting delay in new Iran sanctions Iran's nuclear program topped the agenda of Israel and Jewish organizations in their yearly rounds of meetings with visiting world leaders.