Israel News 05/07/2008

Speaking from his bunker on Hizbullah-run television on Wednesday, Hassan Nasrallah spoke about Ron Arad, the upcoming prisoner exchange with Israel and Hizbullah's plans. 07/03/08

Most of the artists invited to perform at the 27th annual Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts announced they were pulling out of the event after it was discovered that the French production company is headed by a Jew and its Israeli branch was involved in Israel's 60th Independence Day celebrations.07/02/08

An Egyptian newspaper reported on Tuesday that Hamas recently handed over to Egyptian authorities a videotape of IDF soldier Gilad Schalit as proof that the soldier who has been held captive for two years in Gaza is still alive. In addition another letter written by Schalit accompanied the videotape.07/02/08

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would like to speed up the negotiations with Hamas over kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit, sources in the Prime Minister's Bureau said Monday night. Olmert has instructed all those involved in the negotiations to do what is necessary so that the talks can progress quickly, as soon as Hamas gives Israel a new list of prisoners it wants released under the deal. 07/01/08

Infolive.tv interviewed Dr. Avi Shapira chairman of the National Earthquake Preparedness Committee about recent reports claiming a major earthquake could hit northern Israel at any time. While Shapira attempted to downplay the report, he admitted that an earthquake in the country is a tangible possibility and advised the government and organizations to prepare.06/30/08

In the coming days Ofer Dekel, Prime Minister Olmert's special envoy who deals with the prisoner exchange will travel to Germany and sign the agreement in the presence of the German mediator, who will then meet with a representative of Hizbullah.06/30/08

In response to Olmert's declarations that the two reservists are no longer alive, the families of Goldwasser and Regev declared that Olmert's assumptions were based on half truths and demanded to be given solid proof to back the statements, if they are indeed true.06/29/08

On Sunday afternooon the cabinet voted to support a prisoner exchange with Hizbullah in which Israel will exchange convicted terrorist Samir Kuntar for abducted IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. 06/29/08

After hours of deliberation the Cabinet voted to go ahead with the prisoner deal with Hizbullah, with 22 ministers voting for the decision and three opposing. During the meeting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert informed the cabinet ministers that the two IDF reservists Eldad Regev and Udi Goldwasser are no longer alive, and were killed either during the kidnapping or shortly after. 06/29/08

Despite the mortar shell attacks on the western Negev on Saturday night Israel opened all the crossings to the Gaza Strip on Sunday permitting 80 truckloads of food staples, fresh vegetables and fruit into the densley populated Strip in addition to renewing the fuel supply. While Hamas has declared it will arrest anyone violating the truce, the words appear to have had little effect. 06/29/08

On Sunday,the cabinet will hear the pros and cons for agreeing to a prisoner swap with Hizbullah, information that will pave the way for a vote in support of a deal that will bring about the release of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser and their return home. The price Israel will have to pay is still unclear, aside from setting free murderer Samir Kuntar, Israel will also release a number of Lebanese prisoners in the deal. Hizbullah continues to demand that a certain number of Palestinian prisoners also be set free in the framework of the agreement, a demand Israel has up until now refused to agree to.06/28/08

A powerful blast killed one person and wounded close to 30 when a bomb exploded in an apartment block in the tense northern port Lebanese city of Tripoli. According to police sources in Tripoli, the blast resulted from a 20-kg charge of heavy explosives attached to a timer and planted in a lift. The site of the explosion is in the same area where clashes took place a week earlier and nine people were killed. The Tripoli situation has raised fears of a nationwide security breakdown.06/29/08

While the Gaza truce was shattered once again Friday morning by the crashing of two mortar shells into the town of Sderot, the UN released a report stating that Israel has violated the truce agreement 8 times while the Palestinians only once. 06/27/08

Israel decided to shut down the crossings into Gaza on Wednesday in response to the Kassam rocket attacks on Sderot the day before in which a house was badly damaged and several people lightly wounded. Touring the south on Tuesday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned that the army was prepared to deal with all eventualities.06/25/08

At a rally marking two years since his son’s abduction, Noam Schalit demanded that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the government take action to secure Gilad’s release. Outside the Prime Minister’s residence on Tuesday, Schalit declared that the time for foot dragging and flowery language is over, it is time to take action he said. “Gilad has been held for 730 nights of a perpetual nightmare in complete dark isolation. 06/25/08