Palestinian official reiterates stance that settlement construction must end before negotiations resume; Abbas will brief the Arab League's peace process follow-up committee on the state of the talks with Israel on Friday in Libya.
Junior coalition partner furious after PM hands victory to right-wingers with backing for citizenship requirement of pledging loyalty to 'Jewish democratic state.'
The Israeli government will pay over 2.5 million shekels to settlers who incurred losses on construction plans during a 10-month settlement building freeze in the West Bank.
Alleged attack, likely a protest against a possible Israeli compromise in the West Bank, comes amid a recent impasse in peace talks over the demand to extend the settlement freeze.
London-based newspaper quotes Israeli sources as saying that Obama offered incentives in return; Netanyahu: Most reports incorrect, sides working 'discretely' on issue.
Last week, the Minister of Education of Israel, Gideon Saar, and Israels new ambassador to Russia, Dorit Golender, visited the Moscow Jewish Community Center. The guests met with the leadership of the Jewish community in Russia.
A senior Vatican official criticized Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Saturday for a joke about Jews that was caught on video and posted on the website of the La Repubblica newspaper.
International diplomatic efforts to salvage the direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks kicked into high gear Friday with top EU and US officials set for a flurry of meetings in Jerusalem and Ramallah.
The United States is reportedly incensed over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of a draft letter that would have extended the freeze on West Bank settlement construction, formulated by advisers to the U.S. and Israeli leaders.
