* Kadima MK: Peres is suited to replace Olmert as prime minister Kadima MK David Tal said Wednesday that Vice Premier Shimon Peres is suited to be prime minister.

* France wants to save major part of EU constitution, Sarkozy aide says France’s Nicolas Sarkozy will seek to maintain as much of the rejected EU constitution as possible in the upcoming talks on a new treaty for the bloc.

* Ban worried by arms race in Lebanon In a report to the United Nations Security Council, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon warned that despite Syria’s continued denial of arms transfers across the Lebanese border, reports from Israel and “other member states” reveal ongoing arms trafficking, most of which are reported to reach Hizbullah.

* Cheney in Baghdad for key talks Visiting US Vice-President Dick Cheney has met Iraq’s political leaders and US army chiefs to discuss security and attempts at political reconciliation.

* ‘US support for Israel at all-time high’ America’s support of Israel is greater than ever, veteran pollster Stanley Greenberg told the Knesset’s Subcommittee on Foreign and Public Relations.

* UN attacked for spreading Christianity? A deadly attack Monday against a United Nations school in the Gaza Strip was carried by an Islamist extremist group.

* Dayton Plan: Benchmarks won’t work in the Middle East The word “benchmarks” is heard quite frequently these days in IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) corridors.

* You’ll return from Gaza in a coffin, Hamas warns Israel Any Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip will be met with a harsh response on the part of the Palestinian organizations, a Hamas spokesperson said.

* ‘Israel prevents PA economic recovery’ The Palestinian economy can’t recover unless Israel dismantles a network of obstacles that has carved up the West Bank into a dozen enclaves and restricted Palestinian access to more than half the territory, the World Bank said.

* Increasing number of rabbis are allowing Jews to enter Temple Mount An increasing number of religious Zionist rabbis are allowing their followers to enter the Temple Mount.