* Most Palestinians favor violence over talks, poll shows A new poll shows that an overwhelming majority of Palestinians support the attack this month on a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem that killed eight young men.

* Merkel: A nuclear Iran would be disastrous German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the Knesset on Tuesday that her countrymen’s hearts were filled with shame over the Holocaust.

* Bush to hail prospect of Iraq “strategic victory” President George W. Bush will acknowledge on Wednesday the Iraq war has been fought at a high cost but will insist a U.S. troop buildup.

* ‘Terrorists threaten all we hold dear’ The success of Hamas and Hizbullah in the region is not only a danger for Israel, but also a threat to US national interests.

* Russia Says ‘Nyet’ to US Missile Defense Russia had a short answer Tuesday for President Bush’s top national security advisers.

* Second Temple Half-Shekel Found in Jerusalem Dig A half-shekel coin from the Second Temple was found in excavations in the City of David, just below and east of Jerusalem’s Old City.

* EU presidency condemns violence in Kosovo The European Union has “strongly condemned” violence that erupted in the northern part of the town of Mitrovica, Kosovo.

* Settlements face heavy security cuts Security officers in West Bank settlements have warned that government cutbacks to their security budget was greatly hindering their operational capability.

* Protesters ‘surrender in Tibet’ More than 100 people have turned themselves in to police following anti-China riots in Tibet’s main city, Lhasa.

* ‘Try Ahmadinejad for genocide calls’ Former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler on Monday called on the world community to act against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.