* Scholar Claims Dead Sea Scrolls ‘Authors’ Never Existed Biblical scholars have long argued that the Dead Sea Scrolls were the work of an ascetic and celibate Jewish community known as the Essenes, which flourished in the 1st century A.D.

* IDF chief: Strike on Iran a concrete option IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi, who is on an official visit to the United States, told his American colleagues Monday that the Iranian threat could still be handled via sanctions.

* Solana: Don’t drop 2-state solution The European Union’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana warned on Monday that the bloc may reevaluate its ties with Israel.

* Egypt talks to Europe, US on Palestinian unity Egypt has dispatched two of its top officials to convince the Americans and the Europeans to accept a weaker commitment by the militant Hamas group to peace with Israel.

* Downturn ‘risks Africa conflict’ African leaders have warned that parts of the continent could be plunged back into conflict if they are not helped to recover from the global downturn.

* Pakistan turns onto a new and uncertain path It was a signal moment in Pakistan’s political development: A huge demonstration forced the restoration of a dismissed chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

* Drones are weapons of choice in fighting Qaeda A missile fired by an American drone killed at least four people late Sunday at the house of a militant commander in northwest Pakistan.

* China likely to be stronger after crisis The global economic downturn, and efforts to reverse it, will probably make China an even stronger economic competitor than it was before the crisis.

* Abbas: Hamas-Fatah talks doomed to fail The Egyptian-mediated reconciliation talks between the rival Palestinian factions appear to be on the brink of collapse.

* Netanyahu asks Peres to weigh in on coalition talks Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Shimon Peres Monday and asked him to facilitate the formation of a national unity government which would include the Labor and Kadima parties.