* Brown: Settlements an obstacle to peace British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Monday that Israeli settlements are one of the largest remaining obstacles to a Mideast peace deal.

* Israel denies entry to UN rights investigator UN Special Rapporteur on human rights observance in West Bank, Gaza sent back to Geneva after landing.

* We have to win war against Islam Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders screened his controversial film Fitna in Jerusalem, calling on Europe to restrict immigration “from backward Islamic countries”

* Assad to Carter: No peace without Golan Former US President Jimmy Carter predicted an improvement in US-Syrian relations under US President-elect Barack Obama.

* Settler growth rate three times that of national average Study conducted by Ariel University Center finds Jewish population in West Bank more than doubled in last 12 years due to natural growth and positive migration balance.

* Selling Judea and Samaria through Stories “The stories of the Bible … took place in Judea and Samaria.”

* Russian warships bound for Cuba in new show of strength A group of Russian warships will from December 19-23 visit the Communist island of Cuba.

* Messianic Jews detained at Ben-Gurion A director of the US Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations and his wife were detained Sunday amid allegations he is involved in illegal Christian missionary activity.

* Iraq rally for Bush shoe attacker Thousands of Iraqis have demanded the release of a local TV reporter who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush at a Baghdad news conference.

* Marzel, Rabbi Wolpo to run for Knesset Extreme rightists form new party, Our Land of Israel, which seeks to tackle “existential threat faced by country”