* ‘Israel could survive nuclear war’ If a nuclear war between Israel and Iran were to break out 16-20 million Iranians would lose their lives – as opposed to 200,000-800,000 Israelis, according to a report recently published by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

* IDF scales back Bethlehem ops for Xmas The IDF began scaling back its operations in Bethlehem and the city’s outlying areas on Sunday ahead of the expected arrival of more than 60,000 Christian pilgrims to the city in the next few days to participate in Christmas celebrations.

* Russia seeks role in Israel-Syria talks Russia wants to “facilitate” talks between Israel and Syria and in the last few months has conveyed messages from Damascus to Jerusalem, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

* Fatah map shows all of Israel as Palestine Fatah is planning to mark its 43rd anniversary this year with a new poster that presents all of Israel as Palestine.

* Jewish ‘return’ hits 20-year low The Israeli government says Jewish immigration to Israel has fallen to its lowest level in 20 years, with fewer than 20,000 Jews arriving in 2007.

* Report: New round of Israel-PA talks to focus on E. J’lem building plans The Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams are set to meet on Monday for the second time since the regional peace conference held last month in Annapolis, Maryland.

* Kurdish self-determination ‘by all means’ Geography, history — and geopolitics — has not been very kind to the Kurdish people.

* Western immigration up, despite trends While Immigrant Absorption Ministry data show that aliya figures are down about 9.3 percent for 2007, immigration is up in countries in which Nefesh B’Nefesh operates, according to the organization.

* Blair Catholic service ‘moving’ The service to receive former Prime Minister Tony Blair into the Roman Catholic Church was “moving”, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor has said.

* Sabbah slammed for challenging ‘Jewish state’ Two of the largest Jewish advocacy groups in the world harshly criticized the highest-ranking Catholic Church official in Jerusalem for challenging Israel’s right to continue to exist as a Jewish state.