* Israel and Hamas ceasefire begins A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has begun, despite a last-minute flurry of cross-border attacks.

* IAEA has proof Syria built nuclear reactor The website of the French news agency Le Monde reported that information originating in different countries other than the US and suggesting that Syria did indeed build a nuclear reactor in Al Kibar.

* Irish ‘No’ on EU leaders’ agenda European Union leaders are due to attend a summit in Brussels which is likely to be dominated by Ireland’s rejection of the EU treaty last week.

* Peres confronts Arab League leader at Jordanian convention President Shimon Peres on Wednesday confronted Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa during the Petra Convention in Jordan.

* Deals with Iraq are set to bring oil giants back Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq.

* Netanyahu: Government’s consent to ceasefire inconceivable Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud) harshly criticized the government decision to declare a temporary ceasefire with Hamas.

* UK ratifies Lisbon Treaty ahead of EU summit The British parliament has ratified the Lisbon Treaty amid unruly protests.

* Israel’s EU upgrade Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and EU foreign ministers ushered in a new era in Israeli-European relations this week at a meeting in Luxembourg.

* Iraq launches offensive in Amara Iraqi security forces backed by US troops have launched a major operation in Amara, southern Iraq, overnight to drive out Shia militia groups.

* US N-weapons parts missing, Pentagon says The US military cannot locate hundreds of sensitive nuclear missile components, according to several government officials.

* As truce nears, IDF told to be ready Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday he hopes the Gaza truce will hold.

* Sarkozy aide: Olmert and Assad could meet in Paris next month Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could meet on the sidelines of a summit in Paris next month.

* Israel agrees to Gaza ceasefire Israel has approved a ceasefire to end months of bitter clashes with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza, Israeli officials have confirmed.

* Israel says it’s ready to begin peace talks with Lebanon Government spokesman Mark Regev said on Wednesday that Israel is interested in direct, bilateral talks with Lebanon.

* Peres, King Abdullah meet in Petra President Shimon Peres arrived in Petra on Wednesday morning, where he met with King Abdullah II.

* Knesset Committee Passes Golan Bill in First Reading By an 8-4 vote, the Knesset House Committee passed an early version of a law requiring a popular referendum before the Golan could be given away.

* ANALYSIS / Cease-fire deal means Hamas is calling the shots The main points of a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas grant the Islamic organization a political and diplomatic achievement.

* Syria: Peace with Israel will be ‘bliss’ A senior Syrian official has expressed confidence regarding the possibility that indirect peace talks with Israel will come to fruition.

* MEPs in passionate war of words over Irish No Supporters and opponents of the Lisbon Treaty in the European Parliament have crossed rhetorical swords in a debate over the consequences of Ireland’s No to the document.

* Abbas to visit Gaza for dialogue with Hamas Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is planning to visit the Gaza Strip for the first time since Hamas’s violent takeover of the area in June 2007.

By: Matti Friedman –

Valentine Vester, who witnessed history as the proprietor of one of the Middle East’s most storied hotels, has died. She was 96.

Read more….

By: Ehud Zion Waldoks – The Jerusalem Post

Five of the largest environmental organizations in Israel launched a joint public pressure campaign on Sunday to halt what they see as the headlong rush to begin the Red-Dead Sea canal project before feasibility studies have been completed.

Read more….(2 page article)

* Egypt, Hamas, PA confirm Gaza truce to start Thursday at 6 a.m. A Hamas spokesman said Tuesday that his was committed to an Egyptian-mediated truce deal with Israel.

* French defence to counter terror Terrorism is the main threat facing France and its defence system needs to change to reflect that.

* ‘Israel, Syria making progress in talks’ Indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria are making progress and both sides agreed to two more rounds under Turkish mediation next month.

* France refuses EU treaty revision The European Union must not embark on drafting a new treaty after Irish voters rejected the Lisbon Treaty.

* Rabbis against Pride Parade: God is testing us Jerusalem’s Open House announces city’s Pride Parade to be held next week.

* Tourism to Israel breaks all-time record in May Nearly 300,000 tourists visited Israel in May, an all-time record.

* Ramon: Truce a victory for radical Islam Objecting to the ceasefire: Vice Premier Haim Ramon said Tuesday evening that he opposes the Gaza Strip truce agreement.

* EU unanimously upgrades Israel ties, turning aside PA objections The European Union, turning aside Palestinian objections, has announced upgraded relations with Israel.

* Iran insists nuclear suspension a ‘red line’ Iran on Tuesday insisted any demands it should suspend sensitive atomic activities would cross its “red line”.

* Jerusalem hotel proprietor Valentine Vester dies Valentine Vester, who witnessed history as the proprietor of one of the Middle East’s most storied hotels, has died. She was 96.

* Bush and Brown’s warning to Iran Gordon Brown and President George Bush have warned Iran to accept their “offers of partnership” or face tough sanctions and international isolation.

* Historian: Jewish Towns Populated by Arab Late-Comers Historian Dr. Rivka Shpak-Lissak has embarked on an ambitious project, detailing the history of Jewish towns in the Land of Israel that are now known as Arab.

* UN chief: Saudi to boost oil production Saudi Arabia plans to increase its oil production by 200,000 barrels a day next month, the kingdom’s oil minister told U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Sunday, according to Ban’s spokesman.

* ‘Rice’s criticism ruffles few feathers’ US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s harsh criticism of Israel’s plan to continue building in east Jerusalem met with little panic and no formal response on Sunday, a sign – one government source said – that with less than five months to the US elections, “it is not that important what she says anymore.”

* Egypt says it wants Iran to play positive role Egypt constantly calls on Iran to use its influence in the Middle East in a positive manner, according to Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

* Gov’t approves e. J’lem housing project A Jerusalem Municipality plan to build tens of thousands of new apartments in the city, including a couple thousand flats in various Jewish neighborhoods of east Jerusalem, has received final approval, the municipality said Sunday.

* Get Osama Bin Laden before I leave office, orders George W Bush President George W Bush has enlisted British special forces in a final attempt to capture Osama Bin Laden before he leaves the White House.

* Nuclear ring reportedly had advanced design American and international investigators say that they have found the electronic blueprints for an advanced nuclear weapon on computers that belonged to the nuclear smuggling network run by Abdul Qadeer Khan, the rogue Pakistani nuclear scientist, but that they have not been able to determine whether they were sold to Iran or the smuggling ring’s other customers.

* Split emerges in EU after Ireland rejects treaty After Ireland’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, a split began to emerge Sunday in European capitals over whether to press Dublin to hold another vote – with an implicit threat to consign the Irish to an outer tier of the European Union should they say no again.

* Greens have big doubts about Red-Dead Canal Five of the largest environmental organizations in Israel launched a joint public pressure campaign on Sunday to halt what they see as the headlong rush to begin the Red-Dead Sea canal project before feasibility studies have been completed.

* EU grapples with Irish ‘No’ vote Governments in the European Union are exploring what to do after the Irish Republic’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty to reform the expanded EU.

* ‘Peace isn’t the only way to get Golan’ One senior member of the foreign ministry suggested that if Israel did not willingly give up the Golan, then Syria would take it by force.

* Iran rules out halt to enrichment Tehran has warned it will reject any deal that demands it halt uranium enrichment – part of a new package of incentives from world powers.

* Bush, Sarkozy criticize Iran, Syria US President George W. Bush and French President Nicolas Sarkozy each directed one-two punches against Iran and Syria.

* Impasse in US-Iraqi forces talks Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki has said that talks with the US on a long-term agreement allowing US forces to remain in Iraq have “reached an impasse”.

* ‘Riyadh to increase oil production’ Saudi Arabia is planning to increase its oil production output next month by about a half-million barrels a day.

* Earthquake rocks northern Japan At least six people are dead and more than 140 injured after a powerful earthquake struck northern Japan, triggering landslides.

* Manhunt follows Taliban jail attack A hunt is under way for more than 870 prisoners who escaped from a jail in southern Afghanistan after Taliban fighters blew it open, killing 15 security guards.

* U.S. pastor apologizes to Jews for ‘God sent Hitler’ comments A prominent American televangelist and outspoken supporter of Israel publicly apologized Friday for remarking that the Holocaust was the work of divine providence.

* Brussels calls for Lisbon treaty ratification to continue The European Commission has called for ratification of the Lisbon treaty to continue.

By: Ariel Cohen – Middle East Times

Oil demand appears in unexpected places, where there was very little demand in the recent past. The oil thirst is mounting in the Persian Gulf, Russia, even in Africa, due to expanding wealth, booming construction projects, and growing populations. Government fuel subsidies, typical in energy exporting countries, are increasing demand for gasoline. No wonder that the oil prices are going up, up and away.

Read more….

* Ireland rejects EU reform treaty Voters in Ireland have rejected the European Union’s Lisbon reform treaty in a referendum by 53.4% to 46.6%.

* ‘Peace talks mustn’t start from scratch’ Direct negotiations between Syria and Israel must resume from the point where they left off before the assassination of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.

* Bush ‘honoured’ by Pope’s welcome US President George W Bush has been afforded a special audience with Pope Benedict XVI, on his final official visit to meet the pontiff.

* Is Israel Indirectly buying Iranian oil? Having adamantly denied for months that Israel could possibly be purchasing any oil originating in Iran, an Israeli official has now acknowledged that the Jewish state cannot be sure that Iranian oil is not coming here indirectly.

* Outrage over Jerusalem housing plan Palestinian officials have expressed outrage at Israeli plans to build about 2,000 new housing units in occupied east Jerusalem.

* Israel expects upgraded EU ties The Foreign Ministry expects the European Union to boost its ties with Israel at a joint meeting in Luxembourg.

* Al-Sadr: New force to fight U.S. in Iraq Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is establishing a new fighting force to battle U.S.-led troops in Iraq.

* Turkey, Syria eye nuclear energy cooperation Turkey and Syria are considering setting up a joint energy company and could build joint nuclear power plants for electricity.

* Iraqi PM: Security talks with US have hit ‘dead end’ Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Friday that the talks with the United States on a long-term security agreement between the two nations have reached a “dead end.”

* The Real World: Oil’s Creative Destruction Oil demand appears in unexpected places, where there was very little demand in the recent past.

* High Court sides with Guantanamo detainees again The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay have rights under the Constitution to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts.

* Ireland in crunch EU treaty vote People in the Irish Republic are voting in a referendum on whether to ratify the European Union reform treaty, with turnout expected to be a key factor.

* Papers give peek inside al Qaeda in Iraq With Christmas 2005 approaching, the princes of al Qaeda’s western command were gathering.

* Gaddafi attacks Obama on Israel Libya’s leader has strongly criticised US presidential candidate Barack Obama for saying Jerusalem should remain the undivided capital of Israel.

* Poll: Most Israelis against Hamas truce A majority of Israelis oppose a cease-fire agreement with Hamas if it does not include the release of imprisoned Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit.

* How Iran Has Bush Over a Barrel If wasn’t clear before it should be now: the Bush administration can’t afford to attack Iran.

* Fallout from Shiite-Sunni Split The mufti of Lebanon, the highest religious authority representing Lebanon’s Sunni Muslim community called Hezbollah’s military takeover of West Beirut a few weeks ago, “a military occupation.”

* Bush in Rome for two-day visit President George W. Bush can look forward to a hearty welcome from his old friend, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

* China and Taiwan agree top-level visit in talks breakthrough It is a decade since China and Taiwan took even a small step back from the brink of war.

* Rocket and Mortar Barrage Hits Ashkelon and Negev A barrage of 25 Kassam rockets and close to 50 mortar shells slammed into the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council and neighboring areas.