* U.S.: Senior al Qaeda in Iraq leader held The U.S. military on Wednesday announced the arrest of a senior leader of al Qaeda in Iraq.

* Dollar Slumps to Record Low Versus Euro on Bear Stearns Losses The dollar fell to a record low against the euro and dropped versus the yen after Bear Stearns Cos. reported hedge fund losses.

* Israel confirms third-party contacts with Syria Israel and Syria have been in contact through third parties for “some time,” but the mediators have been unable to get the two sides to resume peace talks.

* U.S. Eyes Direct Talks With Iran The United States is ready to hold new direct talks with Iran on the deteriorating security situation in Iraq.

* FBI: Iraqis Being Smuggled Across the Rio Grande The FBI is investigating an alleged human smuggling operation based in Chaparral, N.M.

* PA Chairman Abbas says will back expected PLO call for early elections Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday he would back a decision by the Palestine Liberation Organization to call early elections.

* Olmert ‘failed severely’ in Lebanon war, says report Israel’s latest inquiry into last year’s Lebanon war Wednesday blasted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for “intolerable” failures in protecting civilians during the conflict.

* EU constitution architect deplores ‘cosmetic’ text changes The architect of the rejected European constitution, Valery Giscard d’Estaing, says the recently agreed changes to the document are “cosmetic”.

* Gaza’s econonomy on verge of collapse Gaza’s economy could collapse within weeks unless Israel reopens crucial commercial trade crossings.

* Water find ‘may end Darfur war’ A huge underground lake has been found in Sudan’s Darfur region, scientists say.

By: Hana Levi Julian – Arutz Sheva

A four-day International Conference of Descendants of the biblical figure Aaron, the Priestly Tribe (Kohanim) and the whole Tribe of Levi to which the Kohanim are a part, begins on Sunday, July 15

Read more….

* ‘Syria ready to talk peace but not via secretive channel’ “A number of delegations that have visited Syria have delivered messages from the Israeli prime minister by which he is seeking peace.

* ‘Nahool’ Teaches Palestinian Authority Children to Bee Bombers The Hamas terrorist establishment has found a way to continue feeding its children a steady diet of hate against Israel and the U.S..

* Blair to meet EU officials ahead of Middle East talks New Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair is scheduled to hold talks with European Union officials Tuesday.

* Olmert-Abbas Stalemate on the Horizon The bi-weekly talks between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas are headed for an impasse.

* ‘Bush is leading a crusade against us’ “President Bush is leading a new crusade against the Palestinians,” Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Sami el-Zuhri, said.

* Turkish poll candidate shot dead An independent candidate has been shot dead in Istanbul ahead of Turkey’s general election on 22 July.

* Jordan’s king welcomes Bush’s call for Mideast conference Jordan’s king Abdullah has welcomed US President George W. Bush’s call for an international Middle East peace conference.

* Russia rejects UN plan on Kosovo Russia has rejected a draft resolution on Kosovo that would end a UN presence there and put European representatives in charge.

* ‘IDF preparing for all-out war’ “The IDF is preparing itself for an all-out war, and this is a major change in the military’s working premise following the Second Lebanon War,” said Major-General (res) Eyal Ben-Reuven.

* Poll: 50% in U.K. think Jews more loyal to Israel than home nation Half of the British public believes that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their home country, an Anti-Defamation League poll released.

* Olmert Demands Abbas Avoid Unity with Hamas Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered major concessions at his meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas Monday afternoon in Jerusalem, but demanded in return that Abbas avoid any form of unity with the Hamas terrorist organization in the future.

* Iran military solution back in US favor With 18 months left in US President George W. Bush’s second term, the White House is now leaning in favor of military action on the burgeoning Iran nuclear crisis, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported Monday.

* Peres: “We Must Rid Ourselves of the Territories” Shimon Peres, on the eve of becoming President of Israel, tells AP that he won’t insult the minority, but that he has not changed his opinions.

* Report: Iran has 600 targets for missile strike in Israel if attacked The Qatari newspaper Al Watan on Sunday quoted diplomatic sources in Damascus as saying that Iran has marked 600 targets in Israel for missile strikes in case it is attacked.

* Sons of Aaron – The Priestly Tribe – Convene in Jerusalem A four-day International Conference of Descendants of the biblical figure Aaron, the Priestly Tribe (Kohanim) and the whole Tribe of Levi to which the Kohanim are a part, begins on Sunday, July 15.

* Israel vulnerable to chemical attack The home front is woefully under-protected from the dangers of a chemical weapons attack, according to a damning report released on Monday by a subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee headed by Likud MK Yuval Steinitz.

* Iraq oil city blasts kill dozens Bomb attacks in the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk have killed at least 85 people and wounded more than 180.

* Nuke reactor ‘leaked’ after quake A Japanese nuclear power plant shut down following a major earthquake on Monday leaked water containing radioactive materials from a reactor, according to the company running the facility.

* Bush like Hitler, says first Muslim in Congress America’s first Muslim congressman has provoked outrage by apparently comparing President George W Bush to Adolf Hitler and hinting that he might have been responsible for the September 11 attacks.

* Sarkozy brings in EU troops to celebrate Bastille day French president Nicolas Sarkozy has reiterated calls for a common European defence policy, with troops from all EU member states present for a march in Paris to celebrate the 14 July Bastille Day.

* Abdullah: Next weeks critical for ME The next few weeks are critical in reviving the Middle East peace process, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said.

* Lieberman: Iran approval for UN inspection of reactors is a ruse Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman warned Saturday that Iran’s announcement it would allow UN officials to inspect its nuclear reactors is a diversionary tactic.

* Pope urges Peres to advance peace Pope Benedict XVI urged Shimon Peres to advance peace between Israel and the Palestinians in his new capacity as the President of the Jewish State.

* Battle rages at Lebanon camp The Lebanese army has continued its bombardment of the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp with artillery and tank fire.

* Russia suspends arms control pact Russian President Vladimir Putin has suspended the application of a key Cold War arms control treaty.

* Bahrainis want Iranian ambassador out Over a hundred demonstrators gathered outside the Iranian Embassy in Bahrain.

* Hamas rejects ‘illegal’ government Hamas has dismissed a new Palestinian caretaker government appointed by Mahmoud Abbas, the president, as illegal.

* NATO: Suspension of treaty is step in wrong direction NATO expressed regret Saturday over Russia’s decision to suspend a key arms control treaty in Europe.

* UN chief urges opening of Gaza crossings to avert economic collapse UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday urged Israel to open all border crossing points into the Gaza Strip.

* Israel blows hot and cold towards Syria While inviting new negotiations with Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gives no sign that he is prepared to withdraw from the Golan Heights.

* Iran lifts ban on UN nuclear inspectors Iran has lifted its ban on visits to a nuclear facility by UN experts and will now allow them to inspect the site.

* PM Olmert: Syria’s Assad wants talks, but only with Washington Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met Wednesday in Tel Aviv with ambassadors of European Union countries to Israel.

* World Bank says Gaza may face ‘irreversible’ collapse The World Bank said on Thursday the prolonged closure of Israel’s border crossings with Hamas-controlled Gaza could lead to the coastal strip’s “irreversible” economic collapse.

* Report: India, Israel to jointly develop $2.47b. missile system India and Israel will jointly develop a new generation of medium-range surface-to-air missiles in a $2.47 billion project.

* Lebanon camp under heavy shelling The Lebanese army has continued shelling Fatah al-Islam positions in a refugee camp near Triopli.

* Ethiopian aliya enters its final year Dressed in shiny new shoes and suits, and in traditional white cotton clothing, 90 Falash Mura immigrants arrived from Ethiopia Thursday morning to start their new lives.

* Huge telescope set to scour skies One of the world’s largest optical telescopes is set to peer into space for the first time.

* France: Hizbullah not a terror group Hizbullah is part of Lebanese politics and must not be regarded as a terror organization, said the French Foreign Ministry.

* House passes bill to bring troops home in ’08 The House of Representatives voted 223-201 Thursday to require most U.S. troops to leave Iraq by April 1, 2008.

* Russia sticks to its opposition on Kosovo Russia has rejected the latest attempt by EU and US diplomats to outline a compromise UN resolution on the future status of Kosovo.

By: Yisrael Medad – The Jerusalem Post

So, Arabs who use guns can be referred to as “extremists” and moreover, it is right, just and proper to use force against such persons.

If so, why is Israel always being counseled by the State Department, British Foreign Office, the EU and myriad other “human rights” actors to limit its response to terrorist actions aimed almost exclusively at killing infants (Yehuda Shoham), teenagers (Avi Siton and Harel Bin-Nun) and women (Rachel Druck)?

Read more….

* ‘North better off today than 4 yrs ago’ The decision to go to war last summer was justified, and northern Israel was better for it, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said.

* PM considers allowing Jordanian forces to enter West Bank Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is considering allowing forces from the Palestinian Bader Division of the Jordanian army to enter the West Bank.

* Syria open to altering ties with Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas Syria has signaled to the UN’s Middle East envoy a willingness to change its relationship with Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas if progress were made towards a peace deal with Israel.

* Government report: Al Qaeda strongest since September 11, 2001 Al Qaeda is the strongest it has been since the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

* Lebanese army pounds refugee camp Two Lebanese soldiers have been killed after the army resumed heavy shelling of a Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli.

* Babylonian King’s Eunuch Really Existed! A routine research visit to the British Museum nets a landmark archaeological discovery and proof of the truth of the Bible.

* Rightists warned over plans to rebuild settlement Security officials threatened Wednesday to take action against right-wing activists if they pushed on with plans to march toward the former West Bank settlement of Homesh next week without authorization.

* Photos: Unsupervised Islamic Digging on Temple Mount The Islamic Wakf is digging large ditches on the Temple Mount without archaeological supervision to protect antiquities at Judaism’s holiest site.

* Analysis: Hamas won the battle – and it may win the war, too A month after its takeover of Gaza, it seems Hamas has begun to translate its military achievements into political dividends.

* US and EU revise Kosovo resolution Europe and the US have revised a draft UN resolution on the status of Kosovo.

IDF: Iran May Go Nuclear in 6 Months; NATO: Go It Alone According to the IDF, Iran will be able to produce nuclear weapons within six months.

* Hizbullah official: IDF can’t face us Sheikh Nabil Kaouk, Hizbullah’s leader in south Lebanon said on Tuesday that the IDF does not have the ability to face his party another time.

* Waqf Temple Mount excavation raises archaeologists’ protests The Waqf Muslim religious trust is digging a ditch from the northern side of the Temple Mount compound to the Dome of the Rock.

* Report: Beijing backs Syrian Golan claim Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said on Tuesday that his country supported Syria’s rights to the Golan Heights.

* Euro Hits New High Against U.S. Dollar The euro shot to an all-time high against the U.S. dollar Tuesday on concerns about the American economy that were fueled by discouraging growth forecasts from key U.S. retailers and homebuilders.

* IDF wary of possible war with Syria Predicting that war with Syria could erupt if Prime Minister Ehud Olmert does not begin peace negotiations with Damascus, the latest IDF assessment also states that such a conflict would be “at least 10 times worse” than last summer.

* U.S. Navy sends carrier to Gulf but no build-up A U.S. aircraft carrier is heading to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet area of operations, which includes the Gulf.

* ‘Abbas creating military dictatorship’ Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has come under heavy criticism from Palestinians.

* New EU treaty to be communications ‘prority’ for Brussels The European Commission is planning on making the promotion of a new treaty one of its main tasks in the coming months.

* Pontiff asserts Catholic primacy Pope Benedict XVI asserted yesterday that the Roman Catholic Church is the “one church” that Christ “established here on Earth”.