* US links Iran to attack in Iraq The US military in Iraq has accused Iran of orchestrating an attack that killed five US soldiers and of using Lebanese militants to train insurgents.

* ‘Iran uses Hizbullah as ‘proxy’ to organize Iraq insurgents’ The United States said Monday that Hizbullah was operating as an Iranian proxy in Iraq to arm Shi’ite militants.

* Putin offers alternative missile defense plan Vladimir Putin, fiercely opposed to U.S. plans for missile defense in Europe.

* Sneh: IDF lacks resources to fight Iran Calling for greater and tougher sanctions against Teheran, outgoing Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh Monday criticized the way Israel was preparing for the Iranian nuclear threat.

* Summit debates future of Africa African Union leaders are to discuss the idea of a pan-African government, on the second day of their summit.

* Israel scraps Mughrabi Gate bridge plan In a dramatic about-face, controversial plans to construct a major new bridge to the Mughrabi Gate adjacent to Jerusalem’s Western Wall directly through an archeological garden abutting the Temple Mount have been nixed.

* Iraqi cabinet backs draft oil law The Iraqi government has approved an amended draft law on how to share the country’s oil wealth, officials say.

* We must restore IDF’s deterrence, says Barak “We must once again restore the IDF’s deterrence, because there is no other way,” Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.

* PA launches clampdown on Hamas ‘sleeper cells’ In an effort to quash Hamas in the West Bank, Fatah security forces recently arrested dozens of members of the Islamic group.

* Barroso warns member states against unravelling treaty deal The European Commission and the newly minted Portuguese EU presidency has dismissed Poland’s attempts to reopen a key part of a new agreement on a future union treaty.

Putin’s intentions unclear on US visit Relations are rocky between President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

* Portugal takes over EU presidency European commissioners are meeting members of the Portuguese government for the first working session of the country’s European Union presidency.

* Hamas’s plans for Temple Mount foiled Hamas’s attempts to take over control of the Temple Mount as well as spread its ideology and recruit new members in Jerusalem have been foiled by the Shin Bet.

* Jordan’s king rejects confederation with Palestinians Jordan’s King Abdullah II flatly rejected a confederation with the Palestinians.

* Kurds woo investors as Iraq knocks at the door The streets of the regional capital of Arbil are throbbing, not with the shock waves of car bombs, but the roaring of bulldozers.

* Hamas ‘Mickey Mouse’ killed off A Palestinian TV station has killed off a controversial Mickey Mouse lookalike that critics said was spreading anti-US and anti-Israeli messages to children.

* Babies not as innocent as they pretend Whether lying about raiding the biscuit tin or denying they broke a toy, all children try to mislead their parents at some time.

* Small Portugal saddled with EU treaty and Turkey issues Portugal took over the EU’s hotseat yesterday (1 July) with the rush already on to secure a new treaty for the bloc.

* Exclusive: Navy may deploy in Dead Sea While the Dead Sea is empty of living creatures except for the occasional floating bather.

* Alarmist global warming claims melt under scientific scrutiny In his new book, The Assault on Reason, Al Gore pleads, “We must stop tolerating the rejection and distortion of science.

* Hamas: Int’l force in Gaza Strip will be met with ‘shells and rockets’ The armed wing of Hamas rejected Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s call for the deployment of international troops in the Gaza Strip.

* Pope to revive ‘anti-Semitic’ Mass The Vatican is expected to publish this week a document authorizing the use of a controversial Latin Mass.

* Any Kennebunkport in a storm The menu has been decided, security and secret service agents are in town and small Russian flags are already on sale. Vladimir Putin is about to get what has become known as the Kennebunkport treatment.

* Sarkozy promises Abbas $20 million Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas appealed for an international force for Gaza so the divided Palestinians can hold new elections.

* U.S., allies to Iran: No new sanctions if enrichment stops The United States and fellow permanent U.N. Security Council members have told Iran they will hold off on new sanctions if it stops expanding its uranium enrichment.

* Syrian paper: Blair can’t be peace envoy A state-run Syrian newspaper on Saturday lambasted Tony’s Blair’s appointment as a special Middle East envoy.

* EU ‘faces backlash from Turkey’ The European Union is risking an Islamic backlash in Turkey, according to the EU’s enlargement commissioner, Olli Rehn.

* Haniyeh tours Arafat’s house in Gaza The deposed Hamas PA prime minister toured the house of former Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat on Saturday.

* Car bombs come to London Police were last night hunting a suspected al-Qaida-inspired terrorist cell after the discovery of two “Iraqi style” car bombs.

* Gilad: Syria producing more missiles Syria is producing more missiles and preparing its army for possible armed conflict in other ways.

* Abbas urges immediate resumption of peace talks Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on Israel Friday afternoon to resume peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

* Lebanese troops fire on refugees Lebanese troops have fired at Palestinian civilians demanding to return to their homes at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp.

* Israel sees hope in Iranian unrest Defense officials expressed satisfaction Thursday with reports emerging from Teheran claiming that Iranians had set fire to a dozen gas stations.

* Saudi king avoids meeting Abbas Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has snubbed the Palestinian president.

* Abbas determined to isolate Hamas The Palestinian Authority is determined to isolate Hamas in the aftermath of its violent takeover of the Gaza Strip.

* Mubarak: Olmert should ‘forget about’ talks with Saudi officials Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak has said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert should “forget about” holding talks with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah.

* Africa: Daily HIV/Aids Report First lady Laura Bush on Thursday in Lusaka, Zambia, began the third day of her four-nation tour of Africa by visiting an HIV/AIDS treatment center.

* PM: Full Kassam protection impossible Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday that he had no intention of providing maximal protection to all residents of Gaza periphery communities.

* Police avert car bomb ‘carnage’ A car bomb planted in central London would have caused “carnage” if it had exploded.

* ‘Space hotel’ test craft launched An experimental spacecraft designed to test the viability of a hotel in space has been successfully sent into orbit.

* Bush creates Muslim envoy post Amid growing criticism that his administration hasn’t focused enough on engagement in the Middle East, US President George W. Bush on Wednesday announced that he would appoint an envoy.

* Gaza gas talks with Israel, UK firm quietly ongoing At least one commercially-exploitable gas field, Gaza Marine, is located within a Palestinian maritime.

* Blair plans Middle East visit in July Tony Blair said in an interview published Thursday that he will begin his new job as special Middle East envoy immediately.

* Senior Russian diplomat says Russia to keep Hamas contacts Russia intends to keep up its contacts with Hamas, a senior Foreign Ministry official said.

* Aliya from North America increasing The Aliyah Department of the Jewish Agency for Israel anticipates a five to 10 percent increase in aliya from North America by the end of 2007.

* Iraqi security forces ‘not ready’ At least 20 people have been killed in a car bombing at a Baghdad bus stop.

* Analysis: Keeping Hamas Away from the West Bank Wednesday’s killing in Gaza indicates that even following the optimistic statements expressed in Sharm only two days ago, the transition to a new reality is still very far.

* Hamas critical of Blair envoy role Hamas has condemned the appointment of Tony Blair as Middle East envoy after stepping down as Britain’s prime minister.

* Blair will have limited role as Middle East envoy – Merkel German Chancellor Angela Merkel said today that Tony Blair’s mandate as the new Middle East envoy would be limited.

* Russia lays claim to the North Pole – and all its gas, oil, and diamonds Russian leader Vladimir Putin has made an astonishing bid to grab a vast chunk of the Arctic.

* Jordan, Saudi Arabia warn against Palestinian infighting Saudi Arabia and Jordan cautioned Wednesday that a bloody conflict between Hamas and Fatah could hamper the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

* Ahern confirms Middle East role for Blair Tony Blair has already accepted a job as a Middle East envoy.

* Poll: Most Palestinians favor Iran nukes Iran’s potential acquisition of nuclear arms is favored by majorities in only Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Palestinian territories.

* Brown is UK’s new prime minister Labour leader Gordon Brown is the UK’s new prime minister after being asked to form a government by the Queen.

* Bolton: I’m ‘very worried’ for Israel Sanctions and diplomacy have failed and it may be too late for internal opposition to oust the Islamist regime.

* Turkish army backs Iraq incursion An armed incursion into northern Iraq is needed to crush Kurdish rebels based there.

* Saudi king arrives in Jordan on first visit in more than 25 years Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah arrived Wednesday in Jordan for talks on ways to restart Palestinian-Israeli peacemaking.

* Abbas orders fighters to disarm The Palestinian president has ordered all armed groups that are not part of government security forces, including those linked to his own Fatah movement, to disarm immediately.

* Analysis: Russia’s aggressive energy policy is bad news for Israel Amid the looming Turkish failure to preserve the secular nature of its democracy, it seems like global diplomacy is becoming more dictated by increased demand for cheap and efficient energy.

* Doctors back plan to store medical info under your skin Doctors could soon be storing essential medical information under the skin of their patients, the American Medical Association says.

* Mid-East group debates Blair role The Quartet of Middle East mediators is considering naming Tony Blair for a top peacemaking post, diplomats say.

* Olmert agrees to free Palestinians The Israeli prime minister has announced he is prepared to release 250 Palestinian prisoners as a show of support for Mahmoud Abbas.

* Russia presses Nato over shield Russia has urged Nato to avoid any steps that could undermine Russia’s security, at the start of discussions on several thorny issues in Moscow.

* Netanyahu: Prisoner release a ‘mistake’ “This is a wrong, harmful message that will not strengthen the Palestinian Authority. It will only weaken it,” Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu said.

* Turkey unhappy at EU talks delay Turkey has said it is not satisfied with the EU’s reasons for not opening membership talks in the area of economic and monetary policy.

* Pope restores office dealing with Muslims Pope Benedict XVI on Monday restored an office that specializes in relations with Muslims.

* Germany bans Cruise film shoot from military sites Germany has barred the makers of a movie about a plot to kill Adolf Hitler from filming at German military sites because its star Tom Cruise is a Scientologist.

* Yadlin Warns What Happened In Gaza Will Happen in Judea, Samaria General Amos Yadlin, Chief of Military Intelligence told participants at a Jewish Agency conference in Jerusalem Tuesday that Israel should not withdraw from Judea and Samaria.

* Analysis: The anti-Hamas alliance gathers in Sharm The four leaders who met at this Red Sea resort on Monday all have one common enemy: Hamas.

* Mideast Quartet envoys meet in Jerusalem The four powers sponsoring the stagnant Middle East peace process met Tuesday for the first time since Hamas seized Gaza.

* Mid-East summit begins in Egypt Arab and Israeli leaders have begun a summit in Egypt in a show of support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after the Hamas takeover in Gaza.

* Settler heads slam plans to boost Fatah Yesha heads call on government to reverse decision to arm Fatah gunmen loyal to Abbas after Hamas takeover of Gaza.

* ‘Hamas coup was coordinated with Iran’ The Palestinian Authority intelligence chief on Sunday accused Iran of close involvement in Hamas’ violent takeover of Gaza, saying Teheran funded the group and trained hundreds of their gunmen.

* Lebanon seeks help to stem violence The Lebanese government has called the car bombing of UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon “a challenge to the international community”.

* Al-Zawahri urges Sharia law in Gaza Al-Qaida’s deputy leader called on Muslims around the world to back Hamas with weapons, money and attacks on US and Israeli interests in a Web audiotape Monday, urging the Palestinian militant group to unite with al-Qaida’s “holy warriors” after its takeover of Gaza.

* ‘Chemical Ali’ sentenced to hang A cousin of the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death by an Iraqi court for the murder of some 180,000 Kurds in 1988.

* Abbas to demand release of Barghouti Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is expected to demand the release of hundreds of Fatah prisoners from Israeli jails during Monday’s summit in Sharm e-Sheikh, PA officials said.

* Iran: We’ll launch nuclear plant in Oct. Iran’s energy minister said Monday the country would launch its first nuclear power plant in October, state-run television reported.

* EU chiefs ‘satisfied’ with treaty EU leaders have expressed measured approval of a draft treaty to reform EU systems agreed at a summit in Brussels.

* World Leaders Meet to Discuss Darfur “Silence is killing,” stated French President Nicholas Sarkozy at a meeting on the Monday about the humanitarian crisis that is occurring in Darfur.

* EU leaders agree on reform treaty European Union leaders have reached agreement in Brussels on an outline of new rules to govern the 27-member bloc.

* Zahar: Hamas will go after ‘Israeli spies’ in Gaza Hamas will go after “Israeli spies” in Gaza and might use bombs in its struggle with Fatah in the West Bank.

* Pakistan ‘building new reactor’ Satellite images show that Pakistan is building a nuclear reactor that could be used to produce weapons-grade plutonium, a US watchdog says.

* Lieberman slams planned Abbas aid Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman opposes Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s plan to transfer an assistance package to the Palestinians.

* Soldiers die in Lebanon camp battle Three Lebanese soldiers have been killed after a booby-trap set by Fatah al-Islam fighters exploded in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp.

* Israel to appeal to Egypt on smuggling Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will ask Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to intensify his country’s efforts to stop the smuggling of weapons.

* Blair meets Pope to stoke conversion speculation Prime Minister Tony Blair held private talks with Pope Benedict on Saturday.

* Major Clan War Feared in Kismayo, Somalia After days of skirmishes between Marehan and Majerteen sub-clan militias in the country’s third-largest city, residents of Kismayo say heavy fighting erupted on Friday.

* Hamas chief Haniyeh calls for fresh Hamas-Fatah talks Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of the Palestinian government dismissed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah last weekend, called for renewed talks on Saturday between the factions.

* Mideast summit to show support for Abbas Middle East leaders are to meet in Egypt Monday in a bid to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

By: Michael Freund – The Jerusalem Post

Talk about a twist of fate. Watching the frightening scenes on television the other day as the green flag of Hamas was raised triumphantly over Gaza, I couldn’t help but think back to the Israeli elections that took place 15 years ago this week.

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