* Gaza hit by fresh Israeli strikes Israel has launched new air strikes on targets near Gaza City including Hamas buildings killing at least five people, four of them fighters loyal to Hamas.

* Top IDF officer: Goal of Gaza ops is to ‘make Hamas pay’ Defense Minister Amir Peretz held a security meeting on Friday afternoon with IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi.

* Brussels warns Russia on EU unity European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has told Russia that any problems it has with an individual EU state are problems with the whole bloc.

* ‘Hamas planned to assassinate Abbas’ Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas canceled a planned visit to the Gaza Strip on Thursday for fear that Hamas militiamen might attack his convoy.

* Turkey angered by Sarkozy ‘Mediterranean Union’ idea Turkey has strongly criticised a proposal, floated by France’s new president Nicolas Sarkozy, to set up a “Mediterranean Union” as an alternative to the country’s bid for full EU membership.

* Ban on J’lem Christian event upheld The Chief Rabbinate upheld a ban Thursday on Jewish participation in a Christian women’s conference in Jerusalem next week that was organized by the Knesset’s Christian Allies Caucus, due to concern that some of the organizations involved are active in missionary work.

* Hamas Increasing Terror Capabilities; Al Qaeda Joining Fray The Hamas terror organization has been increasing the number and efficiency of attacks on Israel.

* Wolfowitz to resign as World Bank chief Embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz agreed to resign after weeks of controversy over his handling of a pay package for his girlfriend, a bank employee.

* Arab world in despair over Gaza Arab governments appeared at a loss Thursday over how to stop the stunning wave of bloodshed in Gaza.

* Global net censorship ‘growing’ The level of state-led censorship of the net is growing around the world, a study of so-called internet filtering by the Open Net Initiative suggests.

By: Etgar Lefkovtis – The Jerusalem Post

The Chief Rabbinate upheld a ban Thursday on Jewish participation in a Christian women’s conference in Jerusalem next week that was organized by the Knesset’s Christian Allies Caucus.

Read more….

By: Etgar Lefkovits – The Jerusalem Post

In a highly unusual move, the Chief Rabbinate will consider on Thursday whether a long-planned Christian women’s conference in Jerusalem organized by the Knesset’s Christian Allies Caucus violates Jewish law.

Read more….

* Jordan’s king: More violence unless progress made in peace process Jordan’s King Abdullah II said Thursday he was very concerned by the wave of inter-Palestinian fighting in Gaza and warned that more violence will come unless progress is in the peace process.

* Hamas threatens suicide attacks following IAF strikes The IAF fired a missile at a vehicle traveling in the Shiekh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza.

* Russia accused of unleashing cyberwar to disable Estonia A three-week wave of massive cyber-attacks on the small Baltic country of Estonia, the first known incidence of such an assault on a state, is causing alarm across the western alliance.

* War-torn Iraq ‘facing collapse’ Iraq faces the distinct possibility of collapse and fragmentation, UK foreign policy think tank Chatham House says.

* Ruling due on Christian conference In a highly unusual move, the Chief Rabbinate will consider on Thursday whether a long-planned Christian women’s conference in Jerusalem organized by the Knesset’s Christian Allies Caucus violates Jewish law.

* Action urgent on EU, says Sarkozy Nicolas Sarkozy has called for urgent action to get the European Union out of its constitutional “paralysis”.

* ‘Iran could be year from nuke’ One year from now, Iran could possess the means of producing a nuclear bomb – that was the chilling message delivered by Ambassador Dore Gold during an interview with Ynetnews Tuesday.

* Greenpeace Builds Replica of Noah’s Ark Environmental activists are building a replica of Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat—where the biblical vessel is said to have landed after the great flood—in an appeal for action on global warming.

* Russian Church ends 80-year split The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad has reunited with the Russian Orthodox Church after 80 years of schism sparked by the Bolshevik revolution.

* EU barters with Serbia as Kosovo tensions mount The EU has rewarded the new moderate government in Serbia with prospects of restarting EU integration talks.

* The 40th Anniversary of Jewish Rebirth In Israel, events are marked by their Hebrew calendar date, and this year, the anniversary of the Six Day War comes out on May 15th.

* The Liberation of the Temple Mount In the June, 1967 Six Day War, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel was a young soldier in the paratrooper brigade, led by Gen. Motta Gur, which liberated Jerusalem’s Old City.

* Israel Jerusalem policy condemned The international Red Cross has privately accused Israel of reshaping Jerusalem to further its own interests, in violation of international law.

* Artifacts From Time of Kings David and Solomon Revealed In honor of Jerusalem Day, which begins Tuesday night, archaeologists revealed a number of seals from the time of the Biblical Kings David and Solomonn.

* Fresh killings shatter Gaza truce Gunmen have killed at least 13 people in the latest factional violence in the Gaza Strip, ending a third attempt at a ceasefire in as many days.

* Muslim Religious Ban on Leaving Israel Yet another Islamic religious ruling forbidding Moslems from leaving the Holy Land has been issued, this time from the Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine.

* Evangelicals blast J’lem Day boycott A prominent Jerusalem-based evangelical organization slammed on Tuesday the decision of much of the international community to boycott celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem.

* TV Evangelist Jerry Falwell Dies at 73 Spiritually, the Rev. Jerry Falwell seemed prepared for his passing. A little more than two weeks ago, the founder of the Moral Majority preached of man being indestructible until he has finished God’s work.

* ‘Soviets engineered Six Day War’ In a new book that “totally contradicts everything that has been accepted to this day” about the Six Day War, two Israeli authors claim that the conflict was deliberately engineered by the Soviet Union to create the conditions in which Israel’s nuclear program could be destroyed.

* Bolton: Attack Iran before it gets bomb Iran should be attacked – as a last resort – before it develops nuclear weapons, former US ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

By: David Horovitz – The Jerusalem Post

In a new book that “totally contradicts everything that has been accepted to this day” about the Six Day War, two Israeli authors claim that the conflict was deliberately engineered by the Soviet Union to create the conditions in which Israel’s nuclear program could be destroyed.

Read more….

By: Jonathan Fildes – Science and technology reporter, BBC News

Evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin thought the voyage of the Beagle was a “magnificent scheme” allowing him to spend time “larking round the world”.

Read more….

By: Nissan Ratzlav-Katz – Israel National News

In honor of Jerusalem Day, which begins Tuesday night, archaeologists revealed a number of seals from the time of the Biblical Kings David and Solomon. The seals, along with other recently uncovered artifacts, were displayed for the first time on Monday, at a conference marking 40 years since the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem by the modern State of Israel.

Read more….

* PM: ‘We’re ready to invite Arab leaders without preconditions’ “We are ready to come and to invite” Arab leaders “without preconditions from our side or theirs,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told reporters.

* Atomic Agency Concludes Iran Is Stepping Up Nuclear Work Inspectors for the International Atomic Energy Agency have concluded that Iran appears to have solved most of its technological problems and is now beginning to enrich uranium on a far larger scale than before.

* Mossad Chief Warns of Syrian ‘Tactical’ Negotiations The director of the Israeli espionage agency, the Mossad, told a closed government meeting last week that Syria was broadcasting messages indicating a willingness to enter into negotiations with Israel.

* US, Russia ‘to moderate rhetoric’ Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have agreed to tone down the rhetoric in public exchanges.

* Pakistan proposes Muslim peace-keeping force in Iraq Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf proposed sending a Muslim peace-keeping force to Iraq as foreign ministers of Islamic countries met on Tuesday to discuss problems facing the Muslim world.

* European parliament marks Jerusalem Day While Israeli officials slammed European diplomats’ boycott of the Knesset’s Jerusalem Day celebration.

* Religious Zionists to continue visits to Temple Mount Religious Zionist rabbis and yeshiva students are planning to continue their visits to the Temple Mount.

* Portugal pushes for June treaty deal As incoming EU presidency in the second half of this year, Portugal has made it clear that if there is no significant agreement on a new treaty in six weeks time.

* Central Bureau of Statistics figures show J’lem is Israel’s largest city Jerusalem is Israel’s largest city, with a jurisdiction of 126,000 dunam and 732,000 residents.

* Gaza faction boosts police ranks About 500 Fatah loyalists have returned to Gaza from police training in Egypt as factional fighting escalates with Fatah’s main Palestinian rival, Hamas.

* US evangelist Jerry Falwell dies Leading US conservative evangelist Rev Jerry Falwell has died in hospital in Virginia after being found unconscious in his office, his assistants said.

* Week of Celebrations in Jerusalem Israel and world Jewry celebrate the 40th anniversary of Jerusalem’s unification in the Six Day War this week.

* ADL: Large portion of Europeans feel Jews too powerful in business A study conducted by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) among five European countries found rising anti-Semitism.

* Pope condemns Marxism Pope Benedict XVI condemned globalization and Marxism as the causes of many of Latin America’s ills on the final day of his trip to Brazil.

* J’lem Mayor: Hamas may take over city At a special cabinet meeting on Jerusalem Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced plans to channel NIS 5.75 billion worth of benefits into the capital over the next five years.

* More than half of Jews willing to divide Jerusalem Fifty-eight percent of the Jewish public in Israel is willing to make concessions in Jerusalem in the frame of a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

* Dozens of rabbis ascend Temple Mount in unprecedented visit Dozens of rabbis from the national Zionist camp visited the Temple Mount on Sunday in order to increase awareness and emphasize Jewish linkage to the site.

* Turks out in force for fresh secular rally Hundreds of thousands of Turks shook off security fears Sunday, marching for secularism and telling the Islamist-rooted government that religion is unwelcome in politics and public life.

* Iran: US will regret any strike The Iranian president has threatened “severe” retaliation if the United States attacks his country.

* Rice in Russia for Missile Defense Talks The major challenge Secretary Rice faces, heading into talks at the Kremlin, is Russia’s still simmering anger at American plans to deploy an anti-missile defense shield in Poland, the Czech Republic and a third – as yet unnamed – nation in the Caucasus.

* Factional clashes renewed in Gaza Fighting has broken out in the Gaza Strip for a second day, with two people killed and at least 10 wounded as rival Palestinian factions exchanged fire.