* Legal action on Darfur crimes urged The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has said that an investigation is to be launched into senior Sudanese government officials.

* Rightist initiative: Picking flag and anthem for settler state SOS Israel is planning a campaign to choose a flag and anthem for the new Jewish state it plans to erect in the West Bank.

* Judea and Samaria: IDF Rounding Up Jews’ Weapons The IDF is conducting a large scale operation to confiscate weapons from the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria.

* PA: Gaza op would ruin peace plans A massive IDF operation in the Gaza Strip will force the Palestinian Authority to boycott peace talks with Israel.

* Petraeus cites violence decline in Iraq Citing a 60 percent decline in violence in Iraq over the last six months, Gen. David Petraeus said Thursday that maintaining security is easier than establishing it.

* Second Temple palace uncovered Israeli archeologists have uncovered a monumental Second Temple structure opposite the Temple Mount that was likely Queen Helena’s palace.

* Brussels moves to open EU defence industry market The European Commission has proposed a package of measures to open up the European defence industry market.

* Hitler a Hero on Palestinian Authority Radio A Palestinian Authority radio contest featured a laudatory biography of Adolf Hitler replete with his military victories.

* Lebanese leaders discuss vote Lebanese political leaders have met for talks towards a deal to have the country’s army chief elected as president.

* Merkel criticises Sarkozy’s Mediterranean Union plans German chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that French plans for a Mediterranean Union risk splitting the EU.

* Nuclear report a victory – Iran Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that a US report on Tehran’s nuclear program is a “great victory”.

* CHANUKAH 2007 Chanukah (“dedication” in Hebrew) is celebrated this year from sunset this evening, Tuesday, 4 December until sunset on Wednesday, 12 December.

* Russia’s Kremlin Sustains Control The Kremlin’s party, United Russia, won a landslide victory in the Dec. 2 parliamentary elections.

* Ashkenazi: The IDF is prepared for a Gaza ground operation The IDF is prepared for a ground op in Gaza, but a decision on the matter depends on the political echelon.

* Gulf states urge peace with Iran Gulf leaders have ended their summit in Qatar reiterating their desire for a peaceful solution to the conflict over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

* China population to reach 1.5 billion by 2033 The population of China, already the world’s most populous country despite its “one-child” policy, will grow to 1.5 billion people by 2033.

* Al Qaeda-linked Web sites number 5,600: researcher There are now about 5,600 Web sites spreading al Qaeda’s ideology worldwide, and 900 more are appearing each year.

* Bush to visit Israel in January 2008 US President George W. Bush is expected to make his first visit to Israel as president in January.

* Rice at talks on Africa conflicts The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, is in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, for a series of meetings on some of Africa’s worst conflicts.

* EU prepares for early 2008 Kosovo independence The outgoing prime minister of Kosovo, Agim Ceku, has suggested that a declaration on the province’s independence is planned for early next year.

* ANALYSIS: Iran laughing at U.S. lack of nuclear intelligence Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad laughs at the U.S.

* Iran welcomes US nuclear report Iran has welcomed a major US intelligence report that suggests its government is not currently trying to develop nuclear weapons.

* Expert: ‘Christian groups in PA to disappear’ The ever-dwindling Christian communities living in Palestinian-run territories in the West Bank and Gaza are likely to dissipate completely within the next 15 years.

* PM: New U.S. report on Iran nukes proves need for sanctions Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday that a new U.S. intelligence report on Iran’s nuclear program released the day before demonstrate the need for tighter international sanctions in order to ensure the Islamic republic can never acquire nuclear weapons.

* 3 tracks to keep peace process alive Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the US – in the immediate aftermath of the Annapolis conference – are working to launch three parallel tracks.

* Kremlin insists election was fair The Kremlin has rejected concerns about Sunday’s parliamentary election which gave President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party an overwhelming victory.

* ‘Keeping all settlements is justified’ Maintaining all settlements in Judea and Samaria is completely justified, under Jewish moral criteria.

* Olmert: My father was wrong, Ben-Gurion was right Prime Minister Ehud Olmert opened Monday’s Knesset session commemorating the 60th anniversary of the historic UN vote to partition British-mandate Palestine.

* World food prices to jump Food prices are set to rise around the globe after years of decline, with climate change making it harder for the world’s poorest to get adequate food.

* Modiin, Home of the Maccabees, Marks Chanukah The modern Israeli city of Modiin, partially built atop the town the Maccabees called home, is marking the Chanukah festival with a children’s march through the streets.

* Monitors denounce Russia election Foreign observers have said that Russia’s parliamentary election, won by President Vladimir Putin’s party, was “not fair”.

* Olmert Sets Free 429 Convicted Arab Terrorists For the third time in less than five months, the Olmert government has released convicted Arab terrorists from Israeli prison in “goodwill” gestures to PA chief Abbas.

* Expert: Major quake will cause enormous damage ‘Israel isn’t prepared for a earthquake because government not implementing its own decisions.’

* Iran says ties with Syria rock solid Iran’s adversaries cannot harm the strong ties between Tehran and Damascus, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday, a week after Iran appeared to chide Syria for its decision to take part in a Mideast summit in the United States.

* PM says high Arab turnout made Annapolis a success Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a Kadima faction meeting Monday that he considered last week’s Annapolis peace summit to be a success, citing the high turnout from Arab states.

* Lebanon leaders back army chief Lebanon’s parliamentary majority has backed a compromise candidate for president, raising hopes of an end to months of tense political deadlock.

* Ahmadinejad arrives for Gulf summit Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has joined Gulf leaders for a two-day summit in Doha, the Qatari capital.

* Chavez loses constitutional vote Humbled by his first electoral defeat ever, President Hugo Chavez said Monday he may have been too ambitious in asking voters to let him stand indefinitely for re-election and endorse a huge leap to a socialist state.

* Egypt relaxes its Gaza border for haj Egypt opened its border with Gaza on Monday to let in hundreds of Palestinian pilgrims headed for Saudi Arabia – the first time Palestinians have been allowed to cross directly into Egypt since Hamas seized control of Gaza in June.

* Sudan frees Briton in teddy row A British teacher in Sudan jailed over the naming of a teddy bear has been released from police custody, the British Embassy in Khartoum said, several hours after Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir pardoned her.

* Syria: Annapolis conference a defeat for the Palestinians A Syrian state-run newspaper on Saturday described this week’s US-sponsored Mideast peace conference as a “defeat” for the Palestinians and for peace in the region.

* Turkish army fires on PKK in Iraq The Turkish army says it has inflicted “heavy losses” on rebels from the Kurdish separatist PKK movement across the border in Iraq.

* Abbas: Summit follow-up talks to take place in Moscow and Paris Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that there will be meetings in Moscow and Paris.

* Russians reflect ahead of polls Russia is observing what officials are calling a day of silence before people vote for a new parliament in Sunday’s general election.

* EU agrees Galileo satellite project The 27-nation European Union has agreed how the Galileo satellite project, worth €3.4 billion, will be shared out among member states.

* Global effort on World Aids Day Events are being held to mark the 20th World Aids Day, many highlighting the need to fight continued prejudices against people with HIV-Aids.

* Iran: Sanctions won’t stop atomic work The European Union said it was disappointed after talks with Iran Friday.

* Unity Within Likud as it Continues to Top Polls Likud Party leader Binyamin Netanyahu, who heads the opposition in the Knesset, met on Thursday with his party’s #2, Silvan Shalom.

* A year on, ‘tent city’ paralyzes Beirut The tents in downtown Beirut stand almost empty, their roofs newly reinforced with plastic covers for winter after the old ones fell apart.

* US withdraws UN resolution on Annapolis In a sudden about face, the United States on Friday withdrew a UN resolution endorsing this week’s agreement by Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

* Majority of Israelis think summit failed Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak returned from Annapolis Thursday boasting of big successes.

* Olmert warns of ‘end of Israel’ Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said failure to negotiate a two-state solution with the Palestinians would spell the end of the State of Israel.

* ‘Fatah, Hamas may join ranks’ Fatah will fight alongside Hamas if and when the IDF launches a military operation in the Gaza Strip.

* EU and Iran in key nuclear talks EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana is meeting Iran’s top nuclear negotiator just hours before reporting to the UN on the Iranian nuclear issue.

* PA official: Olmert lying about Temple Mount Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s statements on Wednesday that Israel’s sovereignty over the Temple Mount is not up for negotiation are “false.”

* Washington: There is no place yet for Syria in peace process U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said Thursday it is difficult to see how Syria can fit into the renewed peace process.

* EU-India talks follow China visit The European Union (EU) is expected to hammer out details of a proposed free trade deal with India at bilateral summit this week in Delhi.

* Serbia says U.S. holds key to Balkan stability The United States alone can choose whether the Balkans experience stability or lawlessness, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said.

* 3 New Outposts for the 5th Chanukah Light Land of Israel activists in Judea and Samaria said Thursday they planned to establish three new Jewish communities in the region during Chanukah.

* EU out of Mideast peace deal? One important but little-noticed feature of the Annapolis talks was that the Quartet of the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations no longer seems to have much of a role.

* PM: Temple Mount not negotiable Israel’s sovereignty over the Temple Mount is not up for discussion, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said.

* New term for civilian Musharraf Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has been sworn in for a second term, this time as a civilian ruler, calling it a “historic day” for the country.

* Settlers respond to Annapolis statements with new settlements The right-wing Ne’emanei Eretz Israel movement announced Thursday that it plans to establish three new outposts in the West Bank during Hanukkah.

* ‘Stop treating me like a pariah’ “Stop treating me as a pariah,” Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told Arab delegates at the Annapolis conference.

* Bush: Israeli, Palestinian leaders off to hopeful start in peace talks President George W. Bush, capping an intense flurry of diplomacy, said Wednesday the agreement by Israeli and Palestinian leaders to resume long-stalled peace talks was “a hopeful beginning.”

* Unclear EU treaty provisions causing ‘nervousness’ Although the ink has barely dried on the EU’s new treaty, analysts are already scratching their heads.

* Hamas demands UN rescind ’47 partition Hamas on Thursday called on the UN to rescind the 1947 decision to partition Palestine into two states, one for Jews and one for Arabs.

* Kissinger in 1969: Israelis most likely to use nukes Former US National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger vexed over the prospects of a Middle East arms race in late 1960’s.

* Lebanese majority backs army commander as president Lebanon moved closer Wednesday to a long-sought deal for army chief Gen. Michel Suleiman to become the next president.

* Olmert: No concessions without Road Map compliance Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Israeli reporters in Washington Wednesday that Israel would not make any concessions unless the Palestinians comply.

* Ahmadinejad: Israel doomed to collapse Israel is doomed to “collapse” and the US-brokered Middle East peace conference was a “failure”, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.

* Syrian Speech at Annapolis: Golan Never Belonged to Israel The Syrian and Lebanese delegates to the Annapolis conference Tuesday were provided a forum in which to express their countries’ views.

* PM, Bush to hold private meeting on Iran Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will hold his second private White House meeting of the week with President George Bush on Wednesday.

* Musharraf gives up army uniform Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf has handed over the command of the military in a ceremony in Rawalpindi.

* Lebanon Lawmakers Back Army Chief The largest bloc in Lebanon’s deadlocked parliament has dropped its opposition to the army chief becoming president.

* Mid-East leaders in fresh talks Israeli and Palestinian leaders are set formally to begin a new round of peace talks at the White House.

* Vatican cardinal: Palestinians have right to return to homeland A senior Vatican cardinal said on Wednesday that all Palestinian refugees had a right to return to their homeland.

* Final Kosovo talks end in failure Serbs and ethnic Albanians have failed to resolve the future status of Kosovo at a final round of internationally-brokered talks.

* Arabs doubt Annapolis conference will bring peace Arab commentators on Wednesday dismissed the relaunch of Israeli-Palestinian talks as a U.S.-staged media event unlikely to lead to Middle East peace.

* EU-China summit to be overshadowed by trade rifts Chinese and European Union leaders will meet in Beijing on Wednesday (28 November) to discuss a wide range of trade issues.

* Bush issues rally call for summit US President George W Bush has said “a battle is underway” for the future of the Middle East as regional leaders gathered for a key peace summit.

* Hard-liners oppose Mideast talks in US Tens of thousands of people in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip rallied Tuesday against the Mideast peace conference under way in the U.S.

* Sneh: Iranian missile threatens Moscow Iran’s new ballistic missile not only increases the threat against Israel, but against European cities as well.

* Olmert to World Jewry: Israel Makes Sole Decision on Jerusalem Prime Minister Ehud Olmert informed American Jewish leaders Monday that Jews outside of Israel have no right to intervene in any decision regarding the status of Jerusalem.

* Syrian summit attendance surprises Iran Iran was caught by surprise when Syria decided to send its deputy foreign minister to participate in the Annapolis conference.

* Fatah fears Hamas takeover in West Bank The Palestinian police in Ramallah forcefully dispersed Tuesday a rally against the Annapolis Conference.

* ‘Israel maintains contact with Syria’ Israel maintains contact with Syria and transfers messages both overtly and covertly.

* Annapolis conference widens Arab rifts Opposition to the Annapolis Middle East conference was growing in the region Monday amid fears that the Maryland meeting would deepen internal divisions and crises.

* Turkish army urges Kurds to surrender The Turkish military, massed in increasing numbers for a possible assault on Kurdish rebels in Iraq, has begun dropping leaflets urging rebels to surrender and “be welcomed with love.”

* Musharraf bids farewell to troops President Pervez Musharraf has visited the army headquarters to bid farewell to troops a day before he is due to stand down as head of Pakistan’s army.

* J’lem sources: PM to call for road map implementation in Annapolis The implementation of the road map peace plan is imperative, and terminating terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip is an inseparable part of the plan’s first stage.

* Putin says US behind poll boycott Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of pushing Western observers into boycotting Russian elections.

* Ya’alon warns against east J’lem pullout An Israeli withdrawal from Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem as part of a peace treaty with the Palestinians would put the whole city within range of Palestinian rocket fire.

* Haniyeh: Annapolis deal won’t be binding Hamas parliamentarians in Gaza signed a petition declaring their opposition to Palestinian “concessions” in Jerusalem and on the refugee issue, Israel Radio reported.

* PM to discuss Iran with Bush during U.S. visit Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and U.S. President George W. Bush will on Wednesday discuss ways of stepping up efforts to thwart Iran’s nuclear program before Bush’s term in office ends in the coming year.

* Syria: US assured us Golan is on table Syria’s decided to attend the Annapolis conference because it had received a promise that the issue of the Golan Heights would be raised in the talks.

* Giant Israeli flag breaks world record for largest in world Beneath the ancient Jewish desert strongpoint of Masada, the world’s largest flag was unfurled Sunday, covering a large stretch of sandy hinterland.

* Warning of Darfur Arab rebellion Arab groups in Sudan’s Darfur region could start their own rebellion, a leading think-tank has warned.

* China hails moon mission a success China’s leaders have unveiled an image of the moon taken by the country’s first lunar satellite.