* Israel hears Arab peace proposal The foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan are in Israel to present the Arab League’s Middle East peace plan.

* Iran ready for higher-level US Iraq talks Iran Wednesday said that it was prepared to consider higher-level talks with the United States over Iraq.

* Envoy Blair holds West Bank talks Tony Blair has been in the West Bank to meet Palestinian leaders as part of his first visit to the Middle East as the Quartet group’s special envoy.

* Abbas is close to calling new elections Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday said he is close to calling new legislative elections.

* Sarkozy to boost EU-Libya links French President Nicolas Sarkozy is travelling to Tripoli to meet Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, a day after the release of six foreign medics.

* New plan for Temple Mount bridge aims to silence critics Jerusalem’s Planning and Construction Committee will begin discussing an alternative to the controversial Mughrabi Bridge project.

* UN Kosovo plan a failure – Serbian prime minister The Serbian prime minister said Wednesday that the plan by UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari, which would have ceded 15% of the Balkan state’s territory, has failed.

* PM confirms intention to negotiate with Abbas on formation of Palestinian state Prime Minister Ehud Olmert confirmed Wednesday that he intends to engage in negotiations with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

* Egypt mufti denies saying Muslims can choose faith The body headed by Egypt’s official religious advisor Tuesday denied that he had said that Muslims were free to change their faith.

* 600 olim from France arrive in Israel Two flights carrying 600 new immigrants from France landed at Ben-Gurion Airport on Wednesday and were greeted by dignitaries including President Shimon Peres.

* ‘Hizbullah’s military might is restored’ Hizbullah has restored its military capability and replenished its stockpiles of weapons and missiles since the end of the Second Lebanon War.

* Syrian Official: War with Israel will be Ballistic Syria sees the next war with Israel as involving missile attacks on civilian infrastructure and front-line guerilla warfare.

* Blair sees ‘sense of possibility’ in ME Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take advantage of a new “sense of possibility” in the region.

* US-Iran talks begin in Iraq Iranian and US officials have begun rare talks in Baghdad amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

* Tisha B’Av in a Gush Katif Tent in Jerusalem Prayers marking the fast day of the Ninth of Av, known as Tisha B’av, are being held in a tent erected opposite the Knesset in Jerusalem.

* Peres urges world to unite against Iran President Shimon Peres has called on the world to unite against Iran and to force it to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

* $100 Oil Price May Be Months Away, Say CIBC, Goldman The $100-a-barrel oil that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said would prevail by 2009 may be only a few months away.

* Just like the constitution, say friends and foes of new EU treaty Both advocates and critics of the complete draft of the new EU treaty highlight its similarity with the bloc’s failed constitution.

* Photo Essay: 100,000 Jews At Western Wall for Tisha B’Av 5767 Over one hundred thousand Jews flooded the Kotel (Western Wall) Plaza on Monday night and Tuesday.

* EU fears split over Kosovo As Belgrade and Pristina are heading for last resort negotiations on the future of Serbia’s breakaway province of Kosovo, the European Union is set to maintain its fragile unity over the issue.

* US and Iran to hold second talks Iran and the US are to hold fresh talks on the subject of Iraq, only their second one-on-one meeting in decades.

* Turkish PM vows to pursue reform Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to continue reforms and efforts to join the European Union, following his party’s election victory.

* Olmert Reiterates Stance to Give Away Judea and Samaria Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reiterated his belief that Israel “needs to withdraw” from the biblical Jewish provinces of Judea and Samaria.

* Reform, Progressive Jews try to make Tisha B’av more relevant to secular public Tisha B’Av, a Hebrew calendar date during which primarily religious and ultra-Orthodox Jews fast and mourn the destruction of the First and Second Temples, is not largely observed by Israel’s secular public.

* Iran and Syria Forge Military Alliance Against “Common Enemies” Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Bashar Assad held a joint press conference in Damascus Thursday confirming the formation of a new regional military alliance.

* EU talks to thrash out new treaty The EU has launched three months of talks on the text of a new treaty to reform the 27-member bloc.

* Envoy Blair arrives in Mid-East Tony Blair has arrived in Jordan at the start of his first visit to the Middle East as special envoy to the region.

* Israel urges Blair to spurn Hamas Amid expectation that new Quartet envoy Tony Blair may want to widen his mandate and talk to Hamas, Israeli officials made clear Sunday that this is unacceptable.

* IDF begins clearing out Homesh settlers Police and IDF troops forcibly evicted hundreds of settlers and right-wing activists from the former settlement of Homesh on Monday, after the activists managed to make their way into the site Sunday night against army orders.

* Builder says Dubai high-rise is the world’s tallest Developers of a 1,680-foot skyscraper still under construction in oil-rich Dubai claimed Saturday that it has become the world’s tallest building, surpassing Taiwan’s Taipei 101 which has dominated the global skyline at 1,667 feet since 2004.

* Lieberman: It is time to form an emergency government Israel Beiteinu’s Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman urged the government and the opposition to consider forming a national emergency government.

* Turkey prepares for key election Political campaigning has ended in Turkey ahead of Sunday’s general election, seen as one of the most important in the nation’s history.

* PM: Israel can’t hold West Bank forever Anyone who believes that Israel can maintain its current hold on all the West Bank is “living in a dream.”

* Blair seeks two-state solution Tony Blair, Britain’s former prime minister, has told Middle East mediators that there needs to be a “clear political perspective” for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

* Eitan: We must not negotiate with Syria Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Damascus proves that Israel must not open negotiations with Syria.

* Russia says only UN can decide the future of Kosovo Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday that only a UN Security Council’s resolution could determine a legitimate status of Kosovo.

* ‘Israel, Abbas plan to kill our leaders’ Hamas leaders on Thursday condemned Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s decision to hold early parliamentary and presidential elections and vowed to foil the vote.

* ‘Syrian officials interested in renewing talks with Israel’ Senior Syrian officials told the Danish foreign minister, Per Stig Møller, that their country was “ready to renew negotiations with Israel under the auspices of the international Quartet.”

* Poland indicates it is ready to compromise on EU voting rights Days before EU’s foreign ministers kick off detailed talks on the bloc’s new treaty, Poland has signalled it will not insist on further debates.

* Hamas warns Blair not to ignore group Hamas warned Tony Blair on Saturday his credibility as the new international Middle East peace envoy will be damaged if he ignores the organization.

* Emotional home coming for freed Palestinian prisoners More than 250 Palestinian prisoners, mainly members of the secular Fatah faction, have been released early by Israel in a “goodwill” gesture towards Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.

* Blair Debuts as Middle East Envoy Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair formally takes up his new position as special envoy for the Middle East Quartet.

* Taliban seize members of South Korean church Officials confirmed Friday that a group of South Koreans, apparently volunteers from a Christian church, appeared to have been abducted in Afghanistan.

* Sunnis Return to Iraqi Parliament Sunni legislators returned to Iraq’s parliament Thursday after a five-week boycott.

* Abbas’ dangerous game Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas called for new presidential and legislative elections.

* US, Europe Firm on Shunning Hamas The United States and Europe held firm Thursday to their boycott of the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

* Mideast quartet seen backing U.S. plan The quartet of Middle East mediators is expected to back U.S. plans to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace moves.

* Middle East Quartet restates support for independent Palestinian state The Middle East Quartet’s mediators restated their support here Thursday for an independent Palestinian state.

* Doctor remanded over failed car bombings A doctor was remanded in custody today charged with conspiracy to cause explosions in relation to the failed car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow.

* Israel slams Iran-Syria alliance Israel has denounced an alliance between Iran and Syria that it said cast doubts on Syrian peace intentions.

* Iranian President Ahmadinejad arrives in Damascus for talks with Assad Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Syria on Thursday for talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

* ‘Syria transferring arms to Lebanon’ The United States accused Syria and Iran on Wednesday of playing a negative role in Lebanon.

* US ‘committed to lead’ Mideast peace – Rice US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today Washington remained committed to lead the Middle East peace process.

* Senior IDF officer: Israel on collision course with Hamas Claiming that Hamas has jumped light years since Israel’s disengagement from Gaza, a high-ranking IDF officer said that there was currently a limited window of opportunity for Israel.

* Analysis: the herculean task ahead for Blair Tony Blair is unlikely to get much of a taste of the herculean task ahead of him when he meets the Middle East Quartet today.

* The war’s timing was ‘lucky’ for Israel If the Second Lebanon War would have broken out in three or four years time, Hizbullah might have acquired weapons of mass destruction.

* A church’s assertive shift toward tradition The leader of 1.1 billion Catholics, Pope Benedict XVI, is completing a significant theological shift of the Roman Catholic church.

* Analysis: Turkish army on Iraqi border is just ‘saber-rattling’ Recent statements by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari concerning a buildup of Turkish troops along the country’s border have heightened international fears.

* IDF: Hamas is smuggling high-tech arms into Gaza A senior Israel Defense Forces officer said Thursday that in the past two years Hamas has made a significant leap in the level of sophistication of the arms it is smuggling into Gaza.

* Battles continue at Lebanon camp The Lebanese army has continued shelling Islamist militants cornered in a Palestinian refugee camp.

* 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.