* ‘Military plan against Iran is ready’ Predicting that Iran will obtain a nuclear weapon within three years and claiming to have a strike plan in place, senior American military officers have told The Jerusalem Post they support President George W. Bush’s stance to do everything necessary to stop the Islamic Republic’s race for nuclear power.

* Putin calls for new financial world order Russian president Vladimir Putin called on Sunday for a radical overhaul of the world’s financial and trade institutions to reflect the growing economic power of emerging market countries – including Russia.

* Iran: Israel, civilians in ME are targets for retaliatory attack Iran will not only strike American bases if attacked, but also Israel and civilian targets in the Middle East such as crude oil fields and power plants, an Iranian admiral told US Defense News on Monday.

* ‘Corruption worse than Iranian threat’ The corruption manifest in Israeli leadership and the society as a whole is more worrisome than the Iranian nuclear threat, former chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. (res.) Moshe Ya’alon said Monday.

* Israel launches Ofek 7 spy satellite In face of Iran’s race to obtain nuclear weapons and predictions that war with Syria is on the horizon, Israel strengthened its foothold in space on Monday and successfully launched a spy satellite, which defense officials said granted the IDF unprecedented operational capabilities.

* Portugal calls for clear EU treaty commitment from member states The incoming Portuguese EU presidency has indicated it is against opening formal treaty negotiations unless EU leaders meeting in Brussels in two week’s time clearly commit themselves to agreeing a new institutional settlement.

* Gun attack on Palestinian Cabinet Gunmen in Gaza have opened fire on a Palestinian government building while the Cabinet was meeting inside.

* Orthodox sector curses gay pride parade Badatz rabbis distribute message that ‘all sinners’ involved in Jerusalem pride march will ‘feel a curse on their souls and evil will pursue them.’

* 66 percent of public dissatisfied with Israeli democracy Poll by Israel Democracy Institute shows only 21 percent of Israeli have faith in prime minister, most don’t trust military echelon.

* Israeli Researcher Pioneers New Cancer Treatment An Israeli researcher is testing a new treatment to destroy glioblastoma mulitforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive type of primary brain tumor, according to the Israel21c website.

* Mofaz confirms messages sent to Syria All options, including the military one, are on the table when it comes to dealing with Iran’s nuclear program.

* Bush calls for action over Kosovo US President George W Bush has said a plan for Kosovo’s UN-backed independence should take effect now, despite Russian and Serbian opposition.

* Russia to US: Halt missile shield moves Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged the United States on Saturday to halt moves to deploy missile defense facilities in Europe.

* Iraq condemns Turkish ‘shelling’ Iraq has made an official protest to Turkey, accusing it of shelling Kurdish areas in northern Iraq this week.

* ‘Palestinians united in seeking state’ The Palestinians are united in seeking a state in the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem, a senior Hamas leader said.

* Bush visits pope amid protests Pope Benedict has told the George Bush, US president, that the Vatican would like a “regional and negotiated” solution to Middle East conflicts.

* Lebanese Army Tightens Grip on Palestinian Militants Three more Lebanese soldiers were killed and at least a dozen injured Saturday in stepped-up clashes with Islamic militants hiding out in a Palestinian refugee camp.

* IDF ground troops enter southern Gaza Israel Defense Forces ground troops entered southern Gaza Saturday morning.

* Indonesia, Qatar delay UN condemnation of Ahmadinejad over Israel Indonesia and Qatar were responsible Friday for the delay of a proposed United Nations Security Council statement condemning comments by Iran’s president that forecast the destruction of Israel.

* Doubts emerge over Russia’s defence shield proposal The head of NATO has welcomed Moscow’s apparent backing down from its Cold War rhetoric over the US plan to place an anti-missile shield in central Europe.

* Right wing blasts PM over Syria report Right-wingers were seething on Friday afternoon after a report that a recent flurry of secret messages from Israel to Syria signaled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s willingness to give up the Golan Heights.

* UN condemns Ahmadinejad comments UN chief Ban Ki-moon has said he was “shocked and dismayed” at recent comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about Israel.

* G8 warns Iran against continuing to enrich uranium The Group of Eight countries said Friday that they “will support adopting further measures” if Iran refuses to put a halt to its uranium enrichment program.

* Lebanese Army Pounds Militants in Refugee Camp The Lebanese army has again battled Fatah al-Islam militants holed up inside a Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli.

* Putin offers options for US missiles Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Friday that missile defense interceptors could be located in Turkey, or even Iraq or on sea platforms.

* Turkish Military Agitating to Fight PKK Tensions remained high on the Turkish-Iraqi border on Friday, with the latest developments indicating that the Turkish military is pressing the government.

* Europe’s seas face ‘bleak future’ Europe’s seas are in a “serious state of decline” as a result of coastal development, overfishing and pollution from agriculture, warn scientists.

* Rift seen in Iraq insurgency — some groups reject al Qaeda U.S. forces have begun arming nationalist guerrillas and former Saddam Hussein loyalists — and coordinating tactics — in a marriage of convenience against al Qaeda radicals.

* Syria Continuing to Mobilize for War The IDF is preparing for a defensive war with Syria.

* Thousands dance in streets at annual Tel Aviv gay pride parade Thousands of people on Friday attended Tel Aviv’s gay pride Parade, Israel Radio reported.

* Forty years later, Jerusalem still a divided city Shimshon Cahaner was among the first Israeli soldiers to storm into the Old City of Jerusalem 40 years ago.

* ‘Israel dissolution rally’ planned for Washington A pro-Israel group is scrambling to organize a last-minute response to a large anti-Israel rally being organized in Washington DC for June 10.

* Syrian official: We want to renew the peace process A Syrian official said Thursday that Damascus is interested in renewing the peace process with Israel.

* Islamists threaten to widen Lebanon attacks Islamist militants locked in a standoff with the Lebanese army threatened Thursday to widen attacks.

* Putin offers joint missile shield President George W Bush has described as “interesting” a proposal by Russia’s president for resolving the row over the planned US missile defence shield.

* Israel may allow Fatah to receive arms Israel is considering authorizing the transfer of millions of bullets and thousands of Kalashnikov rifles from Egypt to forces in the Gaza Strip loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

* Iraq fighters restore al-Qaeda ties The Islamic Army in Iraq is one of the strongest and best-organised Sunni armed groups, responsible for dozens of attacks on American forces in Iraq.

* ANALYSIS-Turkey weighs cost of military action in N.Iraq A cartoon in Turkey’s Sabah newspaper on Thursday showed a Kurdish guerrilla sneaking up behind Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and preparing to push him over a cliff into a raging fire representing Northern Iraq.

* EU restarts talks on closer ties with Serbia (Roundup) The European Union on Thursday said it would resume stalled talks on closer ties with EU-hopeful Serbia.

* EU studies aid, security package for Darfur The European Union is studying how to provide greater humanitarian, security and other help to Sudan’s Darfur region.

* PM: ‘Israel seeks peace with Syria’ “Israel seeks peace with Syria, but we must be wary of miscalculations which could bring about an unwanted escalation,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said.

* Israel, Palestinians Call Off Meeting Israeli and Palestinian leaders Wednesday called off a planned summit this week.

* Iraqi parliament wants say in extension of US-led forces Iraqi legislators led by followers of a radical Shi’ite cleric passed a resolution Tuesday requiring the government to seek parliamentary permission.

* Turkey launches large-scale attack on Kurdish militants – media The Turkish army is conducting the largest military operation against Kurdish separatists in the south-east of the country in the past few years.

* EU parliamentarians push to withdraw sanctions on Hamas A growing number of European Parliament members are demanding the European Union recognize the Palestinian unity government.

* House of Representatives: Move US embassy to Jerusalem The House of Representatives on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution calling on President George W. Bush to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

* US rejects German G8 climate goal Washington says it will not agree to a deal on slashing greenhouse gas emissions at the G8 summit in Germany.

* Settlements continue to be built “We are being sent abroad, quite simply, to lie,” a senior Israeli diplomat serving in a foreign country said.

* ‘Mentally ill’ man tries to jump into popemobile A 27-year-old German man managed to jump onto Pope Benedict’s uncovered popemobile in a dramatic breach of security.

* Knesset Moves to Ban Gay March in Jerusalem With tensions rising again as homosexuals prepare to parade in Jerusalem, the Knesset passes a preliminary reading of an amendment that would ban future such marches.

By: Steve Linde – The Jerusalem Post

Those who call the Six Day War a disaster or a Pyrrhic victory are grossly mistaken, because they overlook the fact that Israel wasn’t destroyed, historian Michael Oren told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

Read more….

* ‘Arab armies planned to destroy Israel’ Those who call the Six Day War a disaster or a Pyrrhic victory are grossly mistaken, because they overlook the fact that Israel wasn’t destroyed.

* Mid-East marks start of 1967 War Israeli and Palestinian peace activists have been holding protests to mark 40 years since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

* Syrian MP confirms preparation for war A member of the Syrian parliament, Muhammad Habash, confirmed on Tuesday that his country was actively preparing for war with Israel.

* Bush: Russia is not the enemy Russia is not an enemy of the United States and has nothing to fear from a proposed missile defence system.

* ‘Palestinians are on verge of civil war’ Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas warned Tuesday that his people were on the verge of civil war.

* Iranian president cautions world ‘not to play with lion’s tail’ The Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has warned the Security Council “not to play with the Iranian lion’s tail” by enforcing further sanctions on the country.

* Ashkenazi: IDF preparing for escalation on two fronts “The IDF is preparing for an escalation on both the Palestinian and northern fronts,” Chief of General Staff Lt. -Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said.

* Lebanese army resumes shelling of Islamic militants Lebanese troops pounded Islamic militants hiding in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

* J’lem Arabs push separate municipality An alliance of Jerusalem Arab organizations on Monday launched an international campaign to create an independent municipality for Arab residents of east Jerusalem.

* Most of Baghdad ‘not controlled’ US and Iraqi forces control fewer than one-third of Baghdad’s neighbourhoods, according to a review of a security crackdown in the city since February.

* Countdown to Israel’s destruction has begun, says Ahmadinejad Iranian president says Israel’s disappearance imminent, ‘Zionist regime’ will have to bow down to Palestinians.

* Putin threatens to target Europe In a threat not uttered since the Cold War, Vladimir Putin said that Russia intends to aim its missile systems – potentially nuclear weapons – at targets in Europe in retaliation for the U.S. decision to establish antimissile bases there.

* Iran and Egypt to hold talks on restoring full diplomatic ties Egypt and Iran will hold a round of talks in the coming days aimed at restoring full diplomatic relations.

* Spanish FM slams Ahmadinejad remarks Spain will summon Iran’s ambassador to condemn the Iranian president’s latest verbal attack on Israel, officials said Monday.

* New vow to spread Lebanon battle A commander of the Palestinian militant group battling Lebanese troops from a northern refugee camp has reportedly pledged to escalate the conflict.

* Putin calls himself the world’s only ‘absolute democrat’ Russian President Vladimir Putin has described himself as an ‘absolute democrat’ whose credentials are so pure that he has no peer in the world, a top Russian newspaper reported on Monday.

* Netanyahu: As long as we stay in West Bank we’re unbeatable ‘Automatic assumption of withdrawal to 1967 borders is unjustified, immoral and very dangerous for the State of Israel,’ opposition leader tells conference marking Six Day War’s 40th anniversary.

* Extremists planned uprising in Lebanon Ð report Al-Hayat daily quotes Lebanese, Palestinian sources as saying Fatah el-Islam leader planned to establish ÔIslamic principalityÕ in Tripoli with the help of al-Qaeda members who fled Iraq.

* ‘Coordinate confrontation against Israel’ Syrian president quoted by Iranian news agency as calling for ‘better coordination’ between Damascus and Tehran against Israel.

* High-level group writes new-look EU constitution A small group of politicians from around the EU have published a repackaged treaty for the bloc, hoping to feed into the emerging consensus among member states that a “simplified treaty” has to be extracted from the ashes of the rejected EU constitution.

* Hamas says it may consider a one-year truce with Israel Hamas may consider a one-year cease-fire with Israel, the organization’s deputy political leader said.

* Battle rages on Lebanon camp edge Lebanese troops have intensified their assault on the perimeter of a Palestinian refugee camp, demanding the surrender of Islamist militants inside.

* US and China cool military dispute China has sought to address US concerns over its upgraded war capabilities, saying its military build-up is purely defensive.

* Putin renews criticism of US missile system Days before he is to join the Group of Eight gathering of the world’s industrialised powers in Germany, Russian President Vladimir Putin again criticised United State’s plans to install a missile defence system in Eastern Europe.

* Violence as 30,000 join G-8 demos Masked demonstrators hurled stones and flagpoles at police during a demonstration Saturday by tens of thousands of people against the upcoming Group of Eight summit in Germany.

* Sources: U.S. fires at al Qaeda target in Somalia A U.S. Navy destroyer off the coast of northern Somalia Friday fired on a suspected al Qaeda operative.

* Gaza extremist group threatens to behead female broadcasters A Muslim extremist group on Friday threatened to behead female TV broadcasters if they don’t don strict Islamic dress.

* Brussels warns Poland and UK on EU constitution European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has warned both Poland and the UK not to block attempts to agree a new treaty for the European Union.

* Bush calls on Iran to free scholars President George W. Bush demanded on Friday that Iran “immediately and unconditionally” release four Iranian-American scholars and activists being held on suspicion of spying.

* Rival Sunni groups clash in Iraq Iraqi Sunni fighters have been battling militants linked to al-Qaeda in a suburb of Baghdad.

* FM Livni: Middle Eastern Nations Share a Common Threat Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni expressed the view on Thursday that all the nations of the Middle East share a common threat – that of extremist religious ideology.

* Israel and the Garden of Eden It is said of Israel that she is a mini-cosmos. A country of immigrants hailing from more than 120 countries.

* Fresh fighting hits Lebanon camp Heavy fighting has resumed between the Lebanese army and Islamic militants entrenched in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

* A new/old idea for Palestinian peace It was almost 40 years ago that this city, like the rest of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, fell out of Jordanian hands and into Israeli control.

* Iran continues nuclear defiance Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator has reiterated his country’s refusal to suspend its nuclear programme after talks with EU officials in Madrid.

* US mulls long-term stay in Iraq The US is considering a long-term military presence in Iraq, similar to the arrangement agreed with South Korea.

* Rice: Russian Attitudes Locked In Past Russian attitudes are locked in the past, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said.

* Putin issues sharp warning to US, vows to counter ‘imperialism’ President Vladimir Putin issued an acerbic warning Thursday to the United States.

* ‘Israel a Jewish state first’ Israel is first and foremost a Jewish state, said Justice Dalia Dorner, who retired from the bench in 2004.

* EU ‘distancing itself’ from latest Georgia peace plan EU neighbour Georgia is angling for European support for a new solution to one of its “frozen conflicts.”