* Assad will mediate in release of captured troops Syrian President Bashar Assad made a promise to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he would make efforts to bring about an agreement between Hizbullah, Hamas and Israel regarding the release of kidnapped IDF soldiers.

* ‘No deal done with Iran’ – Blair Prime Minister Tony Blair has insisted no deal was done to free 15 Royal Navy crew members, as they arrived at Heathrow after being held in Iran.

* Temple Mount loyalists protest near site Members of the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement arrived at the Kotel Thursday in order to prepare for their Pessah demonstration.

* UN warns of Darfur ‘catastrophe’ The new United Nations humanitarian chief has warned of the “crying need” for political action to bring peace to Sudan’s Darfur region.

* Dahlan warns against IDF incursion Palestinian Authority National Security Advisor Muhammad Dahlan on Thursday warned Israel against conducting a large-scale offensive in the Gaza Strip.

* Chechnya’s new president sworn in Chechnya has sworn in its new president, despite past accusations by rights groups that he was involved in the murdering and kidnapping of civilians.

* Nancy Pelosi’s foolish shuttle diplomacy House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered an excellent demonstration yesterday of why members of Congress should not attempt to supplant the secretary of state when traveling abroad.

* ‘Strong Possibility’ Gas Will Rise to $4 For the past two weeks, Iran has not just been holding 15 British soldiers captive; it’s been holding the world’s oil markets hostage, too.

* Israeli objections delaying U.S. arms sale to Arab countries Israeli objections are delaying a major arms-sale package that the Bush administration is planning to offer Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf allies to deter Iran.

* Big EU states gaining power despite enlargement Despite recent enlargement, the biggest EU states – France, the UK and Germany – have increased their power over EU decision-making.

By: Hillel Fendel – Israel National News

For Saudi Arabia, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not the main issue; it is rather Iran – and the West’s inaction vis-a-vis the Iranian threat. So writes former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Dore Gold in a brief for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs’ Institute for Contemporary Affairs.

“What is shaping Saudi Arabia’s new diplomatic activism,” Gold explains, “is the rapidly expanding Iranian threat and the weakness of the Western response.”

Read more….

* Pelosi tells Assad: Israel ready to talk Syrian President Bashar Assad is willing to resume peace talks with Israel, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

* Iranians release British sailors Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says 15 British naval personnel captured in the Gulf will be freed.

* Saudi source: No talks before Israel accepts Arab peace plan Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that Israel must first accept the Arab peace initiative before it would agree to any direct talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

* PA upset over Merkel’s pro-Israel stance Palestinian Authority officials have accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of “offending the Palestinians’ feelings”.

* Hamas Warns Israel Against Possible Anti-Terror Offensive In separate statements this week, Hamas spokesmen threatened disaster for the Israeli military.

* Olmert not ready for ‘serious’ peace talks, Palestinian FM says Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is not ready for “serious negotiations” with the Palestinians and other Arab leaders on efforts to forge peace in the Middle East.

* Gold: Western Inaction Pushing Saudi Arabia to Hamas, Hizbullah For Saudi Arabia, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not the main issue; it is rather Iran – and the West’s inaction vis-a-vis the Iranian threat.

* Feared ex-rebel wins absolute power in Chechnya Former rebel Ramzan Kadyrov will complete his ascent to power in Chechnya Thursday.

* Deadlock in Ukraine power struggle Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Kiev to protest against the Ukrainian president’s decision to dissolve parliament and call for elections.

* U.N. council begins considering Kosovo independence There is “considerable support” within the U.N. Security Council for supervised independence for Kosovo.

By: Aviad Hacohen – Haaretz

“Zman Herutaynu” by Joseph Dov Soloveitchik, translated into Hebrew by Avigdor Shinan, Amutat Torat Harav Publishing, 149 pages (English edition: “Festival of Freedom: Essays on Pesah and the Haggadah” by Joseph Dov Soloveitchik, edited by Joel B. Wolowelsky and Reuven Ziegler, Ktav Publishing, 205 pages, $25)

Rabbi Joseph Dov Soloveitchik (1903-1993) was not only one of the 20th century’s leading experts on Jewish law, but also one of the most innovative and profound Jewish thinkers in recent generations. Drawing upon deep stores of knowledge, both religious and secular, “the Rav,” as he was known to his students, showed how Jewish law and Jewish philosophy could serve as the basis for a better and more meaningful understanding of modern life.

In recent years, various manuscripts have begun to be published from the estate of Rabbi Soloveitchik. “Festival of Freedom” is another volume in his series on the Jewish family, mourning customs and Jewish prayer. Published in English in 2006, the set is now available in an excellent Hebrew translation, by Prof. Avigdor Shinan of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Read more….

* Iran talks critical, says Blair The next two days will be a “fairly critical” phase in the talks to free the 15 Royal Navy personnel captured by Iran, Tony Blair has said.

* China to extend Sudan military ties China and Sudan have agreed to strengthen military ties, highlighting their co-operation as Western nations seek UN action over violence in Darfur.

* Ukraine rivals in tense stand-off Ukraine’s PM Viktor Yanukovych has called the president’s decision to dissolve parliament a “fatal mistake”, amid a deepening political crisis.

* On Mideast Trip, U.N. Chief Sought to Expand New Role When Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addressed United Nations peacekeepers standing at attention in their powder-blue berets and military decorations in southern Lebanon on Saturday, he confessed that he had risen only to the lowly rank of corporal in the South Korean Army.

* Darfur peace force ‘needed now’ The African Union has called on Sudan to speed up plans for a new AU/UN peace force in Darfur where five Senegalese soldier were killed on Sunday.

* Iran Nuclear Bomb Could Be Possible by 2009 Iran has more than tripled its ability to produce enriched uranium in the last three months.

* Europe tops US in stock market value Europe has eclipsed the US in stock market value for the first time since the first world war.

* Aids Victims Risk Lives Thousands of Aids and HIV patients are risking their lives by refusing medication in favor of holy water.

* Jewish Philosophy / Exodus in our time Rabbi Joseph Dov Soloveitchik (1903-1993) was not only one of the 20th century’s leading experts on Jewish law, but also one of the most innovative and profound Jewish thinkers in recent generations.

* US House speaker defies White House with Syria visit House speaker Nancy Pelosi is due in Syria Tuesday, the most senior US official to visit in years, in defiance of the White House which accuses her of undermining US policy.

* Syria, PA slam Olmert’s call to hold joint peace summit A Syrian source slammed on Monday Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s call to Arab leaders to hold a joint conference to further peace negotiations.

* Seized crew ‘all admit trespass’ The 15 Britons held by Iran accept they were picked up in its waters despite the UK’s insistence they were in Iraqi territory, Iranian state radio says.

* IDF, Police on High Alert for Passover Holiday The Israel Defense Forces, Border Guards and police departments raised alert levels this week.

* ‘Pessah faith makes for better soldiers’ Rabbi of IDF Central Command Lt.-Col. Benjamin Makluf is convinced that teaching his soldiers about the Jews’ redemption from Egypt will make them better soldiers.

* Israel offers Arabs peace talks Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has proposed holding a regional peace conference following the revival of an Arab peace initiative.

* Hamas: We’re ready to defend Gaza Hamas said on Sunday that it is “fully prepared” to repel an Israeli military invasion of the Gaza Strip.

* Tsunami strikes Solomon Islands At least 12 people have died in the Solomon Islands after a tsunami swept ashore following a strong undersea earthquake in the South Pacific.

* Iran, Syria, Hizbullah preparing for war Iran, Syria and Hizbullah are preparing their defenses for a war in the summer.

* Hamas Recruits Children to Terror Squads Via TV Programs A new Hamas video encourages the participation of children in terrorism and has been broadcast on Hamas TV.

* Thousands flee Somalia fighting Tens of thousands of people have fled the Somali capital, Mogadishu, after days of intense violence said to be the worst in 15 years, the UN has said.

* Navy captives ‘face legal action’ Legal action is being taken against 15 Royal Navy personnel held captive by Iran for “entering Iranian waters”, a senior Iranian diplomat has said.

* Iran fears strike by West’s ‘warmongers’ Iran is blaming the US and Israel for its decision to withhold information from the outside world on its nuclear program, saying in a confidential letter that threats from the two “warmongers” led it to curtail cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

* EU to deal with non-Hamas ministers EU foreign ministers have voiced support for the Arab peace initiative, revived in Saudi Arabia last week, agreeing to engage with non-Hamas members of the new Palestinian unity government.

* Merkel commences visit to MidEast German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has made the Middle East a top priority of her six-month EU presidency, sets off Saturday on a three-day visit to the region to add Europe’s push to growing diplomatic efforts by the US and UN – and what are seen as hopeful signs from an Arab summit.

* Bloody battle rages in Somali capital Artillery fire and mortar shells rained down on Somalia’s capital Saturday as government troops and their Ethiopian allies continued a major offensive to quash a growing insurgency by Islamic militants.

* Pelosi Going to Syria Despite Objections House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Syria, a country President Bush has shunned as a sponsor of terrorism, despite being asked by the administration not to go.

* Olmert: ‘Not one refugee can return’ While the Prime Minister’s Office had no formal reaction to the Arab League’s land-and-refugees-for-peace initiative relaunched in Riyadh on Thursday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told The Jerusalem Post there is absolutely no wiggle room on the refugee issue.

* Olmert Dares Saudis To Talk; Arabs on Int’l Tour To Sell Plan Prime Minister Ehud Olmert welcomed the Arab League’s endorsement of the 2002 Saudi Arabian peace plan and challenged its members to break their diplomatic boycott on Israel and to talk peace.

* Olmert calls Haniyeh a ‘terrorist’ Prime minister tells Time Magazine Palestinian prime minister Haniyeh transferred $1 million to gunmen to carry out attacks against Israel

* NGOs step up food distribution for Pessah holiday Distribution of food staples by NGOs to the country’s 1.6 million people living below the poverty line went into high gear on Thursday.

By: Honor Mahony – EU Observer

The rest of the world will not wait for Europe while it bickers over institutional reform and external policy issues, says Joschka Fischer, ex-German foreign minister, warning that the risk of it becoming a “playground” for upcoming super powers grows by the day.

Tempered by his time in the US where politicians are already looking to China and India as the next powers to be, the former politician-turned-Princeton-professor has a very sober view of the European Union’s position in the world as it dusts itself off from recent 50th birthday celebrations.

Read more….

* Olmert praises peace ‘revolution’ Israel’s premier has lauded Arab peace moves as “revolutionary”, but stressed he did not accept the entire Arab plan.

* ‘Arrow can fully protect against Iran’ Recent modifications made to the Arrow enable Israel’s ballistic missile defense system to successfully intercept and destroy any ballistic missile in the Middle East.

* Iran airs second sailor ‘apology’ A second member of the Royal Navy crew captured in the Gulf has apologised for “trespassing” in Iranian waters, in a broadcast on Iranian television.

* Putin rejects call to serve longer Russia’s upper house speaker called Friday for constitutional changes that would allow President Vladimir Putin to remain in office beyond 2008 — a proposal that was quickly rejected by the Kremlin.

* EU meeting to discuss Iran crisis European Union foreign ministers are gathering in the German port of Bremen and are expected to express support for 15 British sailors detained in Iran.

* Germany Welcomes Arab Peace Offer; Merkel To Visit Mideast Germany said Friday that the outcome of the Arab League summit in Riyadh was “a positive signal”.

* Arabs Who Sold Home to Hebron Jews Arrested, Face Death Penalty Two arabs involved in the sale of a Hebron building to the Jewish community have been placed under arrest.

* Risks grow of terrorists getting nukes There is a growing threat that terrorist groups such as Hizbullah will acquire nuclear or other WMD technology.

* Mossad Chief Calls Lebanon War ‘National Catastrophe’ Meir Dagan, head of intelligence (Mossad) advised Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to delay the war against Hizbullah last summer until the Home Front could prepare citizens against Katyusha rockets.

* ‘Europe is increasingly fading away’ The rest of the world will not wait for Europe while it bickers over institutional reform and external policy issues, says Joschka Fischer, ex-German foreign minister.