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Prime Minister Outlines Policy at Opening of Knesset Session
by Ehud Olmert
 The State of Israel has demonstrated many times its willingness to live in peace and good neighborly relations with the Palestinian people. We do not wish the Palestinian people to continue suffering. On the contrary. We prefer a thriving Palestinian society, free of humanitarian hardship - a society which enjoys economic welfare and which operates in cooperation with the State of Israel....We have no desire and no intention to rule over the Palestinians forever. If the day comes when the Palestinian government accepts the preconditions which will make it a legitimate player, it will allow the opening of a comprehensive political horizon, which will change the reality in the region. (Prime Minister's Office)
Canadian Prime Minister Pledges "Steadfast Friendship"
by George Conger
 Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has pledged his country's "steadfast support, encouragement and friendship" to Israel in a speech to B'nai Brith Canada. "Israel, as a fellow democracy that prefers peace, as true democracies always do, can count on Canada's steadfast friendship, support and encouragement," the Conservative party leader said last week in Ottawa. Canada's foreign policy under the conservative party government would be guided by values of "freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and the uncompromising opposition to terrorism," he said. This philosophical stance compelled Canada to stand behind Israel, as "this government cannot and will not be neutral." (Jerusalem Post)
Top Palestinian Muslim Cleric Okays Suicide Bombings
by Yaniv Berman
 Suicide bombings are a legitimate weapon, according to the supreme Palestinian religious leader, the newly appointed Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Lands Sheikh Muhammad Ahmad Hussein. Such action is a part of the Palestinian people's legitimate resistance, he told The Media Line. (Media Line)
George Washington: Seeking Higher Calling, Jewish Americans Leave College to Fight for Israel
by Samantha Strauss
  In growing numbers, Jewish college students have been leaving their "safe" homes in the United States to join the IDF. Marla Harlan arrived at Ben Gurion Airport eager to see her son Seth. Seth met his mother in full military uniform with an M16 slung over his shoulder and flowers in his hands. Seth is today a "lone soldier," a Jewish American who emigrated to Israel to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces, or IDF. Daniel Berman, a Jewish American student and president of Friends of the IDF at GWU, said he plans to join the IDF after he graduates. "I felt that I owed my parents and myself to finish college in America," Berman said. "Jews have not had a home for more than 2000 years, and now that we do I feel it is our obligation to protect it." (The Hatchet)
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Iranian Leader: Israel Must Go
 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad predicted that Israel would not survive and that its allies would face the "boiling wrath" of the people if they continued to support the Jewish state. "This regime (Israel) will be gone, definitely," Mr. Ahmadinejad told demonstrators at a national rally to call for Jerusalem to be handed to the Palestinians. You (the Western powers) should know that any government that stands by the Zionist regime from now on will not see any result but the hatred of the people," he added. "The wrath of the region's people is boiling." Mr. Ahmadinejad, who has previously called for Israel to be "wiped from the map and described the Holocaust as a "myth," said his warning was an "ultimatum." (The Australian)
Israel Signs Cooperation Pact With NATO
by Ryan R. Jones
 Israel last week became the first Mediterranean country to sign a cooperation pact with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO. In practical terms, the agreement means Israel will begin providing support in the form of ships, intelligence and port access to NATO counter-terrorism naval patrols in the Mediterranean. NATO launched the patrols in an area traditionally outside its jurisdiction following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. (All Headline News)
Al-Zahar: Israel an "Abscess" in the Middle East
by Roee Nahmias
 According to Mahmoud al-Zahar, “Israel is an abscess supplanted onto our lands. It has no historical, religious or cultural justification, and we will never have relations with this ‘abscess.’ We will never recognize Israel, and that is a final decision and is not up for negotiation.” Al-Zahar’s comments join a series of remarks against Israel made recently by Hamas leaders. About one month ago, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh made a speech in which he declared that he did not intend to accept the conditions set by the Quartet to recognize Israel, accept previous agreements and disarm. (Ynet News)
Israeli Rectors: Let Palestinians Study
by Moran Zelikovich
 University rectors from across Israel launched a letter addressed to Defense Minister Amir Peretz calling him to cancel the ban on Palestinian students wishing to enter Israel for their academic education. The letter was initiated by Rector of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Prof. Haim Rabinowitch. "The universities in Israel are open to whoever fits the academic criteria for higher learning without regard to gender, religion, ethnicity or nationality," the letter reads. The call was initiated by Prof. Rabinowitch after the Sawsan Salameh, a Palestinian student from a village outside of Jerusalem, was not allowed to enter Israel for her academic studies. (Ynet News)
See also Israeli Court Recommends Allowing Palestinians Student to Enter Israel to Study (AP)
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