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Israeli President Seeks Time Off as Criminal Case Considered
by Scott Wilson
 Israeli President Moshe Katsav requested last week that he be suspended from official duties. Attorney General Menachem Mazuz announced Tuesday that there is sufficient evidence to charge Katsav with rape, sexual assault, obstruction of justice, and abuse of power. Katsav, whose seven-year term expires in July, has denied the allegations. The presidency holds little political power in Israel. (Washington Post)
See also Knesset Committee Agrees to Katzav's Request; Dalia Itzik Acting President (Israel National News)
Israel: 2007 "Decisive" on Iran
 "The free world has the power to provide a response to the Iranian threat, and that response exists: 2007 is the decisive year," Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz told an Israeli security conference last week after holding strategic talks with visiting U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns. Mofaz said Israel endorses international diplomatic efforts to curb Iran´s nuclear ambitions, but his speech left open the possibility of preemptive military action. (JTA News)
See also Israel Tries to Cut Off Tehran from World Markets (Guardian-UK)
Yaalon: Occupation Is Not Root of Conflict
by Yaakov Lappin
 The Palestinian government and Hizbullah are seeking Israel's destruction, not just the end of the occupation, former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon told the Herzliya Conference last week. He also warned that Israell could not avoid a confrontation with Iran. "The fact that Israel was attacked last summer from two areas it left strengthens the sense of a dead end, and proves that the root of the conflict is not the occupation of territories," Yaalon said. He added that Hizbullah's aim was not the liberation of Lebanon, but the destruction of the State of Israel, and that the same was true of the Palestinian Hamas government. (Ynet News)
Poll: Most Americans Think Israel Is Not Key To Iraq Problem
by Gil Ronen
 Sixty percent of Americans believe that "challenges in Iraq will not be solved by solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, " a new poll for The Israel Project has found. Twenty-eight percent of those polled believe the conflict over the Land of Israel is the key to the Iraq problem. 71 percent of Americans believe that "the bigger cause of violence in the Middle East is the conflict between moderates and extremists, across a number of countries and groups" compared to only 18 percent who believe that "the bigger cause of violence in the Middle East is the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians." (Israel National News)
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Gen. Ashkenazi to Head IDF
by Yaakov Katz and Sheera Claire Frenkel
 Defense Ministry Director-General Maj.-Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi was chosen last week by Defense Minister Amir Peretz to become IDF chief of staff, replacing Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz, pending the cabinet's approval. Ashkenazi, 52, was deputy chief of staff until 2005. He previously served as head of Northern Command, commander of the Golani Brigade, and head of the IDF Operations Branch. (Jerusalem Post)
See also Who is Gabi Ashkenazi?
Renowned for his extensive experience as an IDF ground commander, Ashkenazi is also a graduate of the U.S. Marines Training Command School. He took part in the Entebbe operation and was deputy commander of the Golani Brigade during the 1982 Lebanon war. He earned the reputation of being an experienced general. He was not directly involved in the recent war in Lebanon. (Ynet News)
Netanyahu in London: Ahmadinejad Must Be Tried in Hague
by Hagit Klaiman
 Likud Chairman Member of Knesset Benjamin Netanyahu met with Canadian and British members of parliament in order to harness their support for his initiative that calls to put Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on trial for inciting genocide.  Former Israeli ambassador Dore Gold and MK Danny Naveh also participated in the meeting. Netanyahu and an international organization of leading lawyers are trying to drum up support for an initiative to put Ahmadinejad on trial in The Hague for inciting genocide. (Ynet News)
Livni Says Palestinian State Is Achievable
by Ronny Sofer and AP
 Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said last week that the negotiations between Israel and the  Palestinians must be based on the idea of two states living side by side in peace. Speaking at World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Livni said that a Palestinian state is ''not an illusion. It's there, it's achievable.'' The meeting was also attended by Vice Premier Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Livni also called on the international community to support moderates in the Middle East and told Palestinian President Abbas that ''compromising with extremists will not promote anything.'' (Ynet News)
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