14 Days

SHEPHERD'S PIE: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bureau issueda statement January 10 saying that the government was not involvedin the demolition of the contentious Shepherd Hotel in EastJerusalem, adding that the building of apartments on the sitecorresponded with Israeli law. Bulldozers began razing parts of theShepherd Hotel in East Jerusalem January 9, with the aim of creatingapartments for Jewish families, a move that drew internationalcondemnation.

EU MONITORS: In a confidential report published by Britishnewspaper Independent January 10, 25 European Union consuls generalin Jerusalem said that Jewish settlement activity in East Jerusalemjeopardizes the two-state solution. EU representatives havesuggested having officials present at the site of imminent housedemolitions or evictions.

UNFRIENDLY FIRE: An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed andfour other soldiers were wounded by friendly fire while battlingHamas terrorists January 7 along the Gaza border, an area that isseeing a significant rise in violence.

GUILTY PRESIDENT: Former president Moshe Katsav was found guiltyof two counts of rape December 30, bringing an end to an affair thatcast a shadow over local politics for the past four and a halfyears.

DIVVYING UP THE GAS: The Sheshinski Committee appointed byFinance Minister Yuval Steinitz recommended January 3 increasing thegovernment's take on gas and oil resources to between 52 percent and62 percent from the current 30 percent. Steinitz appointed thecommittee after a group made record gas finds off Israel'sMediterranean coast in the past two years.

IRAN NUKE DELAY: Meir Dagan, who retired from his post as chiefof the Mossad intelligence service on January 6 after eight years,does not believe Iran will have nuclear capability before 2015.Dagan was replaced by Tamir Pardo. Meanwhile, Iran has arrested a"network of spies," allegedly linked to the Mossad, that it blamesfor the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist in 2010,Iranian state television reported on January 10.

COLLATERAL DEATH: A Palestinian woman who died after inhalingtear gas at a West Bank protest died from her medical treatment, theIDF said January 7. Jawaher Abu Rahma, 36, died on the morning ofJanuary 1, hours after she was said to have inhaled tear gas at ademonstration near the West Bank village of Bilin.

EMERGENCY FUNDING: The government approved a bill January 10allocating 800 million shekels ($223m.) for emergency preparedness,of which 350 million shekels will be allocated to Israel's fireservices.

PALESTINIAN WORKERS: The Security Cabinet approved January 9 aplan to increase the number of Palestinian workers allowed to workin Israel. According to the plan, a total of 5,250 Palestinians willbe given permits to work, all West Bank residents.

PROSECUTOR TARGETED: Deputy state prosecutor Shai Nitzan becomethe target on January 9 of a video circulating the Internet whichreportedly called for his murder, after he had previously asked theIsrael Police last week to launch an investigation into two Facebookgroups that contained anti-Arab racist content.

FUNDING PROBE: A Knesset committee voted January 5 to form aparliamentary inquiry to investigate the funding of rights groupsallegedly helping to build war crimes cases abroad against Israelimilitary personnel.

FM SANCTIONS: Foreign Ministry workers broadened January 9 theirthree-week strike for a salary hike by instructing diplomats abroadto cut off all contacts with their host countries and refusing toprocess some visa applications. Previously, Russian PresidentDimitry Medvedev canceled a trip to Israel planned for mid-Januarybecause the strike made it difficult to plan his official visit.

SPY IN THE SKY: Authorities in Saudi Arabia announced that theyare ready to release the vulture being held under suspicions ofspying for Israel, Israel Radio reported January 10. The Saudinature authority was quoted as saying that there is no truth behindclaims that the bird was linked to espionage.(c) Copyright JerusalemPost. All rights reserved.