Negotiations between Israel and PA continue at a "crazy" pace, agreement on dividing Jerusalem is "closer than ever," and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is pushing for a nearly-complete agreement on a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria by January.  So reports Aaron Klein of WorldNetDaily (WND).

Secretary Rice, completing a visit to the region today (Tuesday), has been pressing Israel to sign a document by the end of the year that would divide Jerusalem.  Rice says Israel must agree to a Palestinian state capital in Jerusalem - Israel's own capital - and a full Palestinian state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. 

Despite official Israeli government denials, Jerusalem is thus very much on the negotiating table. The Shas Party, which has said it would quit the government if Jerusalem were to be negotiated, remains firmly in the government coalition.

The Rice Compromise: Israel Remains in Jerusalem for 1-5 Years
Klein quotes top diplomatic sources involved in the talks as saying that Rice has been pushing for a "compromise" between Israel and the PA that would involve Israel's withdrawal from eastern Jerusalem, including most of the Old City, within one to five years.

The Israeli team, led by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, is willing to conclude an agreement on a Palestinian state by the end of the year, but wants to leave talks to decide the fate of Jerusalem for a later date.  The PA team, however, wants a deal by January on all core issues, including the Holy City.

The Rice compromise, the sources told WND, asks Israeli leaders to bend and agree to promise sections of Jerusalem to the PA - but not to actually withdraw before one to five years have passed.  U.S. President George W. Bush would then, just days before his term in office ends, issue an official letter guaranteeing U.S. support for the agreement.

High Intensity Talks
WND's Klein quoted an unnamed Palestinian Authority negotiator saying that the intensity and frequency of Israeli-Palestinian talks in recent weeks have been "crazy," and that the sides have been meeting on a daily basis, usually at the highest levels. The negotiator further said Jerusalem is being discussed by both sides, and that the two teams are "closer than ever" on coming to an agreement on the status of the city.  "This claim was verified to WND by other diplomatic sources involved in the negotiations," Klein wrote.

Reports of the past few months say that the Olmert-Livni negotiators are prepared to give up well over 90% of Judea and Samaria, as well as land for a "safe passage" between those areas and Gaza.  This, despite the results of the withdrawal from Gaza three years ago, which include the takeover of the area by Hamas and incessant rocket attacks on nearby Israeli areas.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is suspected in another case of corruption, allegedly perpetrated during his previous tenure as Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor, when he allegedly ordered advancement of an investment project.

State Comptroller and Ombudsman Micha Lindenstrauss charged Wednesday that Olmert and his aides pressured officials to approve grants for investors even before experts had submitted their report on the project.
 
"This incident is in addition to similar cases in which Trade Minister Ehud Olmert intervened, whether directly or indirectly via his assistants, in the activity of the Investment Center," according to the Comptroller's report.

The project, which was promoted by American developers, involved the construction of a joint Israeli-Jordanian casino and hotel complex near the Israeli Red Sea resort city of Eilat. The “Aquaria” recreation complex would have spread out over 1,300 dunams in an area north of Eilat at a cost of approximately $100 million.

Olmert was directly involved in meeting with the American investors. One of those who allegedly would have profited from the project was Uri Messer, Olmert’s close friend and personal attorney.

The Prime Minister’s Office responded Wednesday to the latest corruption charges with a statement to the media that asserted, "The Tourism and Finance ministries agreed to promote this project after several probes…. The Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry acted according to the professional perception and in cooperation with the other government offices involved in the issue."

The police and army have issued orders banning three Shomron Jews from their homes for three to four months.  The explanation: "Your presence in the area represents a danger to the public order."

Various press reports state that the reason for the temporary expulsion is that the three might "disturb the Arab olive harvest."   However, one of the three, Akiva HaCohen of Yitzhar, told IsraelNationalNews that this has nothing to do with the truth. "The olive harvest season begins only at the end of my four-month expulsion," he said.

The head of the Shomron Regional Council, Gershon Mesika, said, "The police are too easy on the trigger finger."
"The issue here is not a humanitarian one for me and my family, but rather a national one. The authorities can't take it when we show solidarity with each other."

The other two newly-homeless Jews are David Libman and Meir Bretler of Adei Ad, near Shilo, though Libman has not yet been actually handed the orders, as the police do not know where he is.  The three will not be permitted to be in the Shomron for the next four months - three, in the case of Bretler - because of the unspecified dangers the police claim they present. 

HaCohen says it has nothing to do with "dangers," but rather with "solidarity." "I am of the strong opinion," he told IsraelNationalNews, "that the reason they got me is because of a pact that was recently made among the various Shomron towns called 'Mutual Responsibility,' which states that whenever the army or police come to evict Jews from a hilltop or town, the Jews of all the other towns and hilltops in the area do what they can to stop it - even if it is only by standing in an intersection and reciting Psalms or holding signs.  The General Security Service (Shabak) seems to think that I'm involved, and that's why they have given me these orders."

"Not a Personal Problem, but National"
HaCohen and his wife have three children, aged 4.5 and down.  Asked what he plans to do for the next four months and whether his family will join him, he said, "The issue here is not a humanitarian one for me and my family, but rather a national one.  The authorities' weak point is that they can't take it when we show solidarity with each other."

They have until Friday to leave home, or four more days if they file an appeal - which they do not think will be successful.  The IDF Office for Public Complaints can be faxed at 03-569-9400.

Farming Plans Down the Drain
HaCohen said that he established a hilltop community outpost near Yitzhar, not far from Shechem (Nablus), and that it now has four families.  "I'm also a farmer," he said, "and I am about to plant a grape orchard of ten dunams (2.5 acres) following the end of this Shemittah year [during which planting is not allowed by Jewish Law - ed.] a few weeks from now.  In addition, I also market flour, and if I disappear for four months, my market will be gone."

Protests by Council Head, Legal Forum, Yesha Council
Shomron Council head Mesika, apparently in response to the press reports about the olive harvest, said, "It is sad that Arab olives are more important than the lives of IDF soldiers." He then explained: "The police have not issued any such orders to left-wing activists who demonstrate in Bal'in and endanger IDF soldiers - but they are quick to do so when it comes to Arab olives."

"This is a grave blow to civil rights of Israeli citizens," Mesika said. "It only happens vis-a vis one side of the political map."                 

Itamar Ben-Gvir, an activist of the Jewish Front, bemoaned the fact that unlike in previous cases, "the three are not even allowed to remain in their homes and not leave.  They must leave their homes altogether."

The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel released this statement: " If there is evidence of a crime, those suspected must be tried - but not restricted in this arbitrary manner.  This is an intolerable blow to civil rights that must be stopped. It is not rooted in any law, but is rather given solely to the arbitrary decision of the military commander [O.C. Central Command Maj.-Gen. Gad Shamni] in the area."

The Yesha Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria similarly protested the decision.

As part of its overall activities to improve service for tourists visiting the city this summer, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality has introduced mobile information booths onto the city streets.
Mobile information booths... were introduced in light of an anticipated increase in tourism this year.

The unique, colorful mobile kiosks, designed by Segway, can be found on the streets of Tel Aviv seven days a week from 1-7:00 p.m., particularly in areas of concentrated tourist traffic such as the Tel Aviv Port, the boardwalk and seaside promenade in Jaffa, the Neveh Tzedek neighborhood and Rothschild Boulevard. The stewards on the Segways offer tourists general information, along with details about events and special happenings in the city. They distribute maps, fliers and promotional material to help tourists make the most of their time in the city.

Etty Gargir, Director of the Association for Tourism Tel Aviv-Jaffa, said, "This initiative, the first of its kind in Israel, is part of our overall preparedness for the anticipated increase in tourism generally and for the city's centenary in particular."

Gargir noted that 2007 "was a record year for tourism in Tel Aviv, registering an increase of 23% in the number of tourists visiting the city over the previous year. During 2007, income from tourist overnights in the city exceeded two billion shekels."  The mobile information booths, he explained, were introduced in light of an anticipated increase in tourism this year as well.

In addition to the Segway, tourists can obtain information from the renovated Tourism Information Center on Herbert Samuel Street on Tel Aviv's boardwalk, open seven days a week. The Association also recently launched a new, tourist-friendly website at http://www.visit-tlv.com.

Meanwhile, the city is gearing up for its centenary in 2009, planning a rich and varied program of special events, festivals, happenings and attractions from April through December of next year. These include open-air performances, theater, film and dance festivals, historical and art exhibits, a nostalgic festival saluting old Tel Aviv and the rich Bauhaus heritage that gave the city its UNESCO World Heritage designation as a "White City," and the opening of a new museum charting the city's history.

A subcommittee of the Knesset Foreign Affairs Committee says an Arab sports and medical center should not be built in the abandoned Shdemah base, south of Jerusalem.  The committee is chaired by MK Otniel Shneller of Kadima, a resident of southern Samaria.

Shdemah is located just outside the southeastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa, along the new road leading to Gush Etzion. The Arab town of Biet Sahour, with the support of leftist and European elements, has submitted a request to build a medical, sports and cultural complex in Shdemah.

Residents of Gush Etzion have been leading a spirited struggle in recent months to ensure that Shdemah is not turned over to local Arabs.  To this end, the Jews have attempted to maintain a permanent presence at the site.

Committee member MKs toured Shdemah on Wednesday, and noted its commanding strategic presence overlooking the area around it.  MKs Shneller, Porush (UTJ), Hendel (National Union), Ze'ev (Shas), Elkin (Kadima), and Edelstein (Likud) - all known to be of right-wing opinions - participated in the tour.

A gang of four kidnapped an Israeli businessman living in Nigeria Tuesday night. The Foreign Ministry identified him only as a man in his 60s from central Israel. 

He was kidnapped while in his car in a parking lot outside his home at Port Harcourt, on the Nigerian coast, and his driver has been arrested in connection with the event.  The victim had just returned from a festive event with the local governor, the Israeli Ambassador, and several businessmen. 

Kidnappings are not uncommon in Nigeria, where there is a large poor population living alongside wealthy investors and profiteers from oil exploration. Port Harcourt, in particular, is hard-hit by this scourge. In most cases, victims are freed after the kidnappers receive the demanded ransom. 

However, the Foreign Ministry pointed out that the reasons for the abduction were not clear. It is currently not known if the kidnappers are demanding a ransom, or whether the abduction was terrorist-related.

The Foreign Ministry and Ambassador to Nigeria Moshe Ram are monitoring the situation, trying to secure the man's release.

Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann has joined Opposition Leader Binyamin Netanyahu of the Likud Party in asking the Attorney-General to decide how to deal with Likud members who joined Kadima in time for the latter's primaries.

Currently, some 3,500 people listed on the Kadima rolls joined the party while they were still in the Likud. 

Israeli law states that one may not be a registered member of two different parties at the same time, and the penalty for this crime is up to a year in prison.  The law is rarely enforced, however.

Before party primaries, candidates generally try to recruit new members to the party rolls, hoping to garner their votes in the election. This is sometimes done by  gathering names en-masse, such as in workers' unions and municipal council employees - many of whom may already be signed up in other parties.

It is feared that the next Prime Minister - apparently either Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni or Transportation Minister Sha'ul Mofaz, the two front-runners in the upcoming Kadima primaries for party leader - will thus be determined by the votes of illegal members of Kadima.

Likud Expresses Concern
The Likud recently released a statement saying it "views with gravity" the phenomenon of double party membership, which it says "should be uprooted from the source."

However, Likud head Binyamin Netanyahu originally rebuffed a request by Kadima's Election Board head, retired Judge Dan Arbel, to submit a copy of the lists of Likud voters so that Kadima can compare them with its own and remove the double members.  Netanyahu said it would violate the citizens' rights to privacy.

The Likud asked the Parties Registrar, "as a statutory body," to compare the parties' lists in order to find double members.  However, the Registrar said he does not have the legal authority to do so, similarly citing privacy issues.

In view of the public interest the issue it has aroused, Netanyahu then asked Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to advise him on how to proceed.  On Tuesday, Justice Minister Friedmann made a similar request to Mazuz, asking him to "consider the legal issues regarding double party registration."

The [Parks Authority] general assembly consists of representatives of different ministries and government offices, including some with ties to oil companies and other private interests.
Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority have approved exploratory oil drilling in a nature reserve, despite opposition from its own science committee and environmentalists.

Ginko and Delek Energy Systems were given a green light to drill for oil in the reserve by a general assembly of the Parks Authority. The approval articulated several restrictions on the drilling, aimed at minimizing environmental damage.

The spokesman for the companies, Avraham Poraz - a former Minister of the Interior - convinced the Parks Authority to approve the drilling in a Judean Desert nature reserve, maintaining that “it’s just another place in the desert.”  The decision was announced on Tuesday.

The approval stipulated that any oil discovered at the site be pumped diagonally from pumping stations located outside the reserve, in order to minimize ecological damage.
 
The Parks Authority admitted that its decision was not based on ecological concerns only, but rather takes into account the concerns of different ministries and government offices, including some with ties to oil companies and other private interests. 

Ecologists and environmental workers within the Parks Authority decried Tuesday’s decision, citing the extreme ecological sensitivity of the area. They explained that oil drilling requires clearing ground, installing large fuel pumps and employee housing, and creates noise, light and pollution that could irrevocably damage the environment.

The specialists, in a statement objecting to the decision, said, "The drilling and extraction of oil could harm whole populations of rare species. We believe that the foreseen production does not justify the permit to severely and permanently harm plants and wildlife, as well as the landscape and tourists in an official nature reserve."

The oil companies defended the decision of the Parks Authority by playing down the impact on the environment. "I know the area well and it's just another place in the desert," Poraz said.

The companies believe that the site has a potential to produce up to 6.5 million barrels of oil, worth $700 million dollars and which Poraz claimed is strategically important in ending Israel’s dependency on enemy Arab states for its energy needs. “Israel is not rich enough to allow itself to forgo such potential," he said.

Israel’s leading environmental group, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), condemned what they believe to be pandering to entrepreneurs.

"The SPNI is distressed by the fact that members of the Parks Authority assembly who voted in favor of the plan caved in to pressure exerted by the entrepreneurs, did not heed its own science committee's recommendation against the plan, and approved an appeal that will cause needless harm to a nature reserve," said a statement from the group.

Nir Pappay, director of SPNI’s Environmental Protection Division, was also disturbed by “the fact that this will set a precedent for other cases” where the recommendation of environmental experts will be ignored in favor of private interests. Pappay said that the “amount of oil is minimal”, and that moreover, should there is no reason why the exploratory drilling can’t be conducted in a way that minimizes damage to the lands in the nature reserve.

Just as the Parks Authority decision stipulated that oil retrieved for commercial purposes be extracted diagonally, so should any holes drilled for exploration, said Pappay.

The state-owned Bank of China has denied it aided Hamas and said it will fight a mega-lawsuit filed by terror victims and their families. The plaintiffs charged that the bank transferred millions of dollars to Hamas via its American branch despite several Israeli warnings to stop the practice.
 
"The accusation is absolutely groundless," Bank of China Ltd. said in a statement. "Bank of China is prepared to fight the suit."

More than 100 terror victims and their relatives charged in a Los Angeles court last week that the Bank of China "knowingly assisted Hamas and the Islamic Jihad" between 2004 and 2007 and that the money was used to finance attacks.

The alleged bank transfers were initiated in the Middle East, sent to American branches and then transferred to terrorist organizations' accounts in China. From there, the money was wired to Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders in Israel, including Judea, Samaria and Gaza, according to the lawsuit.

Israeli counterterrorist personnel met with Chinese officials in 2005 to demand it cease from transferring more money, but the bank, with the approval of the Chinese government, continued to wire the money, said attorneys for the terror victims.

Among the victims and families whose attorneys filed the criminal and civil suits are the parents of four-year-old Afik Zahavi, who was killed four years ago in a Kassam rocket attack on Sderot as he returned home from a pre-school facility.

Other plaintiffs include the families of two men who were murdered in a suicide bombing at an Eilat bakery last year. 
 
Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner charged that the Bank of China "even had the chutzpah to make these funds transfers through its U.S. branches right under the nose of the Justice Department, despite the fact that Hamas and the Palestine Islamic Jihad are designated terrorist organizations and that such wire transfers are a crime under American law. We expect the Bank of China to now pay very heavily for its support for terrorism."  

A United Nations task force assigned to report on weapons smuggling in Lebanon said Monday that Hizbullah has been bringing arms across the Syrian-Lebanese border. This confirms Israeli allegations that the Iran-backed
Neither Lebanese nor Syrian officials have done anything to end weapons transfers to Hizbullah.
Lebanese terrorist group has been steadily rearming with Syrian assistance and Lebanese collusion.

Last month, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney that "the number of missiles in the hands of Hizbullah has doubled, if not tripled, and that the range of the missiles has been extended. And this has been accomplished with the close assistance of the Syrians." In March, an anonymous source told the Associated Press that Hizbullah held new Iranian rockets capable of striking as far south as Dimona, Israel's nuclear facility in the Negev.

According to the task force report, submitted to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday, neither Lebanese nor Syrian officials have done anything to end weapons transfers to Hizbullah. The task force, which has seen no improvement in the situation since it started its work in 2007, noted that weapons flow easily across the Syrian-Lebanese frontier due to lax or non-existent inspections. Even the air and sea ports into Lebanon, the report says, have been used for weapons smuggling.

Earlier this month, Lebanon's cabinet voted to allow Hizbullah to maintain its weapons arsenal. The government decision specifically approves Hizbullah activities aimed at Israel.

In Violation of U.N. Resolutions
Weapons transfers to the Hizbullah such as those cited in the task force report are in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War two years ago. However, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrols in southern Lebanon, far from the weapons transfer routes. Furthermore, UNIFIL has stated outright that it would not enforce Res. 1701 conditions calling for the disarming of Hizbullah.

In March 2008, Hizbullah terrorists threatened and chased off UNIFIL forces after the armed international soldiers found a truck carrying illicit arms and ammunition. The incident was mentioned in a semi-yearly report submitted to the U.N. Security Council by Ban Ki-moon.

In an earlier report to the U.N. Security Council, in February 2008, Ki-moon noted, "Hizbullah, by admission of its leaders on several occasions, has replenished its military capacity since the 2006 war with Israel. I therefore remain concerned that this border remains vulnerable to such [weapons transfers], which would represent serious violations of the resolution and constitute a significant threat to the stability and security of Lebanon."

Earlier this month, a spokesman for yet another U.N. committee focused on Lebanon, the International-Lebanese Committee for U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, said Hizbullah has violated international restrictions on its militarization "big time." Res. 1559 of 2004 is focused on preserving Lebanese sovereignty from foreign interference and preceded the end of the Syrian occupation in the 2005 Cedar Revolution.

Also in mid-August, the commander of UNIFIL, Maj.-Gen. Claudio Graziano, accused Israel of violating Res. 1701 by continuing Israel Air Force overflights in Lebanese airspace, as well as by the Jewish State's refusal to submit maps of areas on which it dropped cluster bombs during the 2006 war. Israel maintains that the overflights are necessitated by Hizbullah's weapons build-up and deepening entrenchment in southern Lebanon, despite UNIFIL's obligations to halt such activities.

Sderot police questioned and released Free Gaza boat protestor Prof. Jeff Halper Tuesday after he tried to return to Israel via Gaza, where he and 43 other pro-Arab activists landed two fishing boats on Saturday. Their expedition was aimed at breaking Israeli sovereignty over Gaza waters.

Halper, who immigrated to Israel after protesting against the Vietnam war in the United States in 1973, "was held for questioning," said Sderot Police Chief Shimon Nachmani, "and the decision whether to arrest him will be taken at the end of the probe."

The Ben Gurion University anthropology professor, the only Israeli among the two boatloads of activists, was arrested for violating the law prohibiting Israelis from entering Gaza.
The Ben Gurion University anthropology professor was arrested for violating the law prohibiting Israelis from entering Gaza.

Boats Deprived of Publicity
from The Foreign Ministry said it decided to allow the two boats to reach the shores of Gaza without Naval inference in order to deprive the activists of a confrontation that would be celebrated by international media. However, it added that the effects of the activists' intentions were to make terrorism legitimate.

Intelligence officials have reported several times that Hamas and other anti-Israeli gangs have used the open seas to smuggle terrorists, arms and explosions into Gaza, often using dinghies and rubber barrels.

The Free Gaza activists, except for Halper, are to leave Gaza on Thursday, and intend to take with them several Gaza residents, including students who were not permitted either by Israel or the United States to receive visas because of security clearance problems.

Rentals in Jerusalem are hard to find. The day a good rental gets listed, it is already taken. This is true in every neighborhood of Jerusalem - including Maaleh Adumim (to the sorrow of the State Department).  Rental prices in the capital have increased at least 30% in the last year.

The following is a list of average prices per month for a four-room flat in some of Jerusalem’s neighborhoods: 
There are many that believe that the government will have to step up and create some low income housing units in the countries most popular cities - Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

  Abu Tur: $2,000
  Baka: $1,200 - $1,500
  Beit Hakerem: $1,200 - $1,800 (depending on street and type of building)
  German Colony: $2,200 - $2,500
  Geula: $1,300
  Gilo: $1,100
  Givat Oranim: $1,500
  Katamon: $1,300 - $1,500
  Kiryat Moshe: $1,200 - $1,400
  Mekor Chaim: $1,000
  Pisgat Zev: $1,100
  Ramot: $1,100
  Ramat Eshkol: $1,500
  Rechavia: $2,200
  Beit El (by way of comparison): $500 -$700

Of course prices change in either direction based on the shape of the apartment, floor, and shape and style of the building. Other factors such as proximity to desired places like a popular synagogue, health club, school, etc. affect the price as well. Sometimes a three-room apartment may be relatively more expensive than a four-room flat if small apartments are more desirable. If there is a greater demand for larger flats in a certain area, then larger flats will be relatively more expensive.

So if the average price of a four-room apartment is $1,000, this breaks down to $250 a room. Accordingly, a three-room apartment should be priced at $750.  But if an area has a demand for small apartments, a three-room flat may go for $850. If there is a greater demand for large flats, then a six-room flat may be close to $2000, instead of $1500.

No matter what, you will be paying more for a rental this year than you did last year.  In Tel Aviv, rentals are still on the rise as well. On July 3, 2008, Uri Chudai wrote in the financial weekly “Calcalist” that in June alone, prices for rentals in North Tel Aviv rose 6.5%. The average two-room apartment there is $1,000 a month.

There are many who believe that the government will have to step up and create some low income housing units in the country's most popular cities, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.  Otherwise, it will be impossible for young couples, singles, and even the working and middle class, to be able to live in these two cities.