State Department spokesman urges restraint on all sides, but praises Jewish state for 'great restraint' in recent days and says it has right to respond to rocket attacks from Hamas. President Bush expresses his concern over Gaza violence
The United States said on Thursday that Israel had the right to defend itself against rocket attacks from the Palestinian terror group Hamas and praised the Jewish state for "great restraint" in recent days.  
Israeli air strikes on Thursday destroyed a Hamas security headquarters and a car carrying one of the group's top commanders. Israel had threatened a "severe" response to cross-border rocket attacks that have persisted despite a troop and settler pullout from Gaza in 2005.  
Gaza Violence  
Hamas members killed in IDF strikes / Ynet reporters   
IAF strikes a number of targets across Gaza Strip. Bodyguard of senior Interior Ministry official killed; commander of rocket manufacturing team critically hurt. Earlier, Hamas member killed on attack on group's headquarters   
US President George W Bush said during a press conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the White House that he was concerned over the violence in Gaza. Blair said that the situation was very dangerous. ...   more »

A Palestinian from the Gaza Strip who works for the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders has been arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed Thursday.
Mazab Bashir, 25, from Deir el-Balah began working with Doctors Without Borders five years ago.
On April 19, he confessed during a Shin Bet interrogation that for months, he had been collecting intelligence on senior Israeli officials - including Olmert and a number of Knesset members.
Bashir met with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in September 2006, and said that the assassination was meant to avenge the deaths of Palestinian civilians
Bashir also underwent arms training with the PFLP, and was picked to carry out the planned assassination.
He told the Shin Bet that he had collected information on the Internet to use to target MKs, but then realized that the MKs in question did not live in Jerusalem, the only Israeli city to which his permit granted him access.
According to the officials, after he realized that the security surrounding Olmert was impenetrable, Bashir decided in December 2006 to kill David Be'eri, head of the Elad organization, a group involved in ...   more »

By Shahar Ilan and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies  
The United States praised Israel on Thursday for showing "great restraint" in the face of new rocket attacks from the Palestinian group Hamas but added that Israel also has a right to defend itself.
Israel Air Force strikes on Thursday destroyed a Hamas security headquarters and a car carrying one of the group's top commanders. Israel had threatened a "severe" response to cross-border rocket attacks that have persisted despite a troop and settler pullout from Gaza in 2005.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack urged restraint on all sides but said Israel had the right to respond to rocket attacks from Hamas, which he blamed for the latest upsurge in Palestinian violence. 
"Israel has the right to defend itself and it has exercised great restraint in the face of these rocket attacks," McCormack told reporters.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke earlier to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas as well as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert about the latest violence.
"She wanted to talk to them directly and see how they saw the situation," said McCormack. "We certainly want to see a reduction or an end to the violence ...   more »