Gaza resident speaks out against factional fighting, says situation in Gaza was better when Israel was in charge
Aviram Zino
“I’m afraid to say this out loud, they may execute me for it, but there are a lot of people, including myself, who think it would be better if Israel came back here. Things would be much better than they are now,” said Samara (alias), a graduate of the Islamic University living in the Gaza Strip.  
According to Samara, who lives nearby one of the Fatah strongholds taken over by Hamas in recent days, fear reigns in Gaza’s streets, and apart from gunmen and military officials, no one leaves their homes.  
“The children are afraid all the time,” Samara says. “My nephews ask, ‘Why are the Israelis shooting at us?’, and we tell them it’s Palestinians. Then they ask, ‘Why are Palestinians shooting at us?’, and I have no answer for them.  
“We have no food at home. We’ve been living on soups and canned food for days. There is no electricity or continuous water supply, let alone medicine or essential hygiene products,” she explained.  
The gun battles taking place in the streets keep all of ...   more »

By Jonathan Lis and Yair Ettinger, Haaretz Correspondents and Agencies  
Haifa was set to host its first Gay Pride parade Thursday, a week before a similar march in Jerusalem seems set to spark fierce protests.
Dozens of members of the ultra-Orthodox community demonstrated Wednesday evening in Jerusalem in protest of the parade scheduled to take place next Thursday.
Police gave approval Wednesday night for the Jerusalem march, a statement said, despite vocal and potentially violent opposition from the ultra-Orthodox community. 
A garbage receptacle was set on fire during the demonstration, which was organized by the head of the ultra-Orthodox community's religious court, Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch.
The head of the gay rights organization sponsoring the parade, Noa Satat, said that "the parade will be an expression of freedom of speech and civil rights, and will bear a restrained and moderate Jerusalem character" as opposed to Tel Aviv's more flamboyant parade.
"We are calling all the participants in the parade to respect the residents of Jerusalem including the ultra-Orthodox residents. We invite anyone that the freedom of speech and the democracy in Israel is important to them, to take part in the parade," she said.
Sa'ar Netanel, a member of the ...   more »

Government approves of appointment of Labor Chairman Ehud Barak as defense minister, former Defense Minister Amir Peretz hands in resignation, will no longer be part of government as of Monday
Ronny Sofer
The government unanimously approved the appointment of newly elected Labor Party Chairman Ehud Barak as Israel's next defense minister on Friday.
Former Defense Minister Amir Peretz handed in his resignation and will no longer be part of the government as of Monday evening.
Olmert decided on the appointment in his meeting with Barak Friday morning.  
During the meeting, Olmert said he wished to rush the appointment in light of the tense security situation and the collapse of the Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip.  
Barak responded to Olmert's request, and is expected to enter his new role upon being sworn into Knesset on Monday.
Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, who was also a candidate for the position, expressed satisfaction with Olmert's decision. 
So far, Olmert has received the approval of Chairman of the Pensioners Party Raffie Eitan, Yisrael Beitenu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman, and Shas head Minister Eliyahu Yishai.
In an attempt to put things in order following recent changes in government roles, Olmert plans to leave the ...   more »

Residents of Beit El on Tuesday joyously resumed compliance with the forgotten biblical commandment to tithe the first wool sheared from a sheep born and raised in the Land of Israel to the priests.
Beit El Chief Rabbi Zalman Melamed was eager for his town to join the other scattered few that ceremoniously fulfill the commandment, which is found in Deuteronomy 18:3.
Melamed got his chance three months ago, he told those gathered on Tuesday, when he learned that a local resident of Beit El had decided to buy a small flock of newborn lambs. The rabbi immediately bought five of the lambs for himself, and waited until they were ready to be shorn.
Young men from the community went about shaving the lambs as Melamed addressed the happy crowd, reported Israel National News. The wool was later presented to former Israel chief rabbi Avraham Kahane-Shapira, a man whose priestly lineage is indisputable, according to Melamed.
“These commandments bring us closer to our dream of rebuilding the Holy Temple and supporting the priests,” Melamed told Israel National News.
Town elders estimated that the commandment had not been fulfilled in over 2,000 years in Beit El, a major ancient religious center ...   more »

The BBC apologized this week for referring to Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and promised not to repeat "the mistake," following a complaint by four British organizations.
Arab Media Watch, Muslim Public Affairs Committee, Friends of Al-Aksa and the Institute of Islamic Political Thought sent a joint complaint to the BBC after a presenter on its Football Focus program on March 24 mentioned that Jerusalem was Israel's capital and "historic soul."
The BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit posted a response on its Web site: "The reference was a passing one in a context where the focus was on sport, not politics. While recognizing the sensitivity of the issue of the status of Jerusalem, the ECU took the view that the program-makers had taken sufficient action by acknowledging the error and rectifying the Web site."
The Editorial Complaints Unit's ruling was: "Complaint resolved."
In a letter to the complaining NGOs, Fraser Steel, head of editorial complaints at the BBC, said: "We of course accept that the international community does not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and that the BBC should not describe it as such. I was therefore pleased to see that Katherine Tsang [BBC Information adviser], when she wrote to you in ...   more »

'We have to stop being so tribalistic," insists NU/NRP Knesset member Benny Elon, "and remember that no one group in this country would have succeeded without the others."
Such promoting of societal cohesion might seem out of place, coming from a religious right-winger with a reputation for undermining his political opponents with the purism of an ideologue. But then, Elon is altogether an unusual sort of firebrand - one whose gentle manner and good cheer don't correspond to the "extremist" image that has accompanied the 52-year-old resident of the West Bank town of Beit El throughout his political life.
It is a stereotype many would deem well-deserved. After all, Elon began his Knesset career as a member of Moledet - headed by murdered minister Rehavam Ze'evi - a party pegged as racist for its platform.
Indeed, the son of retired Supreme Court Justice Menahem Elon and husband of author and pundit Emunah Elon might just as well have tattooed the scarlet letter "T" on his chest for "Transfer," or "O" for "ousted out of mainstream discourse." Neither detractors on the Left nor center-rightists were swayed by Elon's claims of finding a "humanitarian solution" to Israel's Palestinian problem. It did not ...   more »