by Hillel Fendel(IsraelNN.com) Arrested two months ago during the violent dismantling of a Jewish settlement site, Rivka Meirchik is still in prison. She refuses to cooperate with the courts, and says the police beat her.
Ms. Meirchik, 29, was arrested on April 2 in Shvut Ami near Kedumim.  The neighborhood was first built by Jewish pioneers last September, together with several others in various parts of Judea and Samaria.  Shvut Ami was the last to be destroyed by police and army forces, remaining on the ground for over a week.  Several activists were arrested when police came to take it down, and two teenaged boys were beaten by police in the police station, according to the Yesha Civil Rights organization headed by Orit Strook.
Since then, Shvut Ami has been rebuilt and demolished some six times, and pioneer activists continue to vow to return and establish a permanent Jewish presence there.
Meirchik and the Land of Israel
Meirchik, jailed in the N'vei Tirza women's prison, is charged with trespassing, assaulting a police office and disobeying military orders after the area was proclaimed a closed military zone. She maintains that she was beaten by police, but refuses to recognize the authority ...   more »

By Annette Young
in Jerusalem
AS ISRAEL pursues peace talks with Syria, speculation is growing that the Jewish state will seriously consider unilateral military action against Iran within the next year.
Israeli intelligence is now estimating that Iran will master centrifuge technology and be able to begin enriching uranium by the end of this year, 12 months ahead of schedule.
As a result, Israeli military officials believe the Islamic republic coADVERTISEMENTuld have a nuclear weapon by the middle of 2009.
"Within a year, the Israeli government will have to decide between two options: either not do anything and reconcile itself to the fact that Iran is now nuclear, or take unilateral military action," Giora Eiland, Israel's former national security adviser, told Scotland on Sunday.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel is also worried that Tehran is developing a cruise missile that can evade interception by the Arrow, Israel's anti-ballistic missile defences.
Iran is suspected of using smuggled Ukrainian X-55 cruise missiles as a model for its own project. A cruise missile, which flies low to dodge radar and interception, could be used to carry a nuclear warhead.
With US President George Bush nearing the end of his term, the likelihood ...   more »

By GIL HOFFMAN
Following consultations late Tuesday night, Defense Minister Ehud Barak is seriously considering presenting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with an ultimatum on Wednesday: Either the premier resign, or Barak will pull Labor out of the coalition, thus forcing new elections.
Slideshow: Pictures of the week Channel 1 first reported on the matter late on Tuesday, saying that Barak made his decision after consulting with advisers at his house. However, the Labor chairman issued a statement soon after which denied that such consultations took place at his home, and that only after holding a meeting with Labor ministers and MKs early Wednesday morning would he actually make any decisions.
Barak is expected to convene a Labor faction meeting on Wednesday, during which the issue of an ultimatum will be brought up. Following that meeting, the defense minister is reportedly leaning towards holding a press conference, at which time he will present his decision.
The reports on Barak's decision comes after a day in which New York financier Morris Talansky testified in court to giving Prime Minister Ehud Olmert envelopes of cash amounting to no less than $150,000. Since details of the police investigation into Talansky's relationship with Olmert became ...   more »