by Hillel Fendel-(IsraelNN.com) The Chief Rabbinate has banned participation in the Bridges for Peace women's conference scheduled for next week in Jerusalem. Participation in the "Woman to Woman" Conference in Jerusalem next week, sponsored by the Christian "Bridges for Peace" organization, has been banned by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. The event is set to coincide with the celebrations commemorating the 40th anniversary of Jerusalem's re-unification in the Six Day War. A special Rabbinate committee, headed by Rabbi Simcha Kook of Rechovot, ruled on Thursday that concentration on "Judeo-Christian values" and the study of "the Jewish foundations of Christianity" are forbidden. The rabbis ruled that these efforts are actually part of a long-running campaign to bring Israeli-Jews to believe in Jesus. Promotional literature for the Woman to Woman conference, to take place in Jerusalem from May 16-19, describes it as "Jewish and Christian women together, studying the Word  [italics added] and working together to build bonds of friendship and bring comfort to the people of Israel." Each Conference day will begin with "praise and worship... in preparation for an exciting series of visits and speakers, focusing on the roles, experiences, and opportunities for Women in Israel." Bridges for Peace is ...   more »

Shire International signs binding letter of intent to invest in Givot Olam's Meged Israeli oil drilling project Givot Olam Oil Ltd., an Israeli petroleum exploration company, has signed a binding letter of intent with Shire International Ltd. who will invest in Givot Olam's Meged project. In the first stage of the project, Shire will invest $50 million for five wells (including the Meged 5 well). In the second stage, development of the Meged field will continue until drilling and production are completed. The two companies will operate the project jointly. Interaction between the two companies began with a meeting between Lou Shire, president of Shire International, and geologist Tovia Luskin from Givot Olam at an petroleum expoloration conference. Shire specializes in horizontal drilling that, according to experts, is the most efficient method for the reservoir discovered in the Meged field.  
Givot Olam is the only company that is licensed in Israel for oil drilling after it was described as a "commercial discovery." The new technology makes oil production profitable. Every year, 30,000 horizontal drilling projects take place in USA and Canada. Findings from Meged confirm the existence of an oil field spanning over 200 square kilometers (50,000 acres).

Original Source

So who is he really and will he be good for the U.S.? By Joel C. Rosenberg - (Washington, D.C., May 7, 2007) -- This is a year of dramatic political changes in Europe that bear close watching. Britain's Tony Blair will soon step down, making way for Labour leader Gordon Brown, currently the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to take over as Prime Minister on July 2. Brown will eventually face conservative Tory leader David Cameron in a battle for Britain's future. On July 22, Turkey will hold major elections that could end in pro-Iranian and pro-Russian Islamic fundamentalists in charge of what has been a U.S.-friendly secular government. But the biggest news so far comes from France, where center-right presidential candidate Nicholas Sarkozy has just defeated the socialist Segolene Royal, 53% to 47% in a fiercely-contested runoff. So who is Nicolas Sarkozy and wha t kind of President will he be? At a youthful and energetic 52, he is widely seen as more pro-American than his predecessor, the out-going 74-year old Jacques Chirac. Royal last week accused Sarkozy of being a "dangerous choice" who would threaten democracy and could spark a civil war. Worse, Royal compared Sarkozy to President Bush, ...   more »

Gaza-based Palestinian rocket crews pounded the southern Israel town of Sderot Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, leaving two people moderately wounded and many others suffering from shock. On Sunday afternoon, three rockets hit the working-class town, one of them landing just a few feet from a local gas station. A 24-year-old gas station attendant was evacuated to a nearby hospital after shrapnel from the rocket pierced several parts of his body. Another man had his hearing impaired by the blast. Early on Monday morning, another rocket struck a house adjacent to a kindergarten in Sderot. The attack occurred as children were making their way to the facility. Damage was caused to both the house and the kindergarten, but, miraculously, there were no physical injuries. At least four people, however, were treated for shock, including a woman who lost consciousness. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials told Ynet that Israel's military policy in the area may soon be altered. "The way things look now, we may have to increase activity (in the Gaza Strip) very soon ... no more sitting around," said one official. Over the weekend, unnamed IDF officials who spoke to the Yisraeli daily newspaper complained that while the army ...   more »

The US dollar dropped below the four-shekel mark on Monday for the first time in seven years, closing at NIS 3.998. At the end of April, the dollar teetered on the edge of NIS 4.00, with analysts predicting it might go lower. In a recent report, Morgan Stanley argued that Israel's strong macroeconomic data and structural shifts in the balance of payments had been the main parameters driving the shekel's continued sharp advance, more so than the dollar weakness around the world. Similarly, the Bank of Israel has been stressing that the current account surplus widening to $6.8 billion and foreign investment reaching a record of $21.2b. have been supporting the shekel in recent months. Since October last year, the Bank of Israel has been cutting interest rates, but the cuts have not succeeded in weakening the currency. The Central Bank would like to see the shekel weaker against the dollar, as a low dollar keeps inflation under the government's target range, which is between 1% to 3%. Last year, the Central Bank missed that target widely, when inflation ran at minus 0.1% and this year the Central Bank was planning to bring inflation back into the price target range ...   more »

Crucial questions remain unanswered in face of imminent threats
Guy Bechor
While Israeli society is busy as usual with internal battles, cruelly tearing off limbs regarding the past and with self hate whose origins are hard to fathom, the imminent threats are clearly visible. Yet through astounding blindness they are not being discussed in the public discourse. The Iranian deputy interior minister is explicitly warning Israel that in the event of an American attack, Iran would fire tens of thousands of missiles at Israel; Syria is moving and positioning thousands of missiles close to the border with Israel; Hizbullah has completed the deployment of its missiles and rockets arsenal, which is capable of striking at the heart of the country and Hamas has transferred tons of explosives and missiles into the Gaza Strip in an attempt to create a balance of power. Even the timetable is clear: Somewhere in August - then the US will have to decide whether it will launch a large-scale military assault against Iran or not, and this is when Iran is likely to activate its regional satellites. But here we are continuing to squabble about nonsensical matters. The Winograd Commission could first and foremost be ...   more »