Olmert Officially Interim Prime Minister
Cabinet Names Ehud Olmert Interim Prime Minister
Excerpts;
Ehud Olmert, who has been serving as acting prime minister for over three months, was named as interim prime minister, as of midnight Friday. The decision was reached in a special Cabinet meeting after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was unanimously declared “permanently unable to exercise his duties.”
This signalled an end to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s premiership, 100 days after he suffered his incapacitating stroke on January 4.
Overnight War News …
IDF Arrests 5 Palestinian Infiltrators Near Gaza
IDF Reports Increase in Number of Would-be Suicide Bombers
Kassam Rocket Fired at Western Negev
Soldiers Uninjured in Shooting Attack
2 Palestinian Infiltrators Arrested Near Kalkilya
Artillery Fire to Continue Against Rocket Attacks
IDF: Kassam Rockets Fired from Residential Areas
Source Close to President Bush: President Ready to Free Pollard Upon Olmert’s Request …
Esther Pollard: Bush is Willing to Free Pollard This Week
Full Text;
Jonathan Pollard’s wife Esther said this morning that U.S. President Bush is ready to free the imprisoned Israeli – but that Prime Minister-designate Ehud Olmert has to make the request.
Speaking on Channel Two’s Monday morning television talk program, Esther Pollard said, “Someone who is very close to President Bush came to me last night and said that Bush is ready to free Jonathan even in time for the upcoming Passover holiday [which starts Wednesday night] – as long as Olmert makes an official request.”
“PA (sic) Business Owes Israel Hundreds of Millions of Shekels …
PA Businessmen Owe Hundreds of Millions of Shekels to Israeli Industry
Full Text;
Arab businessmen from the Palestinian Authority owe Israeli factories and businesses hundreds of millions of shekels of unpaid bills, according to Yoram Bilizovsky, head of Israel’s Industrialists Union.
Bilizovsky make his statement ahead of a cabinet meeting that will discuss the issue of unpaid debts owed by PA Arabs to Israelis in the private sector.
Bilizovsky called on the government to offset the debts of PA Arabs against the hundreds of millions of shekels of import taxes Israel collects for the PA at its ports. Israel has been withholding the transfer of such monies to the PA in protest over the inauguration of the new Hamas government.
Will Olmert’s Expulsion Plans Jeopardize Forming Coalition, or Is This Just More Posturing?
UTJ: Sages to Rule if West Bank Withdrawal is an Obstacle or Not
Excerpts;
The United Torah Judaism ultra-Orthodox faction completed its first round of coalition talks with Kadima on Monday, and its legislators expressed their satisfaction with negotiations.
Party negotiators MKs Moshe Gafni, Ya’akov Litzman and Menachem Porush said they came out of the negotiations with the impression that Kadima wants them to join the government, and that they believe all the disagreements would be resolved.
Coalition Posturing ….
Kadima Vows Withdrawal by 2008
Yisrael Beitenu: Legalize Civil Marriage for Coalition Membership
Overnight War News …
Dichter: IDF Can’t Rule Out Ground Operation in Gaza
Security Forces Seize Weapons from Arab Villages in the North
Palestinians: IDF Hits Two Houses in Northern Gaza
Kassam Rocket Lands in W. Negev, None Wounded
Palestinian Stabbing Suspects Arrested
2 Kassams Fired; One Lands Near Zikim, One at Sea
Sunday War News …
Report: IDF Strike Hits Gaza Soccer Union Building
2 Kassams Launched from Gaza; IDF Returns Fire
Kassam Lands in W. Negev Kibbutz, None Wounded
IDF Kills Senior Tanzim Operative Near Bethlehem
Terrorist Responsible for Migdalim Attack Caught
Armed Arab Apprehended at Hawara Checkpoint
Over 440 Rockets Fired Towards Southern Israel From Gaza
Motsei Shabbos War News …
Fearing Retaliation, Police on High Alert Sunday
“We Will Continue to Train and Carry Out Attacks”
Two Arabs Killed in Attempt to Dig a Tunnel
Saturday Night Kassam Rocket Attack
19 Illegals Apprehended in Be’er Sheva
Attack Prevented: Terrorists Apprehended Near Jenin
Commentary;
There are very good reasons why this blog lists links to the daily war news.
(1) Each of these links represents either an Arab attack or an Israeli retaliation or counter-attack to wipe out a terrorist cell, a Kassam launch site; direct consequences of Israel’s leaving Gush Katif and handing it to the “pa (sic).”