Last update - 01:41 16/12/2007
News in Brief
Beilin expected to quit Meretz leadership race
Meretz Chair Yossi Beilin plans to announce today that he will not seek reelection as head of the party, Meretz members predicted yesterday, after Beilin called a press conference for today. Beilin's office declined to comment on these speculations or to say what the press conference would be about. Internal party polls show Beilin with little chance of winning in any case. Meretz sources believe he may announce his support for one of the other contenders, MK Haim Oron. MKs Ran Cohen and Zahava Gal-On are also vying for the position. The party's leadership primary is scheduled for March. (Mazal Mualem)
Dichter raps 'misconception' of Iran nukes
Public Security Minister Avi Dichter criticized the new United States intelligence assessment on Iran's nuclear program yesterday, saying it could lead to a disastrous miscalculation similar to Israel's failure to anticipate Egypt and Syria's surprise invasion in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. During a town hall meeting in Holon yesterday, Dichter called the National Intelligence Estimate an "American misconception concerning Iran's nuclear weapons, which is liable to lead to a regional Yom Kippur [War] where Israel will be among the countries threatened." The NIE, released earlier this month, said Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. (Barak Ravid)
Taxi driver abducted by Palestinians, rescued
A 50-year-old Israeli taxi driver was rescued by Israel Defense Forces troops Thursday night after being kidnapped by two Palestinians and taken to the West Bank. The two entered the man's taxi earlier that day in Ramat Gan and asked him to drive them to the Arab village of Kafr Qasem, east of Tel Aviv. After forcing the man to enter Palestinian Authority territory, the two seized the driver's mobile phone and money, and left him by the side of the road. He was rescued by police and the IDF. His taxi was later spotted near Ariel. (Yigal Hai)
Direct flights to Egypt, Jordan may cease
Flights connecting Israel with Egypt and Jordan - Israel's only neighbors with which it has signed a peace deal - may cease at the end of the month unless the government increases subsidization of security costs. Arkia airlines has announced it plans to discontinue flights to Jordan's capital, Amman, saying the high security expenses make it unprofitable. Meanwhile, El Al is also considering pulling flights to Cairo, citing similar considerations. The government already subsidizes 75 percent of the flights' security costs, and Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz said he would consider increasing government funding to keep the lines operating. (Zohar Blumenkrantz)
Gov't official to hold talks with profs, treasury
Cabinet secretary Oved Yehezkel is set to hold a round of talks today with senior faculty members in a bid to restart negotiations with the Finance Ministry and end the strike at the universities, which is entering its ninth week. Negotiations between the professors and treasury ceased on Monday, and no new meetings have been scheduled. "There's a complete freeze [on talks]," faculty representative Prof. Tzvi Hacohen said. Treasury officials and professors are at odds over the extent to which professors' real wages have eroded in recent years. (Tamara Traubmann)
Physical education teacher dies during class
A 57-year-old physical education teacher died Friday morning while teaching gym at the Yavneh high school yeshiva in Haifa. One of his students, who volunteers with Magen David Adom emergency medical services, joined paramedics in trying to resuscitate him. However, they did not succeed, and his death was confirmed minutes later. The teacher, Shmuel Steinmetz, also served as one of the principals of the yeshiva. (Fadi Eyadat)
Qassam hits factory; 'special situation' called
A Qassam rocket struck a western Negev factory Friday, hours after the cabinet declared a "special situation" in Sderot and in other communities bordering the Gaza Strip due to constant Qassam rocket attacks. The Kibbutz Gevim factory, which operates around the clock, sustained damage to its southern outer wall. No employees were wounded. Declaring a "special situation" essentially transfers emergency authority from the state to the army. (Yuval Azoulay and AP)
Four killed in weekend traffic accidents
Four people were killed over the weekend in a number of separate traffic accidents throughout the county. In Lod, an 18-year-old man was killed and three others moderately wounded yesterday morning when the car in which they were travelling crashed into a tree on the side of the road. In a separate incident, a 78-year-old woman was killed Friday morning in Ramat Gan when she was struck by a truck while crossing a street. On Thursday evening, a 37-year-old bicyclist died when he was run over by a car near Bar-Ilan University. (Yigal Hai and Mijal Grinberg)