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DEAD SEA, Jordan - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday he was concerned about the Israeli killing of a leading member of Hamas but nevertheless emphasized that Hamas and Islamic Jihad shoulder primary responsibility for the difficult situation facing the Palestinian people. Powell added that Middle East peace negotiators needed to keep working despite the killing of the Hamas leader in Hebron on Saturday at the hands of Israeli special police forces. "I regret we had an incident that could be an impediment to progress," he told a news conference after a meeting of the "Quartet" of key...

Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom today toured the Golan Heights and said Israel will never cede the Golan Heights. "We have been in the Golan Heights forever and shall remain eternally," Shalom, who is also Minister of Negev and Galilee Development, said during a wine opening at the Lane School. "There has been an almost continual Jewish presence in the Golan Heights for thousands of years and we will never leave," he added. Shalom told those present that the Golan needed investment to nurture and develop the excellent soil so Israel could build "a luxurious wine empire." The Lane School...

Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom at Tel Aviv conference: Abbas and Fayyad are committed to peace. There's no alternative to negotiations. .....

Nov. 24, 2005 18:47 | Updated Nov. 24, 2005 21:25 Low turnout mars Sharon-less Likud committee event By GIL HOFFMAN The Likud central committee convenes Minister without portfolio Tzahi Hanegbi Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski The first Likud central committee meeting without Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was intended to be a showcase of party unity in the post-Sharon era, but instead it will be remembered for its low turnout. When the event was supposed to start at 5 p.m., the room was nearly empty. It started an hour late and finished shortly thereafter. Organizers said after the event that 911 central committee...

Likud to Choose New Leader Likud Committee approves December primariesAmid growing tension among candidates for Likud leadership, ominous polls ahead of March general elections, Likud Central Committee convene in Tel Aviv Thursday to approve December 19 as date for leadership contest Attila Somfalvi Closing in. Mofaz Photo: Gil Yohanan A positive campaign. Netanyahu Photo: AFP Amid the growing tension among the candidates for Likud leadership and the ominous polls ahead of the March general elections, the Likud Central Committee is convening in Tel Aviv Thursday to approve the date for primary elections for party chairmanship and to determine the ordering...

Cypriot FM Iacovou to visit Israel 15 May 2005Talks will be held on the subject of the peace process and other regional and international topics. (Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman) George Iacovou, Foreign Minister of Cyprus, will arrive in Israel tonight (Sunday, May 15) for an official visit (May 15-17) as the guest of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom. In addition to meeting with his Israeli counterpart, the visiting foreign minister will meet with President Moshe Katsav, Vice Premier Shimon Peres, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Commerce Ehud Olmert, and opposition...

'Stick and carrot method not working' Shalom calls for international pressure to stop Iran reaching nuclear capabilities; more than 200 Iranian youngsters volunteer to carry out suicide bombs against Israel By Doron Sheffer and Associated Press Iranian youngsters prepared to die Photo: AP Iran's threat to the world is a nightmare, says Shalom A “nightmare” is how Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom defined Thursday the possibility that Iran may be able to achieve nuclear capabilities. “The possibility that Iran’s regime would be able to threaten the existence of the world with the press of a button is a nightmare,” Shalom told...

Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu intends to vote against disengagement in Sunday's cabinet vote unless Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agrees to a national referendum, sources close to him said on Tuesday. The minister is to vote in favor of the disengagement implementation bill in the Knesset on Wednesday. Netanyahu does not plan to announce how he intends to vote in Sunday's cabinet vote on the withdrawal until the last minute, but a source close to him said he has made up his mind and something very dramatic would have to happen for him to vote in favor. The source said that...

Last Update: 06/02/2005 20:55 Rice urges Israel to avoid unilateral steps on J'lem By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent Haaretz Staff and AgenciesPrime Miniser Ariel Sharon and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ahead of their talks in Jerusalem on Sunday. (AP) Condoleezza Rice laying a wreath at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem on Sunday. (Reuters) U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and President Moshe Katsav, and urged them to maintain the status quo over Jerusalem, and avoid taking any unilateral steps on the disputed capital which...

Swiss Foreign Minister to visit Israel 6 Feb 2005The Foreign Minister of Switzerland, Micheline Calmy-Rey is interested in learning directly about developments in the peace process, and to meet with the Israeli public. This is Ms. Calmy-Rey’s first visit to Israel. (Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman) The Foreign Minister of Switzerland, Micheline Calmy-Rey, will arrive in Israel for a visit on Sunday, February 6, as a guest of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. During the course of the visit, Minister Calmy-Rey will meet with the President of Israel Moshe Katsav, Vice Premier Shimon Peres, Vice Prime...

There were many "signs" immediately following the announcement that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was planning a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, during her inaugural trip abroad in her new role in the Bush administration. "It is not certain she will actually come," the reporters were told in a whisper by government officials. This is a blatant sign that Israel is not happy with the visit. The whole thing became more puzzling as these same officials spoke with excitement at the increased involvement of Egypt in the talks between Israel and the PA, and the invitation...

FM Shalom welcomes Luxembourg FM Asselborn 19 Jan 2005 FM Shalom greets FM Asselborn at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem. (Flash 90) Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom welcomes Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn to Jerusalem It is my pleasure to welcome the foreign minister of Luxembourg and president of the European Union, my friend and colleague, Jean Asselborn, here to Jerusalem. Close relations between Israel and Europe are a strategic asset to both sides. The recent conclusion of the Joint EU-Israel Action Plan within the framework of the ENP has given practical expression to this truth. I...

Jan. 16, 2005 20:42 | Updated Jan. 18, 2005 22:17 Former settler voice appointed Shalom's spokesman By HERB KEINON AND YAAKOV KATZ Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, whose duties include selling the disengagement plan to the world, named as his spokesman Tuesday someone who up until last week was one of the plan's most recognized opponents: Yehoshua Mor-Yosef. Mor-Yosef, who left his position as spokesman for the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza earlier this week over disagreements regarding what he viewed was the radical turn the anti-disengagement movement was taking, will be replacing Moshe Debi, who has...

Dec. 22, 2004 18:04 | Updated Dec. 22, 2004 18:38 FM Shalom: PA needs to back words with actions By JPOST.COM STAFF In an interview with Army Radio Wednesday evening, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said that despite positive rhetoric, the Palestinian Authority has as of yet done nothing to reduce terrorism. Although the late Yasser Arafat was replaced with an apparently more moderate leadership which has claimed willingness to return to the negotiating table, Shalom said that they are sending a positive message but will ultimately be tested by their actions, not by their words. "The attempts to harm us...

Friday, September 24, 2004 Shabbat Shalom and Gmar Hatima Tov by Caitlyn M. Martin Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar and the most solemn day in the Jewish year, starts at sundown this evening. (As of this writing it has already started in Israel.) For Jews around the world it is a time of fasting, prayer, and repentance. In Israel everything shuts down for Yom Kippur, from television and radio stations, to public transportation, to all non-emergency government services. Most Israeli Jews, even those who normally consider themselves secular, will be in a synagogue for Kol Nidre...

EU says it would reconsider position on PA if Abu Ala resigns After meeting FM Shalom in Jerusalem, EU foreign affairs chief Solana says if Abu Ala ends up just as Abu Mazen, conclusions could be drawn. Gil Horev Solana (right) and Shalom today in Jerusalem (Foreign Ministry photo). If Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei (Abu Ala) resigns we would have to reconsider our position regarding the Palestinian Authority, European Union foreign affairs chief Javier Solana has stated. During a press conference he held with Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom after a joint meeting this (Thursday) afternoon in Jerusalem, Solana said,...

Israeli adviser: Egypt proposing Mideast peace conference Thursday, July 22, 2004 Posted: 5:42 AM EDT (0942 GMT) JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Egypt is proposing a Mideast peace conference in October, according to Moshe Debi, an adviser to Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. The October talks would include Israeli and Palestinian foreign ministers, as well as foreign ministers from the "Mideast Quartet" -- the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia, Debi said.

Later this month, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague will offer an advisory opinion on Israel's security fence, following a request from the UN general assembly. That request puts under threat the fundamental values and founding principles of the UN itself, and puts at risk the independent non-political nature of the ICJ, as well as jeopardising the promotion of peace and security in the Middle East. The court must reject this attempt to exploit its mandate for political objectives and instead protect the legitimacy and propriety of the institution and the goals of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process....

Dec. 11, 2003 Shalom meets Pope By HERB KEINON Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom met Pope John Paul II in the Vatican Thursday and praised senior representatives of the Church for speaking out against anti-Semitism in general and anti-Semitism in the Arab world in particular. Shalom said there is a need for Israel and the Vatican to work together to fight the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe and around the world. "We should not leave anti-Semitic statements without a response," Shalom said. "Verbal terror leads to violence and to the types of terror attacks we are seeing in Israel and around...

Jerusalem, November 20, 2003 FM Shalom extends condolences to Turkey and the United Kingdom (Communicated by the Foreign Minister's Bureau) Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom expressed his deep shock over the attacks in Istanbul today (November 20, 2003). He extended condolences on behalf of Israel to the government and peoples of both Turkey and the United Kingdom. Foreign Minister Shalom stated, "Democtratic countries will not surrender to terrorism. They will fight againt it wherever it strikes. Terror is a global phenomenon and the community of nations must unite against it while ensuring the values of...