Hamas nixes talks

Hamas turned down two offers of direct talks with Israel, JTA has learned. The offers were made during meetings last month between former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and leaders of the terror group, sources said. Hamas officials turned down both proposals, saying they preferred Egypt’s mediation in the Gilad Schalit kidnapping and don’t trust Israel on other issues because of what they termed past peace process failures.

Rockets hit synagogue

Three Qassam rockets were fired into Sderot from Gaza last Thursday evening, one of which struck the yard of a preschool adjacent to a shul, causing extensive damage to the building but no casualties. Several passersby were treated for shock. Earlier Thursday, three rockets slammed into the Sha’ar Hanegev regional council. No injuries or damage were reported. Defence Minister Ehud Barak warned against hasty military action against Gaza fighters, a day after a rocket fired from the Hamas-controlled territory hit a shopping mall in the coastal city of Ashkelon, wounding some 90 people. “After the events of yesterday, the blood boils and the gut wants to react,” Barak said in Jerusalem. But he added: “It is more important to exercise judgment and to follow a policy of think first, act later.”

Ban’s language protested

Israel’s mission to the United Nations is seeking clarifications after a communique from Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s office made reference to the word nakba. The UN chief reportedly telephoned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to express his solidarity with the Palestinians on the day they mark the nakba, the Arabic word meaning “catastrophe” that’s used to refer to Israel’s founding. Danny Carmon, Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UN, told Israel Radio that the term “nakba is a tool of Arab propaganda used to undermine the legitimacy of the establishment of the State of Israel, and it must not be part of the lexicon of the UN.”

Kadima discusses Olmert

Several Kadima MKs gathered last Friday to discuss the ongoing investigation against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. It was the first meeting of its kind since the news first broke of the police probe of Olmert, but the participants said the meeting was merely a “theoretical discussion” and not an attempted putsch. No senior party members were present. No public figure from Kadima has publicly denounced Olmert since the latest investigation against him came to light. However, recent comments by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni about the importance of having “a moral spine and inner compass” were believed to be directed at Olmert.