Reuters - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was quoted as saying on Friday that he doubted a full peace deal with Israel could be reached this year and urged the next U.S. administration to continue negotiations.

AFP - Ninety thousand Muslims attended the first prayers of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City on Friday amid tight security, police said.

AP - Israel allowed Palestinian security forces in the West Bank to receive a shipment of about 1,000 Kalashnikov rifles and tens of thousands of bullets in a step aimed at bolstering the moderate Palestinian government there, an Israeli defense official said Friday.

AP - Tony Blair toured a Palestinian aluminum factory and was told it runs at one-third capacity because of Israeli import restrictions. He promised he'll take it up with Israeli authorities.

AFP - Israeli security forces detained 12 Palestinians near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron overnight, a military spokeswoman said on Friday.

The Christian Science Monitor - While the prospect of Israeli-Syrian peace has been given a boost by French President Nicholas Sarkozy's visit to Damascus, any face to face dialogue between the two longtime enemies is likely to wait until new administrations are in place in both Jerusalem and Washington.

AP - Syria's leader said Thursday he offered a proposal for peace with Israel but also refused to break off ties with Hezbollah and militant Palestinians — a key Israeli demand.

AFP - Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that one of the Shiite group's militants was behind the downing of a Lebanese army helicopter last week.

AFP - The Israeli High Court gave permission on Thursday for a demonstration by a far-right Jewish group to go ahead in an Arab town despite police objections on public order grounds, a judicial source said.

AFP - Israel on Thursday warned its citizens of a "very high" risk of kidnapping or acts of terror if they travel to Jordan or Egypt, the two Arab countries which have made peace with the Jewish state.

Reuters - Syria and Israel have postponed a crucial round of indirect peace talks due to the resignation of the chief Israeli negotiator, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday.

AFP - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday a list of proposals has been sent to Israel via Turkish mediators aimed at laying the groundwork for direct peace talks between the two foes.

AFP - Israeli police said on Thursday they will decide within days whether to recommend that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert be charged in several different cases of suspected graft.

AP - A walkout of medical staff throughout Gaza has strained services at hospitals and clinics throughout the territory, the latest in a series of crippling strikes that are deepening bitter divisions between Gaza's militant Hamas rulers and loyalists of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Reuters - Police are likely to recommend on Sunday indicting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on corruption charges, Israeli media reported on Thursday.

AFP - Israel's government will this weekend debate a plan to compensate West Bank settlers willing to leave their homes as part of a peace deal with the Palestinians, an official statement said Wednesdsay.

AP - French President Nicolas Sarkozy encouraged Syria to pursue face-to-face peace talks with Israel during his first trip Wednesday to the Arab nation — a visit also aimed at undercutting Iranian influence in Damascus.