Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is seeking to win wide Arab participation in a US-led peace conference by reaffirming a pledge not to build new Jewish settlements and to uproot smaller outposts.

Israel will set a precondition that the Palestinians recognise it as "a Jewish state" during negotiations after the US sponsored Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said.

Ehud Olmert, the Prime Minister of Israel, said on Monday he had prostate cancer, but that the cancer was not life-threatening, and he would continue to perform his duties.

No criminal case will be opened against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert who was suspected of accepting bribes in two real estate deals.

Israel says it has foiled a Palestinian assassination plot against its prime minister. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the incident is putting further strain on the peace process.

President Vladimir Putin is to discuss Iran 's nuclear program with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is scheduled to fly to Moscow on Thursday.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has raised questions about Israel's control of Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem. His remarks Monday came in a speech remembering a prominent right-wing parliamentarian who was killed by Palestinian militants. Mr. Olmert asked if it was necessary for Israel to control Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem.

Police questioned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday for the second day this week as part of an investigation into whether he interfered in the sale of Israel's second largest bank.

Police in Israel have begun questioning Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as part of an investigation into the privatisation of one of Israel's biggest banks.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his parliament he won't be deterred from seeking a peace deal with the Palestinians despite the need for painful concessions, warning that failure would mean a "demographic struggle steeped in blood and tears."

Israel ordered a criminal graft probe into Prime Minister Ehud Olmert over a real estate deal, in the latest scandal to hit the Premier, who had been steadily regaining popularity.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will meet on Tuesday in Jerusalem to prepare the ground for the November's peace summit.