Israel's right-wing government has reacted angrily to fresh American criticism of Jewish settlements. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a demand by the United States to halt a project to build apartments for Jews in disputed East Jerusalem.

In a recent notice, released by the U.S. State Department on May 24, it reads that U.S. will support Jerusalem as a final status issue in contrast to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's comments.

Thousands of police and soldiers have been deployed to stop any violence between orthodox Christians celebrating Easter in Jerusalem's old city.

The Knesset marked Monday the 13th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Rabin was murdered as part of a campaign of incitement that many took part in. He said that truth will require Israel to give up large parts of Judea and Samaria, Jerusalem and the Golan.

Defense Minister and Labor Party leader of Israel Ehud Barak said Wednesday that it is possible that several large neighborhoods in east Jerusalem will become, in the context of a peace agreement, part of the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Israeli police confirmed shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday of local time that a Palestinian tractor driver attacked several cars, a bus and pedestrians on downtown Jerusalem's Yafo Road. the bulldozer driver was killed by police who are describing the incident as a terrorist attack.

President Nicolas Sarkozy of France says as long as the Middle East conflict is unresolved, it will continue to fuel world terror.

Thousands of pilgrims in Jerusalem have taken part in the traditional procession on the Via Dolorosa, which according to the scriptures is the road taken by Jesus Christ when he carried his cross to the site of his crucifixion. Many of the pilgrims carried a wooden cross.

At least eight people were killed and around ten injured in the Israeli capital of Jerusalem on Thursday evening when a Palestinian gunman entered an Orthodox Jewish seminary, the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva, and began to fire at the 80 students.

Franco Frattini
European Commissioner responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security
From the outside, looking in: international perspectives on the Middle East

Vice President Franco Frattini
European Commissioner responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security
Opening remarks for the second EC - Israel Seminar on the fight against racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism