News: April 17, 2009

Olmert hearing postponed

Israel’s Supreme Court granted Ehud Olmert’s request to postpone a hearing in one of the cases against him in order to seek cancer treatment abroad. Justice Miriam Naor ruled that the hearing cannot be held before May 10. Olmert had been scheduled to appear before Attorney General Menachem Mazuz on April 19 in the Rishon Tours affair. Mazuz has warned the former prime minister’s attorneys that he plans to indict Olmert in the case. Mazuz had rejected a request to postpone the hearing, despite a letter saying Olmert’s cancer required immediate treatment. Olmert’s attorneys petitioned the court earlier in the week to postpone the hearing and also requested that Mazuz organize a joint hearing on all three of the affairs in which the attorney general has indicated he will serve an indictment. Olmert was scheduled to fly to the United States on April 13 for treatment of his prostate cancer, which was diagnosed more than a year ago.

Leonard Cohen in Israel

Leonard Cohen will arrive in Israel in September, as part of his European tour.  According to the singer’s official forum, Cohen, who will turn 75 later this year, is expected to perform in Israel on Sept. 24. An attorney for Marcel Abraham, who will produce the concert, confirmed that the Israeli concert will indeed take place and said that he has received an e-mail finalizing Cohen’s arrival. The likely venue for the concert is Ramat Gan stadium.

Kotel stones

A new conservation project to preserve the stones in the Western Wall has been instituted by the Israel Antiquities Authority. Israeli architects surveyed the holy site last year after some pieces of stone fell, and found that many of them were deteriorating. Over the next three months, each stone will be individually inspected and new mortar put in as needed. The project to conserve the stones in the Western Wall, and the conservation and development of the Western Wall compound, is one of the most complex projects of its kind ever undertaken in Israel, according to the antiquities authority. “The Western Wall and the monuments around it are among the most important cultural heritage sites in the world. Every year millions of people come to Jerusalem to see them. In order to ensure a safe and comfortable experience, the site should be constantly maintained and new services developed for the benefit of the visitors,” an Antiquities news release stated.

Hezbollah active in Cairo

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah admitted that his agents in Cairo were helping Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Nasrallah confirmed that a member of a cell of 49 men with links to Hezbollah was providing logistical help to Hamas, according to reports. Sami Shihab, a Lebanese citizen, was arrested in Cairo. Members of Egypt’s parliament are demanding that Nasrallah be placed on trial for allegedly dispatching his agents. The Hezbollah agents operating in Egypt were plotting to attack Israeli tourists at resorts in the Sinai Peninsula, Egyptian and Israeli officials said Sunday. Nine of the agents were charged by Egypt with spying for Hezbollah, according to reports.

Ha’aretz investigation

IDF reservists have asked Israel’s attorney general to investigate a major newspaper for publishing testimonies by soldiers alleging human rights violations. More than 46 reservists who served in Israel’s recent military operation in Gaza sent a letter to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz asking him to launch a criminal investigation against Ha’aretz for publishing the claims of at least two soldiers without checking to make sure they were real.The soldiers said later that they did not actually witness the incidents. An IDF investigation determined that the events described never happened.
 – JTA and Ha’aretz