Bibi seeks early elections
Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu called for early elections to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
“Something serious has befallen Israel: a prime minister who failed in a war is evading responsibility,” Netanyahu, a former prime minister, said. The Likud Party leader was alluding to the Winograd Commission’s report on the Second Lebanon War, which censured both the military and political leaders. “The large majority of the public and most of the political spectrum want a proper and responsible leadership for the State of Israel, and this leadership can only be attained through new elections,” he said. The next general elections are scheduled for 2010.
Court upholds Gaza fuel cuts
Israel’s High Court of Justice upheld the fuel reductions imposed on the Gaza Strip. The court rejected petitions filed by human rights groups that argued fuel sanctions against Palestinians in Gaza, ordered by the Defence Ministry after cross-border rocket attacks, constitute illegal collective punishment. The court said current supplies of fuel to Gaza are sufficient to prevent a humanitarian crisis. It noted that Gaza’s ruling Hamas, a “murderous terror group,” should be held responsible for the current crisis.
Questions on cluster bombs
Israel must consider whether it wants to use cluster bombs in the future, because its current manner of using them doesn’t conform to international law, the Winograd Committee said. In a special appendix about the use of cluster bombs, the committee’s report said the “cluster bomb is inaccurate, it consists of bomblets that are dispersed over a large area, and some of the bomblets do not explode [on impact] and can cause damage for a long period afterward.” The committee recommended that non-military elements be involved in assessing their future use in light of international law.
PayPal buys startup
PayPal acquired an Israeli software startup firm for $169 million (US). Fraud Sciences Ltd. has expertise in online risk tools. Fraud Sciences, which began marketing its product a year ago, is expected to remain in Israel and become PayPal’s local research and development arm, the Israeli business newspaper Globes reported. “Integrating Fraud Sciences’ risk tools with PayPal’s sophisticated fraud management system should allow us to be even more effective in protecting eBay and PayPal’s hundreds of millions of customers around the world,” PayPal president Scott Thompson said in a release.
