1. IF ISRAEL WANTS THE POPE TO VISIT… Israeli President Moshe Katsav invited Pope Benedict XVI to visit Israel when the two men met in the Vatican on Thursday. But the Vatican said there will be no Papal visit unless Israel first concludes an agreement on the Church’s legal and financial status in the Jewish state. Negotiations began after diplomatic relations were established in 1994, but the Vatican is losing patience over the failure to conclude the Fundamental Agreement that was begun. The stumbling blocks have been issues of a tax exemption and access to courts in matters relating to religious property. Katsav promised to “accelerate the discussions.”
2. HOUSING TENDERS IN POST-1967 AREAS ISSUED… In a sign that Israel will continue to build in certain post-1967 areas in spite of American pressure and its commitment to the Road Map peace plan, the Israel Lands Administration and the Housing Ministry each issued tenders for construction in those areas. The ILA issued tenders for construction of thirteen lots in the Jerusalem suburb of Ma’aleh Adumim, a hotly contested area that right wing Israeli politicians want to see connected to the capital itself while Palestinians see it as the building of obstacles to the territorial contiguity of a future state. The Americans side with the Palestinians on the issue. The Housing Ministry’s tenders were for infrastructure construction in three post-1967 communities that the Sharon government calls “settlement blocs” that will remain under Israeli control after any final agreement with the Palestinians.
3. NEW LIE DETECTOR DESIGNED FOR AIRPORT SCREENING… A new walk-through lie detector system designed to identify travelers with evil intent has been successfully tested at Russia’s Domodedevo Airport. The GK-1 voice analyzer, created by the Israeli firm Nemesysco, looks for uncontrollable tremors in the voice of passengers answering “yes” or “no” to questions. In a test of 500 people, the machine successfully identified the “one person planning to do something illegal.” The Russian airport has agreed in principle to use the GK-1 and others are expected to follow. The cost is about $30,000 per unit.