1. TERROR ALERT IN YEMEN…The Yemeni government is warning that foreign terrorists are planning to attack the country’s seaports. The warning comes after Yemeni authorities have arrested dozens of suspected terrorists. On Saturday, 15 men will discover their fate when a Yemeni court offers its verdict on the activities of the alleged Al-Qa’ida members. Six others have been charged with being behind the bombing of the USS Cole, which was blown up in Aden in 2000.
2. TOP PALESTINIAN SECURITY OFFICER SHOT…Palestinian gunmen shot and seriously wounded the acting head of Palestinian intelligence in Gaza City on Wednesday. Two of Tariq Abu Rajab’s bodyguards were killed in the attack. The gunmen appeared to approach Abu Rajab from inside the Shati refugee camp. Their motive is unclear. After initial treatment at a Gaza hospital, Abu Rajab is being treated by Israeli doctors.
3. HUNDREDS FIGHT OUTPOST-REMOVAL…Hundreds of right-wing Israelis spent the night on a hillside in Samaria, the northern section of the West Bank, trying to prevent security forces from dismantling an outpost. Three caravans had been set up on the hill near Beit El without planning permission. The Israeli government says it is committed to removing all illegal outposts in the post-1967 territories. A panel of American experts is scheduled to arrive in Israel next month to oversee the process.
4. ISRAELI, PALESTINIAN MINISTERS SPEAK ON SAME PANEL…Nabil Sha’ath, the Palestinian external affairs minister, and Israel’s Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom will meet in Rimini, Italy on Thursday. The two have agreed to participate in a panel on inter-racial relations, alongside the foreign ministers of Italy and San Marino.
5. GOLDEN FIRST…Gal Friedman is the toast of Israel, after he won the country’s first-ever gold medal at the Olympics. Hundreds of Israelis gathered at the waterside for the medal ceremony on Wednesday night, after he won the Mistral class windsurfing competition earlier in the day.