News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Noam Shalit, father of captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, criticized the government negotiations towards the release of his son. He said at a Bar-Ilan University conference on redeeming captives, “It seems unreasonable that we (Israel) are saying to a terrorist organization, ‘Give us the names’…I just don’t understand it.” As part of ongoing negotiations, Israel and Hamas have exchanged lists of potential candidates for any future prisoner swap.

Shalit also noted that he did not believe it was possible to compare the prisoner exchange deal signed with Hizbullah to any one regarding his son. “Each case should be taken separately,” he said.

--The World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) shut down its Arad-based study center, which has been operating for 40 years. The Jewish Agency said that the closure was due to financial problems. More than 8,000 students have learned at the program, and approximately 25 percent of them have made aliyah.

Two Years Ago Today at IsraelNN
Suspended Finance Minister Avraham Hirschson (Kadima), suspected of fraud, tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who said that he believes Hirschson is innocent. 

Three Years Ago Today at IsraelNN
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his cabinet that "we are preparing to provide a solution to the Kassam rocket fire. I have ordered IDF commanders that no one sleeps in Gaza during the night." 

Forty-three Years Ago in Israel
The first of a series of incidents occurred at the Suez Canal front when the Egyptians attempted to take control of the northern section of the eastern bank of the canal. An IDF unit thwarted them.

Sixty-three Years Ago in Israel
An assembly of Yishuv representatives decided to sever all contact with the British Mandatory authorities until they released prisoners captured on Black Saturday (June 29th, 1946), lifted all restrictions, and allowed 100,000 immigrants into the country. Yishuv actions were taken in response to British activities on Black Saturday, including mass arrests of Yishuv leaders, arms searches, and an enforced general curfew.

Eighty-nine Years Ago in Israel
Following the end of British military rule, civilian rule began under High Commissioner Sir Herbert Samuel, a British Jew who served as a Member of Parliament and as a government minister.