Pope will visit Israel in May, says Olmert

May 14th, 2009 Pope brings his Holy Land pilgrimage to NazarethNAZARETH, Israel — Thousands of pilgrims from around the world are on hand to greet Pope Benedict XVI in Jesus' childhood hometown of Nazareth, where he will celebrate the largest Mass of his five-day visit to the Holy Land. Thursday's Mass is being celebrated on Mount Precipice, where Christian tradition says a mob tried to throw Jesus off a cliff.

May 10th, 2009 Israel hopes for tourism, image boost from popeJERUSALEM — Israeli officials are hoping that the visit of Pope Benedict XVI will boost tourism, improve Israel's image and bolster relations between the Jewish state and the Vatican. Benedict was starting a five-day trip to the Holy Land on Monday, visiting sites in Israel and the West Bank and celebrating Mass in three locations — Jerusalem, Nazareth and Bethlehem.

May 9th, 2009 Pope arrives at Mount Nebo in JordanAMMAN, Jordan — Pope Benedict XVI has arrived at Mount Nebo, where the Bible says Moses saw the Promised Land. The sun broke through the morning mist just before the pope arrived Saturday at the wind-swept hill overlooking the Jordan valley.

May 8th, 2009 Pope heads to Mideast on 'pilgrimage of peace'ROME — Pope Benedict XVI has set off for the Middle East on a self-proclaimed pilgrimage of peace. Benedict's plane took off from Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport at about 9:50 a.m.

May 6th, 2009 Mega security planned for pope's Israel visitJERUSALEM — Israel will deploy 80,000 security officers as part of "Operation White Cloak" — protecting Pope Benedict XVI when he visits the Holy Land next week, police said Wednesday. The pontiff will visit Israel and the West Bank during his five-day tour that begins Monday.

May 1st, 2009 Israel issues special stamps ahead of pope visitJERUSALEM — The Israeli postal service has issued a dozen special stamps marking the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Holy Land. The stamps, which will be made available to the public on Monday, feature 12 Christian holy sites in Israel that the pope will visit during his May 11-15 tour.

April 20th, 2009 AMMAN - Jordan's influential Muslim Brotherhood movement has urged Pope Benedict XVI to postpone his planned Middle East visit next month and to apologize for statements that the group considers 'injurious' to Islam. 'We hope that the Vatican will take a decision to postpone the visit until certain issues are cleared,' Muslim Brotherhood official spokesman Jamil Abu Bakr said in a statement Sunday.

January 31st, 2009 TEL AVIV - Caretaker Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert threatened Sunday a 'fierce and disproportionate' response to continued rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, saying the 'old rules of engagement' in the salient no longer applied. Addressing ministers at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, after militants in the enclave fired missiles at southern Israel, Olmert said he had told the defence minister to order the military to prepare a response to the rocket fire.

January 28th, 2009 TEL AVIV - Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to transfer the Arab neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem to Palestinian sovereignty and evacuate some 60,000 Jewish settlers from the West Bank, an Israeli newspaper reported Thursday. According to Yediot Ahronot, Olmert detailed the concessions he offered to Abbas to US President Barack Obama's newly appointed envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell.

January 22nd, 2009 JERUSALEM - Israel is interested in continuing the peace process with the Palestinians, caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told newly sworn-in US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Thursday, according to his office. Israel would also make every effort to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the people of the Gaza Strip following Israel's military offensive there, Olmert told Clinton in a telephone call.

January 18th, 2009 JERUSALEM - Israel has no intention of keeping its troops in the Gaza Strip following a 22-day-long campaign against Hamas and will leave the salient once it is satisfied a ceasefire implemented Sunday is holding, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday night. 'Israel has no intention of staying in the Gaza Strip.

January 17th, 2009 GAZA - Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas vowed to continue fighting after Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire in the Gaza Strip Saturday evening. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Saturday evening declared a unilateral ceasefire in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, beginning from 2 a.m.

January 17th, 2009 TEL AVIV - Israel will halt its military offensive in the Gaza Strip at 00:00 GMT Sunday (2 a.m. local time), Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Saturday night.

January 5th, 2009 JERUSALEM - Israel Tuesday rejected a European Union (EU) request for a 48-hour ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, vowing to push ahead the offensive till security is restored to the south. Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Tuesday told visiting EU foreign ministers that any ceasefire agreement must force Hamas to end its incessant rocket attacks on Israel.

December 27th, 2008 JERUSALEM - Israel Saturday said the military operation in Gaza will continue till the Hamas-led militant groups end their rocket attacks and the situation is normalised in southern part of the country. 'We are not eager for a fight, but we will not back down from it,' Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defence Minister Ehud Barak.