Reuters - Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak named a new head of the Jewish state's military on Sunday, officials said, to try to end a scandal over the appointment that had caused turmoil in the military.

AP - Israel's leader says new talks with the Palestinians will lead to a peace deal only if Israel's vital interests are protected.

AFP - Dana Chetrit, her husband Alain and their two young children in August 2005 reluctantly left their home in the northern Gaza settlement of Elei Sinai, never to return.

AFP - A Lebanese aid ship aiming to reach Gaza in defiance of Israel will "probably be delayed," organisers said Saturday, on the eve of its planned departure, after Cyprus denied use of its waters and ports.

AFP - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday said the upcoming talks in Washington between Israel and the Palestinians are a chance for peace that "must not be wasted."