(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)

SECURITY/DEFENSE:

*No injuries were reported on Sunday morning when a passenger bus traveling near the Arab village of Hizme, near Pisgat Ze’ev in Jerusalem, was attacked by Arabs hurling rocks. The bus did sustain damage.

*A terror alert was declared on Sunday morning, first in the Sharon/Greater Tel Aviv area and then Holon and Bat Yam. After 4 PA residents were arrested, police stepped down from the alert.

*IDF medical personnel treated an Arab male who arrived at the Tena/Omarim Checkpoint in the Chevron Hills with gunshot wounds, in moderate condition. The details behind the shooting were not reported.

*Israeli motorists were attacked in firebomb attacks near Azzoun in Shomron on Sunday. No injuries.

*Arabs in Chevron hurled rocks at Beit Hadassah on Sunday afternoon. No injuries.

*At least one PA resident was killed and others injured when a weapons-smuggling tunnel collapsed in near the Egyptian border in Gaza on Sunday.

*A number of mortar shells and Qassam rockets were fired from Gaza to Ashkelon and Sderot areas on Sunday. No injuries were reported although there were reports of property damage.

POLITICS, DOMESTIC & MORE:

*PA residents of Gaza protested on Sunday, demanding Egypt release Hamas members taken into custody.

*MK (Ta’al) Ibrahim Sarsur told Jaffe Land Day participants that the time has come for Israeli Arabs to receive full equality in Israel. Prior to his address, participants observed a minute of silence for Arab rioters killed in violent clashes with border police in 1976.

*Opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu following a one-hour meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stated he told the senior US official he will not agree to dividing Jerusalem or returning to the pre-June 1967 borders.

*Health officials continue to express concerns with the spread of measles. The last warning was issued Sunday regarding an infected passenger on board a bus from Kiryat Arba to Jerusalem, calling on other passengers who are not vaccinated to contact health officials. The alert refers to passengers on the Thursday bus, 27 March, at 2:00pm.

*Mekorot Water Authority officials have declared a work dispute. This signals what should be the start of talks between labor and management, while starting the countdown timer permitting a strike two weeks after the official declaration of the ‘work dispute’.

*Runway traffic at Ben-Gurion International Airport was halted briefly on Sunday when a private plane struck a light pole during landing. There were no injuries and regular runway activity was resumed in a number of minutes.

US Secretary Rice on Sunday will fly from Israel to Jordan, where she will meet with King Abdullah II and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen).