Commander of Exodus, Yossi Harel, dies at 90
      TELAVIV- On Monday, April 27, a white-haired former shipmate propped a gold-fringed, pale blue flag of the legendary Exodus ship next to the coffin of its commander, Yossi Harel. A short distance away sparkled the azure Mediterranean Sea, whose waters Harel sailed four times on clandestine journeys between 1945 and 1948.
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Deal between Israel & Syria within realm of possibility
By LESLIE SUSSER JTA
      JERUSALEM- After several false starts over the past few years, Israel and Syria finally seem serious about peace negotiations. What's changed? Both Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Syrian President Bashar Assad have gone public about their readiness for talks. An active and determined mediator, Turkey, has been accepted by both sides.
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Israelis split on keeping Golan
      JERUSALEM- Around half of Israelis would support ceding all or some of the Golan Heights under a peace deal with Syria, a poll found. According to a survey in Yediot Acharonot, 32 percent would agree to Syria's demand for a full return of the Golan in exchange for a comprehensive peace deal, while 17 percent would support only a partial handover of the strategic plateau.
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U.S. briefs Israel on Kadish
      JERUSALEM (JTA)- The United States briefed Israel on the arrest of accused spy Ben-Ami Kadish. "We received an official update from the Americans. We are following the developments," Arye Mekel, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, said when asked for comment on U.S. allegations that Kadish spied for Israel between 1979 and 1985.
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Israeli leaders going formal
      JERUSALEM- A more formal dress code is being adopted in the halls of Israel's government. Cabinet secretary Ovad Yehezkel sent ministers and other top Israeli officials an advisory that following the Passover vacation, they will be expected to dress formally at government-level meetings, Yediot Achronot reported.
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YANKEES GO HOME…
      JERUSALEM - When the masses of visiting American Jews who own vacation homes in Israel's capital leave Jerusalem to return home after Passover, they'll be leaving behind mostly empty apartments- and frustrated Jerusalemites.
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IAF chief: Take Iran seriously
      JERUSALEM (JTA)- Israel's top guns took to the American television airwaves to say Iranian threats must be taken seriously. Maj.-Gen. Eliezer Shkedy, the Israel Air Force chief, said on the CBS program "60 Minutes" that Iran's nuclear program and hard-line leadership pose threats to the Jewish state's existence.
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