Shorts: Mideast

U.N. report: Palestinians leaving farms

jerusalem (ap) | A U.N. report released last month said West Bank Palestinians who are cut off from their farmland by Israel's separation barrier are abandoning their plots.

The study by the U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and U.N. Relief and Works Agency covered the Palestinian regions of Kalkiliya and Tulkarem, where 180,000 Palestinians live. Because of the rural nature of these areas, many Palestinian residents rely on farming for their livelihoods.

The report did not say how many Palestinians have left their land.




Jerusalem to get cable car system

jerusalem (ap) | Banking on a continuing rise in tourism, the city of Jerusalem plans to build an $8 million cable car system that will carry visitors from a hill in the modern section of the city to the Western Wall, a city spokesman said.

Government officials hope the cable car, expected to be approved soon by the city council, will ease the crush of visitors in the streets of the Old City, often the site of traffic jams and sparse parking, said Gidi Schmerling, a city spokesman.

The project is part of a larger transportation plan that includes a tram covering most parts of Jerusalem, he said.




Dr. Ruth to lecture IDF officers

jerusalem (ynetnews) | Renowned sexologist Dr. Ruth Westheimer will lecture IDF officers on family life, relationships and, of course, sex.

"Standing army officers often face challenges regarding their family life, and I believe we must not only see to it that they receive vehicles and other benefits, but also see to it that they lead a healthy family life," said Elazar Stern, head of the IDF personnel department.