The Kadima faction in the Knesset voted to ensure that Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz will receive the second place on the party list when elections are held on February 10 2009. The right-leaning Mr Mofaz lost to Kadima leader Tzipi Livni during their recent leadership challenge.
A shard of pottery with 50 characters of script may be the oldest example of Hebrew writing yet discovered. The broken piece of pottery, discovered by Hebrew University archeologists in the Judean Hills, may be 3,000 years old.
An IDF reservist who allegedly fired his gun at the floor during an argument in a Haifa shopping centre, turned himself in to military police. The altercation broke out after the suspect became annoyed by two men talking to his girlfriend and fired at the ground, lightly wounding them.
The chairman of Hebrew University's Arab student body was detained by guards and faces disciplinary action after refusing to shake the hand of visiting President Shimon Peres. "I have a right to not shake hands with those I do not want to shake hands with," Ali Baher told Ha'aretz.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem archeologists in northern Israel have discovered the 12,000-year-old remains of a female shaman in a cave near the city of Karmiel. The Middle Stone Age burial site also contained unusual grave offerings including 50 tortoise shells, the pelvis of a leopard and a human foot.
Arts
Hollywood stars Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith are to attend the premiere of their animated film Madagascar 2 next month, according to Ynet. Following the premier at the Globus Max theatre in Netanya, the film will run throughout Israel during Chanucah.
Punk legend Lou Reed is to join his wife, performance artist Laurie Anderson, when she plays in Israel next month to promote her latest album, Homeland. He will appear as a supporting artist on November 3 at the Mann Auditorium and November 4 at the Tel Aviv Port's Reading 3.
The Blue Man Group is to visit Israel next March. The act, composed of three bald, blue-masked and black-suited men parodying rock'n'roll stardom, has appeared around the world for the past two decades.
An adaptation of Nobel prizewinner Thomas Mann's Joseph and his Brothers, which explores the biblical story of Jacob, Rachel and Leah, is being performed by Jerusalem-based fringe theatre Micro. Vows will move to the Cameri in Tel Aviv this week after a run at the Jerusalem Khan.
business
Israel's second largest diamond exporter, Leo Schachter, closed its last polishing plant in the country. Some 60 people were thought to have lost their jobs, with no new production in Israel. Leo Schachter exported $446 million (£278m) of diamonds last year, second only to Lev Leviev.
Unemployment has risen by 0.4 per cent a month since April to reach 175,000 in September, according to the Employment Service. Of this number, 69 per cent have been fired, with the others long-term unemployed, soldiers recently discharged from the army, or new job seekers.
Israel's economic growth has been forecast to slow to 1 per cent next year by UBS AG, which cited a "poor growth outlook" for the country's two biggest trading partners, the EU and the US. UBS previously lowered its outlook to 2.2 per cent from 3.1 per cent, but predicts Israel's gross domestic product will increase 4.1 per cent this year.