Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem!

Yesterday's news:

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ruled out negotiations to free a captured Israeli soldier Monday as his nation's tanks and troops gathered along the Gaza Strip border in anticipation of an operation against Palestinian militants.

"This is not a matter of negotiations, this is not a matter of bargaining," Olmert told a group of Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. Cpl. Gilad Shalit, a dual French-Israeli citizen, was seized by Palestinian gunmen in a cross-border raid on Sunday.

In Gaza City, dozens of relatives of the 8,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons urged militants to hold Shalit until Israel agrees to a large-scale release of jailed Palestinians.

"Kidnap a soldier and free 100 in return," the crowd said. "Twist the Zionists' hands. Hope they can learn."

Today's news:

"We will not hold back on our efforts, and to our great sorrow, part of this price will be paid by the residents of the Gaza Strip," Haim Ramon, a senior Israeli Cabinet Minister, told Army Radio. "This strike will come and it will be very painful. In order to stop this, I call on authorities in the Palestinian Authority to do all they can to bring Gilad home."

Israel does not fool around. When they warn you, they mean it. They also don't let one of their own stay captive anymore. The warning was that it would be painful. They were not heeded. They have begun.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

And for the region... and for the world.

***More news****

White House press secretary Tony Snow said he had only seen media accounts of the Hamas-Fatah accord, but reiterated that Hamas had to meet three conditions before a crippling aid boycott could be lifted.

"Once again, we can all recite from memory now: recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce terror, and abide by all past agreements. Those are the preconditions," Snow said in Washington.