The Israeli Public Radio The Israeli government would be unable to help the Israelis if an earthquake hit the country Israeli minister Benny Beijing said the Israelis shouldn't rely on the government to help to repair damages if an earthquake hits the country, as the government will focus only on renovating governmental buildings. During a conference in Tel-Aviv on Thursday, the minister said there is a possibility that Israel will witness a strong earthquake. The Israeli Public Radio quoted the head of the company which secures most of Israel'sgovernmental buildings as saying there is no central authority that has all information on securing public properties. ShlomoEliahu, an Israeli insurance official, said the insurance companies can honor their commitments if Israel witnesses an earthquake. They said current insurance policies don't provide owners with enough protection. YediotAhronot Strongly-worded messages to Israel to stop falsifying foreign passports for Mossad spies YediotAhronot revealed that many European, Asian and African countries sent secret messages to Israel recently, saying they know Mossad spies use passports belonging to their states to practice their activities. The messages reached the Israeli embassies through diplomatic channels. The paper said that although the messages embarrassed Israel, Israel has not responded to the messages because it has no details about the spies. YediotAhronot said the protests of the foreign countries have increased in this regard after the "assassination" of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhooh, who was killed in Dubai on Feb. 15, 2010. Dubai police published photos and names of 33 suspects who entered Dubai withEuropean passports. The Israeli newspaper highlighted the diplomatic crises that erupted after the case between Britain and Australia on one hand and Israel on the other hand. The incident led to expelling Israeli diplomats from the two countries. France and Germany demanded only clarifications from Israel. Marriv Suspension of Egyptian gas to Israel will lead to a rise in the prices of fuel and electricity on August 1. Maariv reportedthat household electricity costs will increase by at least four percent in all Israeli cities. It added that the head of Israel's electricity company will announce that the prices of electricity will increase by 19 percent due to the suspension of Egyptian gas exportsafter the forth explosion that hit Egypt's gas pipeline to Israel this year. The Israeli newspaper highlighted the increasing taxes imposed on diesel that Israel uses to replace Egyptian gas in generating electricity as a main factor for the expected rise in electricity prices. Marriv said fuel prices are expected to increase also in August, addingthat the matter will lead to more social and economic crises in Israel and pose new challenges for the Israeli government. The Hebrew newspaper said the Israeli Finance Ministry recently discussed reducing the tax imposed on diesel. It is difficult to execute such a measure as it will lead to notable losses in the Israeli budget. On the other hand, the Israeli media predictedthat the next days will witness demonstrations and marches to protest against the rise of fuel prices. Haartez Libya became the new source for arms to the Gaza Strip through Egypt, and talks with Turkey reached a dead end, said Israel's deputy prime minister The Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said Libya has become the new source for weaponssmuggled to the Gaza Strip. He added that after Libyan protesters controlled East Libya, the transfer of arms to Gaza through Egypt was easy. During a meeting with the foreign correspondents on Thursday, Yaalon said Hamas seized the opportunity to buy weapons from Libyan smugglers due to the unstable atmosphere in Libya. The Israeli official confirmed that talks between Israel and Turkey reached a dead end because of Turkey's insistence on anIsraeli apology for killing the Turks who participated in the Freedom Flotilla last year. He added that the Turkish situation in this regard will not bring about any agreements between the two sides. He said, "I thought the Turkish government would re-think in their situation but there is no hope to reach a compromise to bridge the gap of difference between the two countries." Haartez said Yaalon's declarations came as a response to officials of the Israeli Defense Ministry who demanded the Israeli government apologize to suspend the increasing complaints against soldiers of the Israeli Army.
