Tel Aviv  - Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to transfer the Arab neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem to Palestinian sovereignty and evacuate some 60,000 Jewish settlers from the West Bank, an Israeli newspaper reported Thursday.

Yediot Ahronot said Olmert detailed the concessions he offered to Abbas to US President Barack Obama's newly appointed envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell.

Jerusalem  - Caretaker Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert commended US President Barack Obama on his inauguration, wishing him success and calling the ceremony "very moving."

Olmert briefed Obama on the situation in Gaza, where a fragile truce has ended a 22-day deadly and destructive Israeli offensive aimed at curbing rocket attacks, and said he oped that US efforts, along with those of Egypt, Europe and Israel itself to prevent weapons smuggling into the strip would help stabilize the ceasefire.

Tel Aviv  - Israel will stop its fighting in the Gaza Strip at 00:00 GMT Sunday (2 am local time), Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Saturday night.

He said however that Israeli troops will remain in the Gaza Strip for the time being and would only leave once Israel was satisfied Hamas fire had ceased completely.

Jerusalem, Jan 9 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Friday that the IDF operation in Gaza would continue despite the UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

"Israel has never agreed to an outside actor determining its right to defend its citizens," Olmert said in a statement issued following the Security Cabinet discussion on the UNSC resolution.

"The IDF will continue to work to defend Israeli citizens and will carry out all the objectives it was given in the operation," The Jerusalem Post quoted him, as saying.