Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defence Minister Ehud Barak made a secret visit to Jordan on Tuesday and met with King Abdullah II, Israeli public radio reported on Thursday.

Sprawled across a hemispherical mound where the Judaean Hills meet the desert, ancient Herodium lies deep inside the occupied West Bank but has borne up a treasure trove of finds for Israeli archaeologists.

Syria must choose between `peace or belligerence` in its dealings with Israel, and between relations with Iran or the Jewish state, Israeli President Shimon Peres said Wednesday.

`They cannot escape the choice... they are under the impression that they can do both,` the former prime minister and Nobel peace prize winner said during a visit to London.

Israel will stay away from an international anti-racism conference next year, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Wednesday, saying the meeting was certain to become `an anti-Israel tribunal.`

Herod the Great, the Roman-era Jewish king infamous for the biblical massacre of the innocents, had a taste for theatre, new excavations of his vast palace complex south of Jerusalem have found.

Israeli Finance Minister Roni Bar-On on Wednesday unveiled a multi-billion dollar economic stimulus package aimed at reducing the impact on Israel of the global financial crisis.

Israeli Finance Minister Roni Bar-On on Wednesday unveiled a multi-billion dollar economic stimulus package aimed at reducing the impact on Israel of the global financial crisis.

Syria must choose between `peace or belligerence` in its dealings with Israel, and between relations with Iran or the Jewish state, President Shimon Peres said Wednesday.

`They cannot escape the choice... they are under the impression that they can do both,` the former prime minister and Nobel peace prize winner said during a visit to London.

Syria must choose between `peace or belligerence` in its dealings with Israel, and between relations with Iran or the Jewish state, President Shimon Peres said Wednesday.

`They cannot escape the choice... they are under the impression that they can do both,` the former prime minister and Nobel peace prize winner said during a visit to London.

Israel has postponed a rare visit by relatives of Jordanian prisoners in its jails to November 25 to complete `related procedures,` a Jordanian foreign ministry spokesman said on Sunday.