B’nai B’rith International denounced the fact that a UN meeting on the Mideast issue this week in Brussels doesn’t include official representatives of Israel.

France ''has not forgotten Gilad Shalit,'' French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Friday in a special statement published on the foreign ministry’s website, as Israel marks five years since the Israeli soldier who has also French citizenship was captured by Hamas.

European Union leaders, who met in Brussels for their semester-end summit, called on Israel and the Palestinians ''to engage urgently in negotiations.''

The European Union summit on Friday expressed its ''grave concern'' on the fate of Gilad Shalit held prisoner by Hamas ''in clear contravention to universal international humanitarian law.''

he 27 European Union leaders, who are meeting on Friday in Brussels for their semestrial summit, are expected to talk about Palestinian plans to ask for recognition of a state at the United Nations in September.

Syrian security forces open fire with live ammunition on anti-government protesters near Damascus following Friday prayers.

Israeli UN Ambassador Ron Prosor calls on international community to do 'everything in their ability' to prevent the upcoming Gaza aid flotilla, which is set to sail later this month.

Former IDF chief Gabi Ashkenazi said sanctions against Tehran are 'less costly than all the other options' while still keeping 'all the options on the table.'

The U.S. administration has also held talks with senior Turkish officials, mainly to foil the flotilla to Gaza due later this month.

Germany believes unilateral moves – such as declaring Palestinian independence – would be ''very counterproductive'' to the Middle East peace process, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned this week.