Conflict Blotter

Sometimes Wikipedia nails it. This is from the entry on the Annapolis peace conference:
Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, is organizing the event, which will be more than a photo op.

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Foreign policy heavyweights put in their ten cents on the Annapolis peace conference in this open letter to Condi and Bush titled “Because failure risks devastating consequences.” The parameters  suggested by the letter’s signatories have become so obvious that they hardly merit mentioning in this post and that is a testament to the fact […]

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Eran Shayshon, an analyst from the influential Reut Institute, writes in today’s Maariv:
There are various radical elements that are also promoting the idea of dismantling the PA for ideological reasons. In their view, dismantling the PA would encumber Israel with the full demographic, economic and political burden of the occupation, and could lead […]

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To mark Condi’s seventh trip to the region this year, I’m going to jot down some thoughts on the nascent peace process and the Annapolis confererence slated for late November or December. First, people still aren’t taking this very seriously by and large, despite Condi’s warnings to journalists on Monday. Palestinians, Israelis, journalists, etc, tend […]

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If we connect a few dots that have emerged over the past week or so, it would appear that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has begun quietly making the necessary political preparations that will allow him to make substantive concessions to the Palestinians on Jerusalem and outposts.
On October 1, the government moved the West Bank […]

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Next Thursday Canadian rocker Bryan Adams will headline a peace concert in the West Bank city of Jericho. The concert is sponsored by One Voice, a New York-based NGO dedidcated to promoting understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. (See Dion Nissenbaum’s post on the concert for more background on OneVoice and its founder). The concert is […]

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Israel blames Hamas for firing a longer range Katyusha into southern Israel yesterday. The Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for the attack, and it’s a matter of debate to what extent the PRC and Jihad and other factions are firing rockets with a nod from Hamas. In past weeks, there have been several reports of […]

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Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon in yesterday’s cabinet meeting as quoted in today’s Maariv:
We have to talk to the Palestinians about handing over the neighborhoods in East Jerusalem to them. Anyone who thinks that it is possible to go to the conference and talk about a National Insurance Institute in the Palestinian state does not […]

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This is bad news for those of you who oppose the expansion of settlements and favor a two-state solution.
The Samaria and Judea (Shai) District Police will move its headquarters to the controversial E-1 area, which links Jerusalem with the West Bank settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim, by the end of this year, regardless of whether or […]

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There’s a rumor circulating throughout Gaza that Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad and Ismail Haniya advisor Ahmed Yussuf held direct talks with Israel’s deputy defense minister Matan Vilnai to discuss relaxing the siege and expanding the ceasefire. It’s been reported here and here on the Fras Web site, which I’m not familiar with, but which I […]

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