The Israeli government declared an uncompromising stance yesterday regarding negotiations to free abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shilat in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. PM Ehud Olmert stated that certain Hamas demands would “cross a red line,” effectively ending the most recent efforts to ensure Shalit’s release. Hamas finger-pointed blame for failure in the negotiations on Israel due to a clause Olmert sought that would deport certain released Palestinians. Hamas declared its intention of abducting more soldiers to ensure the release of their desired prisoners. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia may be intending to weaken Hamas posture in Gaza by establishing a Saudi-influenced anti-Israel group in the south of the Strip. If rumors are true and the group gains momentum, the Saudi-Iran feud would take further root in Gaza, with both countries supplying rival Palestinian factions with armaments.
A new center in Jericho opened yesterday in order to train Palestinian security forces. The complex, with a capacity of 700 students, was built with $10 million in U.S. funding by Palestinian contractors. The establishment of such an institution should help the Palestinian Authority crack-down on terrorism, especially in the event a reconcilliatory Fatah-Hamas government forms. This op-ed in the Wall Street Journal discusses the recent foreign aid to Palestinians and blames the rest of the Middle East for ensuring Palestinian stateless-ness in order to use the situation as a springboard for a attacking Israel.
With Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman poised to assume the role of Foreign Minister, Egyptian officials say they forgive his earlier comments telling Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to “go to hell”. The comment forced Israeli President Shimon Peres to formally apologize to the Egyptians. In defense of Lieberman, Danny Ayalon spoke with Der Spiegel to refute claims of Lieberman as a racist. In Syrian relations, President Bashar al-Assad remarked in an interview that Olmert agreed to return the entire Golan Heights for a peace deal. Turkey intends to re-initiate talks between the two nations spurned by the recent Gaza operation.
