1. POWELL OPTIMISTIC AFTER ISRAELI, PALESTINIAN VISITS… American Secretary of State Colin Powell is ending his forays into Middle East peacemaking on a positive note. After meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, the outgoing SecState praised “the level of cooperation” between the two sides over facilitating the upcoming Palestinian elections, and told Israeli television that there is a “new attitude” which can be taken advantage of. Israel appears to have cooperated by acceding to American requests for a series of gestures aimed at shoring up the new Palestinian leadership and enabling the election to proceed as planned. Agreement appears to have been reached on the issue of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem voting. The same system used in the 1996 election, where Palestinians mail ballots from Jerusalem post offices, seems to be acceptable to both sides. Powell also expressed confidence that what he learned about reforms in the Palestinian Authority will ease opposition to an administration proposal to send an immediate $20 million to the P.A. to support Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
2. QUARTET USES IRAQ CONFERENCE TO MEET ON ROAD MAP ASSESSMENT… International leaders gathered in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm A-Sheikh to discuss Iraq took the opportunity to review post-Arafat aspects of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. On Monday, members of the Quartet, the sponsors of the Road Map peace plan, including the U.S., United Nations, European Union and Russia, used the occasion to meet informally over breakfast to assess the latest developments and the opportunities now available to jumpstart the Road Map process. Later in the day, the conference which brought them together got underway. The 20 participating countries are seeking ways to foster international cooperation in rebuilding post-war Iraq. A draft communiqué has already been written in which the participants express strong support for the Iraqi interim government in its battle against insurgents.
3. ISRAELI ARMY INDICTS OFFICER ACCUSED OF SHOOTING BULLETS INTO BODY OF DEAD PALESTINIAN GIRL… The Israeli army has indicted an unidentified soldier with multiple counts arising from an incident in which he apparently fired several bullets into the body of a 13-year old Palestinian girl who had been shot by its forces. She had entered a restricted zone in which intruders, presumed to be hostile, are fired upon. The soldier allegedly fired several bullets at the girl’s body when he went to confirm the kill. He is being charged with illegally using a weapon, obstruction of justice and conduct unbecoming an officer.
4. ARAFAT NEPHEW RECEIVES MEDICAL RECORDS; NO EVIDENCE OF POISON, BUT HE STILL BLAMES ISRAEL… Even though French doctors certified that there was no known poison in Yassir Arafat’s system, his nephew, an official of the Palestinian Authority, remains unconvinced. Nas’ir Al-Qidwa told reporters that as far as he’s concerned, the cause of death remains unclear because there is no firm diagnosis and because while no “known poison” was found, he could not rule out poisoning as a possibility. The 558-page medical report will be turned over to a committee of the Palestinian Authority that is investigating Arafat’s death. Al-Qidwa said, “I believe the Israeli authorities are largely responsible for what happened.” He did not explain in what way.