1. THAI WOMAN KILLED IN PALESTINIAN ATTACK…Palestinians fired a mortar round onto a Jewish village in the Gaza Strip killing a Thai national and injuring two others on Tuesday night. The Gush Katif settlement bloc has come under repeated fire in recent days, as Palestinian fighters have increased their attacks on Israeli targets.
2. BORDER CROSSING TO REMAIN CLOSED…The border crossing between Israel and Egypt at the southern end of the Gaza Strip will remain closed for at least a month, according to Israeli army officials. The decision came after Hamas and a Fatah group carried out an attack on Israeli soldiers in the area of the crossing on Sunday. Five Israelis died in a bomb blast and gunfire, with another eight being injured. The crossing is the only way for residents of Gaza to leave the area in order to travel overseas. Israel’s Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said earlier this week that if the Palestinian Authority cannot rein in the terrorists and end the violence, Israel will be forced to act unilaterally.
3. ISRAEL: MUBARAK PLEDGES TO FIGHT SMUGGLING…Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has promised his country will do more to combat the smuggling of weapons, terrorists and counterfeit money from Egypt into the Gaza Strip. That is according to Israel’s Industry and Trade Minister Ehud Olmert, who met Mubarak in Cairo on Tuesday. Mubarak reportedly sent a message containing the commitment to Israeli premier Ariel Sharon. Israel maintains more than 100 tunnels have been constructed between Egypt and Gaza during the last four years.
4. EGYPT, ISRAEL, U.S. SIGN TRADE AGREEMENT…Certain goods jointly produced by Egyptian and Israeli firms will receive tax free status in the United States. The Qualified Industrial Zones agreement was signed in Cairo on Tuesday after years of negotiations. It follows a similar deal for Israeli and Jordanian companies. While the signing ceremony had been scheduled some time ago, it comes during a month of unprecedented warm ties between Egypt and Israel. However, Egyptian journalists who cover foreign-trade issues protested against the deal with Israel, claiming it gives Israeli firms an unfair advantage. The Egyptian and U.S. governments are denying the charge.
5. TURKEY TO PUSH SYRIAN PEACE TRACK…The Middle East peace process must include talks aimed at ending Israel’s conflict with Syria and Lebanon, in parallel to the Palestinian track, according to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He reportedly made the comment during a meeting with the speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Beri on Tuesday. Erdogan is scheduled to meet Syrian President Bashar Al-Asad in Damascus in the next week.