1. BRITAIN’S BLAIR TO HOLD TALKS WITH ISRAEL, PALESTINIANS… Following a surprise visit to Baghdad, British Prime Minister Tony Blair will meet on Wednesday with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem and Palestinian leaders in Ramallah. Atop the agenda: Israel’s proposed unilateral pullout from the Gaza Strip, Palestinian elections and Blair’s own February peace conference in London. Blair has made the Israel-Palestinian conflict a keystone of his foreign policy agenda. Since the death of Yassir Arafat, a constant flow of foreign dignitaries has made the rounds between Jerusalem and Ramallah, most, like Blair, meeting with Mahmoud ‘Abbas, the front-runner in the election slated for January and heir-apparent to Arafat. The prime minister might also take another shot at convincing Ariel Sharon to participate in the London conference. The Israeli leader has ruled it out, saying it should deal solely with Palestinian reforms. Sharon said Israel will not discuss its security in an international forum.
2. POLICE SAY KILLING OF ISRAELI WOMAN WAS A TERROR ATTACK… Israeli police have concluded that the killing of a 39-year-old woman at her home in a pre-1967 community was a terrorist murder. Ariela Fahima was found by her 10-year-old daughter at the entrance to her home, dead from a stab wound to the neck. Fahima was the mother of four. The community, Moshav Nehusha, which lies close to the seam that separates pre- and post-1967 territories, employs a number of Palestinians, a number of whom were arrested after the killing. Police located a hole cut in the moshav’s security fence. The alarm has been disabled for some time. A massive search for the attacker or attackers proved unsuccessful.
3. ISRAELIS SHOCKED BY ANTI-PULLOUT CAMPAIGN USING HOLOCAUST STARS… Israelis from across the political divide are expressing horror at the use of Holocaust-era stars of David by opponents of the Gaza pullout plan. Intended to shock their countrymen, the campaign has succeeded in that aspect while alienating even those sympathetic to their cause. Israeli residents of the Gaza Strip who are slated for evacuation from their homes because of the impending unilateral withdrawal are wearing orange stars of David reminiscent of the yellow stars the Nazis forced Jews to wear during the Holocaust. Many Israelis are accusing the protesters of trivializing the Holocaust, while others say the scheme draws a comparison between the Israeli soldiers charged with enforcing the pullout and Hitler’s army. Already at issue is a call by a leader of Israeli residents of post-1967 communities to peacefully resist efforts to evacuate the communities. Political opponents charge that the intended peaceful civil disobedience amounts to criminal incitement.
4. ISRAELI TROOPS RETURN TO GAZA AREA TO QUELL ROCKETS… Israeli troops returned to the Khan Younis refugee camp on Wednesday as part of continuing efforts to end the launching of rockets and mortars at Israeli communities. A large operation that had been mounted in that area over the weekend failed to end the flow of Qassam rockets and mortars. At least 15 more fell on Israeli targets since ‘Operation Orange Metal’ concluded on Saturday night. Eleven Palestinians were killed in fighting with Israeli troops during that time. On Tuesday, a synagogue in an Israeli community inside the Gaza Strip was struck by anti-tank missiles during prayer services. A second missile exploded near a kindergarten. There was extensive damage but no casualties.
5. AD CAMPAIGN FOR ‘GENEVA INITIATIVE’ FEATURES ISRAELIS SPEAKING TO PALESTINIANS AND VICE VERSA… A new ad campaign for a Mideast peace plan features prominent Israelis and Palestinians speaking to each other’s constituents – on film. The Geneva Initiative was launched one year ago by Israeli and Palestinian politicians outside of government. Israelis speak about peace to Palestinians in ads airing on Palestinian television while Palestinians address Israelis in ads being run prior to feature films in movie theaters and on Internet sites. Organizers have asked to buy ad time on Israel’s two commercial stations.