1. HAMAS APPARENTLY WINS PALESTINIAN ELECTION… The ruling Fatah party says that Hamas has won the Palestinian elections, capturing the majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council. According to the latest unofficial tally, it appears that Hamas took 70 seats in the 132-seat PLC. Hamas has claimed victory. The strong showing by Hamas has sent shockwaves through the American and Israeli governments which have been trying to formulate policies for dealing with a Palestinian government that includes Hamas – not one led by Hamas. President Bush told the Wall Street Journal this week that he will not deal with Hamas members. But neither the President nor any other government official has said what the policy will be in regard to a new Palestinian government. Palestinian election officials canceled a scheduled news conference set for 9 a.m. at which time election results were to have been released. It has now been reset for the end of the day.
2. AL-AQ’SA MARTYRS BRIGADES SHOWS OFF NEW MISSILES IT SAYS HAVE A 16-MILE RANGE… The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the terrorist group that is affiliated with the mainstream Fatah party headed by Mahmoud ‘Abbas, told The Media Line on Wednesday that its new missile, dubbed the ‘Al-Aq’sa 207’, is ready for use. The group claims that unlike the Qassam rockets that have plagued Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip which have a range of only about five miles, or the old-version Al-Aq’sa 107 with a range of 11 miles, the 207 can travel 16 miles which places Israel’s population centers cleanly in the crosshairs if launched from the West Bank. Israeli defense analysts warned before the unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip that following the pullout, more sophisticated weapons like the new Al-Aq’sa 207 will find their way into the West Bank. Earlier this month, Israeli officials revealed that for the first time a Palestinian rocket was successfully launched at an Israeli target in the West Bank three weeks prior.
3. OLMERT SAYS SPEED UP BARRIER CONSTRUCTION; PALESTINIANS CALL IT UNILATERAL BORDERS… Israel’s Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered construction of the controversial buffer between Israeli and Palestinian areas to be completed at a faster pace. While some Israelis said the move was an election-related move, Palestinians reacted angrily, accusing Olmert of a “land grab” and of unilaterally setting borders. About half of the 370-mile project has been completed, but in some areas, particularly those around Jerusalem, construction has been halted by court orders. Palestinians argue that their allegations are supported by Olmert’s decision to alter the route of the barrier so that Jerusalem’s post-1967 neighborhood of Ramot is separated from a neighboring Arab village. Since construction began, Israeli officials have denied that the barrier was an attempt to set borders. But recently, Tzipi Livni, the new Foreign Minister who was then Justice Minister, made the connection between the route of the fence and what she called, “Israel’s future borders.”
4. VIETNAM SIGNS AVIATION AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL… Vietnam has signed an aviation agreement with Israel that will create the framework for future direct flights between the two nations. Vietnamese Deputy Minister Nguyen Tien Sam said the agreement will facilitate direct flights which will help boost bilateral economic, cultural, scientific and technological cooperation. It is now up to the two nations’ civil aviation authorities to convince their respective flag carriers to begin flying the new route.