1. FATAH REPS TO WASHINGTON FOR TALKS… Three leaders of Yassir Arafat’s Fatah faction are heading to Washington for talks they say are aimed at bringing a truce to the region. The trip comes at the invitation of Democratic members of Congress and appears to lack any official basis. Since two of the Fatah representatives were involved in creating the “Geneva Initiative,” — a draft peace agreement with no government backing — and because the planned Washington meetings are to be held with minority members of Congress and non-governmental organizations, analysts believe that the trip is another effort by sponsors of the Geneva plan to further their proposal outside of official government channels – this time end-running the American government. President Bush has made Yassir Arafat persona non grata, and it is unlikely that his intimates would be welcome in Washington under the aegis of the Administration.
2. ISRAELI MILITARY OPERATIONS IN GAZA CONTINUE… Israeli troops over the weekend continued a search and destroy mission aimed at locating tunnels used to smuggle arms and terrorists into the Gaza Strip from Egypt. Two armed Hamas members were killed along with a bystander and 16 were injured when the Israelis fired on Palestinians caught in the act of laying down explosives along paths used by Israeli forces. The two were senior Hamas leaders, prompting threats of revenge from their organization. The operation to find and destroy tunnels began a week ago. Sixteen Palestinians have been killed in the course of the mission, and a number of tunnels were discovered and demolished.
3. U.S. GOVERNMENT HALTS ALL TRAVEL IN GAZA… The U.S. government has halted all travel by its personnel in the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of Wednesday’s bombing of an American convoy that killed three. It is also being reported that new travel precautions are being considered for any American personnel traveling in any of the Palestinian territories. The Bush Administration will continue to provide aid to the Palestinians and there will be no let up in providing consular services to Palestinians. The FBI team investigating the bombing was briefed by the Palestinians on their findings to date and on the arrests they have made, while Israel insists that the arrests are meaningless and no significant Palestinian response has been made.
4. SHARON TO REITERATE SUPPORT FOR ROAD MAP; WANTS TALKS WITH QUREI’… Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will use his address to the opening session of the Knesset (Parliament) on Sunday to reiterate his support for the ‘Road Map for Peace.’ According to media reports, Sharon will call the plan “the only acceptable diplomatic option.” He will include his 14 “reservations” about the plan. Although the comments are largely ignored by the international community, they remain an important element of Sharon’s efforts to sell the idea to the Israeli public. The effort to boost the floundering peace plan has taken on new urgency since Sharon’s left-wing opposition crafted an alternative agreement with Palestinian representatives. That plan is now being marketed by American opposition politicians in a mirror-image of the Israeli effort. Sharon, needing to demonstrate that the government-sanctioned plan remains viable while staying firm on security, received another setback when Palestinian sources reported that Ahmad Qurei’, the PA’s prime minister, rejected an invitation to meet with the Israeli PM and renew talks. According to Israel’s Channel Two television, Qurei’ wants to shore up his own base of support first.
5. SNAGS DELAY CONCLUSION OF PRISONER EXCHANGE AGREEMENT… Negotiations to conclude an increasingly controversial prisoner swap between Israel and the Hizbullah terrorist organization have bogged down amid procedural problems between the parties, opposition from the Israeli public and legal challenges. Differences of opinion remain over the identities of those to be set free by Israel. Israel again claims it will not release those with “blood on their hands” – a subjective term that has been a factor in previous prisoner releases. At least three suicide bombings were carried out in past weeks by terrorists released several months ago by Israel as a confidence-building gesture to Mahmoud ‘Abbas, then the Palestinian prime minister. A large rally commemorating the 17th year of Ron Arad’s captivity expressed anger at Sharon for negotiating a prisoner swap that abandons the missing airman. The Arad family has asked the Supreme Court to prevent the release of one of the prime bargaining chips, Mu’stafa Dirani. Nevertheless, Ariel Sharon remains intent on giving up hundreds of prisoners to obtain the release of Elhanan Tennenbaum who has been held for three years and whose true role remains the subject of tight government security. Media have sued for the release of the facts surrounding Tennenbaum’s capture.
6. D.C.-AREA CHARITY GROUP SUSPECTED OF FUNNELING MILLIONS TO TERRORISTS: WASHINGTON POST… The U.S. Department of Homeland Security believes that the SAAR Network/SAFA Group, a network of charities and think tanks, has funneled at least $26 million to terrorist organizations including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al-Qa’ida, according to the Washington Post. According to the newspaper, most of the money came from Saudi Arabian donors. An attorney for those named in the DHS affidavit quoted by the Post denied the allegations and said that it was “rank speculation.”
7. PA BELIEVED TO HAVE ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSILES… A Palestinian security officer told Israeli interrogators that notwithstanding efforts by Israeli military to locate and destroy tunnels linking the Gaza Strip to Egypt, the Palestinian Authority has succeeded in smuggling significant arms that include anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, terrorists, semi-automatic weapons and ammunition. According to the MENL news agency, the weapon referred-to is the Soviet-made SA-7 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile. The Palestinian also revealed that Muhammad Dahlan, former security chief who was ousted along with Mahmoud ‘Abbas and who has close ties to Israeli leaders and is favored by the Bush Administration, paid for and received some of the missiles and other weapons. During the short reign of ‘Abbas, the U.S. transferred millions of dollars to Dahlan as part of an effort to improve security services under his control.
8. MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER STANDS BY HIS ANTI-JEWISH REMARKS; CHIRAC BLOCKS REBUKE… Malaysian Prime Minister Mahatir Muhammad is not sorry that he said that “Jews rule the world by proxy.” Although faced with rebuke from throughout the world, Muhammad stood by his remarks and criticized those who he said “feel that while it is proper to criticize Muslims and Arabs, it is not proper to criticize Europeans and Jews. Apparently, they think they are privileged people.” French Prime Minister Chirac prevented the European Union from including condemnation of Muhammad’s comments in its closing statement at the conference. He claimed it was not the place to do so, even though the offensive remarks were made in the context of the opening remarks of that conference.
9. ISRAEL WANTS TO BLOCK U.S. ARMS SALES TO EGYPT… Israel is increasingly concerned over American arms sales to Egypt and is making overt attempts to prevent the transfer of specific weapons. Last week, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told the newspaper Ma’ariv of his concern over Egypt’s build-up of American arms. Referring to the vast array of sophisticated weaponry, Mofaz warned, “A new reality may develop that in a few years there will be a different leadership in Egypt and that could change how they relate to Israel.” Israel’s Army Radio reported that Israel is trying to stop the United States from selling Egypt bombs equipped with the Joint Direct Attack Munition System – a device to provide accuracy to bombs in adverse weather conditions. Also of concern is the rapid expansion of the Egyptian navy assisted by the United States and Germany.
10. ALL-WOMAN COMBAT UNIT BEING FORMED IN ISRAELI ARMY… Plans for an all-female combat unit in the Israeli army are being finalized, according to media reports. A fourth female combat platoon is scheduled to be added within a few months and military brass are now discussing whether to appoint a female officer to head the new batallion. Also under review is the specific role to be filled by the women. The existing platoons are trained for work with artillery and for emergency roles relating to non-conventional warfare.