1. TOP ISRAELI MINISTERS SAY WITHDRAW FROM GAZA EARLIER…Two of Israel’s most senior government ministers are calling for the Gaza withdrawal to take place earlier than planned. Shimon Peres and Ehud Olmert have raised the idea after unprecedented confrontations between Israeli police officers and opponents of the pullback. Israel is scheduled to withdraw all civilians and soldiers from the Gaza Strip in an operation slated to begin on August 15.
2. ANTI-GAZA PROTEST FIZZLES OUT…Some 1,500 protesters are still locked into a southern Israeli village on the fourth day of their protest against the Gaza-withdrawal plan. They are part of an original group which numbered well over 10,000. However, the decision of Israeli police officers not to allow the demonstrators to march towards Gaza weakened the resolve of the majority. Over the last 24 hours they asked police officers to be allowed to leave the village, giving the commitment that they would return to their homes and not attempt to bypass roadblocks set up to prevent them reaching Gaza.
3. RICE IN SUDAN…United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in the Arab country Sudan on Thursday. She is there to witness at first hand the devastation caused by the government-backed militia in the western Darfur region. Before leaving the U.S., Rice described the atrocities committed in Sudan as genocide. It is estimated that tens of thousands of people have been killed and as many as two million made homeless in Darfur.
4. PAKISTAN ARRESTS 200…Pakistani authorities say the country’s security forces have arrested some 200 Islamists over the last day. The sweep across Pakistan is part of Islamabad’s response to the fact that three of the four London bombers visited the country in the months ahead of the terror attacks. Pakistan is denying it is reacting because of international pressure.
5. UK, JORDAN AGREE ON DEPORTATIONS…The United Kingdom and Jordan have reached agreement on the deportation of any Jordanian nationals that the United Kingdom deems to be Muslim extremists. Following the London bombings two weeks ago, the UK is having to establish new deportation agreements on a nation-by-nation basis. The reason is because international human-rights law forbids sovereign nations from deporting individuals to countries where they may face execution or other forms of punishment deemed illegal. Several other countries are expected to reach similar agreements with London.