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Friday, September 5, 2003

Pomegrante painting on paper by Silvia Rosenberg

A leading Hamas commander was believed killed this morning in a shootout in Nablus are with IDF soldiers who were on a routine sweep and arrest mission. But the main IDF-related story of the day was an Israel Radio report complaining that the soldier killed in Jenin yesterday was not wearing a ceramic flak jacket, making him more vulnerable than necessary to gunshots. The army said it does not have enough ceramic vests for every combat soldier during every operation, 'especially when there are many operations underway as there were yesterday,' said the battalion commander.

As the number of Jerusalem bombing victims rose to 22 after a Netanya man who was seriously wounded in the mid-August blast that Israel said put an end to the hudna ceaee-fire, Palestinian Premier Mahmoud Abbas was widely noted in the Israeli press this morning as blaming Israel for the breakdown in the cease-fire. Reports out of the Palestinian Legislative council said Abbas would be appearing in a closed doors session of the council tomorrow to discuss his power struggle with PA Chairman Yasser Arafat, who sent protesters yesterday to demonstrate against Abbas as he delivered his 100-day speech to the PLC. Abbas has been dodging a no-confidence vote for more than a month, but it now looms - perhaps as early as next week - after 18 PLC members filed motions for such a vote. Palestinian Basic Law requires only 10 PLC members to ask for such a vote for one to take place. The prevailing political prognosis among Israeli commentators regarding the crisis in the Palestinian political arena was neatly summed up today by a political carton in Maariv showing Abbas sitting across the table from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Sharon is saying 'if you quit, I'll expel Arafat,' and Abbas is saying 'if you expel Arafat I'll quit.'

In any case, while Jerusalem was pushing the story that Dov Weisglass, the increasingly powerful bureau chief in Sharon's office heard from U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice that Washington sees eye to eye with Jerusalem on the Palestinian political crisis, there were some reports that Rice also made clear to Weisglass that the U.S. does not want to see Arafat expelled or harmed, and that it is time for Israel to take some steps that help Abbas, like lifting checkpoints and removing outposts if not immediately freezing settlements. Jerusalem is also on edge in expectation of a decision by the European Union foreign ministers about a blanket listing of Hamas - both its political and military wings - as a terrorist organization, which would help cut off funding to the Islamic fundamentalist group.

The EU decision is supposedly due next week, as is a first-time visit to India by an Israeli premier. But Sharon, who is heading a 150-member delegation including three ministers, businessmen and artists, will have to forgo a trip to the Taj Mahal. The Indian authorities turned down a request that Sharon's armored car be allowed into the Taj Mahal compound. Israeli VIP security doesn't ant to take any chances in India, which has become the world's largest buyer of Israeli military sales and where there are growing ties between the two defense establishments.

Sharon's trip to India will temporarily at least take his mind off the legal troubles his two sons are facing as a result of their efforts to help their father. Reports in the press today said police would question the prime minister after his return from India. Sharon is expected to maintain the line he has taken since the scandals began to break into the open - ask my sons. And the sons, meanwhile, remain silent. Sharon, by the way, was said to have had the flu this week, though it wasn't reported in the pres until he recovered and was making public appearances again.

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