Today's Situation

ALL CHANGE; NO CHANGE, August 29, 2007

The day after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met in Jerusalem, there was confusion in the media over what the two men actually discussed.

According to Israel Radio, there was 'a dramatic turn of events' at the meeting, which it says touched on final status issues, including a division of control over parts of East Jerusalem. According to the report, proposals are being drawn up that would comprise a working paper that is to be concluded by the time U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits next month. Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon is to head the Israeli team, according to Israel Radio.

In contrast, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Tuesday that, despite reports to the contrary, Olmert and Abbas did not discuss 'final status' issues in their meeting. Palestinians 'shouldn't build up their expectations,' Erekat said, since the borders of a potential Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem, and the return of millions of Palestinian refugees were not part of the talks.

In what can only be seen as an attempt to muddy the waters still further, an Israeli government spokesman said Tuesday that Olmert and Abbas had discussed 'fundamental issues' during their meeting. 

Ynet, meanwhile, carries comments from Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who said in an interview published Wednesday that Israel has not carried out even one move it committed to.

Speaking to Jordanian newspaper al-Dustour, Fayyad was asked what he thought about Israel's ongoing activity in the West Bank and assassinations in the Gaza Strip.

'This proves that there is a big difference between the talks on cooperation and ease of restriction and happens in practice. This is one of the reasons for failure, and we are taking this seriously and following it on all levels,' he replied.

'The Palestinian citizens must realize that not everything reported in the media - according to which Israel will ease restrictions and create a new atmosphere - actually takes place,' the Palestinian prime minister added. 'Israel did no carry out even one move it committed to in terms of the removal of checkpoints, the humiliation of our people at those checkpoints, not to mention the raids, assassinations and settlements.'

In the meantime, Haaretz reports that Defense Minister Ehud Barak is set to propose a series of mobile roadblocks in the West Bank, in order to allow the IDF to remove the permanent barriers that severely restrict freedom of movement for Palestinians, while still safeguarding Israeli security. While Barak has reportedly already held meetings with senior defense officials to discuss his idea, he stressed that it could not be carried out for some time, as troops would need extensive training in the new method of checkpoint operation before the project could begin.

Another issue that was on the agenda at Tuesday's meeting between Abbas and Olmert was the possible pardon for a group of Palestinians who were exiled from the West Bank after they took control of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and were subsequently sent to Gaza and to various European destinations.

According to The Jerusalem Post, meanwhile, Palestinian Authority officials have claimed that the European Union has held secret talks with Hamas.  The PA officials did not identify the EU officials in question. The EU officials reportedly met with Ismail Haniyeh, who continues to serve as PA head in Gaza despite being deposed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, and senior Hamas figure Mahmoud a-Zahar. The meetings focused on security issues, the sources said. EU officials denied the reports.

Maariv, meanwhile, leads with a report that the IDF has relocated a training exercise that was planned to be held on the Golan Heights, in an effort to defuse tensions between Israel and Syria. According to the report, the Syrian army has also returned to its regular deployment in the disputed territory, and it is now widely believed that there chances of war between the two nations in the near future have decreased significantly.

On the Iranian front, U.S. President George W. Bush on Tuesday raised the specter of a 'nuclear holocaust' in the Middle East if Tehran gets atomic weapons, and demanded that Tehran end support for extremists in Iraq.

'Iran's actions threaten the security of nations everywhere, and the United States is rallying friends and allies to isolate Iran's regime, to impose economic sanctions,' Bush told the American Legion veterans group.

Finally, the Israel Prisons Service has denied Nahum Manbar's request to reduce one-third of his sentence. Manbar was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 1998 after being convicted of aiding and abetting an enemy of the state and weapons trafficking with Iran. The prison service said Manbar was still classed a danger to the public interest. Nevertheless, Channel 10 television reported that Manbar has been allowed some 60 home visits during his 9 years in jail so far.

Today's Situation || Yesterday's Situation