Today's Situation

WORLD WAR WARNING, October 18, 2007

With Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on his way to Moscow for an emergency meeting with President Vladimir Putin, all four of Israel's main daily newspapers lead with comments by U.S. President George W. Bush, who warned Wednesday that a nuclear armed Iran could spark the start of the Third World War.

Bush's comments came after Putin met earlier this week with his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, where he defended Tehran's right to develop a civilian nuclear-power program, a statement that contrasted with the Bush administration's expectation that he would take a harder line toward Ahmadinejad's uranium-enrichment ambitions. 'We got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel,' Bush said of Ahmadinejad.

Haaretz describes Olmert's trip as 'a new push for tougher sanctions against Iran,' adding that Israel is set to launch a new diplomatic effort to lobby United Nations Security Council members. Olmert is also due to meet in Paris on Sunday with President Nicolas Sarkozy about ways to halt the Iranian nuclear program, before continuing on to London on Tuesday and for talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, meanwhile, is on her way to China to press the leadership in Beijing on the same issue.

Also on the agenda for Putin and Olmert are a number of regional issues, including the peace process with the Palestinians. Olmert will also discuss the fate of kidnapped IDF soldiers, according to the London-based Al Hayat Arabic language newspaper. It quoted Russian sources as saying Putin discussed the issue on his trip earlier this week to Iran.

On the diplomatic front, meanwhile, Israel Radio reports that that a joint declaration between the Israelis and Palestinians is being formulated ahead of the international conference planned for November in Annapolis, Maryland. The declaration will relate to the core issues of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees and permanent borders but will offer no solutions.

Before leaving for London where she will meet with King Abdullah of Jordan, U.S. Secretary Condoleezza Rice met Wednesday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, followed by a meeting with Olmert and Livni on Wednesday evening. After the meeting, Livni cautioned against high expectations ahead of the summit which could lead to frustration and violence.

Speaking meanwhile on Wednesday night, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter expressed concern over Israel's generosity and its desire to reach a permanent status agreement with the Palestinians - even if it means skipping a few stages along the way. Dichter said that negotiations with the Palestinians cannot go on without the building of a law enforcement framework that would include effective policing and security agencies.

The minister told a Tel Aviv audience that some 200 tons of explosives have entered the Gaza Strip since Hamas seized control in June and Gaza has become a terrorist entity. Regarding a Palestinian state, Dichter said Israel cannot afford another terror state between it and the Jordan River.

Abu Mazin, meanwhile, warned that he would not attend the U.S.-sponsored Mideast conference at Annapolis, Maryland unless it has a good chance of yielding concrete results. He accused Israel of hampering peace efforts.

Finally, wire services report in an upsurge in factional violence in the Gaza Strip, with four Palestinians killed overnight Thursday. According to eyewitness reports, paramilitaries in Hamas' self-styled police Executive Force armed with anti-tank missiles exchanged fire with members of a powerful Gaza clan, the majority of which supports political rivals Fateh.

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