BULLETIN No.112

Washington Times Olmert's unilateralist vision
Analysis: Civil war is closer than ever in Palestinian territories
Editorial A Palestinian Lifeline Hamas has only benefited from the West's attempt to starve its government.
CFR Brown: A Time for ‘Quiet Diplomacy’ Between Israel and Hamas?
The incredible shrinking Palestine By Sandy Tolan THE HISTORY of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be glimpsed through a series of maps.
In Gaza, Politics at the End of a Gun Foot Soldiers Carry Power Struggle of Hamas and Fatah Into the Streets
Abbas acts to stop war in GazaSeries of attacks raises fear of a slide into civil war.
Ha’aretz – Israel and U.S. at odds over nuke treaty proposal Israel objects to treaty that would forbid production of fissionable materials for use in nuclear weapons.
Israel should face sanctions Ronnie Kasrils and Victoria Brittain: The Palestine crisis is now more dramatic even than apartheid, but it is the victims who are punished.
IHT Olmert goes to Washington AARON DAVID MILLER Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel's visit to Washington will not provide answers to his key problems.
Ha’aretz – ANALYSIS: Olmert's trip to U.S. is a first lesson in diplomacy The outside world is not interested in Israel's Jewish majority, and is not concerned with costs of pullout
Boston Globe Olmert in the Oval Office (By Daniel Levy)
U.S. to give Olmert 'new ideas' for talks with PA
Olmert Visits Bush as PA Chaos Spreads
Iran likely to top agenda as Olmert meets Bush in US
Olmert: Iran Close to Atomic Bomb Know-How...
Expansion of settlements Israel has continued its policy of expanding its settlements in the West Bank by approving an extension to the boundaries of four existing projects.
Christian Science Monitor Moderate voices vie for clout within Hamas A recent poll shows most Palestinians prefer negotiation with Israel to letting it act unilaterally.
A Palestinian collapse: something Israel cannot afford By Yossi Alpher
Israeli economy leaves Palestinians behind As West Bank and Gaza teeter on the brink, Israel grows at a torrid pace.
Palestinians turn on each other As Hamas and Fatah vie for control of security, Israel relaxes its stance to ease hardship
Top Israelis Meet With Palestinian Leader
The impact of Israel’s retreats on US interests
Tony Karon How Jewish is Israel? Israel's relevance to Judaism's survival depends first and foremost on its ability to deliver justice, not only to its citizens, but to those it has displaced.
Zvi Bar’el Is there an Iranian partner?In his letter to Bush, Ahmadinejad does not again call for the destruction of Israel, but rather says that the Iranian atom should not be translated into a threat to the 'Zionist regime'.
Is Israeli Dual Citizenship A Security Risk?
Yedioth Ahronoth 'We won't back convergence' Senior US government sources, speaking ahead of Olmert's Washington visit, say that the US won't support, or object to the convergence plan. Washington prefers to wait to see if Hamas will change path or lose power
The Economist Israel Who's a citizen?

Iran And Syria Hold Talks
UPI Analysis: U.N. turns up the pressure on Syria
Daily Star Issue of Lebanese-Syrian relations needs to be revisited
Syria Comment
Phil Weiss of New York Observer
Landis Responds to Michael Young
Iraqis Keep Flooding into Syria
"The Attempt to Disarm Hizbullah is Ruining Chances for Reform in Lebanon," by Reinoud Leenders
Syria Gets an "A" on Security

Washington Post What We Need to Tell Iran By David Ignatius, How do you answer a letter from an Iranian president that catalogues the perfidies of U.S. policy and then sweetly asks America to "return to the teachings of the prophets"? So far President Bush hasn't -- but he should.
BBC Doubts over Iran nuclear capacity Iran's nuclear programme may not be as advanced as it has claimed, Western diplomatic sources tell the BBC.
UPI Policy Watch: 'Libyan model' for Iran and N. Korea?
Libya and Iran - Jerusalem PostWeekly Standard Reading Ahmadinejad in WashingtonThe Iranian president's letter needs to be taken seriously. by Hillel Fradkin
Iran's Iraq Strategy Tehran Could Retaliate Against Washington by Striking Next Door By Steven Simon and Ray Takeyh

Sunday Times SIMON JENKINS: We must partition Iraq and get out now
OpenDemocracy Iraq's partition fantasy Supporters of the "controlled division" of Iraq ignore the lessons of the nation's complex history, says Reidar Visser
A Plan for Victory in Iraqby Frederick W. Kagan
Christian Science Monitor Biden gets real on Iraq Reorganizing Iraq along ethnic and religious lines would be the best hope for that country's stability. By Patrick Chisholm
It's no time to quit Iraq — we're winning William Shawcross reports from Basra on how Britain is training a new Iraqi army — but warns against too early a handover
Iraq's new government aims to promote peace Prime Minister Maliki says he will focus on fighting insurgents and disarming sectarian militias.
Outside View: The problem of Iraq's militias By Anthony H. Cordesman
How the Bush Administration Deconstructed Iraqby Michael Schwartz & Tom Engelhardt
The Real Iraq - Amir Taheri, Commentary
Why Sunni are key in sectarian warfare

Amir Oren From convergence to submergence With the United States preoccupied with Iran and Iraq, Israel and its disputes are secondary. Its mission at present: not to interfere with America's main effort.