Takes mission to Jerusalem, West Bank
Reuters Aug 1, 07 1:12 PM CDT
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Condoleezza Rice took her diplomatic tour to Jerusalem and the West Bank today, hoping to rekindle peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian government of Mahmoud Abbas. Rice comes bearing a promise from Saudi Arabia to support the peace conference proposed by the White House for later this year, Reuters reports.
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Ozomatli incorporates Arab musician's beats into its Latin music
Los Angeles Times Aug 1, 07 6:17 AM CDT
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In an effort to bolster its image in Muslim countries, the US is sending a group of Los Angeles musicians to the Arab world as cultural ambassadors. The band Ozomatli, whose members frequently bash Bush administration policies and the Iraq war, is touring the Mideast on the government's dime, drawing appreciative crowds and fielding questions about US foreign policy.
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Jerusalem Post (Israel) Jul 30, 07 4:19 PM CDT
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Israel is investigating reports that Russia will supply Iran with $1 billion in long-range fighter jets and aerial fuel tankers, the Jerusalem Post says. Israeli officials say the pact could be a partial response to a billion-dollar US arms deal with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
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Rice pitches strategy to help contain Iran
Reuters Jul 30, 07 3:48 PM CDT
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More than $43 billion in US military aid is earmarked for the Middle East, Reuters reports, part of a strategy to fight terrorism and counterbalance Iran. The outlays, which require congressional approval, include $13 billion to Egypt, $30 billion to Israel, and an unspecified amount to Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced today.
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Israeli, Jordanian collaboration bodes well for Mideast prospects
Associated Press Jul 16, 07 9:36 AM CDT
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The border between Jordan and Israel is not easy for citizens of either nation to cross. But it doesn't exist for the barn owls Israeli farmers use to keep rats from eating their date palm trees; they fly into nearby farms in Jordan all the time, and were being killed by the pesticides used there. Enlisting their neighbors across the border to try using owls instead was the only solution.
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Old allies pull Israeli prime minister back from brink of disaster
Salon Jul 3, 07 10:55 AM CDT
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Ehud Olmer's year and a half in office have been a calamity for Israel—the election of Hamas in Palestine, the breakdown of the peace process, the botched war with Hezbollah, the Hamas takeover of Gaza. But the profoundly unpopular PM, whose approval rating sank to 3%, is actually in a strongest position he's enjoyed in a year, reports Salon .
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Civil army rules the streets with show of force, but no law
Wall Street Journal Jul 3, 07 7:44 AM CDT
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Two weeks of Hamas rule have brought calm to Gaza—beaches are crowded, streets are choked with cars and donkey carts—but it is order delivered at the point of a gun. The Executive Force, Hamas's civil army, has seized control, bringing overwhelming force to bear on drug-dealers and clan disputes, the Wall Street Journal reports. Even the traditional firing of guns into the air at weddings has been banned.
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Food is hard to come by for Palestinians in Hamas-controlled region
Globe and Mail Jun 29, 07 3:00 PM CDT
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Fuel shortages have become familiar, and now food staples like flour and sugar are increasingly hard to come by in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Aid agencies are doing their best to forestall an impending humanitarian crisis, the Globe and Mail reports, but with the main commercial crossing from Israel closed indefinitely, they are having trouble keeping up.
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Former Brit chief 'not honest, not helpful'
BBC Jun 28, 07 5:18 AM CDT
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Hamas, the Palestinian group now in control of Gaza, blasted Tony Blair's appointment as a Mideast peace envoy yesterday, characterizing the former British prime minister as "not honest and not helpful," and a puppet of the US and Israel, the BBC reports. Blair's new role, formalized hours after he departed 10 Downing Street, has been hailed by Israel and the Fatah-contolled Palestinian Authority.
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He'll prepare Palestinians for Israeli talks
Guardian (UK) Jun 26, 07 4:31 AM CDT
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Tony Blair will move into a key post as international Mideast peace envoy after wrapping up 10 years as British prime minister tomorrow. President Bush personally mounted an "enormous push" for the appointment, which will be based in Jerusalem and will involve working with the Palestinians to prepare for negotiations with Israel, the Guardian reports.
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Abbas and Olmert to meet in effort to isolate Hamas
Reuters Jun 21, 07 6:21 PM CDT
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Alarmed by the Hamas takeover in Gaza, Egypt will host a summit Monday, bringing together the Western-backed Palestinian president and the Israeli PM, along with Jordanian and Egyptian leaders, Reuters reports. The move is a show of support for the moderate Mamoud Abbas-led emergency government, and an effort to isolate Hamas, reports the AP.
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Soon-to-be-former PM would focus on groundwork for a Palestinian state
Washington Post Jun 21, 07 7:25 AM CDT
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Outgoing British PM Tony Blair may step into a new role as a Mideast envoy focusing on the development of a viable Palestinian state, the Washington Post reports. Blair would concentrate on economic and governance issues; he would represent the quartet of world players involved in Mideast peace efforts—the US, the UN, the EU and Russia.
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