Blair Floats Palestinian Jobs Plan

In his first major undertaking as the international community's Mideast envoy, Tony Blair will disclose plans today to provide tens of thousands of jobs for Palestinians, the Guardian reports. The multimillion-dollar projects come in the lead-up to the peace talks in Annapolis next week. "This is part of the Blair mandate to find 'quick impact projects,'" said a British official.

The projects, which Blair describes as "designed to give some sense things could change on the ground," will likely include a trade park and road construction in the West Bank. That represents a possible work-around for Israeli checkpoints that impede commerce in the occupied territories. Another potential project is a sewage system in Gaza; how that will sit with Hamas, which controls the area, is unclear. (More Israel and Palestinians stories.)