Gunman in Jerusalem Attack Identified

by Steven Erlanger and Isabel Kershner (The New York Times)

A gunman entered a prominent Jewish seminary in the heart of Jerusalem on Thursday night, killing at least eight students and wounding at least nine others, three of them seriously, the Israeli police said.

In a scene of havoc and confusion while the students prayed, the gunman killed two people at the entrance to the Mercaz Harav yeshiva and then entered the first-floor library, spraying the religious students with gunfire from a Kalashnikov rifle, according to the Israeli police.

Posted on: 03/07/08

Closure Imposed on West Bank

by Aviram Zino (Ynet)

Defense Minister Ehud Barak has ordered the IDF to impose a closure on the West Bank following the terror attack. The closure is set to continue until security forces reevaluate the situation in several days.

The crossings were closed on Thursday night. However, passage will be allowed in humanitarian and medical cases, subject to the approval of the District Coordination Office.

Posted on: 03/07/08

Olmert: Talks With Syria Worth Serious Consideration

by Yossi Verter and Barak Ravid (Haaretz)

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert believes negotiations with Syria should be seriously considered "if this would bring an end to its involvement in terrorism and extricate it from the axis of evil." Speaking at a briefing on the situation in the South to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday, Olmert said that the Syrian leadership is aware of his position.

Israel is also planning to initiate a broad diplomatic effort in order to reach an agreement with Egypt on regulating the security situation along the Gaza-Sinai border, and countering arms smuggling into the Strip. The political-security cabinet instructed the foreign and defense ministries to step up contacts with Egypt on this issue.

Posted on: 03/07/08

Egypt Holds Inconclusive Talks With Hamas on Truce

by Nidal al-Mughrabi (Reuters)

Egypt held inconclusive talks on Thursday with leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, part of a U.S.-backed push for a truce between the groups and Israel to halt a surge in violence.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders said after the meeting they would study the Egyptian proposal but were non-committal.

Posted on: 03/07/08

Leveraging Regional Support

"What happens in Gaza is not a local matter, it has regional implications. Hamas is supported by Iran and Syria; the Muslim-Arab world is carefully monitoring the situation to see if Hamas wins or not … and what is Israel’s staying power."
–Brigadier General (ret.) Amos Gilboa, intelligence adviser, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, “The Gaza Test,” M’aariv, March 6, 2008 (translated by Middle East Bulletin)

VS.

“We have to ask ourselves now, following Annapolis, whether we can take advantage of the Arab Initiative, whether we can take advantage of the Arab states’ willingness to take part in the process, and the answer obviously has to be yes. We all remember Camp David, one of the reasons for its failure was the reluctance of the Arab states to support such an act. Now we have to realize that the Arab states will support and assist to advance the peace process. The question is what we should do.”
–Dr. David Kimche, former director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and deputy head of Mossad, Geneva Initiative conference, January 13, 2008 (translated by Middle East Bulletin)