Israeli Political Crisis Overshadows Rice’s Trip

by Ethan Bronner (The New York Times)

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held a series of talks on Israeli-Palestinian peace here on Sunday, saying she believed an accord was attainable by year’s end. But the process was overshadowed by an intensifying police investigation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel.

“We continue to believe that it is an achievable goal to have an agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis by the end of the year and by the end of President Bush’s term,” Ms. Rice said. She focused some of her comments on the need for Israel to make daily life easier for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank.

Posted on: 05/05/08

Panel: Modi’in Illit Should Be City, Despite Illegal Construction

by Akiva Eldar (Haaretz)

The ultra-Orthodox settlement of Modi’in Illit in the West Bank should be granted city status despite suspicions that its council members were involved in authorizing illegal construction, an ad hoc committee set up by the Interior Ministry has recommended.

The committee’s decision contradicts expert opinions that severely criticized Modi’in Illit’s council for its involvement in approving the construction of Matityahu East, a new neighborhood that borders the Palestinian town of Bil’in.

Posted on: 05/05/08

Bush Seeks $200m in Funding for PA

by Hilary Leila Krieger (The Jerusalem Post)

As international donors met in London to provide aid to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority, U.S. President George W. Bush included $200 million in funding for the PA as part of a supplemental budget request sent to Congress on Friday.

Such funds would come on top of some $100 million already requested for the PA under the 2009 budget submitted in January, which is meant to strengthen government reforms, improve health and education and spur economic growth among other efforts.

Posted on: 05/05/08

Israel to Delay Visit of Egyptian Official over Shalit

by Roni Sofer (Ynet)

Disappointed by the lack of progress on the matter of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit and Cairo’s disinclination to put an end to the smuggling of arms across its border into Hamas-controlled Gaza, Israel is now looking to delay the announced visit of Egyptian intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman.

Suleiman was scheduled to travel to Israel in the coming days to present an Egyptian- backed truce agreement agreed on by Hamas and other Palestinian factions.

Posted on: 05/05/08

Skillful and Robust U.S. Role Required

"Ultimately, this is for the Israelis and the Palestinians to come to an agreement. Each party has more to do—and given the serious commitment of the leaders, the president remains confident that defining a state by the end of the year is still possible."
–Gordon Johndroe, White House spokesperson, April 25, 2008

VS.

“Even with a robust and more skillful U.S. role, there is no guarantee of success in the peace process, for such success depends first and foremost on the will of the parties to address problems through negotiations, not violence, and to reach agreement on the core issues still in dispute. But without a robust U.S. role, a peace process conducted solely by the parties themselves is unlikely to succeed. The U.S. can help the parties identify creative bridging solutions on substantive issues, and can help deal with the issues outside the negotiations that help or hurt the atmosphere for the negotiations.”
–Daniel C. Kurtzer, former U.S. ambassador to Israel and Egypt, Rosner’s Guest, Haaretz, March 23, 2008