Thursday, August 2, 2007

The Middle East in Focus

This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:

"Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice." (Psalm 112:5)

1. Rice will ask Israel to move 'to the next level' with PA - Jerusalem Post

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be keen on keeping alive the fledgling sense of momentum in the diplomatic process during a 24-hour visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority beginning on Wednesday afternoon, government officials said in advance of her arrival.

2. Arab League skeptical of Bush's peace plan, demands Israel return Golan - Israel Insider

The Arab League said yesterday that it would consider President George W. Bush's call for a Mideast conference in the fall to discuss the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, on the condition that Israel concede the Golan Heights to Syria.

3. Putin: 'You're the PA's legitimate leader' - Jerusalem Post

President Vladimir Putin told Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday that he is the legitimate leader of all Palestinians, as the PA chairman continued his visit to Russia seeking support for his government in his standoff with Hamas.

4. Crude tunnels allow arms to cross into Gaza - Washington Times

Hidden inside a bedroom closet just feet from a crib and a bed, an Egyptian army officer lifted floor tiles to reveal a hole: the entrance to a tunnel for smuggling weapons extending hundreds of yards across the border into the Gaza Strip.

5. Hamas bombs W. Bank jail - Ynet News

An explosive device was detonated Tuesday in a Palestinian Authority prison in Nablus, where Hamas prisoners are being held, following a wave of crackdowns against the Islamist group's operatives in the West Bank after its June takeover of Gaza.

6. Syria conflicted over war, peace - Ynet News

Syrian President Bashar Assad said Tuesday that his country was fully committed to restoring Syria's hold on the Golan.

7. Exodus: Sudan - Ynet News

Prime minister's wife sets out to trace journey of refugees pouring across Egyptian border into Israel. 'I come home with the sense of urgency of someone who has been burned by what her eyes have seen,' she writes, but knows there is no easy solution.