MIFTAH - Editorials

Johara Baker "Saving the Children" ++++ Akiva Eldar "Is it a Diplomatic Horizon or a Fata Morgana?" ++++ Gerald M. Steinberg "Peace Castles in the air?" ++++ Ghassan Charbel "Saving Hamas from its victory"

Hebron-update: MK Schneller: Cabinet approved settlers' stay in Hebron market und Barak on Hillel Weiss: "Israeli society cannot and must not condone such shocking and blatant lashing out against an officer of the Israel Defense Forces, who is serving his country on the front. This officer's country sent him there after it had entrusted him to fulfill a mission. We must not ignore such a an act, which disrupts the very texture of our existence in this land as a Jewish and democratic society."

Finaler Zustand: Israel and the United States will sign on Thursday the Memorandum of Understanding on the new American defense package for Israel. Under the new aid agreement, the U.S. will transfer $30 billion to Israel over 10 years, compared with $24 billion over the past decade. Israel is slated to receive the first pay out in October 2008, amounting to $2.550 billion. That sum will grow each year by $150 million, until it reaches $3.1 billion in 2011. [Ähäm: 2550+150+150+150 = 3000] In addition, the agreement permits Israel to convert into shekels 26.3 percent of the aid money, thereby enabling it to procure defense equipment from Israeli companies. The rest of the aid must be used to purchase equipment from American military industries. Israeli negotiators tried to step up the percentage of aid that could be used for procurement from local companies, without success.

Israel to promote Palestinian state's 'economic horizon' ---- Schon klar, Israel will auch etwas vom Hilfskuchen abhaben. Hm, Hm, Hmmmm.