PM: Conditions ripe for historic breakthrough

[QueerJustice]

By Aluf Benn and Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondents, and Agencies



Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, voicing a rare burst of optimism Thursday over prospects for diplomatic progress, declared that conditions were now ripe for a "historic breakthrough" between Israel and the Palestinians.
Sharon spoke as the Palestinian Authority issued a weapons ban to curtail the widespread bearing of arms in the Palestinian population. The PA also named as its new over-all security chief Nasser Yusef, a tough official who had in the past led crackdowns on militants in the territories.

Over the past two days, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed doubts over the credibility of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' campaign to forge a cease-fire and pave a return to the negotiating table.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/532492.html

[QueerJustice]

1. now this is optomistic...

more here...

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1106796049396

[chrisbur]

2. I'll be the first to say it.

In light of the possible Palestinian/Israeli breakthrough it's kinda too bad about Iraq. Imagine the possibilities.

[Clark2008]

3. I still think Bush will f*ck it up

I'm sorry - don't mean to be a "glass half-empty" type of gal, but Bush screws up EVERYTHING. If it looks, at all, to be positive, in swoops the Shrub and his meddling neo-cons to push everything back into the dark ages.

[Scurrilous]

4. Israeli Army to Limit Gaza, West Bank Operations

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=721&e=4&u=/nm/20050128/wl_nm/mideast_israel_military_dc

<snip>

"The Israeli army announced on Friday it was scaling back its operations in the Gaza Strip following the deployment of Palestinian security forces and would limit attacks on militants in the West Bank.

It was the clearest sign of a change to army operations following a lull in a 4-year-old uprising brought about by President Mahmoud Abbas, who hopes to win a truce so that peace talks can resume.

"Proactive Israeli army operations in the Gaza Strip will cease in areas in which Palestinian security forces have redeployed," the army said in a statement. "The chief of staff has ordered the army's targeting of terrorists in the West Bank will take place only if there is an immediate threat by active terrorist cells, and only with his explicit authorization."