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Rice, Olmert, Abbas Meet in Jerusalem
by Aluf Benn
 U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met last week for two hours with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem. Afterward, she said, "All three of us affirmed our commitment to a two-state solution [and] agreed that a Palestinian state cannot be born of violence and terror." (Ha'aretz)
See also Interview with Condoleezza Rice - Aluf Benn (Ha'aretz)
See also Palestinians: Rice Reprimanded Abbas for Mecca Agreement - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
Hamas Calls End to Farcical 'Ceasefire' with Israel
 Hamas' Qassam Brigades have declared an end to a ceasefire with Israel, according to a statement released last week. The call to end the truce appeared on Hamas' official website, in both English and Arabic, and is the first time in months that Palestinian armed forces directly under the control of the Hamas government openly threatened to attack Israel. Abu Obaida, spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, said in the statement that "the truce with the Israeli occupation is no longer valid," citing the "assassination of Islamic Jihad commander" Mahmoud Qassem as the reason. (Ynet News/Israel Insider)
See also Hamas - Stages of Israel's Destruction (YouTube)
IDF: Hizbullah Has Rebuilt Its Force
by Gideon Alon
 Brig.-Gen. Yossi Baidatz, head of the IDF Military Intelligence Research Division, told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee last week that Hizbullah has managed to rebuild its military wing to match its force prior to the war in Lebanon this summer. (Ha'aretz)
See also Syria Bolstering Forces, Troops Moving Closer to Border by Amos Harel, Aluf Benn and Ze'ev Schiff (Ha'aretz)
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Quartet: Palestinian Government Must Recognize Israel, Renounce Violence, Accept Past Agreements
 A statement by the Middle East Quartet following its meeting in Berlin last week said: "The Quartet reaffirmed its statements regarding its support for a Palestinian government committed to non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap." (United Nations)
See also Quartet: Palestinian Government Must Abide by Our Terms - Assaf Uni (Ha'aretz)
Israel: No Peace Solution with Hamas
by Joshua Brilliant
 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert signaled last week there would be no agreement with the Palestinians as long as the majority there supports the Islamic Hamas. He did, however, state he would like to continue a dialogue with Mahmoud Abbas. Olmert said that Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal "says openly, publicly and formally in any platform in the world that he doesn't want to negotiate with Israel and he doesn't want to make peace with Israel....The fact that the leader of more than 50 percent of the Palestinian electorate openly says he will do everything to destroy the State of Israel is very sad but it is a reality." (UPI)
See also Transcript of Prime Minister Olmert's Meeting with the Foreign Press (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
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