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Olmert: Important Diplomatic Decisions Are Before Us
by Amnon Meranda
 One hundred and twenty Knesset members convened last week for the opening meeting of the Knesset’s winter session. The main issue on the agenda was the U.S.-backed peace conference scheduled to take place in November. “Important decisions are before us,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said during his speech before the Knesset Members. “Even in times of test, of arguments, conflicts must be dealt with in a relevant manner and with mutual respect. It isn’t about a struggle between good and evil,” the prime minister continued. "We must give negotiations a chance. Israel has excellent excuses to justify stagnation in the talks. I don't mean to look for excuses. I'm determined to give a chance to a meaningful diplomatic process, jointly with Abu Mazen (PA President Mahmoud Abbas). Any other alternative would mean a devastating demographic struggle." (Ynet News)
PA Chair Abbas Lays Out First Precise Demands for Palestinian Borders
 Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas last week laid out his most specific demands for the borders of a future independent state, calling for a full Israeli withdrawal from all territories captured in the 1967 Six-Day War. Abbas' claim comes as Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams are trying to hammer out a joint vision for a future peace deal in time for a U.S.-hosted conference next month. "We have 6,205 square kilometers in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," Abbas told Palestine TV. "We want it as it is." According to Palestinian negotiating documents obtained by The Associated Press, the Palestinian demands include all of the Gaza Strip, West Bank, east Jerusalem and small areas along the West Bank frontier that were considered no-man's land before the Six-Day War. (Ha'aretz)
Poll: Israeli Occupation Low on List of Palestinian Concerns
 A survey of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza by Near East Consulting on September 28-30, 2007, asked about the "main issue that makes you feel concerned." Responses: Economic hardship - 35%, the internal power struggle - 22%, the absence of security - 20%, the Israeli occupation - 8%. (IMRA)
1,000 Rockets and Mortars Fired Since Hamas Takeover
by Hanan Greenberg
 Palestinian terrorists in Gaza have fired 1000 mortar rounds and rockets towards Israel since Hamas took power four months ago, Israeli security officials said last week. A military official told Ynet that "Hamas-sponsored terror groups are trying to maintain a constant level of terror activity against Israel. The use of simple mortar rounds is not considered serious despite the dangers involved. It does not elicit a significant response from the IDF and allows Hamas to continue building up its forces in the Strip," the official continued. (Ynet News)
By a Landslide, Michigan Food Co-op Rejects Israel Boycott
by Daniel Strauss
 The Board of Directors of the People's Food Co-op of Ann Arbor, Michigan, announced Thursday the outcome of a vote to boycott Israeli products. The final vote was 262 members in favor of the ban and 866 opposing it. Although he was satisfied with the outcome, Stephen Pastner, a visiting associate professor of anthropology, clenched his fists during the board meeting. Pastner said he was furious at the motivations of the boycott's supporters. "I'm very angry at these people because they represent a perversion of everything I believe in," Pastner said. "I consider myself a political progressive: they have co-opted the name of being progressive. They call themselves Jewish, witnesses for peace, but they're anti-Semites, and they're not for peace." (Michigan Daily-University of Michigan)
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Analysts Find Israel Struck a Nuclear Project Inside Syria
by David E. Sanger and Mark Mazzetti
 Israel's air attack on Syria last month was directed against a site that Israeli and American intelligence analysts judged was a partly constructed nuclear reactor, apparently modeled on one North Korea has used to create its stockpile of nuclear weapons fuel, according to American and foreign officials with access to the intelligence reports. Many details remain unclear, most notably how much progress the Syrians had made in construction before the Israelis struck, the role of any assistance provided by North Korea, and whether the Syrians could make a plausible case that the reactor was intended to produce electricity. (New York Times)
Palestinians Launch Longer-Range Rocket into Israel
 Palestinian militants fired a Katyusha rocket deep into southern Israel last week, the army and police said, showing an ability to extend the range of rocket attacks from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Gaza militants usually fire crude rockets that have a maximum range of about 5.5 miles into Israel, but rarely go beyond 2 miles. The Grad-type Katyusha, originally Soviet-designed, landed some 6.5 miles inside Israel. The Israeli military says it believes there are several dozen longer-range Katyushas in the hands of militant groups in the Gaza Strip, which was seized by Hamas Islamists in June. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. An Israeli army spokesman said Israel held Hamas responsible for the Katyusha attack. "Hamas bears responsibility for all the terror attacks emanating from the Gaza Strip regardless of who actually fired the rocket," captain Benjamin Rutland said. (Reuters)
See also Steep Rise in Arms Smuggling into Gaza - Including 70 Katyushas - Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff (Ha'aretz)
See also Rocket Lands in Southern Israel (YouTube)
Mashaal: Hamas Spurning Israel's Attempts at Talks
 Exiled Hamas political chief Khaled Mashaal said last week that many European and American representatives have "approached" him in recent weeks. According to Mashaal, Israel was also "knocking on Hamas's door," seeking talks, but Hamas has thus far refused. According to the Saudi Okaz newspaper, Mashaal spoke at a conference in Mecca and said that his organization was preparing for "another round" of military resistance against Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
Israel Building West Bank Road to Assure Palestinian Contiguity
by Karin Laub
Israel confirmed last week it is building a new 10-mile road to help connect Palestinian communities in the West Bank. "Due to the construction of the security fence in Maaleh Adumim, a need arose to build a road to directly connect the Bethlehem and Judea regions (southern West Bank) and the Jericho and Jordan Valley area (in the east), in order to improve quality of life for the Palestinians," an Israel Defense Ministry statement said. The road will be built on 400 acres, of which 56 acres were expropriated from Palestinian land owners, the ministry said. Benny Kashriel, the mayor of Maaleh Adumim, said Palestinian motorists would eventually be able to drive from the southern to the northern West Bank without encountering any Israeli checkpoints. (AP/Washington Post)
Abbas Aide: Western Wall Is Ours
 Adnan Husseini, an adviser to Mahmoud Abbas, said Thursday that Palestinian demands for Israel to cede eastern Jerusalem under any peace accord also include the Western Wall. "This is part of Islamic heritage that cannot be given up, and it must be under Muslim control," Husseini told Israel's NRG Web site, adding that all of Jerusalem's Old City should be part of a future Palestinian state. (JTA)
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