Israel seems to have been making some of those "tough decisions" we keep hearing about. If you read down to paragraphs Nos. 19-20 in this Haaretz article, you will see that, in addition to last week's prisoner release,
1) Israel has granted 19,000 entry permits to West Bank merchants
and 2) Israel authorized the transfer of 1,000 rifles from Jordan to the PA.
The article says this transfer of M-16s, which took place three weeks ago, was "the largest arms transfer authorized in recent years," but it also says that
Earlier this year, several thousand rifles were delivered to Fatah forces in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, but most of those arms came under Hamas' control following its takeover.
For further amusement, you can read Martin Indyk on Securing the Arab world.
Most alarmingly, Iran is attempting to achieve military dominance in the Middle East through a nuclear program that could put it in possession of nuclear weapons within five years..... The only way Sunni Arab leaders can counter Iran's bid for regional dominance is by securing US and Israeli actions that will strengthen the Lebanese Government and the Palestinian presidency of Mahmoud Abbas. This will not only promote an effective Israeli-Palestinian peace process but it will prevent an Iranian takeover in Iraq.
Sounds a lot like Indyk (and Ol Merde) are on the same page with Condoleezza Rice, and what a "Grand Bargain" it is!
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