On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton bombarded the Israeli government in an interview with CNN. She said Israel’s announcement of new construction of homes in a Jewish neighborhood in East Jerusalem was “insulting” to the United States. She continued:
I mean, it was just really a very unfortunate and difficult moment for everyone — the United States, our vice president who had gone to reassert our strong support for Israeli security — and I regret deeply that that occurred and made that known.
She had words for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well, “He is the prime minister. Like the president or secretary of state … ultimately, you are responsible.”
After mass protests and clashes this month between Israeli police and Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the prospect of a “Third Intifada” has re-emerged.
According to Israel Radio, after leaders had urged Palestinians and Israeli Muslims to defend Jerusalem against “Jewish conquest”, a call which triggered a response for Israeli Jews to visit the Temple Mount, Israel’s police stated that it will strengthen their forces around the Temple Mount on Sunday.
Haaretz’s Zvi Bar’el write about the possibility of a Third Intifada, sharing the thoughts of Egyptian thinker Kamal Gabriel. According to Gabriel, Palestinians lack both a universally shared ideological authority and a leadership that is convinced of its ability to conduct another rising. Religious activism is not enough to trigger a new Intifada. Bar’el concludes that the deepening division between Hamas and Fatah and the increasing tension in the East Jerusalem makes the Intifada an event which is always “possible” but never occurs.
Meanwhile, Haaretz, passing on areport in the London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi, says Sultan Abu al-Ghneim, who represents Fatah in the refugee camps of Lebanon, gave a speech last week at a Ramallah rally calling on Fatah to resume suicide bombings against Israel. Given the assessment that an Intifada is not imminent, the question arises: what purpose does Ghneim’s statement serve?
12:45 p.m. Relatively quiet on both military and diplomatic fronts — not expecting much out of any United Nations discussions — so we’re off for some downtime.
Tomorrow should offer some clues on the political direction of the conflict. With Hamas as well as the Palestinian Authority and Israel going to Cairo for negotiations, there may be some indication as to whether Tel Aviv and Washington will accept a settlement that leaves Hamas in control of Gaza or whether they try to isolate the organisation.
Meanwhile, on the military front, we may get some indication — given the reports of Israeli moblisation around Rafah and warnings to residents — of whether Tel Aviv is going to take the ground offensive into the cities.
11:30 p.m. Gazan medical sources say 700 Gazans killed in conflict, 219 are children and 89 are women. More than 3000 wounded: 46 percent are women and children.
11:25 p.m. Jabaliya Doubled: The Daily Telegraph of London is reporting the discovery in Zeitoun by a paramedic of between 60 and 70 bodies of the al Samouni clan (initial reports had put the death toll at 13), killed by Israeli shelling.
On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton bombarded the Israeli government in an interview with CNN. She said Israel’s announcement of new construction of homes in a Jewish neighborhood in East Jerusalem was “insulting” to the United States. She continued:
After mass protests and clashes this month between Israeli police and Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the prospect of a “Third Intifada” has re-emerged.
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