During his four years in office, Sharon stalled any chance of negotiations with the Palestinians. In 2003 - the road map period -the Palestinians accepted the plan and declared a cease fire, but while the Western world was celebrating the new era of peace, the Israeli army, under Sharon, intensified its policy of assassinations, maintained the daily harassment of the occupied Palestinians, and eventually declared an all-out-war on Hamas, killing all its first rank of military and political leaders. Later, as the Western world was holding its breath again, in a year and a half of waiting for the planned Gaza pullout, Sharon did everything possible to fail the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, who was elected in January 2005. Sharon declared that Abbas is not a suitable partner (because he does not fight terror) and turned down all his offers of renewed negotiations.

Israeli Study: Most Israelis are willing to give up E. Jerusalem Arab neighborhoods (tags)

According to a study published, on Thursday, in the Israeli online daily Haaretz, more ore than half of the Israelis are willing to give up East Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods and to effectively re-divide the city as part of a genuine peace agreement. Yet, the overwhelming majority which is 75 percent of those willing to make these concessions do not believe in the possibility of achieving a genuine peace with the Palestinians.

LIBERATING THE ISRAELI ECONOMY FROM OCCUPATION (tags)

It surveys the Israeli government's attempt to liberate the economy from socialist occupation. It looks at the fight over the just passed 2005 budget and gives a cautious "green light" to the direction of the reforms.

Terrorist strikes begin in response to attack on Iraq (tags)

Two small bombings on British interests overseas have taken place, and are a harbinger of things to come. Dangerous times are ahead, but in no place on the planet is it going to be more dangerous than in America, as a looming scandal drives the extreme right wing to ever more reckless actions...

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