I don't have many additional thoughts on the breaking of the Gaza ceasefire. The strategic aims seem clear; Hamas wished to provoke an Israeli attack in anticipation that the reaction will help Hamas seize control of the West Bank. Israel wants to damage Hamas' state...
israel/palestine
Olmert is right; the settlements are poison to Israel. Noam Arnon, a settler who lives in Hebron, said that with the eviction, Barak was destroying not only his Labor Party,.
Settlements, Bailouts, and the Roman RepublicSo now Ehud Olmert thinks that Israel needs to uproot the settlements and withdraw from Jerusalem and the West Bank. That's kind of interesting in.
Matt Duss has an excellent series on Israeli moves to consolidate gains in the West Bank, all happening with nary a peep from the United States. The fox is guarding the chicken coop.