News Highlights:
- Mahmoud Abbas and Ariel Sharon meet in Sharm Al Sheikh and agree to
ceasefire, but not in a formal written document; Palestinian group Hamas
still evaluating the summit. - Egyptian students and journalists stage protests against summit and against normalization with Israel.
- Israeli forces to withdraw from five Palestinian cities within three weeks, according to Palestinian officials at summit.
- Israeli military court orders release of the army commander responsible for shooting to death 13-year-old Palestinian girl Iman al-Hams.
- Israel decides to erect a wall around Ariel settlement that will result in the annexation of thousands of dunams of Palestinian farmland.
Feature:
An instudio discussion about the Sharm Al Sheikh summit, what took place and
what are the implications for the future. The panel discussed the
credibility of the ceasefire and whether or not it could hold for any length
of time. They also talked about how the “new facts on the ground”,
especially the apartheid wall and Israeli settlements, make any genuine
peace settlement extremely difficult unless these obstacles are dealt with.
Finally, the discussion turned to the role of the U.S., and how their
occupation of Iraq was influencing their position.
Focus on Zionism:
A story from the IMEMC news agency about the release of Palestinian prisoner Mervat Taha and her baby from Israeli jail. After her release, Mervat talked about her suffering in detention and how she was forced to give birth with her hands handcuffed.