Noteworthy Headlines

Olmert?s decision effectively positions Israel on the side of Fatah in its conflict with the Hamas, the Islamic terrorist organization which governs the Palestinian Authority. That conflict over control of the PA has brought the two groups to the brink of civil war.

Fatah?s new weapons will be supplied by Egypt and Jordan and shipped to Fatah forces, including Abbas?s presidential guard, via Israel.

An aide to Olmert quoted by Reuters said, ?He approved the delivery of a certain amount of weaponry to Abu Mazen's (Abbas's) presidential guard in order to bolster him so he can fulfil his obligations." The aide did not specify which obligations the weapons would help Abbas fulfill.

... Israel Air Force aircraft fired two missiles in Gaza City at the vehicle of an Islamic Jihad crew heading to fire rockets at Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces said that the militants were on their way to fire Katyusha rockets, which have a longer range than the homemade Qassam rockets usually fired from Gaza.

According to the findings, expected to be formally released on Tuesday, shrapnel taken from two wounded Palestinians who were evacuated to Israeli hospitals showed that the explosives were not made in Israel, IDF officials said.

Moreover, the investigation noted the absence of a large enough crater at the site of the explosion, as would be expected if an IDF shell had landed there.

The IDF had accounted for five of the six shells that it fired in the area before the explosion and the shell that was unaccounted for was fired more than 10 minutes before the blast that killed the Palestinians.

If nothing happens, Blair said, "the situation just continues to deteriorate."

Blair did not relate directly to the convergence plan, but said, "this thing either moves forward by way of agreement, or other ways to move it forward have got to be found."