Israel Approves Release of 200 Palestinian Prisoners
By Robert Berger

Israel’s Cabinet has approved the release of about 200 Palestinian prisoners in a goodwill gesture to Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. In a change of policy, Israel will include two prisoners involved in deadly attacks on Israelis.

Article Continues… (VOA)

Is it just me, or does this seem horribly stupid? A bunch of terrorists are being released for no other reason than to teach Hamas that peaceful negotiations work better than violence. So, the lesson as I see it: negotiate now, get your people out of Israeli prisons so you have a stronger army, then attack. Is this what Israel wants? It’s probably what they’ll get.

Abbas’s PA Sentences Man to Death for Fighting Terrorism
By Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

A Palestinian Authority court in the city of Hevron sentenced a 25-year-old man to death Monday for giving Israel information that led to the elimination of four terrorists. The condemned man, Emad Saad, did not deny the charges.

Article Continues… (Arutz Sheva)

Seems a bit of a mixed message from Fatah, huh?

‘Peace partner’ websites call Jerusalem attack ‘heroic’
By Aaron Klein

JERUSALEM — While Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was quick to condemn today’s deadly shooting massacre in Jerusalem, news websites affiliated with Abbas’ Fatah organization labeled the attack “heroic.”

“In a heroic act of martyrdom, at least one hero infiltrated a Zionist school in occupied Jerusalem,” stated the beginning of a news dispatch on Fatah’s Firas Press website translated by WND.

Article Continues… (WND)

Abu Mazen is, quite simply, the western-press-friendly face of Fatah. I have no doubt that he agrees with the website and is lying to try and cover the Palestinian agenda.

By DPA

Tel Aviv – Israel condemned Monday’s suicide bombing in its southern city of Dimona, but said it would continue peace talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. “Today’s attack deliberately targeted innocent civilians. Worse yet, the terrorists’ plan was to detonate a second suicide bomb against the rescue workers and ambulances rushing to assist the victims at the scene of the initial bombing,” Israeli Foreign Minister Spokesman Arieh Mekel said.

Article Continues… (Earth Times)

Fatah groups are claiming responsibility, yet Israel is still negotiating with them? Insane!

by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

(IsraelNN.com) The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is deliberating a proposed statement calling on Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to change the Fatah charter, which calls to “eradicate” Israel. US Congressmen have submitted a similar resolution in the House of Representatives.

Full Article (Arutz Sheva)

I doubt it’ll change anything, but at least somebody is addressing this.

Palestinian Authority President denied reports on Saturday that he had agreed to begin talks with Hamas following the US-sponsored Middle East summit scheduled to take place in Annapolis in November.

In the report published by the London-based Al Hayat newspaper on Saturday, a Hamas source revealed that Abbas had agreed to hold talks with Hamas in Egypt following the summit.

According to the source, “Many Arab countries tried convincing Abu Mazen [Abbas] to hold talks between [Fatah and Hamas], but every time he requested a postponement. Recently, during a meeting with Sudanese President Omar al-Basheer, Abu Mazen agreed to begin the talks after Basheer discussed with him the importance of a dialogue.”

Full Article (Jerusalem Post)

…and the back-stabbing of Israel by their “partner in peace” begins…

(IsraelNN.com) Fatah plans to wait until after the Washington DC Olmert-Abbas-Bush conference in November – and then reconcile with Hamas.

“I believe the dialogue between the two movements is a certain choice, but I think it will be delayed until after the conference in the fall,” Fatah central command member Kadora Fares was quoted by Haaretz as saying.

Fares later qualified his statement as more of a threat: If Israel did not make enough concessions, Fatah would choose the path of Hamas. “But if a breakthrough is achieved, then Hamas has to revise itself and be more realistic in dealing with the political development,” he said.

Full Article (Arutz Sheva)

Why, oh why, do I think they’ll “choose the path of Hamas?”

(IsraelNN.com) The Olmert government voted to release 90 PA terrorist prisoners Sunday morning as a Ramadan gesture to PA/Fatah chief Mahmoud Abbas. The precise list of the terrorists to be set free will be set this afternoon (Sunday) by a special ministerial committee.

The decision was immediately attacked, even from within the government. Transportation Minister Sha’ul Mofaz – a former Defense Minister and IDF Chief of Staff – said, “We are working against terrorism and paying a price for the existence of terrorism – and despite this we make [these] gestures… This is the mark of a weak government. We received nothing in return for freeing 256 prisoners [two months ago], and we will receive nothing in return this time as well.”

Full Article (Arutz Sheva)

I often wonder if Olmert has been paying attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the years, as anyone who has could tell you this is a bad idea.

see also: Exclusive interview – Fatah Officials Respond To Planned Prisoner Release (infolive.tv)

This is some rather impressive propaganda, though I’m not quite sure what to think of it since I think both sides involved are evil.