A resignation. An assassination attempt. And three days that have dealt a major blow to the Roadmap for Peace. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas resigns after a protracted power struggle with Yasser Arafat. A new man is proposed for the job. Ahmed Qurei, speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and another long time colleague of Arafat, says he wants new guarantees from the West and from Israel that they’ll re-commit themselves to the road map for peace.
However, on this same weekend, Israeli forces bomb an apartment building wounding the spiritual leader of Hamas, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, and send thousands of people into the streets of Gaza, calling for Israeli blood. New players, the same old problems, and still no progress on the Roadmap.
Guests:
James Bennet, New York Times correspondent in
Jerusalem
Ghassan al Khatib, Palestinian Labor Minister
Ofer Shelah, journalist, Yediot Ahronot
Ambassador Richard Murphy