Middle East Update

Israeli PM Ehud Olmert said on Thursday march 22. that Israel was willing to make “sweeping, painful and tough concessions” to encourage dialog with its enemies. Olmert also mentioned a dormant Saudi Arabian peace plan as a “convenient basis” for contacts between Israel and Arab moderates.

Saudi security officials said Saturday they foiled a planned terrorist suicide attack and arrested 139 suspected Islamist militants who were in “sleeper cells” believed to be affiliated with al Qaeda.

The Saudi peace initiative calls for an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders, (now further strengthened by the UN resolution on Friday) in exchange for peace agreements and normalization with the Arab countries.
According to the Times, Olmert was presented with the Saudi plan, which includes the establishment of a Palestinian state, followed by a formal [...]

In a sign of regional concern over terrorism, Saudi Arabia is pushing ahead with plans to build a fence along its entire 560-mile (900-kilometer) border with Iraq to prevent terrorists from entering the kingdom from the chaotic north.