Senate Republicans voted against withdrawing 158,000 American troops from Iraq. Bush earlier promised that the invasion would end if the Iraqi government fails to meet the security-related benchmarks. The Iraqi government failed on every benchmark but Bush insists on the US participation in the Iraqi civil war where the US forces are a problem rather than a solution.

Despite the fact that Israeli government expected Hezbollah to target the home front even before the Lebanon war started, the government held a first meeting dealing with the home front issues only 18 days into the war.
IDF Home Front Command rejected the comptroller’s report, citing improved preparedness. Most shelters in Israel are not fit for prolonged use, and many are not usable at all.

Pardons department announced that at least 17% of earlier released terrorists return to terrorism. Shin-Bet security service routinely provides much higher estimates.
Israeli government releases 250 Fatah terrorists to help Abbas.

In order to retain an image of legitimate rule, Abbas announced new elections in Palestine. EU approves the move.
Foreign democrats have a small problem dealing with Fatah gangsters: they lost the elections. Abbas imagines better results in new elections where he would threaten Hamas candidates out of the race and rig the elections results. Hamas, locked in Gaza, won’t be able to challenge the elections forgery.
Washington Post cites US intelligence reports decrying Bush’s rapprochement with worthless Abbas.

New round of talks will be held exclusively on the situation in Iraq.

Knesset approves 64-16 a preliminary votes that restores common sense to Jewish National Fund: it will only lease land to Jews. Attorney General Mazuz of leftist breed earlier demanded that JNF leases Israeli land to Arabs.
The fifth column of Arab MKs decried the bill as racist.

In ADL’s survey, more than half of residents in several European countries believe that Diaspora Jews act in favor of Israel rather than their host countries. If only that were true.

Speaking at Ze’ev Zhabotinsky memorial complex, dovish Peres announced that Jews could have annexed Israeli biblical lands in Jordan, if not for the decimation in Holocaust. No mainstream Israeli politician calls for annexing Jewish lands occupied by Jordan. Surely Israel can re-take her land from Jordan even with the existing population.

IDF prepares for an all-out war with Syria. The army expects the war to be swift so that Syria won’t be able to launch most of its missiles against Israel. (Maj.-Gen. Eyal Ben-Reuven)