Olmert Addresses Congress and Demands Palestinians Renounce Violence

Placing the blame for the situation in Palestine/Israel squarely on the backs of Palestinians, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said today, "should the Palestinians ignore our outstretched hand for peace, Israel will seek other alternatives to promote our future and the prospects of hope in the Middle East." Meanwhile, settlers continue to use stolen land and Israeli forces killed three in a Ramallah raid today. The contradictions of the situation are pointed out in this editorial by Ghlai Hassan. Olmert, while correctly criticizing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's denial of the holocaust, agreed with U.S. concerns about Iran's nuclear developments but causually ignored the extent to which Israel possesses nuclear weapons. A day before Olmert's show, the House passed restrictive legislation declaring Palestine a "terrorist sanctuary" and called for reducing U.S. contributions to the U.N. in proportion to the amount of financial assistance given to deal with the growing crisis there.