How quickly, David Makovsky moves into the "damage control" mode for Bibi at the New York Times site, saying he was blindsided by his interior minister. If Netanyahu didn’t know about it, which I doubt, the interior minister should be fired. BTW, it is not generally known that virtually all Israel cabinet ministers are appointed not for their skills in any one position but as a political handout. That any appointee has some knowledge about the position he is holding (they’re generally all males) is coincidental. When there are not enough cabinet positions, the PM makes new ones by appointing numerous "ministers without portfolios." I think Netanyahu has broken the record in building his coalition. The system is a total joke and is never reported on in the US press. Makovsky:
A second lesson is about Jerusalem itself. Even if Senator George Mitchell’s efforts make serious strides on demarcating Israeli and Palestinian borders in the West Bank, it is unlikely that the status of Jerusalem will be agreed on tomorrow. As it stands, Mitchell has not been successful in winning acceptance of a housing freeze in East Jerusalem.
Therefore, something more practical is required: namely that Israelis and Palestinians reach a baseline agreement that neither party will expand into the neighborhoods of the other in East Jerusalem.
From Haaretz: A group of "Anglo" Jerusalem residents is mobilizing against the "ugly" practice of orthodox Jews spitting on Christians in the Old City.
