The World
Israel's New Leader Is Seeking to Bond
On his upcoming first visit to the White House, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel is expected to do the giving and President Bush the receiving. Olmert's hope is that by building trust with Bush--and ensuring quiet on the Israeli-Palestinian front for a while--he will gain Bush's make-or-break support for his "consolidation" plan for Israel's withdrawal from nearly all of the West Bank. "He's following the grand strategy of Sharon," said a senior Israeli official, referring to former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who built great rapport with Bush during 12 meetings at the White House and the Crawford ranch. That helped win Bush's backing for last summer's pullout from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank. "The idea is to get American support for the 'consolidation plan,' then international, then domestic," the official noted.
Eventually, Olmert also hopes to follow Sharon's lead in bypassing negotiations with the Palestinians and withdrawing unilaterally, but Bush expects him first to try diplomacy with moderate Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. While the Israeli leader is willing to comply, he doesn't hide his pessimism, saying that as long as Hamas effectively rules the Palestinian Authority, Abbas is "a partner, but he is not an independent leader."
At their May 23 meeting, Bush and Olmert will most likely stick mainly to what they agree on--the need for a tough stance against Iran and Hamas. "The president has a few more pressing problems than consolidation," noted the Israeli official. "We don't need to create any new headaches."
No Longer a Pariah, Libya Gets a Nod
The announcement was about Libya, but the message was directed mostly at Iran and North Korea. Last week, the Bush administration said it would remove Libya from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and resume full diplomatic relations with the North African country run by the quixotic Muammar Qadhafi. The decision puts a bookend on a sad piece of diplomatic history: The burned-out U.S. Embassy was abandoned more than a quarter century ago, and the hostile distance was not bridged until Qadhafi and company took responsibility for the 1988 terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which killed 270 people; got out of the terrorism business generally; and agreed to quit its nuclear and chemical weapons programs. No wonder that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week called Libya "an important model."
Washington is urging nuclear wannabes Iran and North Korea--so far to no avail--to abandon their weapons drives and alleged support for terrorism. The Libya decision is meant to show that a path to redemption exists for even the most vilified foes. Still, the breakthrough prompted mixed reactions by relatives of the Pan Am 103 victims. And it does nothing--at least immediately--to improve Tripoli's human-rights record. Jailed political foes like Fathi Eljahmi will have to wait for the next opening, this one at home.
A Drug Lord Loses His Place in the Sun
Authorities often seize a grab bag of assets in drug raids, such as cars, cash, and electronics. Remarkably, a bust last week included the seizure of three islands off the coast of Panama owned by the Rayo-Montano drug-trafficking organization, which allegedly smuggles more than 15 tons of cocaine a month into the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration--working with authorities in Colombia,Brazil, and Panama--wrapped up a three-year operation that made more than 100 arrests linked to the group, including leader Pablo Rayo-Montano, who faces Brazilian and U.S. indictments. Along with the islands, authorities seized a "rogue navy" of yachts and fishing boats, art galleries and other businesses, and 52 tons of cocaine.
Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind
The ruler of Saudi Arabia doubtless has a lot on his mind, given Iraqi turmoil, Osama bin Laden's death threats, and the problem of where to stash the flood of petrodollars. And yet King Abdullah, generally regarded as a cautious reformer in an ultraconservative society, has time to fret about the seductive influence of photos of women--though modestly attired--in Saudi newspapers. "The youth are driven by emotion ... and sometimes they can be led astray," he told editors, according to the newspaper Okaz. While the king requested that editors "cut down" on the photos, his words were interpreted as a decree to eliminate them.
Young Saudi men and women are barred from mingling, but they skirt social restrictions to flirt and exchange photos by, for instance, using Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones while in shopping malls or in sex-segregated restaurants. Saudi authorities considered banning camera-equipped phones, but they backed off because most phones are manufactured with that feature.
With Thomas Omestad, Larry Derfner and Associated Press
This story appears in the May 29, 2006 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.