Quote: "THE British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has proposed a controversial plan to bolster the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, in his battle against Hamas by funnelling millions of dollars in aid directly to security forces under Mr Abbas's control. The risky plan has been agreed with the US and is designed to break a deadlock that has held back progress in the Middle East for months. The plan also introduces a proposal for a new framework for talks on a Palestinian state to be agreed in a matter of weeks.

It seems the Prime Minister is in the habit of funding terrorism. He gave Sinn Fein IRA a sizeable sum when £23 million was stolen from the Northern Bank last Christmas. Nobody was ever imprisoned for that robbery, despite a manager's family being held at gunpoint by the IRA for over 24 hours. The Prime Minister is finishing his Middle East tour today, with a trip to the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Olmert is visiting Jordan in a bid to help relaunch the peace process.

Quote: "During the meeting, the King said it was important for the Israelis to hold negotiations with the Palestinians to re-launch the peace process. His Majesty said solving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will come once the two sides are convinced that they are partners in a process that would not have results except through negotiations and the implementation of international commitments.

Source Sunday Morning Herald, Petra