This morning, I caught an article in Ha’aretz that quoted an unnamed U.S. official saying that America wouldn’t back the borders Olmert wants to withdraw to. As I was looking around Ha’aretz, the article disappeared before I could start writing about it. All that I can find now is something from Xinhua quoting the article.

JERUSALEM, April 26 (Xinhua) — The United States will not recognize a border created after a unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank as Israel’s permanent frontier, Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reported on Wednesday, citing its sources in Washington.

A number of the sources had said unofficially that they believed the U.S. administration would probably support such a withdrawal, but would not recognize it, said the report.

Ha’aretz quoted one U.S. official as predicting that the U.S. would agree to see the post-withdrawal line as a temporary border, “which would become permanent, obviously with slight changes, following future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.”

Another source, a legal expert, was quoted as saying on Tuesday that any reasonable interpretation of international law cannot allow recognition of a border that was determined unilaterally.

Senior U.S. administration members said in unofficial conversations that Israeli Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has not presented the administration with a detailed plan for the second withdrawal, said Ha’aretz.

So: Dead wrong, or too sensitive information to be released?

I’m on the side of the people saying “Dead wrong.” So far.

And it’s also possible that Ha’aretz’s kooky habit of changing URLs is what made it disappear on me.

(Via Backspin)

Hamas’ Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar left someone a really large tip in his hotel room in Kuwait…

Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar has had $450,000 stolen from his hotel room during his current visit to Kuwait, the Itim news agency quoted the Kuwaiti media as saying Wednesday.

According to the report, al-Zahar had asked the Kuwaiti authorities to keep the theft under wraps, but the incident was confirmed by a security official at the hotel.

The foreign minister, a senior member of Hamas, is on a tour of Arab and Muslim countries to drum up funds after Israel suspended the transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority and Western donors cut off aid to the Hamas-led government.

There is no honor among thieves and murders, it seems.

Also…

Itim also reported that an official at the Palestinian Finance Ministry has revealed that, despite its empty coffers, the PA has funded the trip for al-Zahar and his entourage.

Maybe if Israel drops travel restrictions on all of the Hamas-run Palestinian Authority members, they’ll bankrupt the bastards quicker?

I have no desire to write about current events today.

I am tired of the news.

Someone else is going to have to pick up the slack, or we can just post cat pictures all day instead.

I am going to pick a random photo from the images directory and post it.

Oops, looks like I picked two. My bad.

I had forgotten the wonders of inexpensive teenaged assistance in your labors.

I am the co-founder of my apartment complex’s Neighborhood Watch. We had a meeting a few weeks ago due to a wave of petty theft, and scheduled the next meeting for this Thursday. But I lost the notebook with the names and phone numbers of everyone who was supposed to help me put flyers on the doors of some 777 apartments in our complex.

Enter my next-door neighbor’s son, who is always asking me if he can’t sweep my porch for a couple of bucks. I hired him for ten bucks, found another kid while we were working and offered him three bucks to put flyers in his neighborhood, which enticed him to continue working with my neighbor’s son. I gave him a couple more bucks for his work, went out and bought the boys sodas, and retired to my apartment for the evening. My co-captain and her friend did some of the neighborhoods, and found two more boys willing to help out. Altogether, the fifteen bucks saved me about another hour or so of work that I hate.

Teen labor is a good thing. I think I’m going to hire William to clean my car next.

Dymphna at Gates of Vienna has a moving personal recollection of learning about of the Holocaust, and how it affected her politically and spiritually.

For all the (regretably necessary) attention paid to anti-semitism and those who would harm the Jews through ignorance or malice, it is a quiet joy to know that there are people on our side, who see history and the world as we do, and who agree with us, Never Again.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has added a new, improved Arabic-language website, and it’s already paying dividends. Assuming that it doesn’t get blocked in Arab countries, it could be a valuable outreach and information tool to Arabs who get nothing but lies via their own media.

“This is the only official website in the Arabic language that includes such comprehensive information about Israel. There is no other
official website of this scope in Israel,” said Amira Oreo, who heads the Arab Media Division at the Ministry.

Following the decision to upgrade the Arab-language website, many documents were uploaded, including documents dealing with Jewish and Israeli history, and information about the political system, women’s rights, economics, culture, as well as videos. All that in addition to current information about important events related to the Foreign Ministry.

“We also present Israel beyond the conflict, for example the Schneider Children Hospital that uses its advanced technology to treat Israeli and Arab children,” said Timora Shapira, the site’s content editor and technical director. “Along with innovations in the fields of science and medicine, we also have content about issues related to politics, such as Israel’s diplomatic ties with other countries, including Egypt and Jordan.”

Oron added: “We decided to also post articles written by liberal Arab intellectuals on the Internet that portray brave positions, even if they don’t necessarily match Israel’s views. It’s important for us to show that Arab writers also oppose terror and support dialogue, and when an Arab visitor to the site reads an editorial from an Arab writer, it receives greater validity.”

Good move. Very good move.