Gil Shefler
Israeli, Palestinian mayors pitch rare joint projects
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad unveiled an economic plan last week intended to bring about a stable, independent Palestinian state within two years, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been talking for months about the need for an “economic peace.”
Some local Israeli and Palestinian officials aren’t waiting for the rhetoric to translate into action. They’re taking matters into their own hands.
The organ harvesting controversy
Did Sweden fumble or Israel overreact?
A Swedish newspaper is pushing forward with its far-fetched claims that the Israeli army harvested body organs from Palestinians. But for many Israel watchers the debate has shifted to whether the Swedish government fumbled the controversy or the Israeli government went overboard with its incensed reaction.
The decision by the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet to publish the story, which included no evidence that the allegations were true, drew swift Israeli and Jewish denunciations, as well as a condemnation by Sweden’s ambassador to Israel. But then the Swedish Foreign Ministry disavowed that condemnation in the name of free speech, infuriating Israeli officials.
