* Washington Times columnist Suzanne Fields wonders how much the Palestinian people have changed since Arafat’s death:
No one should expect the Palestinians to erase their evil deeds from their history books overnight, but putting evil aside has to start somewhere. America’s financial assistance to the Palestinians is funneled through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In August 2002, when USAID discovered that it was funding renovations in a school named for a woman terrorist who killed 36 people, including an American photographer, the State Department froze the funding until the name was removed. The Palestinians changed the name and 24 hours later the funds were unfrozen. Predictably, the terrorist’s name is back on the school. In fact, it was one of the sites of voting in the recent municipal elections.
* Jerusalem Report columnist Ehud Ya’ari raises several interesting points about how Israeli attitudes towards the peace process have changed.
* The Boston Globe describes the IDF’s psychological preparations for disengagement.
