Watching Shimon Peres suffer indignity and humiliation is heart wrenching, even for those who are not considered his allies.  The 82 year old former PM, foreign minister, defense minister and Nobel Peace prize winner barely lost out to Histadrut Labor Union boss in the Labor Party primaries just over two weeks ago.  He is apparently willing to leave Labor and cross over to Ariel Sharon’s new Kadima party. 

PM Ariel Sharon's break off centrist party may technically be only "in the making" but widespread support can be expected for its pragmatic agenda.  Sharon and much of the Israeli public are completely fed up with the Palestinians and do not believe there can be a negotiated peace with any representatives from the land of chaos, anarchy, terrorism, Palestinian Authority corruption, the Hamas, the Al-Aksa Brigades and the Islamic Jihad.  Sharon is seeking to unilaterally marginalize the conflict, letting the army and security forces handle the Palestinians on a daily basis while he gets on with more important issues.  Were it up to Arik (and many Israelis) he would draw the borders, finish building the fence, remove settlements (or "disengage") from areas not to be held by Israel and move all security issues to the perimeter of the Israeli national agenda.  Just let the army deal.

In a "non-event" largely ignored by the Western press, Hizbullah launched a battle day against Israel’s Northern border yesterday, wounding 12 Israeli soldiers and civilians. Rocket attacks against towns from Metulla to Nahariya and assaults against IDF border positions punctuated some 8 hours of the heaviest fighting since the IDF withdrew from South Lebanon in May 2000.

Last week's victory by Moroccan born Amir Peretz in the Labor Party leadership bid signals much more than a dovish shift by Israel's leading left wing party.  With veteran politician Shimon Peres shunted aside the focus of Labor will now shift to domestic issues.  Other faction leaders such as Matan Vilnai, Benyamin (Fuad) Ben Eliezer and Ehud Barak also saw their hopes and priorities sink with the election of Peretz.  The three generals are also known for making security a top priority  in any Labor agenda.

The Israeli Labor Party has elected a new leader, Amir Peretz, to attempt to steer it through the dangerous waters it faces ahead.  Buffeted by the voters in the last elections, fragmented as members have pulled in different directions, haunted by the ghosts of failed policies, and relying on an old guard of weak and lackluster leaders, Labor is facing a serious beating in the next elections, whenever they may be held.

The wave of violence that has struck France over the past week and a half has left thousands of vehicles, dozens of public institutions and the French policy of ignoring Islamic incitement in smoking ruins.  The attacks, ostensibly triggered spontaneously by the accidental deaths of two teenagers fleeing the police, have been steadily escalating in intensity and coordination.