Ha'aretz Digest

The centrist Israeli news source has a few good articles up, as well as the mandatory reports of the latest violence.

Hezbollah - the Shiite parastate in southern and eastern Lebanon - is sticking to the "rules of the game" in its relations with Israel. That's a very good thing, since it gives a level of predictability to at least one relationship in a very unpredictable region. It also reflects a Syrian willingness to back out of the Israeli conflict in return for Israel backing all the way out of Lebanon. Another article compares oft-mentioned corruption in the Palestinian Authority with Israeli corruption - and ends up defending the PA.

I hadn't read this in US media, but a Palestinian woman was killed in front of her three young children - all of whom were injured - by machine gun fire from an Israeli tank in Gaza. Why oh why does Israel insist on staying there?

In the twisted machinery of Israeli politics, there are two primaries for each party (I guess): one for prime minister nominee; one for listees. So, although Sharon beat Netanyahu for the prime ministry, the latter gained a lot of high-placed seats in voting by Likud's 3000-member "central committee". The story and full list are available.