The incoming Obama administration is prepared to abandon President Bush's doctrine of isolating Hamas by establishing a channel to the Islamist organisation, sources close to the transition team say.

The move to open contacts with Hamas - which could be initiated through the US intelligence services - would represent a definitive break with the Bush presidency's ostracising of the group.

The Guardian has spoken to three people with knowledge of the discussions in the Obama camp.

There is no talk of Obama approving direct diplomatic negotiations with Hamas early on in his administration, but he is being urged by advisers to initiate low-level or clandestine approaches, and there is growing recognition in Washington that the policy of ostracising Hamas is counter-productive.

A tested course would be to start contacts through Hamas and the US intelligence services - similar to the secret process through which the US engaged with the PLO in the 1970s. Israel did not become aware of the contacts until much later.

Richard Haass, a diplomat under both presidents Bush who was named by a number of news organisations this week as Obama's choice forMiddle East envoy, supports low level contacts with Hamas provided there is a ceasefire in place and a Hamas-Fatah reconciliation emerges.

Another potential contender for a foreign policy role in the Obama administration suggested the president-elect would not be bound by the Bush doctrine of isolating Hamas. "This is going to be an administration that is committed to negotiating with critical parties on critical issues," they said.

There are a number of options that would avoid a politically toxic scenario for Obama of seeming to give legitimacy to Hamas.

"Secret envoys, multilateral six-party talk-like approaches. The total isolation of Hamas that we promulgated under Bush is going to end," said Steve Clemons, the director of the American Strategy Programme at the New America Foundation.

"You could do something through the Europeans. You could invent a structure that is multilateral. It is going to be hard for the Neocons to swallow," he said. "I think it is going to happen.

However, one Middle East expert close to the transition team warned: "It is highly unlikely that they will be public about it."

The two weeks since Israel launched its military campaign against Gazahave heightened anticipation about how Obama intends to deal with the Middle East. He adopted a strongly pro-Israel position during the election campaign, as did his erstwhile opponent and choice for secretary of state, Hillary Clinton. However, it is widely thought Obama will adopt a more even-handed approach once he is president.

Obama's main priority now, in the remaining days before his inauguration, is to ensure the crisis does not rob him of the chance to set his own foreign policy agenda, rather than merely react to events.

"We will be perceived to be weak and feckless if we are perceived to be on the margins, unable to persuade the Israelis, unable to work with the international community to end this," said Aaron David Miller, a former state department adviser on the Middle East.

"Unless he is prepared to adopt a policy that is tougher, fairer and smarter than both of his predecessors you might as well hang a closed-for-the-season sign on any chance of America playing an effective role in defusing the current crisis or the broader crisis," he said.

Obama has defined himself in part by his willingness to talk to America's enemies. But the president-elect would be wary of being seen to give legitimacy to Hamas as a consequence of the war in Gaza.

Bruce Hoffman, a counterterrorism expert at the Georgetown school of foreign service, said it was unlikely Obama would move to initiate contacts with Hamas unless the radical faction in Damascus was crippled by the conflict in Gaza. "This would really be dependent on Hamas's military wing having suffered a real, almost decisive, drubbing."

Even with such caveats, there is growing agreement, among Republicans as well as Democrats, on the need to engage Hamas to achieve a sustainable peace in the Middle East - even among Obama's close advisers.

In an article published on Wednesday on the website of Foreign Affairs, but apparently written before the fighting in Gaza, Haass, who is president of the Council on Foreign Relations writes: "If the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continues to hold and a Hamas-PA reconciliation emerges, the Obama administration should deal with the joint Palestinian leadership and authorise low-level contact between US officials and Hamas in Gaza."

The article was written with Martin Indyk, a former US ambassador to Israel and an adviser to the incoming secretary of state, Hillary Clinton.

"The change of perceptions is underway," said Alistair Crooke, director of the Conflicts Forum who was a former security adviser to the EU's Middle East envoy. "However, it hasn't translated yet into something substantive."

Last month, General Anthony Zinni, who was Bush's envoy to the Middle East, called on Obama to enage Hamas and move quickly to reach a peace deal.

The willingness for conditional engagement with Hamas marks a sharp break with the world view of the Bush administration.

Obama has said repeatedly that restoring America's image in the world would rank among the top priorities of his administration, and there has been widespread praise for his choice of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state and Jim Jones, the former Marine Corps commandant, as his national security adviser.

He is expected to demonstrate that commitment to charting a new foreign policy within days when the president-elect is expected to name a roster of envoys who will take charge of key foreign policy areas: Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, India-Pakistan, and North Korea.

Both Obama and Clinton adopted solidly pro-Israel positions during the election campaign. Last May, Obama sacked an adviser, Rob Malley, after it emerged he had met Hamas officials while working for the International Crisis Group.

In June, Obama told the Israeli lobbying group Aipac he supported Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. That runs contrary to longstanding policy that the future of Jerusalem be decided through negotiation between Israel and the Palestinians.

In a visit to Israel one month later, Obama said he identified with efforts to protect Israeli cities from Hamas rockets.

Obama has further frustrated and confused those who had been looking to the incoming administration for a more even-handed approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by his refusal to make any substantive comment on Israel's military campaign on Gaza, nearly two weeks on.

He told a press conference on Wednesday: "We cannot be sending a message to the world that there are two different administrations conducting foreign policy. Until I take office, it would be imprudent of me to start sending out signals that somehow we are running foreign policy when I am not legally authorised to do so."

He added: "This silence is not as a consequence of a lack of concern."

This mock NY Times article is excellent. I can 't believe any intelligent person still reads that newspaper. It 's comforting to know that they are having financial difficulty and their subscription rates are declining. 

Jewish leaders in Rome today expressed outrage over a trades union proposal to "identify and boycott" Jewish-owned shops in the Italian capital amid fears of a resurgence of anti-Semitism linked to Israeli actions in Gaza, .

Jewish leaders said the proposal, put forward by Giancarlo Desiderati, leader of the Flaica-Uniti-Cub union, which represents 8,000 shop assistants in Rome, was reminiscent of the anti-Semitic racial laws adopted 70 years ago by the Fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini in imitation of Nazi Germany, under which only "Aryan" shops were allowed to trade.

Asked if he was aware of the comparison, Mr Desiderati said: "We know we will have everyone against us, but we cannot pass over in silence what is happening in Gaza".

He said his union had already urged its members to boycott Israeli products, and boycotting Jewish-owned or Jewish-run stores was a logical next step.

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He said he and his supporters were drawing up a list of Jewish shops, "though it might be better to publish a list of streets in which a majority of the shops are Jewish and ask people to avoid those streets when shopping".

He added: "For 50 years we have been concerned for the Jews because of what they suffered in the Holocaust, but now it is time to be concerned for the Palestinians, who are the Jews of today".

Mr Desiderati later denied such a list of Jewish shops existed or would be drawn up, saying that he condemned "all forms of anti-Semitism by Right or Left". His union did, however, support a boycott of Israeli good because of Israel's use of "military means against a civilian population".

Piero Marazzo, head of the Lazio region, said that the idea of boycotting Jewish shops was "spine chilling". Riccardo Pacifici, head of the Jewish community in Rome said it was a "mad" idea which he did not believe had the backing of a majority in the union, let alone in Rome as a whole.

Gianni Alemanno, the right-wing Mayor of Rome, said he would visit Jewish owned shops in Rome together with Mr Pacifici as an act of solidarity.

Muslim leaders in Milan today said that they had apologised to Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, the Archbishop of Milan, for an incident last weekend in which Muslim demonstrators burnt Israeli flags during a mass protest against Israeli actions in Gaza, which ended in unauthorised Islamic prayers in front of Milan Cathedral.

The protesters broke through a police cordon to reach the square. Asfa Mahmoud, head of the Islamic Cultural Centre in Milan, said that he and other Muslim spokesmen had asked for a meeting with the cardinal to "clarify" what had happened and express regret.

The Milan archdiocese said in a note that prayer was a "fundamental human right" but must not be used for political purposes. The Muslim prayers on the cathedral square had been "intrepreted by many" as an "affront to the Catholic faith at one of Milan's most symbolic Christian sites", the note said.

Ignazio La Russa, the Defence Minister, who is a leader of the right-wing Alleanza Nazionale, said that to counteract the use of the cathedral square as an "open air mosque", an open air Catholic mass should be held to "reclaim" it for Christianity.

Mr Alemanno and Giorgia Meloni, the Minister for Youth, who are both leading members of Alleanza Nazionale, came under fire from the Left today for attending a ceremony in a Rome suburb honouring three members of an ultra-right youth group gunned down by extreme leftwingers in 1978.

Ms Meloni said that she and Mr Alemanno were opposed to "all political violence". Three hundred far-right activists making the stiffed-armed Fascist salute later gathered at the site of t

he killing in the Tuscolano district to commemorate the three "martyrs of Via Acca Larentia".

Source: Times

Here is a link to the IDF Youtube Channel. which Youtube has been having issues with. 

I haven't watched many of the videos, but this video is pretty amazing. It shows exactly how Operation Cast Lead is being fought. It seems pretty dangerous for Israel to show their enemies this information, as they can see exactly how Israel fights a war, but I guess Israel decided that the public relations was worth it. 

This is going to be a pretty well documented war.

"We are going to engage effectively and consistently in trying to resolve the conflicts that exist in the Middle East," he told reporters, adding that "the loss of civilian life in Gaza and Israel is a source of deep concern to me, and after January 20th I am going to have plenty to say about the issue."

Still no mention that he supports Israel's efforts. Should we be worried? Very.

Let's hope this operation is over and succesful before January 20th.

Another sign of anti-semitism cropping up in Turkey. This picture was recently taken in Turkey, a major tourist destination for Israeli's. I am starting to understand why tickets from Israel to Turkey are about $200.

For those that can't read: This is a picture of a sign on a store which says: "For Children Killers Israelis No Sale, No Entry". 

The sign was clearly written by someone mentally challenged. First off, his grammar is terrible; But what really gives it away is why would a store owner ever forbid Israelis/Jews entrance to their store? Don't they have all the money?...

I think there may be some anti-Semitic people in Turkey. 

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Turkey-Israel basketball game canned after pro-Gaza protesters storm court

By Reuters

Tags: Hamas, Israel News, Gaza

A basketball game between a Turkish and an Israeli team was suspended on Tuesday after Turkish fans erupted in protests against the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, Turkish media reported.  A referee suspended the game between Turk Telekom and Bnei Hasharon, part of a European basketball championship, and ordered the players back to the dressing room after hundreds of Turkish fans began chanting "Israel, killers!" in an Ankara sports centre, SkyTurk broadcaster reported.  Turkey, a predominantly Muslim but secular country, has good ties with Israel, but the violence in Gaza has sparked mass street protests and harsh criticism from the government.

Today I decided to head over to check out the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and afterwards head over to the beach and watch the sunset. Although the art at the museum was very nice, God's work significantly trumped any of the artists' pieces.  My review of the Tel Aviv Art Museum follows:

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Overview:

• In terms of size, it is closer to the Guggenheim than the MET. It is large, but can definitely be seen in under 4 hours without rushing. I personally saw everything in about 2.
• Has a broad collection in terms of style (i.e. modern, abstract) and mediums (i.e. sculpture, paintings).
• Includes works from the world's greatest painters -such as Piccasso, Van Gogh, Monet, Pollock, Cezanne, Gaugin, Chagall...

Review:

I can't say I was particularly moved by most of the works there but it may just have been my mood. My personal favorites were the two Van Gogh paintings (The Shepherdess (pictured) and The Spinner). Also, of all the Jackson Pollock's i've seen Earth Worms is up there as one of my favorites - although I really don't like Pollock much. 

The picture I disliked the most was the 16 photos of a guy climbing in and out of two boxes and a picture by Nan Goldin entitled David in My Hallway which was literally a picture of some guy named David standing in a hallway. I have honestly seen better pictures in friends' profile pictures on Facebook. I am pretty sure in all these museums some curator is like "Wouldn't it be funny if we hung up some piece of garbage, like an old shoe, and see whether people like it?" Oh how I despise modern art. 

Another highlight was a room full of miniature rooms by James Ensor which was very interesting and another exhibit of sculptures of heads which would take too much time to explain.

Final Thought: All in all, a fairly impressive art museum, but I think I would rank it near the bottom of major NYC art museums. A plus of the museum is that there is something for everyone, but this means there is no real focus. 

If you are interested in art, then this is, from what I've heard, the cream of the crop when it comes to collections in Israel. It's definitely always nice to see different pieces from the most recognized artists in the world. 

Location:  27 Shaul Hamelech Blvd. Tel Aviv. The following buses drop off in front:  9,18, 28, 70, 90, 111.

Hours Open: Sun. closed. , Mon.. Wed. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. ; Tues., Thurs. 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m