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The Bulletin asked the US State Department if Rice would ask Abbas to instruct his security forces to try and stop the rocket attacks and whether Abbas would disarm Al Aksa Brigades. The answer: "No Comment."Despite the assumption that Abbas is too weak to disband the Al Aksa Brigades, Abbas maintains direct control over at least 45,000 members of a dozen or so security forces in the Gaza Strip. This is in addition to thousands of gunmen and activists belonging to the Fatah, which Abbas also chairs. Rice, eager to bring down the Hamas government, also offered on Thursday to continue to arm Abbas and his Fatah party with 6,000 rifles.

Two principal proponents of the Iraq Study Group, are indeed expected to present recommendations for the U.S. military presence in Iraq later in November. This group is expected to advise the U.S. government that Israel must make wide-ranging concessions to the Palestinian Authority and to Syria, with or without reciprocity.

-- Egypt's official Middle East News Agency (MENA) said the regime of President Hosni Mubarak has begun to deploy 5,000 Egyptian state security police along the Egypt-Gaza border-- Yemen Captures Eight Al-Qaida Insurgents--Russia Renews Arms Exports To Iran--Iran Expands Influence In Syria--Saudis Place Oil Facilities On Alert

Asked about how the U.S. could consider arming a group the U.S. itself officially links to a terrorist organization, an American government official stuck by the official position of the U.S. State Department, which is that "the US does not regard the Fatah as a terrorist organization." When this reporter asked the American government official to examine the U.S. State Department Web site in this regard, the U.S. government official said that the official was not familiar with the Web site in this regard, saying only that "Arafat signed a document denouncing violence and terrorism."

One year ago this week, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, President George W. Bush exuded a clear, unequivocal appreciation of and commitment to Israel. On that same occasion, President Bush called for a democratic state of Palestine to be created alongside Israel, as a way to foster peace in the Middle East.