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Israel has reportedly told Hamas that the final deadline for reaching a prisoner exchange for Gilad Shalit is Sunday night. With this in mind, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has dispatched Shin Bet Director Yuval Diskin and negotiator Ofer Dekel to Egypt for a last-ditch effort to release Shalit.
Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)
10:00PM: More on the terror attack from Israel National News:
Two Israeli policemen were killed Sunday evening near Moshav Massua in the Jordan Valley region near the Gilboa area. According to Ma’ariv-NRG, the two are policemen whose squad car overturned after it was fired at. Channel 1 says that the car was ambushed from very close range and that Fatah has taken responsibility for the attack.
An initial unconfirmed report on Reshet Bet radio said one of the two victims has died and that the two had been shot. Magen David Adom Director Eli Bin told Channel 1 television Sunday night that the two were dead. Channel 1’s police reporter said that the two had been shot.
Rescue forces have reached the scene. These include police cars, ambulances, military medical forces. ZAKA volunteers have also ben summoned to the spot.
Residents of the area were instructed to remain in their homes, because the shooters are still at large. MDA’s Bin said that a rescue helicopter was initially told not to approach the scene of the shooting because of concern over a possible firefight with terrorists.
Investigators have still not ruled out the possibility of a criminal motivation for the attack.
Yeah, that’s the moderate Fatah party of Mahmoud Abbas, peace partners par excellence.
9:55PM: From the Department of D’uh:
21:11 Police suspect officers killed in West Bank were shot by Palestinians (Reuters)
I’m guessing no one really suspected Lubavitch ninjas.
9:20PM: Earlier this evening, a palestinian terrorist tried to launch a rocket and almost succeeded in killing himself.
Yeah, almost is never good enough.
8:58PM: An Israeli has been found dead, and another critically wounded, in an apparent shooting attack near the community of Massua in the Jordan Valley.
7:45PM: In response to Ehud Olmert ripping him and the palestinian leadership a new one, PA President Mahmoud Abbas has responded with a little ripping action himself.
1:25PM: Police forces are currently deployed in central Tel Aviv, reportedly hunting a suspected terrorist.
1:08PM: Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert:
“The fact that we have failed to reach a peace agreement so far is only because of the Palestinian leadership’s weakness and lack of courage to reach an agreement.”
“I’ve said this in the past, and I don’t hesitate to say this: The State of Israel will have to make dramatic and painful concessions which have never been made before in order to reach (a peace deal). But the fact that we have not reached it so far is first and foremost a result of the Palestinian leadership’s weakness, unwillingness and lack of courage. All the rest is excuses and attempts to divert the attention from the main issue.”
Actually, I thought the main issue was the palestinians continued desire to drive us into the sea, manifest by their continued terror attacks and incitement against us. True, they have crummy leaders. But until the average palestinian truly wants to co-exist with us, there is nothing to talk about.
6:02AM: Here’s the audio message (with English subtitles) purportedly from Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
5:58AM: Really, really lost: From the Ha’aretz news ticker:
Tel Aviv stripper returned home by police after found roaming Ramallah
