GAZA CITY, Gaza -- Jeff Halper, an anthropologist, and head of the Israeli Committee against House Demolitions (ICAHD), who together with over 40 international activists from 17 different countries broke Israels naval blockade of the Gaza Strip by sailing from Cyprus to Gaza on Saturday, despite Israeli warnings, was arrested Tuesday as he tried to return to Israel.

JERUSALEM -- Israels ambassador to the U.N., Dan Gillerman, called Carter a bigot last week during a briefing with journalists sponsored by The Israel Project, a Washington-based, media-oriented advocacy group.

When told that the leaders of Germany, Britain and, most likely, France will boycott the opening Olympic ceremonies in Beijing because of the Chinas recent crackdown in Tibet, U.S. President George W. Bushs national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, described their decision as "a cop out" and offered a surprising response that seemed to run counter to the U.S. stance in other regions, particularly the Middle East where some governments and groups remain untouchable.

While the various elements of Washingtons response to the terrorist attacks of September 11 are still to crystallize, work on one objective has already begun: removing the Taliban regime from Afghanistan.

Spurred by international efforts to bring war criminals round the world to book and the more recent hunt for Yugoslavias Serbian leaders, Lebanon has launched investigations into an Israeli massacre that shocked the world nearly 19 years ago.

Interaction between Palestinians and Israelis looks more and more like a war of attrition and less like an intifada. Beyond the overwhelming military power it uses, Israel also exerts what can be called "information hegemony.