- Newsnight
- 30 Jul 07, 04:29 PM
Presented by
SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
In Camp David today there wasn't a pair of "ball crushingly tight" corduroys in sight.
David Grossman was at the press conference to decode the tone and language between Gordon Brown and President Bush and assess the state of the Anglo-American relationship.
We shall have a distinguished panel to discuss the substance of their meeting.
LIFE SENTENCES
Why are we locking up more people on life sentences for relatively minor crimes when we're facing a prison overcrowding crisis? We examine the phenomena of so-called indeterminate sentences. The idea is that offenders can only be released once they've completed rehabilitation courses to prove they are no longer a danger to society - but what happens if the courses aren't available? We'll be asking the Prisons Minister if the system is working.
INGMAR BERGMAN
Cinematic legend Ingmar Bergman has died at his home in Sweden. Culture Correspondent Stephen Smith looks back on his life.
- Richard Colebourn
- 30 Jul 07, 11:01 AM
JERUSALEM AND NABLUS: The headline is from the weekend edition of the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz. At the end of Blair鈥檚 first week in the region as envoy for the Middle East Quartet, Israelis and Palestinians are now left contemplating the gap between hype and hope.
Blair said he felt a 鈥渟ense of possibility鈥. But the grounds for optimism were left unexplained. Israel鈥檚 politicians were positive, adopting a strategy they openly describe as 鈥渉ug him close鈥. Israel鈥檚 press is enjoying the publicity. 鈥淎n international rock star is now dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process,鈥 claims Haaretz. Palestinian reaction was more muted.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 about Tony Blair, this is about us,鈥 the new Palestinian Prime Minister, Salaam Fayad, told the 91热爆. And, at least according to Blair鈥檚 job description, he鈥檚 right.
The - made up of the EU, the United States, the UN and Russia - limits Blair鈥檚 role to Palestinian economic development, good governance and the raising of international aid. This isn鈥檛 about summits and peace negotiations, it鈥檚 about getting the Palestinians to a position where a viable state becomes plausible.
Khaled, a falafel seller in the Balata refugee camp near Nablus, isn鈥檛 convinced about Blair鈥檚 commitment. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a loser,鈥 he told me. 鈥淗e did nothing to help the Palestinians when he was Prime Minister, when he had power. Why do you think he can help now?鈥
Ashraf Misre from Nablus would like a piece of Tony鈥檚 time. He often struggles to reach his different businesses because of restrictions on movement imposed by the Israelis. They say checkpoints are necessary for security. But for Ashraf and his wife Nisreen, the unpredictability involved in travelling short distances is a basic impediment to building his business.
What Israelis and Palestinians seem unclear about is whether Blair will stick to his limited mandate. Will he get stuck into the problems faced by entrepreneurs like Ashraf or will he end up involved in mediation between Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas?
Unlike in Northern Ireland, Blair may find his freedom of movement curtailed. There are many players on this stage. Briefings by the American government have been clear: they will take the lead on major diplomatic negotiations.
