Intermediary from Qatar in Gaza; Visit Israel; Seek to End Violence

The intermediary from Qatar who is charged with restoring calm in the Gaza Strip is due in the area on Sunday following another weekend of escalating violence and tension. For 58 weeks, the Palestinians have orchestrated mass demonstrations along the border separating Israel and the Gaza Strip, each week the protests becoming violent under the urging of its organizers. This week’s tally was 6,500 demonstrators with 46 injuries reported. Mohammed Al-Emadi will visit Israeli officials as well as Palestinian leaders as he looks for a way out of the ongoing unrest. An agreement to end the violence was actually reached in March, but the pact was never implemented, the Palestinians claiming Israeli foot-dragging is responsible for the situation. Communication with the Netanyahu government on Sunday will be from the Golan Heights where Prime Minister Netanyahu is convening his weekly cabinet meeting and from where a pre-cabinet-meeting special session on the Gaza tension will be held. The cabinet “field trip” recognizes American acknowledgment of Israeli sovereignty over the area which was captured from Syria during the 1967 war.