60 years of Israeli independence

I’ve just touched down in Jerusalem, ahead of the sixtieth anniversary of Israeli independence next week.  Over the next three days, I and a few other journos will be ferried around Ramallah, Tel Aviv and Sderot – meeting with various political and military types along the way.  

It’s a timely visit.  Quite aside from the anniversary celebrations, a number of issues are reaching boiling point – the impact of the Annapolis summit; how prime minister Olmert will deal with Syria and Iran; the humanitarian situation in Gaza, etc. etc.  I’ll be looking to get the lowdown on these, and will blog as much as my itinerary and connectivity allow.  If there’s anything else you’d like to hear about – maybe what people think of Blair in his role as Middle East peace envoy? – just let me know in the comments section.

In the meantime, there are some interesting articles on the anniversary knocking around.  I’d recommend you read this one from the Observer and this