To the Point

Will Democracy Advance the Peace Process in the Middle East?

There was more violence today in the Middle East. After three militants were killed by Israel, a Palestinian rocket was followed by Israeli artillery fire. Meantime, politics on both sides are increasingly complicated. In last week's local Palestinian elections, Hamas demonstrated its growing strength by winning in several cities, including Nablus, the biggest town in the West Bank. Next month, parliamentary elections are scheduled--the first since 1996--but the rise of Hamas has put them in jeopardy. Israel's own election is scheduled for March, and it's likely to be affected by the results from the occupied territories. What about the health of Ariel Sharon, his one-man party and the new leaders of Likud and Labor? We hear about the growing strength of Hamas, the Palestinian group committed to Israel's destruction. Making News: From Iraq, Secretary Rumsfeld Says More Troops May Come HomeAs he flew into to Baghdad for a surprise visit today, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld hinted that the US will begin a modest reduction of troops in Iraq, in hopes that Iraq's new leaders will, as he put it, "pull that country together toward the center and not pull it apart." Jonathan Broder is Defense and Foreign Policy Editor for Congressional Quarterly. Reporter's Notebook: British Government to Videotape Every Car on Every RoadWhile the US debates domestic surveillance of telephones and computers, Britain is about to become the first country in the world where the movements of all vehicles on the roads are recorded on videotape. With technology called the biggest crime-fighting advance since DNA fingerprinting, a central database will store 35 million "reads" daily, increasing to 100 million in the future. What about civil liberties? Steve Connor is Science Editor of The Independent.