To the Point

Israel Divided over Gaza Pullout

Despite threats of assassination--even talk of a civil war--Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is pushing his plan to evacuate Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip. Today, Israeli tanks and planes attacked a Palestinian refugee camp, killing at least 14 Palestinians and wounding 72, in an operation an army spokespeople said was designed to halt mortar fire. The exercise came just as debate got underway in the Knesset, with a vote expected tomorrow. Palestinian leader Saeb Erekat said "deliberations in parliament... are being translated into more Palestinian bloodshed." While candidates Bush and Kerry have tiptoed around the issue, events in the Middle East have been changing fast. We update a continuing crisis that won't go away--whoever the next occupant of the White House turns out to be. Making News: Chief Justice Rehnquist Hospitalized with Thyroid Cancer Chief Justice of the United States William Rehnquist underwent a tracheotomy Saturday after being hospitalized with thyroid cancer, but the Supreme Court says he'll be back on the bench next week. Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor and reporter covering the Court for Slate.com, says this latest development is certain to move the executive privilege of nominating a justice to the front burner of the presidential campaign. Reporter's Notebook: Tons of Explosives Missing from Site in Iraq The International Atomic Energy Agency publicly warned about stockpiles of weapons before the Iraq invasion. Now, Bush administration officials have told the New York Times they can't explain why 380 tons have gone missing, all from a single former military installation of Saddam Hussein's. Military analyst Michael O'Hanlon, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, faults the White House for its shortsightedness.