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GUEST: Anna Baltzer, Fulbright scholar, author, and volunteer with the International Women’s Peace Service. She is the author of ‘Witness in Palestine: A Jewish American Woman in the Occupied Territories.’

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice concluded a two-day weekend trip this Monday to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Ahead of President Bush’s trip next week, Rice held talks on various issues including Israeli checkpoints and manned road blocks in the West Bank in hopes of displaying progress toward peace. The reason for Bush’s trip is the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel, which Palestinians refer to as “al-Nakba,” or “the catastrophe.” Following Rice’s departure, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met to discuss prospects for peace. Not prominently mentioned, however, was the continuing siege of Gaza. Former President Jimmy Carter recently met with the Hamas government despite criticism from Bush and Olmert. As an outcome of the meetings, Hamas has now offered to accept the state of Israel and is willing to call a ten year truce. Meanwhile, violence continues in besieged Gaza as a Palestinian mother and four of her children were killed last week during an Israeli attack. The Israeli military has claimed that Palestinian militants targeted in the missile strike carried explosives that were responsible for the deaths.

Anna will be speaking at the following events in Southern California:

May 6: 12 pm; Cal State Long Beach, Long Beach
May 7: 7:30 pm; Holy Cross Melkite-Greek Catholic Church, Placentia
May 8: 2:30 pm; Cypress College, Cypress
May 9: 7:30 pm; Four Points Sheraton Hotel; San Diego
May 10: 7:30 pm; Unitarian Universalist Church, Studio City
May 12: 7 pm; First Congregational Church, Long Beach
May 14: 12 pm; University of California, Irvine
May 14: 6 pm; University of California; Los Angeles

For details, visit www.AnnaInTheMiddleEast.com.