No, I have not disappeared. I am in Israel because my 87 year old mother had to have surgery. It went well but I am spending my time in the hospital.

What is new in Israel? War with Syria is no longer expected to take place this year though news of the Syrian rapid modernization of their weapons is unnerving. The same can be said about Hezollah. It appears that the renewed Putin's Cold War rethoric has been translated into the arming of Syria with the latest Soviet made missile systems some of which have not even been adapted by the Red army itself. Israel, of course, needs to keep up by purchasing American weapons from the US.

The global lines are being drawn and the Arab Israeli conflict is again smack in the middle of the new Western-Islamist; Sunni-Shia cold war. You will find Barry Rubin's take of the recent Israeli Palestinian negotiations here/

In Israel they defined these negotiations as ones between Olmert who has no right to negotiate with Abbas who has no ability to deliver on his agreements. Sorry.