They left out "Hope"

The image that is used by Saudi Press Agency to link to all stories about Crown Prince MBS visit to Korea during his Asia / G20 trip.

Trump should get one made for his Call Me Maybe friend, Kim Jong-un. 

About that West Bank - Gaza corridor

Media reports are leaping on a single sentence in the Deal o' the Century narrative:

Additional investment will finance the development of a transportation corridor directly connecting the West Bank and Gaza through a major road and, potentially, a modern rail line.

But in the list of projects accompanying that main report, there is no such project listed. Instead there is this:

Construct a transportation network connecting Gaza to the West Bank, which could fundamentally change the Palestinian economy. Features could include an interurban rail line linking many of the major cities of Gaza and the West Bank for rapid urban transport, mass transport stations near urban centers, and connections to regional railways such as the Jordan railway project. This connection will occur in stages, with an interim solution planned for implementation within two years.

There are many ways this could be done without the building of a dedicated, land-using direct link between the West Bank and Gaza.

Quote of the Day

Simon Kuper in the Financial Times on the Oxford domination of Tory politics and a potential resemblance to the Cambridge educated spies of the 50s and 60s:

The Cambridge Five were given roles of responsibility because they possessed elite CVs and came across as archetypal British gentlemen (partly through displays of eccentricity in hairstyles, drink and dress). They pursued their utopia for decades, ignoring all evidence that contradicted it and looking down on the rest of the establishment for its unimaginative thinking. When the spies were finally exposed, British trust in the establishment suffered a lasting dent.

Admittedly, the comparison between the Cambridge and Oxford sets isn't entirely fair: though both betrayed Britain's interests to the benefit of Moscow, the Brexiters didn't mean to.

Understatement of the Day

From the White House release of the economic component of the Israel - Palestine Deal o' the Century:

The Palestinian people routinely encounter logistical challenges in the West Bank and Gaza, impeding travel, stagnating economic growth, reducing exports, and stunting foreign direct investment.

Quote of the Day

In the Financial Times,  David Pilling on Sudan:

Protesters have vowed to continue their struggle. The odds are stacked against them. The youth of Sudan, and much of Africa, has a faith in liberal democracy and peaceful protest that has all but evaporated in much of the world. This is a bad era in which to be a democrat without a gun.

Words not being read

From the closing statement of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit held in Mecca, and chaired by Saudi King Salman --

The Conference affirmed its rejection of any proposal for a peaceful settlement that does not conform to the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people as recognized by international legitimacy and is incompatible with the internationally recognized references to the peace process, foremost international law and United Nations resolutions. ...  The conference confirmed the adoption and support of the vision of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his address to the Security Council on 20 February 2018 calling on international actors to engage in sponsoring a multilateral political track with the aim of launching a credible peace process under international auspices aimed at achieving peace.

Somehow the Trump Administration's reading of the situation is that there is an alternative path to a settlement that doesn't involve any of the above.