mcclatchydc.com: Dion NissenbaumNews, sports and entertainment from mcclatchydc.comOlmert to quit, leaving Mideast peace initiative to uncertain fate- July 31, 2008 JERUSALEM — Embattled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Wednesday that he will resign in September, bringing a premature end to his hopes of leading Israel into a stable era of peace with its Arab neighbors.http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/dion_nissenbaum/story/45964.html Freed child killer becomes a symbol of resistance in Lebanon- July 25, 2008 AABEY, Lebanon — The skinny young brothers fidgeted in their plastic chairs as they gazed up at the beefy killer soaking in his first days of freedom after nearly three decades in Israeli prison.http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/dion_nissenbaum/story/44888.html Obama talks tough about Iran during visit to Israel- July 23, 2008 SDEROT, Israel — Tough talk on Iran dominated Barack Obama&39;s meetings Wednesday in Israel and the West Bank, as Israeli officials amplified their enemy&39;s threat and the Democratic presidential hopeful declared that a "nuclear Iran would be a game-changing situation."http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/dion_nissenbaum/story/45270.html Obama downplays Mideast peace outlook, vows to try to help- July 22, 2008 AMMAN, Jordan — Heading into a full day of meetings Wednesday with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, Barack Obama said Tuesday that if he&39;s elected he&39;ll push for a two-state peace settlement "from the minute I&39;m sworn in to office," but added that "it&39;s unrealistic to expect that a U.S. president alone can suddenly snap his fingers and bring about peace in this region."http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/dion_nissenbaum/story/45104.html Hours before Obama arrives, another Palestinian rampage- July 22, 2008 JERUSALEM — A lone Palestinian driving a heavy construction backhoe went on a short rampage Tuesday afternoon, smashing into a bus and several cars before being shot dead within view of the Jerusalem hotel where Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is expected to stay this evening.http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/dion_nissenbaum/story/45080.html Israelis, Palestinians look to Obama with hope, skepticism- July 21, 2008 AMMAN, JORDAN — As Barack Obama heads into the world&39;s most complicated region in a bid to establish his foreign-policy credentials as a presidential hopeful, Israelis and Palestinians are voicing a mixture of hope, skepticism and curiosity.http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/dion_nissenbaum/story/45035.html Israelis bury dead from '06 war as Olmert trial proceeds- July 17, 2008 HAIFA, Israel — They came by the thousands to say goodbye: those who loved them, those who fought with them and those who knew them only after they became unexpected symbols of Israel&39;s volatile place in modern Middle East history.http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/dion_nissenbaum/story/44629.html Jubilant Lebanese welcome home man Israelis say killed 3- July 17, 2008 ROSH HANIKRAH, Israel — As an Israeli military convoy carrying two flag-wrapped coffins wound slowly through Israel on Wednesday, convicted killer Samir Kuntar walked down a red carpet in a Lebanese village where he waved to throngs of jubilant supporters after spending nearly three decades in Israeli prison.http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/dion_nissenbaum/story/44424.html Once again, Israel cuts a deal with its worst enemies- July 10, 2008 JERUSALEM — In the first hours after Hezbollah fighters captured two Israeli soldiers in a 2006 cross-border raid from Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made it clear that he wouldn&39;t bargain for their freedom.http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/dion_nissenbaum/story/43667.html Hamas, long the peace spoiler, finds it hard to halt attacks- July 7, 2008 BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip — Like a Gettysburg battlefield tour guide, Ali Kafarna pointed out the scars of war as he walked through the fields between his home and the Israeli border.http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/dion_nissenbaum/story/43232.html |