The Annapolis summit launches a new round of talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. In an interview with the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he’ll seek a two-state settlement to avoid an apartheid-like dilemma. Olmert said, “If the day comes when the two-state solution collapses, and we face a South African-style struggle for equal voting rights, then, as soon as that happens, the State of Israel is finished.” Olmert has yet to accept a longstanding Arab League offer for a two-state agreement on Israel’s internationally recognized borders. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa called on Israel to accept the deal.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa: “There is a message. Of course there is a message in our presence here, that we mean business. We are ready for peace, if you are ready for peace. We are ready to shoulder all our obligations and responsibilities as Arab countries, including normalization, but in the right context and when we are convinced that Israel is serious, because until this moment we are not convinced.”

The Bush administration appears to be focusing efforts on shaping the Palestinian security forces. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appointed retired Marine General James Jones to coordinate security arrangements in the Occupied Territories.