Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has begun a three day visit to the United States. First stop was the United Nations where he met Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon. He began his visit with statements designed to bolster Mahmoud Abbas and his new Palestinian government, describing the absence of Hamas as a step towards peace with Israel.

Even a rocket attack launched from Lebanon into Northern Israel didn’t draw his criticism. “Lebanon has been very quiet in the last nine months and we hope it will continue to be. Most likely this is an attack by Palestinian, small Palestinian group.”

The rocket attack on the town of Kiryat Schmona caused no casualties. Two Katyusha rockets landed in an industrial park damaging a parked car and leaving a small crater in the road. Lebanon’s Hezbollah guerrillas, who fired thousands of Katyusha rockets into Israel during the Lebanon War a year ago, denied responsibility.

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