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Daybreak: Reconciliation Redux?

Plus Madoff suicide revelation, Egypt’s new F-16, and more in the news

by
Marc Tracy
October 27, 2011
Meshaal and President Abbas in May.(Thaer Ghanem/AFP/Getty Images)
Meshaal and President Abbas in May.(Thaer Ghanem/AFP/Getty Images)

• Palestinian Authority President Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal have plans to meet in Cairo next month—their first confab since May, when reconciliation was announced—to talk unity. [WP/AP]

• Ruth Madoff revealed that soon after her husband’s Ponzi scheme was revealed, the two tried to commit suicide by taking copious amounts of Ambien. [NYT]

• Israeli earthquake aid has begun to arrive in Turkey. Turkish officials have assured the world that while they appreciate it, the two countries are still—don’t worry!—in a diplomatic chill. [NYT]

• In addition to the 25 Israeli prisoners, Egypt also scored an F-16 (for sale) from the United States as part of the deal for the Israeli-American alleged spy Ilan Grapel, who is set to be freed later today. [JPost]

• Information about secret peace talks in 2008, newly revealed in Condoleezza Rice’s memoir, show that a deal was close and that the Obama Administration screwed up by coming in and focusing on settlements, David Ignatius argues. [WP]

• The U.S. ambassador urged the Israelis to institute a partial settlement construction freeze in order to bolster U.S. moves against Palestinian U.N. membership. [Ynet]

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.