And in Israel and the Occupied Territories, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held their last meeting Tuesday before Olmert’s Kadima party picks a new leader. Abbas said Palestinian demands remain as they always have: a state in the West Bank and Gaza and the right of return for displaced refugees.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: “We demand East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, and it is land occupied since 1967. We demand the right of return to refugees. We demand the ’67 borders. We demand rights to West Bank water. We demand security and peace. We all know, and even many in Israel say, that settlement activity is illegal, and we say this is illegal.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz are the leading candidates to replace Olmert. Mofaz has recently come under scrutiny after it was revealed he called for the mass killing of Palestinians while commanding the Israeli army during the Second Intifada.