Fairly wide criticism from all the media here about the civilian casualties in the Shehadeh killing. Observers are saying that it reflects a desperation for new responses to last week's terror attacks, or an overenthusiasm with an long-sought opportunity to kill a senior Hamas target.

Though it's obvious, it's worth noting that in this one instance - where there is an actual basis for thinking that IDF firepower was used inappropriately - there is real concern in Israel (and hyperbolic rhetoric from the Arabs and the EU). This is in contrast to the rest of the time, when the Arab world, EU, and others throw around accusations that are motivated primarily by political considerations.

Uri Orbach on Army Radio pointed out that it wasn't really necessary to be pursuing Shehadeh for so long because we used to have him in jail. He was released as part of the Oslo prisoner release, together will a lot of other extremists who agreed to sign a form where they stated that they would abstain from violent activity.

A friend of mine once did reserve duty at a prison in the Negev which housed the proud ones who refused to sign.

Separately, the US is trying to postpone Palestinian elections scheduled for January because they fear that Arafat will win (report).