Concentration of diplomatic minds
Updated on 05 January 2009
The events of the first day of major diplomatic pressure for a Gaza ceasefire dominate today's morning's meeting.
Today is the first opportunity for an hour-long programme to examine the situation in Gaza, with Alex Thomson in Jerusalem and Jonathan Rugman on the northern border.
Overnight a southern front has been opening up, and around 10 children are reported to have been killed in air raids.
"The trick is to get pictures of tanks firing. All the coverage so far has felt a bit long-distance - it doesn't give you a good image of what is going on."
"You can't get near it to get the images" because of Israel's restrictions.
Today is also the first major diplomatic push, with a press conference from four EU foreign ministers and French president Sarkozy making his own "freelance trip" to Jerusalem.
"He might not hold the EU presidency any more by he feels he started the diplomatic process."
"Slightly cynically, this is the first concentration of minds after the new year."
Our team may also be "chasing after" Tony Blair, who is now an envoy to the region.
"It's a bit of a red herring as he has no power."
"All his investment has been in the West Bank because they will talk there."
"Has Blair met Hamas?"
"No, and he's never been to Gaza."
There may also be a piece out of Washington, with criticism mounting over Obama's silence on the conflict so far.
Outgoing vice-president Dick Cheney and others were out at the weekend giving their support to Israel, but Obama's line is that there is only one president at a time, and that the president for the next 15 days is George W Bush.
"Nothing will happen diplomatically unless America wants it to."
"It's possibly one of the reasons for the timing of the conflict, as Israel is unsure of Obama's position."
"They're trying to box him into a corner by weakening Hamas before he takes office."
"He did comment on Mumbai, but he's mainly talked about the economy."
Attention is also turning to Egypt, with Israel targeting dozens of smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Egypt that provided weapons for Hamas and trade for Gaza's residents.
"Around 85 per cent of Israel's action is about targeting Hamas's infrastructure and 15 per cent is the tunnels."
"It might be an area where there may actually see some movement. The rest is just going through the motions."
