This International Dateline episode includes three segments: Israel's Borderline Election, Yossi Beilin Interview, and Thaksin's Last Stand.
Israel's Borderline Election
After withdrawing from Gaza, Sharon's successor, Ehud Olmert, now has a plan to annex as much as 40% of the West Bank and unilaterally withdrawing Jewish settlers from the rest. The effect of this redrafting of Israel's borders would be to impose a state on the Palestinians - without negotiation. Whether this plan would be a recipe for peace in the Middle East, or as some would argue, war, that's precisely the platform acting-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is taking in the upcoming Israeli elections. But will voters back his plans for "unilateral disengagement?" And what will the militant Hamas, now running the Palestinian Authority, make of this policy which will redraw the border? Dateline reports from what still is the most hotly disputed borders in the world.
Yossi Beilin Interview
Over the years, Yossi Beilin has played a significant role in a succession of attempts to bring about peace between Israelis and Palestinians. A Zionist, Beilin was a prime mover behind the Oslo Peace Accords, a deputy foreign minister to Shimon Peres and Israel's Minister of Justice from 1999 to 2001. He's been a member of the Knesset for more than a decade and, these days, leads the left-leaning Meretz-Yachad Party. Dateline's George Negus interviews Beilin from Tel Aviv.
Thaksin's Last Stand
Opposition to Thailand's democratically elected Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, is growing rapidly with huge protest rallies in the capital. There's mounting anger since Thaksin sold the family business to Singapore for $2 billion tax-free last month. Dateline's Ginny Stein raced to Bangkok to capture the changing political climate. Thaksin's one time political allies and supporters are out to rock him off his pedestal using a constitutional loophole and calling on the King to act against corruption. But at the same time, supporters in the countryside remain loyal to Thaksin unperturbed by allegations of abuses of power.
About International Dateline
SBS Dateline, which began in 1984, is Australia's longest-running international current affairs program. It has a well-earned reputation for authoritative and incisive reporting. Dateline has taken the traditional way of producing TV current affairs and turned it on its head. Reporters who used to travel with a cameraperson and sound recordist now travel alone and have the responsibility of both filming and reporting their stories. The reporters became video-journalists, gaining access to people and places that the conventional camera crews cannot.
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