A near majority of Israelis consider this week's US-hosted peace conference in Annapolis to have been a failure, according to a poll published by the Haaretz daily.

US President George W Bush has held separate meetings with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders before all of them attend the much anticipated Middle East peace conference in the historic American city of Annapolis.

November 27 at Annapolis kicks off the latest Israeli-Palestinian Middle East peace process round that may be an historic first. It's the first time in memory the legitimate government of one side is excluded, and that alone dooms it. Like previous rounds, it's more pretense than peace, and as Jonathan Steele puts it in his November 16 Guardian column "The Palestinian path to peace does not go via Annapolis... so what do... Palestinians do next...

On November 27, the United States will host Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, along with the Members of the Quartet, the Members of the Arab League Follow-on Committee, the G-8, the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and other key international actors for a conference at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra will present the second concert in the 2007 Lexus Summer Series, “Summer Pops,” on Saturday, September 1st, at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis with festivities starting at 6 pm. This event is alcohol-free, family friendly and FREE to the public. A rain date has been reserved for Sunday, September 2nd, at 6 pm.