We Won't Win In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Gabi Sheffer - (Opinion) December 31, 2007 - 6:48pm IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi declared recently that should the IDF enter the Gaza Strip in full force, in the framework of an Israeli military operation, he has no doubt that this time around the army and the entire State of Israel will be triumphant. Several commentators were quick to explain that this declaration was an attempt to highlight the great defeat suffered by his predecessor, Dan Halutz, and to promise to the people that under Ashkenazi’s leadership the army will not suffer another defeat such as the Second Lebanon War failure. » Read more

No One Is Righteous ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) December 31, 2007 - 6:46pm Tzipi Livni is absolutely correct when she says "Egypt's activity on the Philadelphi Route is dismal and problematic." The foreign minister told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee the truth; these weapons do strengthen Hamas' grip, at the expense of the pragmatic elements in Gaza. It's too bad no one asked her why she thinks the Egyptian government, which she said plays a positive role in the peace process, is acting against its own interests. » Read more

Us Must Re-evaluate Its Relationship With Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Scott Ritter - (Opinion) December 31, 2007 - 6:45pm The government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has embarked on policies that are questionable at best when one examines them from a purely Israeli standpoint; they are nothing less than a betrayal of the United States when examined from a broader perspective. » Read more

An Israeli Hurdle For Haj Pilgrims ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News (Editorial) December 31, 2007 - 6:45pm Some 2,000 Palestinians who performed their Haj duties at Makkah are now stranded on two boats off the Egyptian coast. The reason for this is a dispute that has arisen with the Israeli authorities, who demand the right to security control checks of all pilgrims, something the Palestinians are reluctant to do, fearing reprisals from the Israeli security forces. In checking for security clearance, Israel also investigates whether any of the personnel are related to Palestinians already in Israeli jails, of known person wanted by Israel. » Read more

A Neocon Bush Middle East Policy? Look Again ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Michael Young - (Opinion) December 31, 2007 - 6:44pm Maybe 2008 will be the year when we are finally rid of that vacuous belief that "the neocons" are in control of the Bush administration's foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East. Habits are hard to break, particularly lazy ones, but if anyone bothered to look more closely, they would see that the United States has not really engaged in what we might call a neoconservative approach to the region since at least 2004, when the situation in Iraq took a sudden turn for the worse. » Read more

2008: The Year Of Palestine? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News by Roger Hardy - December 31, 2007 - 6:42pm Will 2008 see the creation of a Palestinian state, or will November's Annapolis peace conference prove another false dawn?   US President George W Bush shows no inclination to become a lame duck, pledging no let-up during his last year in office. He is due to visit the Middle East early in 2008, a sign of his personal commitment to advancing the peace process there. But he will not find it easy to cut through the scepticism that is widespread in the region. » Read more

Tech Startup Bridges Mideast Divide ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Speigel International December 31, 2007 - 6:41pm Zvi Schreiber is a British-born serial entrepreneur who established the headquarters of his latest tech startup, a software company called Global Hosted Operating System (G.ho.st), in Israel last year. G.ho.st has developed a "virtual PC" that saves all of a person's files online so data and programs can be gathered from any computer. As Schreiber sees it, the Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh operating systems that cram applications and documents all inside one physical computer will soon be obsolete. » Read more

Israel Rejects Easing Of West Bank Curbs ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times by Tobias Buck - December 31, 2007 - 6:39pm Israel said on Sunday it would not ease restrictions on movement and access for Palestinians in the West Bank unless the Palestinian leadership moved more forcefully against armed groups threatening violence against Israelis. » Read more

Challenges 2007-2008: A Prime Minister Hangs On, Just About ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Peter Hirschberg - December 31, 2007 - 6:38pm At the start of 2007, it seemed that war would cost Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert his job. As he completed the year, still in office, the greatest threat to him staying there now seems to be the prospect of peace. » Read more

Jewish Agency Gives Boardroom Clout To Ally Of Evangelicals ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Anthony Weiss - December 31, 2007 - 6:37pm About a decade ago, the head of the Jewish Agency for Israel refused to be photographed taking a check from Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. This past week, the agency accepted a hefty donation from the evangelical-backed organization and offered Eckstein a seat on two of its most powerful committees. » Read more