October 19th

Sadat Is An Enigma In The Us ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Gordon Robinson - (Special Report) October 19, 2007 - 8:39pm America's political class spent last week consumed with a juvenile sniping match involving Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and a question about who the next US president should talk to. It is a debate that succinctly highlights the hollowness of campaign rhetoric on all sides, and has made the media look even more foolish than usual. » Read more

The Five Percent Solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by John V. Whitbeck - (Opinion) October 19, 2007 - 8:37pm In an eloquent speech before the US Congress in early March, Jordan’s King Abdallah emphasized the urgent necessity of achieving an Arab-Israeli peace this year. Sadly, there was little sense of urgency evident on July 25, almost five months later, when the Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers visited Jerusalem. The impression conveyed during this rather awkward visit was, rather, one of resignation to further years of drift. » Read more

Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No. 25 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Palestinian Center For Policy And Survey Research October 19, 2007 - 8:37pm PRESS RELEASE Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No. (25) While Three Quarters of the Palestinians Reject Hamas’s Military Action in the Gaza Strip and While Fateh and President Mahmud Abbas Gain Popular Support as a Result of Hamas’s Step, and While a Majority Supports the Presidential Decree Regarding Election Law and Supports Early Elections, 40% Want the Government of Ismail Haniyeh to Stay in Power and Half of Gazans Feel They and Their Families are Secure and Safe in Their Homes » Read more

See The Middle Eastern Forest To Save The Iraqi Tree ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star (Editorial) October 19, 2007 - 8:35pm The US House of Representatives' hearings Monday on the situation in Iraq were a sharp reminder that forests are made of trees, and staring closely at a single tree or a patch of land can only be useful when the full context of the forest is kept in sight. The specifics of the situation in Iraq have been analyzed and diagnosed in the American and global media in more detail than perhaps any other international issue since the end of the Cold War. » Read more

Riyadh Gives Talks With Israel Cautious Welcome ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Mark Tran - October 19, 2007 - 8:35pm Saudi Arabia would sit down with Israel at a US-proposed Middle East peace conference, provided it dealt with matters of substance, Saudi officials said today. The Saudi foreign minister, Saud al-Faisal, said Riyadh welcomed the American initiative after he emerged from talks with the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, who was in the region with the secretary of defence, Robert Gates, to bolster support for Mr Bush's effort to kick-start Middle East peace talks. » Read more

Fuit En Avant ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - October 19, 2007 - 8:34pm Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are both experienced politicians. At least for the moment, they seem perfectly capable of ignoring the internal political critics of their negotiations. And there is a lot to ignore. » Read more

Us Launches Broad Strategy In Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News by Paul Reynolds - October 19, 2007 - 8:34pm The United States has embarked on a diplomatic strategy in the Middle East in which it hopes to rally support for Iraq, arm its allies, isolate Iran and launch a new conference for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. The strategy is being launched in visits to the region by the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Defence Secretary Robert Gates. » Read more

Ingredients For A True Peace Process ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - October 19, 2007 - 8:33pm If Prof. Johann Galtung, the 76-year-old guru of peace advocates worldwide, were to be invited for a conversation with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert or with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, he would tell them that some day, when the United States is sick of Israel's conflict with the Arabs, this country's leaders will look for non-military solutions. » Read more

Under Siege: Drug Shortage 'is Killing Patients In Gaza' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Eric Silver - October 19, 2007 - 8:33pm Shifa hospital, the biggest in the Gaza Strip, is running out of drugs. It is performing emergency operations only. The CAT scanner is out of service for want of spare parts. The orthopaedic department no longer has plaster of Paris. Hospital managers appealed yesterday to the international community to lift the siege on Gaza, which imposed after Hamas seized control in June. » Read more

Will Use 'non-military' Means To Attacks: Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Khaleej Times October 19, 2007 - 8:32pm Israel will use non-military means to respond to ongoing rocket attacks against it from the Gaza Strip, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Tuesday, hinting at a plan for sanctions against civilian infrastructure in the salient such as limiting the flow of water and electricity. ‘We have means, means which are not only military,’ she told a joint news conference in Jerusalem with visiting French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. ‘It is our duty to take these steps.’ » Read more