February 19th

A Post-annapolis Breakthrough Proposal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Chuck Freilich - (Opinion) February 19, 2008 - 6:38pm

Three months after the Annapolis conference and a commitment that an agreement would be reached by the end of 2008, prospects for peace are as distant as ever. Hardly a day goes by without rockets hitting Israel from Gaza. Ashkelon and Ashdod are now in range and sooner or later Tel Aviv and its environs will be hit by rockets as well, from the West Bank. Repeated attempts to do so have been thwarted by the IDF, but the law of averages is against us.

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Middle East Peace Reports
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Americans For Peace Now
by Middle East Peace Report - February 19, 2008 - 6:37pm

Amnesty Program a Qualified Success: Earlier this month, Israel removed 32 members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Fatah's military wing, from its list of wanted men, and has extended a probation period for 220 additional men. This move was part of an agreement Israel and the Palestinian Authority entered into in July, which provides a mechanism – based on behavior during a probation period – by which militants could be removed from Israel's lists of individuals to be arrested or assassinated.

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‘abbas Meets Olmert Amid Crisis In Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
February 19, 2008 - 6:34pm

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was due to meet Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas in Jerusalem on Tuesday in an attempt to overcome differences facing the final-settlement talks, Palestinian sources said.   The differences followed Olmert’s announcements on Sunday that ’Abbas had consented to hold off discussing Jerusalem until the end of the negotiating process. Speaking at a conference in Jerusalem, Olmert also revealed the aim of the United States-backed peace talks is to reach an understanding on "basic principles" for a Palestinian stat

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Israelis Support Major Military Push In Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Angus Reid Global Monitor
February 19, 2008 - 6:34pm

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Israel would back a motion to launch a large scale military operation in Gaza, according to a poll by Shvakim Panorama released by Israel Radio. 57.2 per cent of respondents support this idea, while 30.7 oppose it. (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Israel would back a motion to launch a large scale military operation in Gaza, according to a poll by Shvakim Panorama released by Israel Radio. 57.2 per cent of respondents support this idea, while 30.7 oppose it.

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Palestinians: Jerusalem Still High On Agenda
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
February 19, 2008 - 6:33pm

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has not agreed to postpone talks on the future of Jerusalem, a senior adviser said yesterday, disputing comments by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert said on Sunday that Abbas had consented to hold off discussing Jerusalem until the end of the negotiating process, a move that could anger Palestinians but help the Israeli leader hold together his fragile coalition government for now.

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Olmert, Abbas Agree To Accelerate Talks: Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Adam Entous - February 19, 2008 - 6:30pm

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed on Tuesday to accelerate U.S.-backed peace talks after critics warned Israel not enough was being done to get a deal this year. The negotiations, which President George W. Bush hopes will yield an agreement on Palestinian statehood before he leaves office next January, have been stalled by disputes over Israeli plans to build new homes near Jerusalem and Olmert's insistence on putting off talks on the fate of the Holy city.

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February 18th

Reuters reports on comments from a senior PA adviser that the issue of Jerusalem is still a high priority in talks with Olmert (2.) An Angus Reid poll shows that most Israelis would back a motion to launch a large scale military operation in Gaza (3.) A report by Americans for Peace Now looks at settlement expansion in the West Bank (5.) The Kuwait News Agency covers French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner’s visit to the Palestinian Territories (9.) Ran HaCohen makes the case for Israel to talk with Hamas (11.) Gideon Levy compares the current situation in Azoun Village to the days of the Intifada(12.)

February 15th

Palestinians Say Militant Hub Is Now Safe Town; Israel Unconvinced
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
February 15, 2008 - 2:29pm

Local Hamas activists have pledged to obey the law, Mideast envoy Tony Blair has taken a stroll through once gunman-infested neighborhoods and policemen are now the only ones carrying weapons in public in this former militant hub.  

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The Peacebuilding Prince
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Christianity Today
by Cornelis Hulsman - (Interview) February 15, 2008 - 2:26pm

Prince Hassan bin Talal, brother of the late King Hussein of Jordan, is worried about the future of Christians all over the Arab world, including the Holy Land—the name he gives to the combined area of Israel, the Palestinian region, and his homeland of Jordan. The prince holds two degrees from Oxford University and is renowned worldwide for his views on the relationship of religion and society.

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Adrian Hamilton: Democracy Has Become A Devalued Concept
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Adrian Hamilton - (Opinion) February 15, 2008 - 2:22pm

It's not only the concept of humanitarian intervention that has been fatally undermined by the decade of Bush and Blair. It is the whole ideal of promoting democracy abroad. Not that either the White House or Whitehall have given up on the rhetoric. Indeed, President Bush still goes on about America's historic role in promoting democracy around the world. It was the one single theme that he picked up from the neo-cons at the beginning of his administration and has hammered on about ever since.

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