February 21st

Analysis: Threats Of Unilateral Independence Rocks Sleepy Peace Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - February 21, 2008 - 7:28pm For a minute it seemed that the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and the media focus surrounding it, were shaken awake. Following three sleepy months since the end of the Annapolis conference, and with nearly no diplomatic headlines, Yasser Abed Rabbo - the secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization central committee, and until recently a member of the negotiating team - managed to bring some drama to the process. » Read more

What America Wants From An Operation In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Shmuel Rosner - (Opinion) February 21, 2008 - 7:26pm As the Second Lebanon War raged, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger paid a visit to Major General Dan Harel, who was then army attache in Washington and is now deputy chief of staff. The war had not yet been described as a failure, nor had anyone thought about setting up the Winograd Committee. But Kissinger already had things to say, and he may not have been the only one. » Read more

Israel’s Settlement Activities Under Way ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Mohammed Mar’i - February 21, 2008 - 7:25pm The Israeli anti-settlement watchdog, Peace Now, yesterday said that 27 new mobile homes are currently under construction at the settlement of Eli, north of West Bank city of Ramallah, even though Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed publicly after the Annapolis peace conference that any such building would cease. » Read more

Economic Reform Key To Mideast Stability - Un ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Linda Hindi - February 21, 2008 - 7:24pm Delegates attending a UN conference yesterday stressed economic reform as the key for stability in the occupied territories and the basis for building a foundation for a viable two-state solution. But they added that sustainable growth cannot be achieved without a political settlement. » Read more

Pa Won't Follow Kosovo Model, All Agree ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post February 21, 2008 - 7:23pm Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas quickly dismissed a top aide's call Wednesday for a unilateral declaration of statehood if negotiations with Israel fail. The Palestinians are committed to reaching a negotiated peace agreement this year, Abbas said in a statement. "If we are unable to do that... We will return to our Arab [brothers] to take the appropriate decision," he said. Earlier in the day, Abbas's aide, Yasser Abed-Rabbo, said he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Kosovo, which on Sunday declared independence from Serbia. » Read more

Correspondence: The Stakes In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New Republic by Nabil Fahmy - (Opinion) February 21, 2008 - 7:22pm Crises in the Middle East have a tendency to exhibit a peculiar pattern. While they appear to be limited in scope, they almost invariably reveal a broader dimension, which is what makes such crises potentially so destabilizing. The situation created by Hamas' dramatic breach of the border between Egypt and Gaza, and the ensuing influx of Palestinians into Sinai, presents a clear example of this pattern. » Read more

Israel Extends Closure Of Palestinian Offices In Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press February 21, 2008 - 7:19pm Israel is keeping Palestinian institutions in east Jerusalem shut tight, despite its pledge to reopen them under a recently revived peace blueprint, Palestinian officials said Thursday. » Read more

Eu Lawmakers Lambast Israel Over Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters February 21, 2008 - 7:17pm European Union lawmakers urged Israel on Thursday not to inflict "collective punishment" on Gaza's population, saying its isolation of the territory had failed and its actions were endangering civilians.   » Read more

Palestinians' Home Permit Pleas Rejected ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press February 21, 2008 - 7:15pm Occupied Jerusalem: Israel denied 94 per cent of the building permit requests West Bank Palestinians submitted over the past seven years, the anti-colonisation Peace Now group reported yesterday. In all, 91 of 1,624 requested permits were approved, Peace Now said. By contrast, 18,472 apartments and homes were built between 2000 and September 2007 in Jewish West Bank colonies, the group said, citing Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics. Military officials in the West Bank responsible for construction said the figures were distorted. » Read more

The Gaza- Sinai Terror Connection ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times (Editorial) February 21, 2008 - 7:13pm The recent violence and chaos on the border separating Gaza from Egypt should serve in part as a wake-up call about the jihadist threat emanating from the Sinai Peninsula, which has become a recruiting ground for al Qaeda and, increasingly, an infiltration route into Israel. After months of plotting, the Hamas regime that controls Gaza engineered the destruction of part of the border fence with Egypt on Jan. 23, opening a gap that permitted the flow of weapons and upwards of 200,000 people across the border. » Read more