March 18th

Us Presidential Hopeful Backs Israel's Claim To Occupied Jerusalem As Capital
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
March 18, 2008 - 6:50pm

US Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Tuesday that he supported Israel's claim to Occupied Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state, flying in the face of the international community's stance. "I support Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," McCain said in Jordan on the latest leg of a visit to the region.

»

Israel's 'religious Right' Gains Clout, Complicating Peace With Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - (Opinion) March 18, 2008 - 6:48pm

On a hilltop far enough from the existing Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev that one needs directions to get here stands the framework of a settlement meant to house up to 750 families. Eli Yishai stood on an unfinished balcony of one of the new development's shell homes. He's a key coalition partner of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the leader of the religious party Shas, which is feted by some and decried by others for having broken Israel's "settlement freeze."

»

March 17th

An opinion by Ilene Prusher in the Christian Science Monitor discusses the role of Shas in pushing settlement growth (1). The Agence France Presse reports on US Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s recent comments supporting Jerusalem as the capital of Israel (2). In the Daily Star, Yossi Beilin suggests waiting for the new US administration before panicing (7) A Yehuda Lankri opinion in Haaretz discusses the upcoming visit of US ambassador James Cunningham (8).

American Intervention Now
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) March 17, 2008 - 6:52pm

A senior American official quoted yesterday in Haaretz predicted that despite the upcoming presidential elections, and in advance of his visit to Israel in May, President George W. Bush will increase the pressure on both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to achieve significant diplomatic progress. The American intervention will be evident already at the end of the week, with the arrival of Vice President Dick Cheney for talks in the region. Immediately after him, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to arrive here. Recently, Rice has not concealed the U.S.

»

Talking Like Meretz, Behaving Like The Likud
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) March 17, 2008 - 6:50pm

Judging by his declarations, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could have run tomorrow for the Meretz party's leadership. Judging by the behavior of his government in the territories, he could return to Likud.

»

Right-wing Israelis Storm Arab Area
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
March 17, 2008 - 6:49pm

Dozens of right-wing Jewish activists on Sunday stormed the Arab neighbourhood in East Jerusalem of a Palestinian gunman who killed eight Israelis at a Jewish seminary earlier this month, police and witnesses said. Dozens of protesters broke through police barriers and hurled stones at cars and houses in the neighbourhood of Jabal Mukaber, where the family of the seminary attacker lives. About 200 people had gathered outside the village and a number of protesters broke through the police barrier, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.

»

Take Off The Masks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Gadi Gvaryahu - (Opinion) March 17, 2008 - 6:48pm

 One cannot but recall that Jewish murderers who massacred others with a machinegun at the Cave of the Patriarchs and in the Islamic College in Hebron.

»

Rendering The Pa Irrelevant
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) March 17, 2008 - 6:45pm

Although the calm in Gaza did not last for more than a few days it marks a very significant development in the ongoing power struggle between Israel, Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah.

»

Shifting Towards Israel?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Star
by Oakland Ross - (Opinion) March 17, 2008 - 6:43pm

A United Nations panel voted overwhelmingly this month to condemn Israel for a recent armed incursion in the Gaza Strip that claimed more than 120 lives, many of them civilian. Thirty-three member countries of the 47-seat UN Human Rights Council endorsed the resolution, which accused Israel of war crimes in its ongoing battles against Palestinian militants in Gaza. Those in favour of censuring the Jewish state included China, India and Russia. Thirteen countries abstained, among them seven European governments.

»

Uncritical Merkel Gets Red Carpet Treatment In Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Speigel International
by Ralf Beste, Ralf Neukirch And Christoph Schult - March 17, 2008 - 6:42pm

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has become Israel's staunchest ally in Europe. This week, the country has pulled out all the stops to welcome the German leader. Back home, though, many wish Merkel would finally speak up about Israeli excesses in the Gaza Strip.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017