April 29th

Go For It, Olmert ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yoel Marcus - (Opinion) April 29, 2008 - 5:35pm It seems too good to be true. But when the prime minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, comes out of a meeting with the president of Syria with the news that Bashar Assad is prepared to work out a peace agreement with Israel and make the region a safer place, it's worth a try. » Read more

Rights Groups: Israel Violating International Law ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Aviram Zino - April 29, 2008 - 5:34pm Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations issued a joint statement Tuesday, demanding that Israel lift all the restrictions imposed on the transfer of fuel into the Gaza Strip. According to the statement, these restrictions "severely and unprecedentedly harm the health and welfare of the Strip's residents," while "seriously violating international law." » Read more

King, Mubarak Warn Against ‘lack Of Enthusiasm’ For Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times April 29, 2008 - 5:32pm His Majesty King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday warned against reluctance in peace efforts, stressing that the Palestinians should see tangible results on the ground as soon as possible. Lukewarmness and reluctance to push the peace process forward, they said at their Sharm El Sheikh summit, would exacerbate the situation and lead to further tension and frustration in the region, a Royal Court statement said. » Read more

Those Who Look The Other Way Are Accomplices To Israel's Crimes In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star (Editorial) April 29, 2008 - 5:30pm The latest slaughter in the Gaza Strip is generating the predictable claims and counter-claims about responsibility for the loss of innocent lives. The Palestinians say a mother, her four children and another youth were killed by Israeli tank fire, while the Israelis insist that explosives belonging to militants were accidentally set off. » Read more

Conflicting Claims Over Gaza Deaths ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al Jazeera English April 29, 2008 - 5:17pm Differing accounts have emerged of what caused four Palestinian children and their mother to die during an Israeli air raid on the Gaza Strip.   While Palestinian witnesses blamed Monday's deaths on an Israeli missile, the Israelis say the blast was caused when explosives carried by Palestinian fighters detonated during the raid.  » Read more

Israel Pullout Risks Iran Foothold On Golan: Minister ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) April 29, 2008 - 5:16pm Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz on Tuesday said that returning the occupied Golan Heights to Syria would give Iran a foothold in the strategic plateau overlooking northern Israel. "Any Israeli withdrawal will lead to an Iranian presence on the Golan Heights," Mofaz told Israeli army radio in a telephone interview from Washington, where he was attending an Israeli-American security conference. » Read more

Islamic Jihad Sets Conditions For Truce With Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Alaa Shahine - April 29, 2008 - 5:15pm The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said on Tuesday any possible truce with Israel would not restrict its right to respond to strikes by the Jewish state in the West Bank. Abu Emad al-Rifaie, a senior member of Islamic Jihad, said the group told Egyptian mediators that it approved -- with qualifications -- a Hamas proposal for a truce with Israel that starts in the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Israel: Amnesty Program For Palestinian Gunmen A Success ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press April 29, 2008 - 5:14pm Israeli defense officials say an amnesty program meant to get Palestinian militants to surrender their weapons has been a success. Under last year's program, Israel offered to stop hunting down dozens of West Bank militants if they agreed to halt violent activities. The men are required to surrender their weapons, serve a brief sentence in a Palestinian jail and pass a probationary term. A senior Israeli security official says 281 gunmen accepted the offer. He says just six have returned to violence. » Read more

Bush To Visit Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt In May ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press April 29, 2008 - 5:13pm US President George W. Bush will visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt in May, a trip intended to hail Israel's 60th anniversary but also shove along Mideast peace talks that have stalled as Bush's term winds down. The White House on Monday released details of Bush's trip, the broad outline of which had been expected for weeks. Bush, who was in the Middle East in January to try to advance peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, had indicated at that time he would return in May to honor Israel's founding. » Read more

Palestinian Negotiators Go Home Frustrated ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Khody Akhavi - April 29, 2008 - 5:12pm As President George W. Bush races to ink a deal before his term expires in January of next year, disagreements remain over the final-status issues and the territorial integrity of a future Palestinian state. Following the latest round of talks last week in the U.S. capital between President Mahmoud Abbas and Bush, the Palestinian negotiating team appeared pessimistic about any durable prospect for peace, despite assurances from Bush himself to the contrary. » Read more