April 24th

Palestinians Pledge Fuel For Aid Agency Amid Shortages
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Rory Mccarthy And Allegra Stratton - April 24, 2008 - 5:50pm

Palestinian fuel distributors in the Gaza Strip agreed today to provide an emergency shipment to a UN aid agency that had warned it would have to halt food distribution unless its trucks received fuel. UN food assistance to 650,000 Palestinian refugees had been scheduled to stop today due to fuel cuts, but Mahmoud al-Khuzundar, of the Association for Petrol Station Owners in the Gaza Strip, said 50,000 litres (13,209 gallons) of diesel would be delivered to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

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U.s. Briefing On Syria Sets Off Tension In Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Media Line Staff - April 24, 2008 - 5:49pm

A CIA briefing to members of Congress about Syria’s nuclear capabilities is causing tension in Jerusalem, which is rumored to be engaged in negotiations with Damascus over the Golan Heights.   The Bush administration is presenting lawmakers with proof that the Syrian facility Israel is suspected of having bombed last September was, indeed, a nuclear weapons facility being built with the assistance of North Korea. 

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Bush Seeks Boost For Abbas, Mideast Peace Bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
April 24, 2008 - 5:47pm

President George W. Bush hosts Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House on Thursday to try to bolster him and shore up a fragile U.S.-backed peace effort with Israel. With 10 months left in office, Bush will hold talks with Abbas in the face of deep skepticism over the chances for securing a Middle East peace deal before the U.S. president finishes his term early next year.

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Israeli Law Would Pay Settlers To Leave West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Laurie Copans - April 24, 2008 - 5:46pm

When the Ventura family moved to this West Bank settlement from a Tel Aviv suburb 20 years ago, they sought open spaces and mountain air. But years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting have scared away their children and grandchildren. Now the retired couple wants to move back. "We came here for quality of life when there were no worries here," said Tzuri Ventura, 68, a retired truck driver. "We just want to get out of here ... but we don't have enough money."

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Israelis Claim Secret Agreement With U.s.
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Glenn Kessler - April 24, 2008 - 5:46pm

A letter that President Bush personally delivered to then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon four years ago has emerged as a significant obstacle to the president's efforts to forge a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians during his last year in office.

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April 23rd

Glenn Kessler reports on the disclosure of a 2004 letter from President Bush purporting to acquiesce to expanded Israeli settlements (1) while Prime Minister Olmert mulls supporting a new bill to compensate settlers for leaving the occupied territories (2). New movements build speculation on the possibility of a peace deal between Syria and Israel (6) (9). Richard Hass discusses a future world absent dominant world powers (8). Finally, President Bush prepares his agenda for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ forthcoming visit.

A Dissipating Agreement
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Uzi Benziman - (Opinion) April 23, 2008 - 6:21pm

This week Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised that "when the time comes," Hamas will pay for its aggression; two years ago, Prime Minister-elect Ehud Olmert promised that Israel will be a country that is "fun to live in"; during the Second Lebanon War, the government promised a "strong home front"; during last week's interviews granted on the eve of the holiday, Olmert promised that "Iran will never go nuclear"; the diplomatic and security effort this government is focused on these days is meant to secure a tahdiyeh (lull) in the South during the com

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Un: Collective Punishment Of Gazans Has Failed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
April 23, 2008 - 6:19pm

A United Nations envoy warned Wednesday against a deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Gaza. In a joint press conference with the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA), Robert Serry said that Israel should stop punishing the population, while Hamas must stop targeting Gaza border crossings. He called on Israel to restore fuel supplies to Gaza, and to allow the passage of humanitarian assistance and commercial supplies, sufficient to allow the functioning of all basic services and for Palestinians to live their daily lives.

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Gaza Siege Taxes Sick And Wounded
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times
by Mel Frykberg - April 23, 2008 - 6:17pm

The Israeli Physicians for Human Rights organization accused the Israeli domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, this week of deliberately delaying the entrance of critically ill Gazans into Israel for urgent medical treatment. The group added that the number of cases rejected was also rising. The human rights organization said that 32 Palestinians had died while awaiting entry permits for treatment in Israel since October 2007 and added that the Shin Bet had no reason to classify the patients as "security risks" and deny them entry into Israel.

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In His Death, A Truth Was Told
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Miftah
by Joharah Baker - April 23, 2008 - 6:14pm

One week ago, in yet another Israeli offensive into the Gaza Strip which claimed 21 Palestinians in a day, Reuters photographer Fadel Shana lost his life. According to media reports, the 23-year old cameraman was filming invading Israeli tanks in Gaza City when he stepped out of his van, clearly marked with the word “press”, and was hit by the same tank’s fire. Later photos showed Shana’s blood-soaked flack jacket and his burning van as fellow Palestinians hovered over the young man’s lifeless body.

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