May 28th

Ehud Olmert Given Ultimatum: Quit Or Lose Power
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times
by Jenny Booth - May 28, 2008 - 6:08pm

The fate of the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hung in the balance today as his defence minister called on him to resign over corruption allegations or face the collapse of his coalition government. A day after an American businessman told an Israeli court how he handed Mr Olmert envelopes stuffed with thousands of dollars in cash, Ehud Barak held a news conference to lay out the position of his Labour party, the junior partner in Mr Olmert’s coalition.

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Deal Imminent Between Israel And Hezbollah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Der Spiegel
by Ulrike Putz - May 28, 2008 - 6:06pm

It was an impressive scene, though hardly a new one: Tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered in south Beirut on Monday night to celebrate -- as they do every year -- the "Day of Resistance" against Israel. Above the crowd a sea of yellow Hezbollah flags waved and the voice of the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, thundered above them.

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Jerusalem Is The Key
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Quarterly
by Uri Dromi - (Opinion) May 28, 2008 - 6:03pm

Whenever Israeli politicians want to generate applause, all they need do is speak passionately about ‘united Jerusalem’, and a standing ovation is guaranteed. Yet as indicated by Dr. Moshe Amirav, in his book The Jerusalem Syndrome (Carmel, Jerusalem, 2007, Hebrew), the purported ‘united city’ is a myth. Nine new neighbourhoods have been built in the Eastern side of the city since 1967, billions of Shekels have been invested, and still ‘this forty-year policy has only generated disappointments and failures.

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Palestinian Cell Service Still On Hold
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - May 28, 2008 - 6:02pm

After getting Iraq's first post-invasion cellular phone network operational in four months, Allan Richardson expected that launching the second Palestinian mobile service would be easy. But nearly a year and a half after arriving here, the chief executive officer of Wataniya Palestine Telecom is still waiting for Israel to release cellular frequencies. The delay has held up a $650 million investment in the Palestinian economy and the creation of 2,500 jobs in the midst of double-digit unemployment.

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May 27th

An article in the Christian Science Monitor examines how the delay in establishing an operational cellular phone network is holding back the Palestinian economy (1). The Jewish Quarterly highlights the importance of Jerusalem for Israel and the peace process (2). The current Israeli political crisis around Ehud Olmert continues to grow (4) (5). A tentative truce between Hamas and Israel is brokered in Egypt (6). Coverage continues of the recent Palestine Investment Conference (11).

Us Professor Shares Israeli Prize With Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Barbar Ferguson - May 27, 2008 - 6:18pm

Here’s a story of a man with guts... and a big heart. The recipient of one of Israel’s most prestigious prizes donated his $33,333 portion of the shared award yesterday to a Palestinian university and an Israeli human rights group that tries to ease Israeli travel restrictions on Palestinian students.

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Israeli Demolition Threatens 3,000 Palestinian Homes: Un
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
May 27, 2008 - 6:17pm

Thousands of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank risk being displaced as the Israeli authorities threaten to tear down their homes and in some cases entire communities, a UN agency said on Wednesday. "To date, more than 3,000 Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank have pending demolition orders, which can be immediately executed without prior warning," the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report.

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How The Arabs Failed In Bethlehem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed - (Opinion) May 27, 2008 - 6:16pm

The Palestinian Authority failed last week to attract the interest of Arab governments and major economic establishments to help it develop its economy. No one appears to be willing to consider Palestine more than just an issue of political conflict with Israel. The conference's failure proved that the Palestinians would not get Arab support unless an Israeli shell fell on the Intercontinental Hotel, the conference venue, and Palestinian television showed scenes of bodies, wounded, blood, and shouts. No aid without disasters. This is the only emotional engine.

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Hamas And The Predicament Of Return
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) May 27, 2008 - 6:15pm

The Hamas leadership has welcomed the Doha agreement which has led to the reactivation of the political process between the feuding Lebanese factions. In numerous statements, the movement has expressed its desire of an Arab endeavor similar to an Arab League committee to help end the estrangement between itself and Fatah. So has the Hamas movement returned to its senses after wronging the Palestinian cause and its people or have recent political events baffled the Hamas leadership into scratching its head out of fear of what's next?

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A Quick Guide To Some Stumbling Blocks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Peter Hirschberg - (Opinion) May 27, 2008 - 6:14pm

Syria has always demanded the full return of the Golan Heights, which were captured by Israel in the 1967 war, as a pre-condition for any peace agreement with Israel. The Golan is a strategic plateau of about 1,200 square kilometres, which overlooks much of north-eastern Israel.

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