May 16th

In Israel, Bush Outlines A Blunt Vision For The Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - May 16, 2008 - 7:21pm

President Bush, at the height of his Wednesday-to-Friday visit here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Israel, stood before the Knesset and laid out a vision for the Middle East 60 years down the road: an Israel that still stands tall, lives next to a Palestinian state, and is surrounded by countries where democracy and human rights reign. But his shorter-term vision, particularly in terms of his view of how things look today, sounded like a return to the stark rhetoric he became famous for in 2002 when he described Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as an axis of evil.

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Iran's Pawns Move
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI)
by Arnaud De Borchgrave - (Opinion) May 16, 2008 - 7:19pm

Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, with an assist from Sen. Joe Lieberman, competed in freshly minted assurances of allegiance to Israel as it embarked on a weeklong 60th birthday party. Neocons have hinted darkly that Obama, whose middle name is Hussein, was born a Muslim who later grew up as a Christian -- which, they say, makes him an apostate and puts him at risk of execution by an Islamist extremist. Proof of Obama's extraterritorial allegiance? A Hamas official who said, in an interview, "We like Mr.

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Bush's Comments In Israel Fuel Anger
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Michael Abramowitz - May 16, 2008 - 7:17pm

On an emotional visit to mark Israel's 60th anniversary, President Bush on Thursday compared people seeking talks with Iran and radical Islamic groups to the Nazis' appeasers, provoking a political storm at home and accusations that he was politicizing the celebration. Bush's address to the Israeli parliament also stirred intense debate between Israelis and Palestinians. His strong words of empathy for Israel brought lawmakers in the tiny chamber to their feet.

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Palestinians Mark Day Of 'catastrophe'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Ashraf Khalil - May 16, 2008 - 7:15pm

Across Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Palestinians on Thursday mourned their exodus from the land with moments of silence, black clothing and displays of defiance. The demonstrations came a day after the 60th anniversary of Israel's declaration of statehood, an event that Palestinians refer to as the Nakba: the catastrophe. It led to a war between the new state and surrounding Arab nations -- and to lives as rootless refugees for generations of Palestinians.

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Bush Assails ‘appeasement,’ Touching Off Storm
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Sheryl Gay Stolberg And Jim Rutenberg - May 16, 2008 - 7:14pm

President Bush used a speech to the Israeli Parliament on Thursday to liken those who would negotiate with “terrorists and radicals” to appeasers of the Nazis — a remark widely interpreted as a rebuke to Senator Barack Obama, who has advocated greater engagement with countries like Iran and Syria. Mr. Bush did not mention Mr. Obama by name, and White House officials said he was not taking aim at the senator, though they were aware the speech might be interpreted that way.

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May 15th

U.S. President Bush¹s remarks to the Israeli Knesset draw wide reaction (1, 3, 10). Ashraf Khalil reports on Palestinian rememberance of the Nakba (2). United Press International Editor at Large Arnaud de Borchgrave discusses Iranian strategy in the Middle East (4). Diplomatic moves continue between Israel and Hamas (6-7) and another rocket attack has occurred (8).

Reuters Demands Explanation From Israel For Death Of Cameramen
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
May 15, 2008 - 4:45pm

A month after journalist Fadel Shana was killed by an Israel Defense Forces tank crew in the Gaza Strip, Reuters renewed its demand on Thursday for a prompt explanation from the Israeli army of why it fired on its cameraman. Shana, a 24-year-old Palestinian, was killed on April 16 along with eight mostly teenage bystanders by darts known as flechettes that burst out of a tank shell in mid-air. Shana had been filming about 1.5 km (a mile) from two Israeli tanks.

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Talking To The Enemy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from New Statesman
by Avi Shlaim - May 15, 2008 - 4:44pm

The conflict with the Arabs has cast a long shadow over Israel's history. In the Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv, on 14 May 1948, the founding fathers extended their hand in peace to all the neighbouring states and their peoples. Today, Israel is still at war with Syria and Lebanon and locked into a bitter conflict with the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank. The explanation that Israelis usually give for the failure to achieve peace in the Middle East can be summed up in two words: Arab intransigence.

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Israel's Secret Fears
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from New Statesman
by Haim Baram - May 15, 2008 - 4:43pm

Israel marks its 60th birthday in a climate of increasing racism, intolerance, corruption and militarism. A nation that has long seen itself as one of the most misunderstood is now almost unable to understand the world beyond its borders. Fear and anxiety provide the mood music of the celebrations.

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Interview With David Makovsky: Probe Into Olmert's Finances Imperils Israeli-palestinian Peace Outline
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Council On Foreign Relations
by Bernard Gwertzman - (Interview) May 15, 2008 - 4:41pm

David Makovsky, an expert on Israeli politics, says there is concern that if Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is forced to resign as a result of the investigation into his finances, this could turn "to an unraveling of whatever has been done on the Palestinian issue." In an interview from Israel, Makovsky says Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas were close to some statement of principles that might serve as a document for both sides to ratify on the outlines of a peace treaty.

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