Politics Is The Art Of The Possible ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al- Quds by Atta Allah Mansour - June 19, 2008 - 2:56pm The next election for the Knesset is on the horizon, and the condition of the Arab parties is dismaying. The Arab share of Israel’s electorate ranges between sixteen to twenty percent of the total eligible to decide the election and set government policy – however, the conventional wisdom is that Arab influence in the Israeli election will be one tenth that of Jewish influence in the American presidential election, even though Jews only compose three to four percent of those who are eligible to vote in the United States. » Read more

Humanitarian Organizations Keen To Jump-start Gaza Initiatives ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Tal Rabinovsky - June 19, 2008 - 2:54pm Israel and Hamas may remain doubtful as for their ceasefire's chances of being a a long-lasting one, but the humanitarian organizations are optimistic, eager to take advantage of the clam to ship essential equipment into Gaza. » Read more

Negotiations To Release Gilad Shalit To Resume Next Week ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roni Sofer - June 19, 2008 - 2:50pm   Defense Minister Ehud Barak has announced that he will meet with the families of the three kidnapped soldiers Eldad Regev, Ehud Goldwasser, and Gilad Shalit on Friday, due to the recent developments in negotiations with Hizbullah and Hamas.  Ofer Dekel, the Prime Minister\\\'s Office emissary in charge of Israel\\\'s efforts on behalf of its missing and captive soldiers is scheduled to leave for Cairo next Tuesday in order to renew the negotiations for the release of Gilad Shalit. » Read more

Amount Of Goods Transferred To Gaza To Rise By 30% On Sunday ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Hanan Greenberg - June 19, 2008 - 2:47pm The amount of commodities transferred into the Gaza Strip is set to increase by 30% on Sunday, due to the ceasefire that took hold on Thursday. The commodities will be made up mostly of clothing, shoes, and food. In one week Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai is scheduled to hold a discussion on transferring cement and gravel to the Strip. Vilnai has also directed forces to investigate other ways to transfer goods into Gaza, apart from Sufa crossing.

The Hump On The Back Of The (u.s.) Camel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times by George Hishmeh - June 19, 2008 - 2:45pm One could hardly believe upon reading or hearing the statement by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after her talks with Israeli leaders last Sunday when she "pressed" them to halt settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, two Israeli-occupied areas where the Palestinians hope to establish their independent state along with the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Gaza Truce Could Create Conditions For Un Force ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters June 19, 2008 - 2:44pm JERUSALEM - An Egyptian-brokered truce and reconciliation talks between rival Palestinian factions could create conditions for the deployment of UN peacekeepers in the Gaza Strip, the United Nation\'s envoy said on Thursday. Robert Serry, the world body\'s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said the idea of sending peacekeepers was ‘premature’ at this stage but that it could become ‘very practical’ later if security and political conditions improve. » Read more

Israel And Hamas Remain On War Footing Despite Ceasefire ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by Sheera Frenkel And David Byers - June 19, 2008 - 2:43pm Israel and the Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers remained firmly on a war footing today, despite a truce between the sides coming into effect. Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, confirmed that his country's military was on high alert despite the ceasefire, and predicted that the halt in violence would be fragile and may be "short-lived". » Read more

Israel's Broad American Base ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Walter Russell Mead - June 19, 2008 - 2:41pm Many observers attribute U.S. support for Israel to the financial and political clout of the American Jewish community. In fact that is only a small part of the story. For the last 60 years, non-Jewish Americans have overwhelmingly sided with the Jewish state rather than its enemies. Washington's pro-Israel stance in the Middle East reflects the wishes, above all, of American gentiles. » Read more

Israel And Hamas Ceasefire Begins ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News June 19, 2008 - 2:39pm The truce is designed to halt Israeli incursions into the Gaza Strip, and to stop missiles being fired from Gaza into southern Israel. If it holds, Israel will ease its blockade on Gaza and there may be further talks on a prisoner exchange. Correspondents say the eve-of-truce attacks underline how fragile the agreement could be. There were no reports of fire from either side on Thursday morning. » Read more

Truce In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post (Editorial) June 19, 2008 - 2:37pm ATRUCE between Israel and Hamas was to begin this morning in the Gaza Strip, ending daily barrages of rockets that have terrorized nearby Israeli towns as well as counterstrikes that have killed more than 350 Palestinians this year. In accepting the Egyptian-brokered deal, Israel embraced the least bad of the limited options it has for countering Hamas, which has been turning Gaza into a fortified base for advancing the cause of Islamist extremism in the region -- a cause it shares with Iran. » Read more