June 19th

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.

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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.

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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.

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Strengthening Extremists
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Nicholas D. Kristof - (Opinion) June 19, 2008 - 2:35pm

The yearlong siege of Gaza may soon end with the new cease-fire there, marking the eclipse of one more American-backed Israeli policy that backfired by strengthening extremists.

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Analysis: Small Steps A Way To Broader Mideast Peace?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Cnn
by Tricia Escobedo And Kevin Flower - June 19, 2008 - 2:33pm

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel has been making small steps toward reconciling with its neighbors -- including this week's planned truce with Gaza's Hamas leaders -- raising questions about whether those steps could lead to a broader peace deal. Last month, Israel confirmed it had been indirectly negotiating a deal with Syria for more than a year. And on Wednesday it announced it hoped to hold similar peace talks with Lebanon. The Jewish state is under pressure from the United States to reach an agreement outlining a future Palestinian state by the end of the year.

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June 18th

A CNN analysis looks at steps towards peace in the Middle East (1).The truce between Israel and Hamas begins today (4) (6) (7), and an op-ed by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times and an editorial by the Washington Post consider its implications (2) (3). An ATFP translation of an article from Al-Quds examines the political relationship in Israel between Jews and Arabs (12).

A Year After The Takeover: “hamas” Birds On The Tree!
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-ayyam
by Rajab Abu Sariya - June 18, 2008 - 4:52pm

Not only did President Mahmoud Abbas’ popularity rise since his calls for Palestinian dialogue, but also his political savvy has become evident, on both the domestic and diplomatic fronts. The timing and form of the presidential initiative didn’t allow Hamas to stall or refuse to negotiate, and that is what explains the talks in Cairo and Dakar and the resurgence of hope and optimism, despite wariness and caution shared by both observers and citizens.

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Idf To Remove Kalkilya Roadblocks As 'reward'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Yaakov Katz - June 18, 2008 - 4:51pm

The Civil Administration in the West Bank has negotiated a deal with a number of Palestinian villages in the Kalkilya region in which dirt roadblocks cutting off their access to nearby cities and roads would be lifted in exchange for the cessation of local terror activity, a senior IDF commander told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

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Gazans Eagerly Awaiting Ceasefire
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - June 18, 2008 - 4:49pm

Weary, and wary - Gaza's residents are counting the hours until the ceasefire between Israel and the armed groups in the Strip comes into effect (6:00 am on Thursday). The overall feeling in the streets is of satisfaction mixed with disbelief that the truce will last. After all, the region has known its share of failed truces. "The people here are very happy. Some even allowed themselves to go out in the city last night," Ahmad al-Najar, a resident of the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, told Ynet.

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Day Before Truce, Gaza Barrages Continue
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Hanan Greenberg - June 18, 2008 - 4:47pm

Despite the formal announcements from Jerusalem, Gaza and Cairo announcing the ceasefire agreement will go into effect at 6:00 am on Thursday, it was the routine of incessant attacks Israel's South awoke to on Wednesday. In the most recent attack a house in Sderot was hit directly, and ten residents suffered from shock. A woman lightly injured her leg while running for cover.

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