June 25th

Bolton: Israel To Attack Iran After Us Elections
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
June 25, 2008 - 5:37pm

John Bolton, the former American ambassador to the United Nations, has predicted that Israel could attack Iran after the US presidential election in November, but before George W. Bush's successor was sworn in. The Arab world would be "pleased" by Israeli strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, he said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. "It [the reaction] will be positive privately. I think there'll be public denunciations but no action," he said. Israel had a determination to prevent a nuclear Iran, he said.

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Ayoon Wa Azan (he Never Says That He Guarantees Peace)
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al Hayat
by Jihad El-khazen - (Opinion) June 25, 2008 - 5:34pm

President Mahmoud Abbas and Khaled Meshaal have at least one point in common. They do not want reconciliation to be solely restricted to Fatah and Hamas. Instead, they seek a Palestinian reconciliation with the participation of all Palestinian sides and an Arab blessing.

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French Contribution To Mideast Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
(Editorial) June 25, 2008 - 5:32pm

French President Nicolas Sarkozy laid it on the line to his hosts when he addressed the Israeli Knesset on Monday. The building of illegal settlements on the West Bank has to stop. Without this there could be no viable two-state solution and no peace. Sarkozy further urged Israeli legislators to backup legislation to encourage settlers to quit Palestinian territory and relocate to Israel in return for compensation.

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Israel Closes Gaza Crossings After Rocket Attack
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
June 25, 2008 - 5:31pm

Israel kept its border posts with the Gaza Strip closed yesterday, calling the move a response to a Palestinian rocket salvo that breached an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire. The posts were to have opened at 8am (0500 GMT) to allow for imports to reach the impoverished territory. But Israeli military liaison official Peter Lerner said they would stay closed until further notice. "Any reopening will be in accordance with security considerations," he told Reuters.

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Hamas Says It Will Not Police The Cease-fire With Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
June 25, 2008 - 5:16pm

The Hamas militant group said it remains committed to a cease-fire with Israel, but will not act as Israel's police force" in confronting militants who breech the truce. The comments by Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya came shortly after Gaza militants fired three rockets into southern Israel Tuesday, lightly wounding two Israelis. It was the first attack since the truce took effect last Thursday.

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Quartet Gives Support To Berlin Meeting To Help Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Deutsche Presse Agentur
June 25, 2008 - 5:14pm

The four-member diplomatic group on the Middle East peace process gave support Tuesday to the conference held in Berlin, which aimed to assist the Palestinian Authority achieve statehood. The Berlin Conference in Support of Palestinian Civil Security and the Rule of Law was focusing on building a Palestinian police and justice sector, which is a part of efforts toward Palestinian state-building.

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Israel's Olmert Averts Early Poll
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News
June 25, 2008 - 5:12pm

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has struck a last-minute deal with the Labour party to save his coalition and avert fresh elections. Labour's leader, Defence Minister Ehud Barak, has agreed not to support an opposition bill to dissolve parliament. In return, Mr Olmert will hold elections for a new head of his Kadima party by September, which analysts say he is likely to lose. Mr Olmert is under investigation for alleged corruption. He denies wrongdoing and has not been charged.

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In Jerusalem, Even A Bridge Divides
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Chicago Tribune
by Joel Greenberg - June 25, 2008 - 5:11pm

Poking out of a jumble of drab apartment buildings, office blocks and hotels, a soaring suspension bridge designed by an internationally celebrated architect is reshaping the main entrance to Jerusalem, generating debate about modern urban aesthetics in a city of timeless shrines.

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Why Israel Won't Accept A Two-state Solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Princeton University
by Bernard Chazelle - June 25, 2008 - 5:08pm

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often narrated as a morality play, where offers are generous, lessons are taught, consciousness is seared, terrorism is rewarded, etc. Let's quit the blame game and focus, instead, on what's feasible and what's not. For starters, one can safely notch the right-wing fantasy of a Jordanian absorption of Palestine in the "Dream on, settlers" column. Ethnic cleansing is passé.

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June 24th

An article by Prinecton professor Bernard Chazelle examines the prospects of the Two-State Solution (1). The Quartet lends their support to Tuesday’s Berlin Conference (4). Controversy continues to surround the Hamas-Israel cease fire and its recent breach (5) (6). French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s pledges to aid the Palestinians are welcomed (7) (11).

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