June 24th

Labour Backs Knesset Dissolution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News
June 24, 2008 - 4:14pm

Israel's Labour party is to support a motion to dissolve parliament that could bring down embattled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government. The bill will have its first reading on Wednesday. It would have to be put to a further two parliamentary votes before it can be passed. Mr Olmert is under investigation for alleged corruption and Mr Barak has previously called for his resignation. The Labour party is Mr Olmert's main coalition ally.

»

Cameras Emerge As A Tool In A Conflict Over Land
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - June 24, 2008 - 4:12pm

The conflict between Arabs and Jews over grazing land and water wells in the ancient, arid hills south of Hebron in the West Bank has a distinctly biblical feel, like the flimsy tent encampments and dank caves in which some local Palestinian farming families dwell.

»

Remarks En Route Berlin, Germany
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Department Of State
by Secretary Condoleezza Rice - June 24, 2008 - 4:10pm

SECRETARY RICE: Good morning, everybody. QUESTION: How are you?

»

June 23rd

A State Department Press Release features Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s remarks prior to the Berlin Conference held earlier today (1). The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel is reportedly broken as Palestinian rockets from Gaza land in southern Israel (4) and two Palestinians are killed in the West Bank (11). The suicide of an Israeli policeman at French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s departure ceremony mars his visit after a productive meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (5). Progress on security assistance reported at the Berlin conference (6), but challenges remain (7).

Eu To Expand Police Mission In Palestinian Territories
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Kuwait News Agency (kuna)
June 23, 2008 - 3:27pm

The European Union announced Monday that it intends to expand its police mission for the Palestinian Territories, called EUPOL COPPS, in the area of the criminal justice system. "Expanding the mission is a decision already taken and has been accepted by all the parties," EU Special Representative for the Middle East peace process, Marc Otte, told a press conference here today. "We are now in the process of working on the administrative elements for the mission and recruiting people," he noted.

»

Poll: 77% Of Arabs Say Won't Replace Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Reuven Weiss - June 23, 2008 - 3:18pm

Seventy-seven percent of the State of Israel's Arab citizens would rather live in the Jewish state than in any other country in the world, according to a new study titled "Coexistence in Israel ". The survey was conducted by the John Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University with the assistance of researchers from Haifa University. The study was aimed at examining the relations between Israel's Jewish and Arab citizens on the State's 60th anniversary, and included 1,721 respondents.

»

The Strategic Context
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - June 23, 2008 - 3:12pm

From the standpoint of the Israeli security community as well as PM Ehud Olmert, the Gaza ceasefire that began last week is essentially a tactical move. By and large, they continue to assess that eventually there will be a major Israeli military offensive into the Gaza Strip, aimed at destroying or seriously weakening Hamas. Hence the ceasefire reflects primarily short-term calculations such as ways to free Gilad Shalit, Egyptian pressures, the outcry from the bombarded residents of the Gaza periphery region and Olmert's own political needs.

»

Palestine: Lull Before The Storm?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times
by Maria Appakova - June 23, 2008 - 3:10pm

A six-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, or an "agreement on a lull" as it is phrased in Arabic, came into effect on June 19. But both sides seem pessimistic about the future. So if this agreement does not lead to peace, why is it needed? "The lull" is even less than a truce, let alone talks leading to peace agreements. Few believe it will last for half a year.

»

The Calm: The Natural And The Pretentious
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al Hayat
by Mohammad Salah - (Opinion) June 23, 2008 - 3:06pm

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will be in Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday to meet Egyptian President Husni Mubarak. There is nothing new in this and what matters is the outcome of the meeting; a new agreement for a calm between the Palestinians and Israel. This would not be the first calm between the two and it will not be the last. The tension at the border crossings has significantly calmed down and the ability of the Palestinians to cross has significantly improved with the easing of the siege.

»

Exile, Exclusion, And Isolation – The Palestinian Exile Experience
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Karen Koning Abuzayd - June 23, 2008 - 3:05pm

The horrors of World War II gave impetus to a quest for universal peace, justice and human dignity, with the United Nations at the fore. It is a disturbing commentary on our quest that as we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Palestinians mark six decades of what they refer to as the Nakbeh, or catastrophe, with many languishing in conditions of exile, exclusion and isolation.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017