April 30th

New Gaza Tragedy Threatens Cairo Truce Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - April 30, 2008 - 6:23pm

This much is clear: A devastating blast Monday in Gaza killed five members of the same family – a mother and four children. But whose ammunition was responsible has turned into another bitter dispute as Israeli and Palestinian officials each blame the other.

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Israel’s Pride And Prejudice At 60
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times
by Dominique Moïsi - (Opinion) April 30, 2008 - 6:23pm

If 60 is for an individual the age of maturity, it is a very young age for a state. Israel remains, for the lack of a better word, an adolescent state, the young incarnation of a very old dream. It is an adolescent torn between pride and resentment on one hand, and hope and fear on the other.

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Israel Gets Ready To Deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Boston Globe
(Editorial) April 30, 2008 - 6:22pm

IN A MESSAGE to Syria's President Bashar Assad last week, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert affirmed that Israel would give all the occupied Golan Heights back to Syria in exchange for a comprehensive peace agreement. This move was belated but wise. It could alter the Middle East chessboard for the better, greatly reducing the chances of a disastrous new regional conflagration.

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April 29th

ATFP President Ziad Asali fields another question at Shmuel Rosner’s blog (1). Dominique Moisi reflects on Israel’s anniversary (3) while Sarah Kreimer discusses Zionism in the Jerusalem Post (10). United Nations Secretary General Bam Ki Moon emphasizes the need for a viable and just solution to the Palestinian refugee issue (7). Finally, Rami Khouri writes about how current negotiations continue despite U.S. Involvement (8).

Go For It, Olmert
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yoel Marcus - (Opinion) April 29, 2008 - 5:35pm

It seems too good to be true. But when the prime minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, comes out of a meeting with the president of Syria with the news that Bashar Assad is prepared to work out a peace agreement with Israel and make the region a safer place, it's worth a try.

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Rights Groups: Israel Violating International Law
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Aviram Zino - April 29, 2008 - 5:34pm

Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations issued a joint statement Tuesday, demanding that Israel lift all the restrictions imposed on the transfer of fuel into the Gaza Strip. According to the statement, these restrictions "severely and unprecedentedly harm the health and welfare of the Strip's residents," while "seriously violating international law."

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King, Mubarak Warn Against ‘lack Of Enthusiasm’ For Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
April 29, 2008 - 5:32pm

His Majesty King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday warned against reluctance in peace efforts, stressing that the Palestinians should see tangible results on the ground as soon as possible. Lukewarmness and reluctance to push the peace process forward, they said at their Sharm El Sheikh summit, would exacerbate the situation and lead to further tension and frustration in the region, a Royal Court statement said.

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Those Who Look The Other Way Are Accomplices To Israel's Crimes In Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
(Editorial) April 29, 2008 - 5:30pm

The latest slaughter in the Gaza Strip is generating the predictable claims and counter-claims about responsibility for the loss of innocent lives. The Palestinians say a mother, her four children and another youth were killed by Israeli tank fire, while the Israelis insist that explosives belonging to militants were accidentally set off.

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Conflicting Claims Over Gaza Deaths
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al Jazeera English
April 29, 2008 - 5:17pm

Differing accounts have emerged of what caused four Palestinian children and their mother to die during an Israeli air raid on the Gaza Strip.   While Palestinian witnesses blamed Monday's deaths on an Israeli missile, the Israelis say the blast was caused when explosives carried by Palestinian fighters detonated during the raid. 

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Israel Pullout Risks Iran Foothold On Golan: Minister
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
April 29, 2008 - 5:16pm

Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz on Tuesday said that returning the occupied Golan Heights to Syria would give Iran a foothold in the strategic plateau overlooking northern Israel. "Any Israeli withdrawal will lead to an Iranian presence on the Golan Heights," Mofaz told Israeli army radio in a telephone interview from Washington, where he was attending an Israeli-American security conference.

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