January 7th

Substance, Not Smiles
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Baltimore Sun
(Editorial) January 7, 2008 - 6:09pm

Jerusalem is draping itself in the flags of the city, Israel and the United States in honor of President Bush's visit this week, perfect for the essential photo op. And that's all this trip sounds like it's shaping up to be since neither the president nor his advisers have identified any policy or message that Mr. Bush will relay to advance the commitments made at the Annapolis peace summit. And that's just unacceptable.

»

Straddling Cultures, Irreverently, In Life And Art
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - January 7, 2008 - 6:07pm

Being an Arab Israeli has always been a complex affair, at times almost a contradiction in terms. For Sayed Kashua, 32, an Israeli-born Arab journalist and author, it just got more complicated.

»

As Bush Heads To Mideast, Renewed Questions On Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Michael Abramowitz, Ellen Knickmeyer - January 7, 2008 - 6:06pm

President Bush intends to use his first extended tour of the Middle East to rally support for international pressure against Iran, even as a recent U.S. intelligence report playing down Tehran's nuclear ambitions has left Israeli and Arab leaders rethinking their own approach toward Iran and questioning Washington's resolve, according to senior U.S. officials, diplomats and regional experts.

»

Israel's False Friends
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by John J. Mearsheimer And Stephen M. Walt - (Opinion) January 7, 2008 - 6:05pm

Once again, as the presidential campaign season gets underway, the leading candidates are going to enormous lengths to demonstrate their devotion to the state of Israel and their steadfast commitment to its "special relationship" with the United States.

»

Bush Faces Mideast Obstacles
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - January 7, 2008 - 6:04pm

President Bush heads to Israel and the West Bank this week, hoping his first visit as U.S. leader will open the throttle on Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. But in the six weeks since Bush declared at an international gathering in Annapolis, Md., that "the time is right" to make peace, two perennial obstacles to Mideast peacemaking have already reared up: Israeli settlements and violence.

»

Just Going To Work, Palestinians And Israelis Travel Different Roads
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from McClatchy News
by Dion Nissenbaum - January 7, 2008 - 6:03pm

Before they set out for work each morning, neighbors Naim Darwish, a Palestinian Muslim, and Jacob Steinmetz, an Israeli Jew, begin their days in quiet meditation. In the pre-dawn chill, Darwish sets his Muslim prayer rug on the floor facing Mecca. In the soft morning light, Steinmetz throws on his prayer shawl and turns toward Jerusalem. Then the lives of these West Bank neighbors diverge.

»

January 6th

McClatchey Newspapers contrasts the very different morning commutes for an Israeli and a Palestinian to illustrate how lack of Palestinian freedom of movement is one of the major obstacles to peace (1.) A Los Angeles Times opinion by Professors Walt of Harvard and Mearsheimer of Chicago University label as 'false friends of Israel' U.S. presidential candidates that facilitate self-destructive policies by offering unconditional political and financial support (3.) The Washington Post examines expectations in the Middle East regarding the visit of President Bush to the region this week (4.) Editorials in the Baltimore Sun (6) and Boston Globe (7) urge President Bush to use the influence of the U.S. to do all that is necessary to achieve progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations (6.) An Independent (UK) editorial faults the Bush administration for its belated engagement in Mideast peacemaking while acknowledging that an opportunity exists for it if serious effort is applied (10.) BBC (UK) looks at why the Har Homa settlement issue has become such a flash-point for Israeli-Palestinian relations and the future of peace negotiations (13.) Arab News (Saudi Arabia) examines how Israel's 'absentee law' is used to expropriate Palestinian land in Bethlehem and East Jerusalem for the building of the Har Homa settlement (15.) A Haaretz (Israel) opinion by Akiva Eldar is critical of the continuing Israeli settlement enterprise in the occupied Palestinian territories as a danger to Israel's future existence (16.) Also in Haaretz, an opinion by Tel Aviv university senior political science lecturer Eyal Chowers suggests a new paradigm for Israelis and Palestinians to express their national identities through (18.)

January 4th

Time For Deal Running Out
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Sever Plocker - (Opinion) January 4, 2008 - 2:44pm

For several years now, and certainly since the second Intifada’s outbreak, Palestinian economist demanded in every forum that the Paris Agreement, which in 1994 created a uniform external border for Israel and Palestinian for the purpose of duty collection, be annulled. The Palestinians viewed this duty collection amalgamation as a tangible and irritating expression of Israeli occupation.

»

When Ehud Meets George
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Daniel Levy - (Opinion) January 4, 2008 - 2:42pm

The finishing touches are being applied to preparations for next week's presidential visit. After more than 2,500 days in the White House, George W. Bush will grace the Holy Land with his presence, and Ehud Olmert can notch up an achievement denied to his predecessor, Ariel Sharon - of hosting an American president. The script for such an occasion almost writes itself. The president will visit all the usual Israeli and Jewish sites of history, heartbreak and heroism, identifying with our suffering and marveling at our achievements.

»

Israel’s Quiet War
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Fred Schlomka - (Opinion) January 4, 2008 - 2:41pm

While Ehud Olmert and Abu Mazen were wheeling and dealing at Annapolis, several Israeli government ministries and security agencies were deploying their combined resources in a massive operation aimed at Israel’s southern Negev Desert. While the eyes of the world are on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel is in the middle of a campaign to complete the displacement of Palestinian Arabs who also are Israeli citizens.

»


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