November 13th

UN suspends food distribution in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
November 12, 2008 - 8:00pm

The United Nations announced it was suspending food distribution to half of Gaza's 1.5 million people on Thursday after Israel failed to allow emergency supplies into the Palestinian territory. Israel had said it would allow 30 trucks to deliver supplies to Gaza on Thursday after it sealed off the Gaza Strip on November 5, but later said rocket and mortar fire by Gaza militants made it impossible to do so. "They have told us the crossings are closed today. At the end of today we will suspend our food distribution," said UN Relief and Works Agency spokesman Chris Gunness.

»

Deadly Gaza Border Clash Threatens Truce
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - November 12, 2008 - 8:00pm

Four Hamas gunmen were killed in a clash with Israeli soldiers along the Gaza border on Wednesday, further testing a shaky truce that took effect in June. The Israeli military said in a statement that its forces had identified a group of gunmen trying to place an explosive device near the border fence, leading to an exchange of fire. Four of the gunmen were fatally hit and an Israeli soldier was lightly wounded, the statement said.

»

Desert Sturm
In Print by Hussein Ibish - Bookforum.com - November 11, 2008 - 1:00am

Policy insiders make the case for ending the Israeli occupation

»

November 12th

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is interviewed by Arabic language daily Al-Ayyam (1). Gun fighting breaks out on the Gaza-Israel border, leaving four Palestinian militants dead (2). Jerusalem elects secular candidate Nir Barkat to be their next mayor (3). Israel forces a group of visiting diplomats to cancel a walking tour of the West Bank town of Hebron (4). The United Nations hosts an interfaith dinner with Arab leaders in New York (5). Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas continues discussion about reconciliation with Hamas (6) (7). Israel allows delivery of diesel into Gaza (8). An advisor to U.S. President-elect Barack Obama denies reports that his team has met with Hamas (11).

Olmert: Confrontation with Hamas inevitable
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Roni Sofer - November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm

Although the shaky ceasefire with Gaza's armed groups has so far not collapsed despite repeated violations by Hamas, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday warned residents of communities in southern Israel to brace for a possible escalation of the hostilities. "The situation between us and Hamas is one of an inevitable clash. It's only a question of 'when,' not 'if.' And if we need to fight Hamas – then that is what we'll do. In any event we must be alert and prepared," Olmert said during a visit to the Gaza Division's headquarters.

»

A powerful legacy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm

The assassination of PM Yitzhak Rabin took place 13 years ago. Any attempt to assess its ramifications for the overall course of the peace process ever since is a potentially frustrating exercise in "what if". It also goes directly to the heart of the debate among historians and others regarding the role of individuals in shaping history.

»

Obama adviser denies Hamas meeting
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm

US President-elect Barack Obama's office flatly denied a Hamas official's claim Tuesday that advisers to Obama met with representatives from the terrorist organization while on a visit to the region. "This assertion is just plain false," Obama's senior foreign policy adviser, Denis McDonough, told The Jerusalem Post. Earlier in the day, the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper published an interview with Hamas political adviser Ahmed Yousef in which he said that a secret meeting was held in Gaza ahead of the US election on November 4.

»

Obama urged to make peace top priority - Ban
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
November 11, 2008 - 1:00am

The main players in the Middle East peace process hope Barack Obama will make the issue a top priority when he takes over the US presidency in January, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday. Last weekend the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators - the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States - met in Egypt to keep alive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, even though political uncertainty in Israel has scotched hopes for a deal this year.

»

Officials deny Bethlehem sweep will target Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm

The Palestinian leadership mounted a security operation in Bethlehem on Tuesday similar to those launched in other West Bank towns that have drawn charges of partisanship."The security plan is aimed against those who do not respect the law and is not intended as a basis for carrying out political arrests," Bethlehem security chief Colonel Suleiman Abu Hadid told a news conference. He added that the plan would not involve the deployment of any police reinforcements, unlike in the flashpoint city of Hebron where an additional 600 officers were deployed last month.

»

Israel allows fuel into Gaza as UN warns food aid in peril
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm

Israel Tuesday reopened the terminal that handles all fuel supplies to Gaza to allow delivery of diesel to the Palestinian territory's sole power plant one day after it shuddered to a halt. A UN agency, meanwhile, warned it would have to suspend food distribution on which a majority of Gaza's 1.5 million population depends unless Israel also allows in vital foodstuffs. The Nahal Oz terminal used for oil deliveries "opened at 8:30 a.m. for the transfer of diesel for the power station," said Israeli Army spokesman Peter Lerner.

»


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