January 22nd

Obama kick-starts Middle East diplomacy; first call from White House goes to Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Barbara Ferguson - January 22, 2009 - 1:00am

Barack Hussein Obama wasted no time plunging into foreign policy on his first full day in office yesterday, finally freed from the constraints of tradition that had forced him and his staff to remain silent about world affairs until he became president. Obama made a flurry of calls to Arab and Israeli leaders in a signal that Middle East peacemaking is a top priority following Israeli aggression against Gaza. A Palestinian spokesman said that Obama had told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he was the recipient of his first call as the 44th US president.

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Gaza smugglers get back to work
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News
January 22, 2009 - 1:00am

Hundreds of Palestinians are starting to repair tunnels in Gaza that are used for smuggling in goods from Egypt. Israel, which ended its 22-day offensive last Sunday, has warned of renewed military strikes on the strip if the tunnels are reopened. Residents along the border say food, fuel and other goods are moving through the several dozen tunnels that are still operational. Meanwhile, attempts continued in Egypt to find a lasting truce. The talks, with an Israeli envoy Amos Gilad, were expected to focus on stemming arms smuggling across the border. 'Hamas trying to rearm'

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At Arab Gathering on Development, the Talk Is All About Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Michael Slackman - (Analysis) January 21, 2009 - 1:00am

Two and a half years ago, a group of Arab leaders decided it was time to try to set aside their political differences and deal with what was ailing their countries: widespread illiteracy, ineffective schools, unemployment, inadequate water and food resources. So they called for an extraordinary summit meeting to be held in Kuwait City this week. The plan was for the 22 members of the Arab League to agree on concrete ways to improve the lives of their 330 million citizens. Instead, they bickered over how to handle the Gaza crisis.

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Analysis: Events in Gaza spell the end of the beginning
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Jonathan Spyer - (Analysis) January 21, 2009 - 1:00am

The Arab summit in Doha last week was intended to unite the Arab states in condemnation of Israel and begin diplomatic moves against it. But with Egypt and Saudi Arabia absent from the gathering and actively lobbying other Arab heads of state not to attend, the summit turned into a rally for the pro-Iranian bloc, in which Qatar looked like merely a constituent member.

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January 21st

Israeli troops move out of the interior of Gaza (1), (2). Control of the strip is now debated as Hamas moves to reassert its authority in spite of shouldering some blame for the carnage (3), (4) (9). UNSG Ban expresses outrage at Israel’s actions, and Israel now admits it may have used illegal white phosphorous munitions (5), (6), (7). The violence has harmed the political fortunes of President Abbas and the PA (8). The Arab summit and Arab political divisions receive much coverage (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15). Ghassan Charbel in Al-Hayat urges Israel, Hamas and the Arab states to learn the lessons of the conflict (16).

The Lessons of the Massacre
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Ghassan Charbel - (Opinion) January 20, 2009 - 1:00am

Every time the events of Gaza are discussed, one must not forget the magnitude of the massacre perpetrated by Israel there. An unprecedented massacre during which the Hebrew State set an extremely serious precedent as the advanced military machine pulverized civilians to compel fighters to stop rocket attacks. The world has beheld scenes it had thought would never happen or recur.

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Gaza needs a unified Arab response
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Opinion) January 20, 2009 - 1:00am

Both Israel and Hamas have claimed victory with their respective unilaterally declared ceasefires, but it is difficult to see what they gained after 22 days of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip. Despite the assault, Hamas’s ability to launch rockets persists. As if to drive the point home, it launched 19 rockets into Israel while the Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, was announcing the ceasefire. Hamas, despite having survived the assault, now rules over a devastated populace.

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King Abdullah's Third Way
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Tariq Alhomayed - January 20, 2009 - 1:00am

King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz provided a lifeline for inter-Arab relations yesterday during the Arab Summit in Kuwait, providing great hope at a crucial time in a speech that encompassed everything from the bloodshed [in Gaza] to political absurdity.

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Egypt slams summit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Ahram
by Dina Ezzat - January 21, 2009 - 1:00am

This week, Egypt moved from the subtle to the upfront and officially expressed opposition to a request presented by Qatar for the convening of an emergency Arab summit on Gaza. The proposal was initially forwarded by Qatar to the Arab League at the outset of the Israeli aggression on Gaza 27 December.

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Meeting of Arab leaders on Gaza ends in discord
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Diana Elias - January 20, 2009 - 1:00am

Arab leaders trying to come up with a plan to rebuild Gaza ended their meeting Tuesday in discord, unable to agree on whether to back Egyptian peace efforts or even set up a joint reconstruction fund for the devastated Palestinian territory.

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