February 6th

Haaretz Poll: Kadima, Likud are neck-and-neck with 4 days to go ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Mazal Mualem, Yossi Verter - February 6, 2009 - 1:00am Likud and Kadima are in a neck-and-neck race to be the next Knesset's largest party, according to the latest Haaretz-Dialog poll. The poll, the last to be published before next Tuesday's election, showed the gap between the two parties continuing to narrow: It is now down to only two seats in Likud's favor. » Read more

Political Divide Between Hamas, Fatah Deepens ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times by Mel Frykberg - February 6, 2009 - 1:00am Hamas security men are back on the streets, directing traffic and trying to restore some semblance of law and order following isolated incidents of looting in the wake of Israel's 23-day military assault on Gaza. Operation Cast Lead left over 1,300 Palestinians dead and nearly 500 wounded, most of them civilian, and also left the infrastructure of the coastal territory decimated. The smuggling of weapons, and everyday essential items, into Gaza and sporadic rocket fire on Israel has resumed. » Read more

Egypt savours peace mediator role ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Matt Bradley - February 6, 2009 - 1:00am Representatives from more than half a dozen Arab nations may have met this week, but the fact that they all agreed to a plan drafted by Egyptians has not been lost on analysts here. After years of watching Saudi Arabia take the lead in the Middle East peace process and after more than a month of facing the collective anger of the Muslim world for its refusal to open its border crossing with the Gaza Strip, Egypt, many here say, has once again taken its seat at the head of the Middle East’s diplomatic table. » Read more

Rise of the moderates ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Antony Lerman - (Opinion) February 6, 2009 - 1:00am Each and every Jew who protested as a Jew against the Gaza war had a personal Jewish imperative for doing so. Some simply expressed dismay; most demanded action to end the carnage. To say that we failed is neither an expression of despair nor a statement that dissent wasn't worthwhile. Realism suggests that it was inevitable. » Read more

Gaza offensive boosted Hamas, poll concludes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times by Tobias Buck - February 6, 2009 - 1:00am Palestinian support for the Islamist Hamas movement has soared in the wake of Israel’s three-week offensive against the Gaza Strip, according to a poll released on Thursday. The survey, by the independent Jerusalem Media and Communications Center, also found that the majority of Palestinians thought the group had emerged victorious from the conflict. Almost one in two Palestinians said Hamas won the Gaza war, while less than 10 per cent said Israel had triumphed. » Read more

Israeli politicians offer territory swaps and tunnels to solve the endless crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by James Hider - February 6, 2009 - 1:00am Israel's hard-fought election campaign is throwing out a number of grand plans reminiscent of some of the treaties that carved up the Middle East in the 20th century, including a scheme to transfer Jewish-held areas of the West Bank to Israel in exchange for Arab-populated territories. As well as extreme right-wing plans to redraw boundaries Ehud Barak, the Labour Party leader and current Defence Minister, has proposed digging a 30-mile tunnel between the blockaded Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, to allow Palestinians the territorial continuity they are demanding in any peace deal. » Read more

Israeli race tightens with Livni gains ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times by Tobias Buck - February 6, 2009 - 1:00am The race to become Israel’s next prime minister has tightened, with the latest polls showing the right-wing Likud party under Benjamin Netanyahu is losing ground to his centrist challenger, Tzipi Livni. Ms Livni, Israel’s foreign minister, has led her Kadima party to a late sprint that has seen it catch up on Likud. Polls show that Kadima is not only gaining ground, but that Likud is losing support to the far-right Yisraeli Beiteinu group. » Read more

UN halts Gaza aid over 'thefts' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News February 6, 2009 - 1:00am The UN aid agency in Gaza says it has suspended all aid shipments, accusing the Hamas government of seizing hundreds of tonnes of food supplies. Ten lorries carrying flour and rice were taken from the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, the UN's Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) said. Hamas admitted a "mistake" had been made and says it will return the goods. But Unwra says deliveries will not restart until it has assurances that such seizures will not happen again. Gaza is facing a humanitarian crisis after Israel's three-week offensive. » Read more

A setback for Turkey as Mideast broker ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Yigal Schleifer - February 6, 2009 - 1:00am Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent outburst at the World Economic Forum, where he berated Israeli President Shimon Peres for Israel's attack on Gaza, has won him unprecedented popularity in the Arab world. Mr. Erdogan's tirade may help Turkey reconnect with the region after decades of being estranged. But it could also damage Turkey's aspirations to be a mediating power in the Middle East, particularly between Israel and its neighbors. » Read more

U.N.’s Gaza Refugee Director Criticizes Israel and Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Neil MacFarquhar - February 5, 2009 - 1:00am John Ging, the director of operations for the United Nations refugee agency in Gaza, said Thursday that Israel’s blockade was creating growing misery there by choking off basic humanitarian supplies like food, medicine, clothes and blankets as well as school supplies. He also criticized the leadership of Hamas for letting its police force run wild, attacking a distribution center for the needy to cart off supplies. » Read more