January 16th

Gaza ceasefire imminent as Israel negotiates deals with Egypt and US
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times
by Martin Fletcher - January 16, 2009 - 1:00am

The Israeli military sought to inflict maximum damage on Hamas today before Ehud Omert's government submitted to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that would end the fighting before Barak Obama's inauguration on Tuesday. Amos Gilad, Israel's top negotiator, flew to Cairo to hammer out the remaining details of that ceasefire agreement. Tzipi Livni, the Foreign Minister, flew overnight to Washington where she and Condoleezza Rice are expected to sign a second agreement committing the United States to measures to stop Hamas re-arming itself.

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On Day of Heavy Fighting, Moves Toward Gaza Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Griff Witte - January 16, 2009 - 1:00am

After one of the most violent days of Israel's nearly three-week-old war against the Hamas movement in Gaza, the conflict appeared late Thursday to be moving toward a diplomatic solution.

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Hamas: We will not accept Israel cease-fire demands
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - January 16, 2009 - 1:00am

Hamas will not accept Israeli conditions for a cease-fire in Gaza and would continue armed resistance until the offensive ends, Khaled Meshal, the leader of the Palestinian Islamist group, said on Friday. Speaking at the opening of an emergency meeting on Gaza in Doha, Meshal called on the leaders present to cut all ties with Israel. However, Hamas is set to send a delegation to Cairo later on Friday to discuss Egyptian efforts to mediate a cease-fire in Gaza, a Hamas official told Al Jazeera television.

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January 15th

Israel’s attack on Gaza city continues, including bombing the headquarters of UNRWA reportedly with white phosphorous munitions, as the Palestinian death toll passes 1000 (1), (2), (3), (4). Ha’aretz argues that Hamas is facing unfavorable cease-fire terms, while Tariq Alhomayed examines differences between its leadership factions in Gaza and Damascus (5), (6). The New York Times reports on the war’s political damage to the Palestinian Authority (7). Several Arab and Israeli commentaries strongly criticize Israel’s actions (8), (9), (13), (14). Others examine lessons to be learned by Hamas, the incoming Obama Administration, and Arab governments (10), (11), (12). The US is reportedly considering cutting $1 billion in loan guarantees to Israel because of continued settlement activity (15).

Obama's Diplomacy and Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Abdullah Iskandar - (Opinion) January 15, 2009 - 1:00am

US President-elect Barack Obama will take office next week. Fiery dossiers in the US, namely the economic and financial crisis, pile up on his desk, in addition to the foreign policy issues his administration has inherited from President George Bush, who has himself admitted failure in solving any of them.

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U.S. may cut $1b in loan guarantees to Israel over West Bank settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Aluf Benn - January 15, 2009 - 1:00am

The United States administration plans to cut about $1 billion from the balance of its loan guarantees to Israel because of its investments in the settlements. The balance currently stands at $4.6 billion. Washington has not officially informed Jerusalem of the cut. The assumption is that the announcement, and the decision over the exact extent of the cut, will come only after Barack Obama is sworn in as president next Tuesday.

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Gaza Cries For Arab Attention
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Khaleej Times
(Editorial) January 15, 2009 - 1:00am

This is the third consecutive week of Israel’s relentless offensive on Gaza. More than a thousand people have been killed, over 400 of them women and children. All efforts by the international community, including the United Nations, Europeans and others, have failed to break Israel’s resolve to destroy what remains of Gaza Strip. Individual efforts by Arab and Muslim countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have failed to bear fruit as well.

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Gaza should not have happened
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
(Opinion) January 15, 2009 - 1:00am

There is a growing clamour for Israel’s grotesque aggression on the Gaza Strip to be properly examined in a war crimes tribunal. This is an endeavour the Arab world ought to spearhead to mitigate what has been a shameful showing by the countries of this region.

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The Price of Individual Wars
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Elias Harfoush - (Opinion) January 15, 2009 - 1:00am

The battle of Gaza has proven, as have before it Israel's wars against Lebanon, that the time of Arab wars against Israel has ended. What we mean by "Arab wars" are those wars which the Arabs fought together, under a single military strategy aimed at reaching a single goal.

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Using the Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed - (Opinion) January 15, 2009 - 1:00am

When I say that not everything that you see is innocent, it is difficult for me to elaborate and recount the evidence, because the details are both painful and unbelievable, more than they are disgraceful. And so now we see the disputes surrounding the convening of an Arab summit which has become clear for all to see; everybody wants a summit [to take place], everybody wants to host this summit, everybody wants to hold the microphone in their hands, everybody wants to appear as the savior.

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