January 13th

Neither Israel nor Hamas can be choosy in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amir Oren - January 13, 2009 - 1:00am

To judge by the sights and sounds on the Negev's roads, at military staff headquarters and at training facilities, Operation Cast Lead is about to take off to new heights.

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Everything is complicated, but nothing is impossible
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hamida Ghafour - January 13, 2009 - 1:00am

The roads from Cairo to the northern Sinai peninsula are patrolled by Egyptian police and intelligence officers and many checkpoints have been set up along the way since Israel began its attack on the Gaza Strip. At the Rafah crossing on the border between Egypt and Gaza, the Egyptians are allowing through only convoys of medical aid, and accepting Palestinians injured by Israeli attacks. In Cairo the wail of ambulances continues day and night as the wounded are taken to local hospitals for treatment.

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Report: Hamas agrees to Turkey troops on Gaza-Egypt border
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff, Yoav Stern - January 13, 2009 - 1:00am

Hamas sources have said that the Palestinian militant organization would agree to the deployment of Turkish troops along Gaza's border with Egypt, the London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat reported Tuesday. "We trust Turkey and its role as an Islamic country," the Hamas officials said. They were referring to a proposal recently submitted to Hamas' Damascus-based political chief Khaled Meshal by Turkish officials.

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Egypt wants Hamas to sign up to truce deal 'now'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
January 13, 2009 - 1:00am

CAIRO (AFP) — Egypt was on Tuesday holding talks with Hamas on Cairo's Gaza truce proposal, with an official calling for the Islamists to sign up "now" in the hope of announcing a ceasefire before the end of the week. A Hamas delegation was to hold a fresh round of talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, as Israel's offensive ploughed on for an 18th day and diplomatic efforts to end the bloodshed plodded forward.

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Israel's Top Leaders Weighing Their Next Steps in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Griff Witte - January 13, 2009 - 1:00am

Israel's leaders debated Monday how and when to bring their 17-day-old offensive in Gaza to an end, as battles continued to rage on the edge of Gaza City and as Israeli reservists flowed into the territory, ready for a possible deeper push into urban areas. The moves came as negotiators in Cairo sought to reach a cease-fire agreement, hoping to put a halt to violence that medical officials in the Gaza Strip said has claimed the lives of more than 900 Palestinians, as many as half of them civilians. Thirteen Israelis have been killed, three of them civilians.

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Refugees surge raise concerns of a broader Gaza war
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune
by Taghreed El-Khodary, Sabrina Tavernise - January 13, 2009 - 1:00am

GAZA: Growing numbers of Palestinians are fleeing their homes for makeshift shelters in schools, office buildings and a park as the Israeli Army continues to press its military campaign deeper into the city of Gaza. According to the United Nations, about 30,000 people are living in schools it sponsors, and an estimated 60,000 have fled to the houses of relatives. The figures represent a small part of Gaza's 1.5 million population but have doubled in the past four days, UN officials said, raising concerns about the humanitarian impact of a broader war.

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In Gaza, Hamas is battered, not broken, Israeli official says
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Jeffrey Fleishman, Sebastian Rotella - January 13, 2009 - 1:00am

Reporting from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem — The military power of Hamas has been weakened and its political leadership is divided over plans for a possible ceasefire, but an Israeli intelligence official said today that the radical group remains formidable, with 15,000 fighters and a sophisticated arsenal of rockets and anti-tank weapons and tunnels.

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Israeli Officials Say Hamas Damaged But Not Destroyed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Steven Erlanger, Sabrina Tavernise - January 13, 2009 - 1:00am

TEL AVIV — As Israeli forces tightened their circle around Gaza on Tuesday, senior Israeli intelligence officials said Hamas military forces had been damaged but remained substantially intact. The intelligence officials were briefing reporters.

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January 12th

Israeli troops push into Gaza City, with the Palestinian death toll during the offensive reportedly reaching 900 (1), (2). Israel is accused of using illegal white phosphorus munitions, while the Hamas leadership is accused of hiding in the basement of a hospital (3), (4). Numerous articles examine Hamas' performance in the conflict, its positions regarding a cease-fire, and political status (5), (6), (7), (8). Quartet envoy Tony Blair says elements of the cease-fire are in place, but the New York Times says that Egypt and Jordan fear being drawn into de facto responsibility for parts of the occupied Palestinian territories (9), (10). After two weeks of intense criticism, Egypt starts to defend its policies (11). Ha'aretz argues that Israel has overcome the stigma of its failed 2006 campaign in Lebanon (12). A commentary article by ATFP President Ziad Asali in the Daily Star urges an end to Israeli settlement activity (14). Roger Cohen of the New York Times complains that President-elect Obama's presumptive Middle East policy team apparently will include no Arab or Iranian Americans (15).

Mideast Dream Team? Not Quite
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Roger Cohen - (Opinion) January 11, 2009 - 1:00am

The Obama team is tight with information, but I’ve got the scoop on the senior advisers he’s gathered to push a new Middle East policy as the Gaza war rages: Shibley Telhami, Vali Nasr, Fawaz Gerges, Fouad Moughrabi and James Zogby. This group of distinguished Arab-American and Iranian-American scholars, with wide regional experience, is intended to signal a U.S. willingness to think anew about the Middle East, with greater cultural sensitivity to both sides, and a keen eye on whether uncritical support for Israel has been helpful.

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