January 5th

Gaza City residents hunker down
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Rushdi Abu Alouf, Richard Boudreaux - January 5, 2009 - 1:00am

Reporting from Gaza City and Jerusalem -- As Israeli forces closed in on Gaza City, Mohammed Barbari joined the scramble by its most intrepid residents Sunday for dwindling supplies of food they would need while hunkering down at home. The first explosion tore through the central Firas Market at 11:30 a.m. as he approached from adjacent Palestine Square. Unable to turn his yellow Volkswagen Golf around in traffic, he kept driving toward the hail of shrapnel and the screams of scattering shoppers.

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For Trapped Gazans, Few Options for Safety
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Reyham Abdel Kareem, Craig Whitlock - January 5, 2009 - 1:00am

As Israeli forces attacked Gaza by land, sea and air, residents living in the congested coastal strip faced a fateful question: Flee the shelling and shooting, or hole up inside their homes and hope for the best? The five-member al-Jarou family decided to make a break for it around midday Sunday. They abandoned their home in the Shaaf neighborhood east of Gaza City and dashed by car to a relative's house a mile and a half away, thinking it would be safer, according to interviews with family members and neighbors.

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Hamas 'to attend' Cairo truce talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Jazeera English
January 5, 2009 - 1:00am

Palestinian group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, has announced it will send a delegation to Egypt for ceasefire negotiations as diplomatic efforts to end the fighting in Gaza intensified. Ayman Taha, a Hamas official told the Reuters news agency on Monday that a group would head to Cairo "answering an Egyptian invitation to hold discussions". Taha did not say whether the delegation would include Hamas members from Gaza or exiled leaders.

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Israel tightens grip on Gaza, fights off ceasefire pressure
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
January 5, 2009 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY (AFP) — Israeli warplanes carried out intensive raids on Hamas targets on Monday as ground troops surrounded Gaza's main city, while Israel faced mounting diplomatic pressure for a ceasefire. The senior Hamas leader in Gaza promised "victory is coming" for the Islamist group, but Israel's defence minister said "we have hit Hamas hard" while insisting the operation to halt Hamas rocket attacks would continue.

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January 4th

Israel’s attack on Gaza now includes a major ground offensive (1, 2). Several analyses probe both Israel’s and Hamas’ war intentions and prospects of success (3, 4, 5). Arab and Palestinian reaction to the conflict remains sharply divided (6, 7). Ha’aretz suggests that an Arab regional effort is needed to craft a workable cease-fire, Sultan Al Qassemi in The National argues that whatever happens, Hamas should step down from power (8, 12). Reema Ali and Aaron David Miller explore the requirements for progress on a peace agreement, (9, 10). An original ATFP translation of a Hassan Khadr article from the Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam argues that the Arabs are not learning the lessons of the past (13). The Dallas Morning News investigates the long-term effect of the Holy Land Foundation case on Muslim charitable giving, especially for Palestinian humanitarian causes (14).

Holy Land Foundation case puts burden on Muslim charities
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Dallas Morning News
by Jason Trahan - January 3, 2009 - 1:00am

American Muslims are finding it more difficult to donate money to help Palestinian refugees and other Middle Eastern causes because of court decisions showing that some charities were using the money for terrorism. On Nov. 24, the formerly Richardson-based Holy Land Foundation and five of its organizers were found guilty in a Dallas federal court of sending millions of dollars to Palestinian charity committees controlled by banned group Hamas.

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No light at the end of the tunnel!
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Ayyam
by Hassan Khadr - December 30, 2008 - 1:00am

If the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel did not exist today, most of the population of the Gaza Strip would have already been pushed into Sinai. And, if the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel did not exist today, most of the population of the West Bank would have already been driven onto the East Bank of the Jordan River. Therefore, those existing peace treaties have in fact been the best guarantee to avoid the mass expulsion of Palestinians.

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Hamas has failed – it is time they stepped down
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Sultan Al Qasemi - January 4, 2009 - 1:00am

Regardless of the outcome of the barbaric Israeli Operation Cast Lead, one thing is certain; it is high time for Hamas to step down as the keeper of Gaza. This is where people will object and remind us that they were democratically elected. My answer to that is: Yes, but they are incompetent.

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Gaza: Caught Between Butchery and Trade!
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Tariq Alhomayed - January 3, 2009 - 1:00am

The brutal killings currently taking place in the Gaza Strip are saddening. It is also saddening that the Gaza Strip is being betrayed on two fronts; on one front by Israeli brutality, and on the other by countries that are exploiting Hamas and the Palestinian cause in order to serve their own interests in our region including a misleading media campaign.

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If Obama Is Serious, He should get tough with Israel.
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Newsweek
by Aaron David Miller - January 4, 2009 - 1:00am

Jews worry for a living; their tragic history compels them to do so. In the next few years, there will be plenty to worry about, particularly when it comes to Israel. The current operation in Gaza won't do much to ease these worries or to address Israel's longer-term security needs. The potential for a nuclear Iran, combined with the growing accuracy and lethality of Hamas and Hizbullah rockets, will create tremendous concern. Anxiety may also be provoked by something else: an Obama administration determined to repair America's image and credibility and to reach a deal in the Middle East.

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