November 17th, 2008

Israeli court orders colonists to end takeover of Hebron house
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
November 16, 2008 - 8:00pm

Israel's High Court on Sunday gave Jewish settlers three days to evacuate a house in the Occupied West Bank town of Hebron whose ownership is contested. The ruling, which was slammed by settler leaders, follows a series of violent clashes between Israeli security forces and hard-line Jews seeking to erect unauthorized outposts in the Occupied West Bank. All Israeli presence in the Occupied West Bank is illegal under international and stands in violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions.

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Israel Allows Limited Aid Into Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
November 16, 2008 - 8:00pm

Israel opened a border crossing with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Monday for the first time in two weeks, allowing in a limited amount of humanitarian aid. The move came ahead of talks in Jerusalem between outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who termed Israel's tightened blockade of the Gaza Strip a "war crime." Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman Peter Lerner said approximately 30 truckloads of goods entered the Gaza Strip, including meat and powdered milk for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

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Israeli troops face abuse trial
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
November 13, 2008 - 8:00pm

The Israeli military has said it will try by court martial a number of soldiers in connection with the abuse of a blindfolded Palestinian man. The video, broadcast by Israeli TV after being posted on YouTube, shows the man kneeling near a barrier being forced to repeat crude Hebrew phrases. The military has condemned the behaviour, which it says goes against its core values and high standards. Palestinians say contact with troops lead to insults and sometimes violence.

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Israel Kills 4 Militants in Gaza Strip
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Taghreed El-Khodary, Isabel Kershner - November 15, 2008 - 8:00pm

Israeli officials ratcheted up their tough talk on Sunday after an airstrike killed four Palestinian militants in Hamas-run Gaza, but both sides left the door open to restoring a truce that has broken down.

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State of mind
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Aaron David Miller - November 14, 2008 - 8:00pm

Having worked for six secretaries of State over 20 years, I have a pretty clear sense of what makes a good one -- and with the economic and financial crisis overshadowing foreign policy these days, the selection of an effective secretary of State is now more imperative than ever.

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ATFP Senior Fellow Speaking Tour of Bahrain
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - October 28, 2008 - 12:00am

ATFP Senior Fellow Hussein Ibish was on a speaking tour of Bahrain from October 27-October 30. He was the keynote speaker at the 10th Anniversary Celebration for the American Studies Department at the University of Bahrain, and gave several other public talks. Article from The Gulf Daily News (November 4, 2008) Arab Americans face challenges By REBECCA TORR


November 14th

The New York Times reports on Israeli settlers eager to quit the West Bank (1). The Israeli blockade forces Gaza City's power plant to shut down (2). The Saudi government gives a cool reception to Israeli President Shimon Peres' support of the Arab peace plan (3). Violence on the Gaza-Israel border continues to threaten the ceasefire (4) (5) (6). Jordan King Abdullah restates his support for a two-state solution (7). Britain announces plans to label Israeli products manufactured in West Bank settlements (8). Defense Minister Ehud Barak continued to approve settlement construction despite the Israeli commitment to the Road Map (9).

Hamas fires long-range rockets at Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Abed Shana - November 13, 2008 - 8:00pm

Hamas Islamists fired long-range rockets at a southern Israel city on Friday after an Israeli air strike on their Gaza stronghold in the 11th day of skirmishes that threaten a five-month-old truce. The armed wing of the Islamist group said it fired five Grad rockets, the longest-range weapon it has used against the Jewish state. Israel said they hit Ashkelon, north of Gaza on the Mediterranean coast, with no casualties.

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Gaza violence flares again as UN food handouts stop
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
November 13, 2008 - 8:00pm

Violence flared again around Gaza on Friday, wounding two militants and an Israeli woman and putting a five-month-old truce in jeopardy as UN food handouts to the Hamas-ruled strip ground to a halt. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert held emergency talks with Defence Minister Ehud Barak and military top brass following the firing of nearly 20 rockets from Gaza into southern Israel on Friday. Olmert said at the meeting that the rocket fire was "a blatant and fundamental violation" of the June 19 Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that followed months of deadly clashes between Israel and Hamas.

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‘Two-state solution remains best answer to Mideast conflict’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
November 13, 2008 - 8:00pm

His Majesty King Abdullah said on Thursday the two-state solution is the sole way to end the conflict in the Middle East and bring about security and stability in the region. He called for rallying international efforts to support Palestinian-Israeli negotiations based on this solution. In a lecture at the Royal College of Defence Studies during a visit to London, the Monarch said the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative still provides a proper ground to achieve comprehensive peace that addresses the various aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

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