March 10th, 2008

Jerusalem Struggles To Maintain Its Balance
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
March 10, 2008 - 5:34pm

When an Arab from East Jerusalem killed eight people at a Jewish seminary, it endangered the fragile fabric of life in a city where people divided by distrust have nonetheless managed to get along. The shooting was a shock to many Jerusalemites, not only because it followed a long period of relative quiet, but also because even in the peak years of Palestinian suicide bombings, the Arabs of East Jerusalem were largely bystanders. In the aftermath, the city's Jews fear for their safety, while Arabs are wary of a backlash.

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Abbas Says Peace Efforts With Israel Must Go On
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
March 10, 2008 - 5:34pm

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday peace efforts with Israel must move forward, despite an especially bloody spate of violence capped by a deadly attack on a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem. Abbas also reiterated his support for Egypt's efforts to mediate a truce between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. In a speech marking International Women's Day, Abbas said, "Despite all the circumstances we're living through and all the attacks we're experiencing, we insist on peace. There is no other path."

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The Israel Litmus Test
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) March 10, 2008 - 5:30pm

'You're nothing but a self-hating Jew, and your boss is an anti-Semite." It was the spring of 1990. I was an advisor to then-Secretary of State James Baker, and I was briefing a Jewish group from Atlanta -- and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Baker was tough on Israel when he needed to be, but he was no anti-Semite. I told Mr. Atlanta that if he wanted to argue about policy, fine; otherwise, we should keep the ad hominem out of it.

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Annapolis's Fading Hope
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
(Opinion) March 10, 2008 - 5:29pm

The Annapolis peace conference last November was a good moment for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She seemed to be getting serious, finally, about using American diplomacy to push for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement whose basic parameters are understood by everyone -- but which requires U.S. follow-through to make it happen.

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Talk, But No Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
(Editorial) March 10, 2008 - 5:25pm

There are a few certainties when it comes to the Middle East. One is that Hamas militants will do anything to sabotage Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. Another is that Israel will retaliate against serious assaults on its people. And a third is that without measurable improvements in the lives of both Israelis and Palestinians, a few spectacular acts of terrorism can derail even the best-intentioned peace talks.

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Dr. Asali speaks at Brookings Conference
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - March 10, 2008 - 12:00am

On Monday, March 10th, Dr. Ziad Asali gave a presentation at The Brookings Institution entitled “Daily Life in the West Bank and Gaza: Implications for an Israeli-Palestinian Peace Agreement.” The presentation was part of the three-day Brookings conference, “Inside the Middle East.” A link to event agenda and its impressive panelists can be found here: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/Course/Agenda/middle_east.pdf.


March 9th

An opinion by David Ignatius in the Washington Post examines the fading hope of Annapolis (2) while an opinion by Aaron David Miller in the Los Angeles Times discusses the American Jewish communities commitment to Israel (3). An opinion in the Telegraph cautions that the halting of peace talks will only be a victory for the militants (7). BBC News reports that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has approved a plan to build up to 750 new homes in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank (8). In the Daily Star, Mouin Rabbani warns that Fatah must reinvent itself or risk irrelevance (10). An editorial in the Middle East Times analyzes a recent Policy Focus by the American Task Force on Palestine (12).

March 7th

Destructive Emotion
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
(Editorial) March 7, 2008 - 6:46pm

Arabs are often accused of being too emotional over the Palestinian situation rather than calculating and manipulative like the Israelis. It is a notion to which many Arabs subscribe as well, seeing it as a major reason for Israel’s continued dominance over the Palestinians. It is, in fact, impossible not to be emotional in the face of the suffering and injustice endured by the Palestinians, especially at the moment with the brutal slaughter in Prison Camp Gaza? Only the inhuman can remain unmoved.

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Un Human Rights Council Flays Israel Over Bloody Gaza Attack
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
March 7, 2008 - 6:44pm

  The United Nations Human Rights Council Thursday condemned Israel's bloody military assault on Gaza while also urging an end to rocket attacks that have killed Israeli civilians. The 47-member council approved the motion calling for "the immediate cessation of all Israeli military attacks throughout the occupied Palestinian territory" by 33 votes to one, with 13 abstentions.

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Persevering In The Face Of Extremism
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Progress
by Mara Rudman - (Opinion) March 7, 2008 - 6:42pm

Too depressingly familiar. Eight young people killed, along with the gunman who ended their lives. Many more injured. As is the intent of such extremists, he took aim not only at innocent civilians, but also at the heart of future security and hope for Israelis and Palestinians: a negotiated two-state resolution to their conflict. Ensuring that he not achieve this broader objective will require a renewed commitment by all involved, including the United States.

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