Ahead Of Super Tuesday, Obama Tackles E-mail Smears
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - January 30, 2008 - 5:48pm A packed auditorium was waiting for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama to receive a pivotal endorsement and his aide was rushing him along, but he had something important to say first -- to American Jews. "Before we go, I'd like to add one last comment," the Democratic presidential hopeful told the aide in a conference call with the Jewish news media Monday morning, just minutes before being endorsed by U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) at American University here. "My strong and deep commitment and connection to the Jewish community should not be questioned." |
One More Year Of The Same
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Jim Lobe - January 30, 2008 - 5:47pm With just less than one year left in his presidency, George W. Bush remains as focused as ever on the Middle East and Iraq and appears reluctant to take on any major new foreign policy challenges in the time that he remains in power. That appears to be the consensus of most analysts here in the wake of Bush's last State of the Union address, which was delivered in the stately Capitol building Monday night. |
Better U.s. Image Abroad: How To Attain It?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Howard Lafranchi - (Opinion) January 30, 2008 - 5:45pm Hillary Rodham Clinton would send prominent emissaries to world capitals the day after being elected president. John McCain would close the Guantánamo detention facility and renounce the use of torture. Barack Obama would speak to all foreign leaders, even America's worst enemies. |
Bush's Delusions Die In Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Salon.com by Gary Kamiya - January 30, 2008 - 5:44pm It was a heart-wrenching story. Hundreds of thousands of people, trapped for endless years in an open-air jail and recently subjected to an airtight siege, blew up their prison wall and poured out to freedom. |
Egypt-hamas Tensions Rise Over Border
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press January 30, 2008 - 5:42pm Movement across the Gaza-Egypt border slowed to a trickle Tuesday as security forces made progress in sealing off breaches and cold, rainy weather discouraged travelers. The focus of the weeklong crisis shifted to growing tensions between Egypt and the militant Hamas rulers of Gaza, who are now demanding a role in overseeing the border. |
Gaza Crisis Talks Start, Hamas Seeks Say Over Border
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Alaa Shahine - January 30, 2008 - 5:40pm Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas began crisis talks with Egypt on Wednesday about restoring order at the breached Gaza border, facing a challenge from his Hamas rivals for control of the frontier. Hamas Islamists, who seized control of Gaza in June after routing Abbas's secular Fatah forces, blasted open the Egyptian border last week in defiance of an Israeli blockade, letting Gazans pour into Egypt to stock up on goods in short supply. |
The Prospect Of A New Gaza Reality
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) January 29, 2008 - 7:00pm Even after the disengagement from Gaza, Israel remained legally responsible for the welfare of the 1.5 million Palestinians there. International law considered the Gaza Strip to be under Israeli occupation even after every single settler and soldier left. The reason for Israel's continued legal responsibility is mainly based on the fact that Israel sealed all of Gaza's borders to the outside world and prevented the opening of a sea or airport in Gaza for the use of the Palestinians. Israel furthermore continues to control Gaza's territorial water and airspace. |
Border Control / Olmert's Man In Ramallah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - January 29, 2008 - 6:59pm Prime Minster Ehud Olmert wouldn't have had to ask twice: The barest of winks, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) would have sent every journalist in Israel a petition calling to keep the prime minister where he is. For good reason. People in Ramallah read the public opinion polls published in those papers, too. |
Short Term Gain For Hamas, Long Term Gain For Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - January 29, 2008 - 6:57pm The dramatic recent developments on the Palestinian-Egyptian border are direct and predictable results of the internationally supported Israeli siege on Gaza. It should have been expected that the mounting pressure on Gaza would cause a popular explosion. The Egyptian border was the weakest link in the prison wall, since all other escape routes, including the sea, are blocked by Israel. |