December 17th

The Military Option Failed ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) December 17, 2007 - 1:26pm The rain of Qassam rockets on Sderot and other communities in the western Negev has developed into a dangerous routine. This is not just because of the harm to people and property, but because of the growing feeling that Israel sees this strip of land's fate as sealed. To repel this feeling, and especially the accusation that the state is doing nothing to defend its citizens, the Israel Defense Forces and government are disseminating a counterthreat. For weeks, they have been saying that a major assault on Gaza is nearing - a huge blow that will end the Qassam plague once and for all. » Read more

The Viable Two-state Solution? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Miftah by Caelum Moffatt - (Analysis) December 17, 2007 - 1:26pm Following the summit in Annapolis, Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud opposition party in Israel declared in reference to the Israeli / Palestinian peace process, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it”. » Read more

Pledges To Be Kept ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times December 17, 2007 - 1:25pm The conference of the 90 donor countries for the Palestinians kicks off today in Paris amidst hopes that investment towards the economic development of the Palestinian territories also will be a critical investment in the peace process. » Read more

Israel And Iran’s Bomb ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Jonathan Power - (Opinion) December 17, 2007 - 1:24pm Across most of the political spectrum Israel is in a state of shock. The recently released US National Intelligence Estimate which concludes that Iran probably stopped work on its nuclear bomb back in 2003 has pulled the rug from under Israel’s proclivity to shoot first and ask questions after. The Israeli media and government have done a good hatchet job on the inconsistencies buried within the fine text of the estimate but they have nonetheless got the message that the Bush administration seems intent on delivering. » Read more

Abbas: Palestinians Close To 'catastrophe' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Telegraph by Richard Holt - December 17, 2007 - 1:23pm Mahmoud Abbas has urged the international community to increase support for the Palestinians or risk a "total catastrophe" in the occupied territories. The Palestinian president used a donor conference in Paris to appeal for $5.6bn (£2.8bn) in aid by 2010 to help work towards setting up a viable Palestinian state. "Without this support, without the payment of aid that will allow the Palestinian treasury to fulfill its role, we will be facing a total catastrophe in the West Bank and Gaza," Mr Abbas told delegates. » Read more

Blair Presses Donors To Bankroll Middle East Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by Adam Sage - December 17, 2007 - 1:22pm Tony Blair was seeking to persuade world leaders to provide $5.6 billion (£2.75 billion) in aid to shore up the Palestinian economy and breath life into the revived Middle East peace process at an international donors' conference in Paris today. Britain's former prime minister is joint chairman of the conference, which was billed as a make-or-break event by Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President. » Read more

Saudis' $1.4bn Support For Palestinians Now In Doubt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald Macintyre - December 17, 2007 - 1:20pm Saudi Arabia has so far refused to commit to budget support for the emergency government set up by the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a political move casting a shadow over Monday's international donors' conference in Paris. » Read more

International Donors Are Cautiously Optimistic On Eve Of Palestinian Aid Meeting ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Howard Lafranchi - December 17, 2007 - 1:19pm PARIS With Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas seeking a large increase in aid for his would-be country, the international community gathers at a donors' conference here Monday to grapple with how to turn the billions of dollars the Palestinians receive into a tool for peace. » Read more

Donors Pledge Aid For Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Karin Laub - December 17, 2007 - 1:18pm The world rallied to the support of the embattled Palestinian government Monday, and the co-chairman of a donors' conference said he was confident they could meet a $5.6 billion target in aid. World leaders at the conference also urged Israel to ease restrictions on movement in the West Bank and Gaza to make a recovery of the Palestinian economy possible. Some 90 countries and international organizations came together in Paris for the biggest pledging conference in more than a decade. » Read more

The Right Wing's Jerusalem Gambit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Salon.com by Gregory Levey - December 17, 2007 - 1:18pm On Nov. 26, the U.S. State Department got hit with an unexpected barrage of phone calls. The Coordinating Council on Jerusalem, a new coalition of American groups with hard-line views on Israel, was on the line -- all of the lines. Or so the group said two days later in a press release, proudly proclaiming that with 10,000 calls in less than 48 hours it had managed to overload the State Department's voice-mail system. » Read more