October 30th, 2007

Public Opinion And The Peace Process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Ziad Abu Zayyad - (Opinion) October 30, 2007 - 1:14pm

The importance of public opinion stems from the fact that in democratic regimes it can play a determining role in the shift of power between the different political forces. Political leaders and parties must always bear in mind that, come election day, it is the voters who will be judging their performance and deciding whether they deserve to be reelected, or whether they should be voted out for having disappointed their electorate. Thus the agenda of political parties must always take into account the wider public agenda and concerns.

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Giuliani Is Mideast's Worst Nightmare
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Linda S. Heard - (Special Report) October 30, 2007 - 1:13pm

President George W. Bush's approval ratings may be in the doldrums and he's only got just over another year to go, but before we order the celebratory fireworks here's a thought. The next American president could make this one look like a boy scout. As the months pass, the next election looks like a race between Democrat Hillary Clinton and the former mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani for the Republicans. I'm no fan of the coolly calculating Clinton but given the alternative, she's the one I'll be rooting for.

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Israel's Decision To Cut Power In Gaza Is Illegal, Says Un
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Donald Macintyre - October 30, 2007 - 1:11pm

The UN's top official in Gaza will tell British ministers today that Israel's cuts in fuel and power to the Palestinians violate international law, while the isolation of Hamas has strengthened extremism and started to drive non-affiliated moderates who can leave Gaza to do so.

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Gaza Sanctions: The Legal Argument
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News
by Paul Reynolds - October 30, 2007 - 1:10pm

The intervention by Israeli Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to suspend a plan to restrict electricity supplies to Gaza raises the issue of Israel's rights and responsibilities under international humanitarian law. Earlier, there were protests from human rights groups, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon - who called the measure "unacceptable" - and the European Union External Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who said: "There should not be collective punishment".

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Politics: Desmond Tutu Likens Israeli Actions To Apartheid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Adrianne Appel - (Interview) October 30, 2007 - 1:09pm

South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu compared conditions in Palestine to those of South Africa under apartheid, and called on Israelis to try and change them, while speaking in Boston Saturday at historic Old South Church. "We hope the occupation of the Palestinian territory by Israel will end," Tutu said. "There is a cry of anguish from the depth of my heart, to my spiritual relatives. Please, please hear the call, the noble call of our scripture," Tutu said of Israelis.

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Palestinian Census Carries Sobering Subtext For Israelis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - October 30, 2007 - 1:07pm

The field worker matches the villa at 5 El Balu'a Street with a building survey map, scribbles a number in blue crayon, and then offers a brief introduction to the homeowner on what the counting means. "I'm a representative of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, and we're doing preliminary work for the census," says Raniah Haseebah, a youthful, bright-eyed statistician. "I'm giving you this questionnaire."

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Palestinians Demand Timeline For Peace Accord
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Mohammed Assadi - October 30, 2007 - 1:05pm

Palestinians will not pursue peace talks with Israel without an agreed timeline for reaching a deal on statehood, chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurie said on Tuesday. "The Israeli prime minister had announced that he will not accept a timeline, and we say we won't accept negotiations without a timeline. We do not want to go to open negotiations," Qurie told reporters.

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October 29th

The Christian Science Monitor examines the implications of the new Palestinian census on peace negotiations with Israel (2.) Inter Press Service reports on comments by South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu likening conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories to apartheid (3.) BBC (UK) looks at how the intervention of the Israeli Attorney General to suspend Israel's plan to restrict power to Gaza raises the issue of Israel's obligations to the Strip under international humanitarian law (4.) The Independent reports on the UN's position that Israel's cuts in Palestinian power and fuel are illegal under international law (5.) A Daily Star (Lebanon) opinion by former Palestinian minister Ziyad Abu Zayyad, published in collaboration with Common Ground News Service, analyzes how the principle of public opinion impacting the political system does not apply to the Israel-Palestine case (7.) In BitterLemons (Israel/Palestine), Israeli lawyer and Jerusalem expert Danny Seidemann explains how Jerusalem's time to be resolved has arrived politically (8.) A Haaretz (Israel) editorial is critical of the punishment of the Palestinian civilian population of Gaza, concluding that it does not further Israeli security (10.)

The Importance Of A Failed Summit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gideon Levy - October 29, 2007 - 7:13pm

Do not belittle the Annapolis summit. Despite all the prophecies of failure, justified as they are, this summit could still make an important contribution to the history of Israeli-Arab negotiations: For the first time, it will become crystal-clear who aspires toward peace and, more important, who flees from it as if from fire.

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The Right Of Return (to Britain)
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Tamara Traubmann - October 29, 2007 - 7:12pm

Thousands of people and one very active Internet site have been busy these days with Khaled Al-Mudallal's right to return - that is, his right to return to the University of Bradford in England. Mudallal, 22, was supposed to be devoting his entire attention right now to his last year of studies for a bachelor's degree in business administration. But instead, he is stuck in Rafah and cannot see how he will be able to leave the Gaza Strip and finish his studies.

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