October 28th, 2007

The Associated Press reports on meetings that Secretary Rice is having with former U.S. officials associated with past U.S. peacemaking efforts in order to benefit from the historical record on the issue (2.) The Jewish Telegraphic Agency looks at remarks by a leading Orthodox rabbi publicly advocating the 'division' of Jerusalem in order to achieve peace with the Palestinians (4.) Americans For Peace Now present their weekly review of the Israeli press (6.) The Financial Times (UK) examines worldwide reaction to Israel's restriction of fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip (7.) In a BitterLemons (Israel/Palestine) interview, advisor to Palestinian president Abbas on Jerusalem Affairs Adnan Husseini outlines the Palestinian position on Jerusalem and the Old City (10.) Haaretz (Israel) explores the inability of over 600 Gaza students to return to their schools overseas due to Israeli restrictions (11.)

October 26th

Squeezing Gaza / Stop Sign Between Abbas And Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel And Avi Issacharoff - (Opinion) October 26, 2007 - 6:02pm

There is an enormous gap between the reasons Israel is giving for the decision to impose significant sanctions against Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip, and the real intentions behind them. Defense Minister Ehud Barak yesterday authorized a plan for disrupting electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, as well as significantly shrinking fuel shipments. This is supposed to reduce the number of Qassam rocket attacks against Sderot and the other border communities. In practice, defense officials believe that the Palestinian militants will intensify their attacks in response to the sanctions.

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To Speak Again In One Voice
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
(Editorial) October 26, 2007 - 5:59pm

A new Amnesty International report has condemned both Fateh and Hamas for human rights abuses during their infighting this year, which peaked when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in June. Both sides were guilty of harming civilians and of extrajudicial executions and physical torture, the report found, and its authors urged both sides to act to prevent any repetition and punish abusers.

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Rebuilding Trust Remains At The Core
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arabic Media Internet Network
by Alon Ben-meir - (Opinion) October 26, 2007 - 5:58pm

Since President Bush declared his intention a few months ago to convene a Middle East peace conference, experts on the region and government officials have proposed specific agenda items that should be addressed to insure its success.

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The Damascus Conference Versus The Conference Of The Fall Grandstanding At The Expense Of The Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al Hayat
(Opinion) October 26, 2007 - 5:56pm

The secretary general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, presented an important report to the Security Council this week. The report returns to the forefront the issue of disarming Hizbullah as a cornerstone to enabling the Lebanese state to recover full sovereignty over its territory. Ki-moon called for implementing the commitment to dismantle all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias and disarm the Palestinian militias operating in Lebanon. He asked Syria and Iran to cooperate in this effort and halt all military supplies and support for these militias.

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Prioritizing Palestinian Dignity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Palestine Chronicle
by Sherri Muzher - (Opinion) October 26, 2007 - 5:54pm

"I am Mr. Nobody," stated Palestinian Mahmoud Jnaid in an October 19th Reuters article.  Jnaid recently doused himself in fuel and tried to set himself on fire before other Palestinian on-lookers overpowered him.     "When I poured the petrol on my body I felt life was the same as death," the 25-year-old said while he sat next to his wife and children.  

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I Had A Great Sense Of Being At The Very Lowest Point Of My Life
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times
by Alan Johnston - (Special Report) October 26, 2007 - 5:52pm

It had begun out in the spring sunshine, on the streets of Gaza City. A saloon car had suddenly surged past mine, and then pulled up, forcing me to stop. A young man emerged from the passenger side and pointed a pistol at me. The figure with the pistol and another gunman forced me into their car, and as we sped off I was made to lie on the back seat. A hood had been shoved over my face, but through it I could see the sun flickering between the tower blocks. I could tell that we were heading south and east, towards the city’s rougher neighbourhoods.

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Inside Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Clancy Chassay - (Special Report) October 26, 2007 - 5:50pm

In the long shadows of early dusk, a large black Mercedes with blacked-out windows picked me up from my hotel and whisked me through Gaza City's dusty, sullied streets. The roads, strewn with rubbish, were largely empty: Gaza was preparing for an Israeli incursion and the routine was familiar.

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Gaza Christians Fear 'those More Extreme Than Hamas'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
October 26, 2007 - 5:48pm

The kidnapping and killing of Rami Ayyad, manager of the Gaza Strip's only Christian bookstore, sent shudders through the Palestinian coastal enclave's tiny Christian community. Spared by the summer's fierce factional clashes in which the Islamist Hamas movement seized power by routing their secular Fatah party rivals, Christians began to worry they too might be driven from the volatile coastal strip.

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The Good Guys Come Out To Play
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum
(Opinion) October 26, 2007 - 5:46pm

One of the comments about Middle East policy that one hears from Senators, House Members and staff with ever-growing frequency is: "Why are obstructionist hawks so forceful a presence on Capitol Hill when they represent only a minority of the community?”  One can hardly exaggerate how often this question is posed to us -- albeit only by those who feel confident that we will not "blow the whistle" on them by publicizing their doubts about the long-standing U.S. approach to the Middle East.  

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