October 23rd, 2007

Don't Miss This Opportunity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) October 23, 2007 - 11:01am After seven bad years - years of terror, a diplomatic freeze, Hamas' victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections and its takeover of Gaza - empty words about a "diplomatic horizon" and barren meetings between representatives of the parties are giving way to genuine diplomatic processes and practical plans for solving the conflict. » Read more

The Hebron Tactic ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Opinion) October 23, 2007 - 11:00am For about 25 minutes, they behaved liked lords of the land: One man, followed later by a young guy, descended from Mitzpeh Yair, one of the unauthorized outposts in the southern Mt. Hebron area, and prevented a United Nations jeep from traveling. UN directives prohibit leaving the vehicle in such cases, in order to avoid an escalation of friction. » Read more

A Necessary Conference - With Impediments In Tow ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Eli Podeh - (Opinion) October 23, 2007 - 10:59am American President George Bush's call for an international conference in the autumn has, on the face of it, created a diplomatic horizon. The overt diplomatic arena, and apparently also the covert one, is teeming with activity while the American patron is trying to arrange a gathering that will be suited to all its participants. This conference is likely to be the finale of the Bush era, and therefore, from the American point of view, it must succeed. » Read more

Fatah: The 'moderate' Alternative? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Miftah by Caelum Moffatt - (Opinion) October 23, 2007 - 10:57am Recently, President Mahmoud Abbas urged the PLO Central Council to support his decision to call early elections. The usually composed Fatah leader showed signs of agitation in his address, directing his words towards his rivals Hamas, the victors of the bloody battle for Gaza over a month ago. ‘We will not wait for approval from those sitting over there in Gaza or from those sitting abroad…Hamas dug their own grave with their own nails as a result of the crimes they carried out in Gaza.’ » Read more

Ayoon Wa Azan ( Both Are Wrong ) ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al Hayat by Jihad El-khazen - (Opinion) October 23, 2007 - 10:55am The present situation in the Palestinian territories has placed me in a position of objection par excellence as I oppose everything that is taking place in Palestinian politics today.  » Read more

Even Comatose, Israel's Sharon Casts A Long Shadow ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Der Spiegel by Christoph Schult - October 23, 2007 - 10:53am Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been lying in a coma for more than a year and a half now, but his sons have not given up hope that he will recover. Political camps haven't given up claiming his support for their sides. Sheba Hospital on the outskirts of Tel Aviv looks like a small, self-contained city. Eight-hundred-and-fifty doctors and 2,000 nurses work on a campus the size of 80 football fields. The rehab center is located in the eastern section of the complex, and the respiration rehabilitation department is on the building's first floor. » Read more

October 22nd

Abbas Insists No Dialogue With Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) October 22, 2007 - 2:51pm Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday insisted there would be no dialogue with Hamas until the Islamists return Gaza to his legitimate authority after seizing the territory in June. “What Hamas did was a destructive operation which helped those who don’t want to see an independent Palestinian state,” Abbas told journalists after talks with Eygptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Egyptian port of Alexandria. » Read more

Palestine: A Policy Of Deliberate Blindness ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Le Monde Diplomatique by Régis Debray - (Opinion) October 22, 2007 - 2:49pm Dennis Ross, formerly the United States envoy to the Middle East, admitted back in 2000 that mistakes had been made in the 1978 Camp David accords: the diplomatic process had not taken enough account of developments on the ground, especially the settlements. The number of Jewish settlers in the Palestinian territories doubled from 1994 to 2000. As many Israelis have settled in the West Bank since the Oslo accords of 1993 as in the previous 25 years. With an international conference again being discussed, it would be a mistake to continue to ignore the real state of affairs. » Read more

ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Rory Mccarthy - (Special Report) October 22, 2007 - 2:48pm Israeli police and soldiers forcibly removed two dozen illegal settlers and hundreds of their supporters yesterday from the centre of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank. The settlers threw stones, water, oil and cement powder as they tried to resist being carried out one by one. Thirty people were hurt, with one settler and six policemen needing hospital treatment after the three-hour confrontation. » Read more

Us/middle East: 'plan Against Iran May Trigger Arms Race' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Meena Janardhan - October 22, 2007 - 2:47pm The new United States plan to sell arms to Saudi Arabia and other allies in the Middle East to counter growing Iranian influence could trigger an arms race and worsen instability in an already volatile region, say experts. » Read more