October 22nd

Lower Expectations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) October 22, 2007 - 1:25pm On one level, the American initiative to convene a peace meeting at Annapolis marks a positive transformation in the American approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But on another, it reflects a continuation of the past. » Read more

The New Center Of Gravity Of Arab Stability ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) October 22, 2007 - 1:24pm   Some things move slowly in life, including transitions to democracy and getting governments to treat their citizens decently. I mention these two because they cropped up again and again this week during a working visit to Jordan, where, among other things, I had to twice engage the menacing Ottoman-era bureaucracy - to renew my driver's license and complete a power of attorney procedure with my brother. » Read more

Quartet In The Dock ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) October 22, 2007 - 1:23pm If the UN withdraws from it, the damage done to the Quartet might not be extensive, seeing how insipid the group’s members have been thus far in their attempts to break ground in the Palestinian-Israeli impasse. Still, a dropout would be considered a serious blow to peace efforts. The possible UN departure from the Quartet makes the outlook for the major US-sponsored peace conference between the Palestinians and Israel, expected next month, even bleaker than at present. » Read more

School Crosses Religious Divide To Teach Children A Lesson In Unity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by James Hider - October 22, 2007 - 1:22pm When she told her cousin that her 12-year-old Jewish schoolfriend had slept over at her house one night, Aeen, an Arab-Israeli schoolgirl, was shocked at the response. » Read more

Israel Shaken By Troops' Tales Of Brutality Against Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian (Special Report) October 22, 2007 - 1:20pm A study by an Israeli psychologist into the violent behaviour of the country's soldiers is provoking bitter controversy and has awakened urgent questions about the way the army conducts itself in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. » Read more

Annapolis Summit Requires Commitment ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Progress by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) October 22, 2007 - 1:14pm Condoleezza Rice met with Middle East leaders this week to prepare the Annapolis meeting that has become ever more critical to illustrating the administration’s renewed focus on resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict. Measures of success for the Annapolis summit are important, not simply for “grading” the session, but for setting up a framework to analyze progress moving forward. » Read more

Skepticism, Anger On Both Sides Of Mideast Conflict ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Rebecca Harrison - October 22, 2007 - 1:10pm Israeli cable technician Elram Weitzman thinks the Palestinians deserve a state of their own. But he doesn't spend too much time thinking about it. "They should have their own country -- as long as it's not ours," said the 22-year-old from Jerusalem between drags on a cigarette. "To be honest I don't really watch the news." » Read more

Disagreements In Hamas Camps Laid Bare ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Karin Laub - October 22, 2007 - 1:09pm Four months after the Hamas takeover of Gaza, the usually hidden arguments between the group's rival camps were unexpectedly laid bare, when a well-known pragmatist said seizing control by force was a mistake and had caused great hardship. Hamas hard-liners, however, still appear to have the upper hand. In a five-page letter posted Sunday on a Web site affiliated with Hamas' rival, Fatah, former Hamas government spokesman Ghazi Hamad wrote that the takeover was a "serious strategic mistake that burdened the movement more than it can bear." » Read more

The Deal On The Table ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Jackson Diehl - (Opinion) October 22, 2007 - 1:08pm An enduring paradox of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is that the outline of a two-state peace settlement -- that is, the points Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is pressing the two sides to write down in time for a November conference -- is readily apparent to anyone with a commitment to pragmatism and a good map. In fact, various groups of Israelis and Palestinians have already spelled them out and agreed to them on multiple occasions in the past 15 years. An Israeli cabinet voted to endorse the basic deal nearly seven years ago. » Read more

On The Road To Nowhere, Merchants Pay The Toll ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Scott Wilson - October 22, 2007 - 1:06pm From the Zeituna Restaurant to the Basel Furniture store, business once thrived along the road that runs through this Palestinian village, conducted in a language no longer spoken here. » Read more