November 14th

Religious Leaders Join In Support Of Mideast Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - November 14, 2007 - 12:47pm The highest ranking Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders from the Holy Land made a groundbreaking statement of support this week for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The Muslim sheiks in charge of Jerusalem’s holy places met with Israel’s chief rabbis and with the leaders of the major Christian denominations to present a paper that not only recognized the need to end Israeli occupation but also committed all religious leaders to work together for peace in the region. » Read more

Tough Homecoming For Lebanon's Refugees ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Nicholas Blanford - November 14, 2007 - 12:46pm Abu Tawfiq stands in the soot-encrusted ruin of his home as cold rain blows in where an outside wall once stood. "This room is Hiroshima and the other one is Nagasaki," says the former school teacher who, agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. He's one of some 5,000 Palestinians who recently returned to the battle-ravaged ruins of this coastal refugee camp in north Lebanon, home to more than 40,000 people before the outbreak in May of three months of fighting between the Lebanese Army and Al-Qaeda-inspired militants of Fatah al-Islam. » Read more

Tutu And St. Thomas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Century by James M. Wall - (Commentary) November 14, 2007 - 12:44pm The University of St. Thomas is the largest private institution of higher learning in the state of Minnesota, a school "inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition." Recently, the university found itself in the embarrassing position of having failed to do some basic research; it did not check its sources. The story behind this development began innocently enough in April, when a staff member from St. Thomas's Justice and Peace Studies program informed his colleagues that he had booked South African archbishop Desmond Tutu for a campus appearance. » Read more

Bush's Turn To Step Into Mideast Peace-making ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Steve Holland - November 14, 2007 - 12:41pm Richard Nixon left office hopeful that "peace can settle at last over the Middle East." Jimmy Carter staked his career on it. Bill Clinton told Yasser Arafat, "I am a failure, and you have made me one." Now George W. Bush becomes the latest president to try to resolve the bitter, long-standing differences between close U.S. ally Israel and the Palestinians. » Read more

Volatile City Tests Palestinian Police, And Peace Hopes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - November 14, 2007 - 12:39pm This lawless city in the northern West Bank is ruled by rival militias and criminal gangs, an especially gritty illustration of why a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the West Bank, as expected under a future peace deal, gives Israelis pause. » Read more

Economic Woes Behind New Unrest In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Karin Laub - November 14, 2007 - 12:38pm The backdrop to the latest explosion of violence in the Gaza Strip: skeletons of unfinished apartment towers, shuttered factories, empty store shelves and skyrocketing prices for bread and cigarettes. Five months of rule by the Islamic militants of Hamas and isolation from the world have taken a heavy toll on the already impoverished territory, and frustration over the hardship helped drive this week's mass rally by the rival Fatah movement that ended in mayhem. » Read more

November 13th

What The Palestinians Must Do ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Uri Savir - (Opinion) November 13, 2007 - 3:58pm It is essential that the impending regional meeting in Annapolis be successful. Failure at Annapolis would translate into a victory for the extremist elements in Israel, Palestine and throughout the region. Without success at Annapolis the next phase of the Palestinian-Israeli relationship will find a far less forthcoming Israeli government squaring off against an implacable Hamas. » Read more

Analysis: Hamas Losing Grip On Gaza, Fatah Gaining Support ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel And Avi Issacharoff - November 13, 2007 - 3:57pm The Hamas gunmen who sought to disperse the crowd at the rally Monday in Gaza marking the third anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat did not use rubber-coated bullets or tear gas; they simply opened fire on the crowd, leaving seven dead and dozens injured. In so doing, they added to the pressure under which the Islamic organization is laboring five months after it took over the Gaza Strip from Fatah forces. » Read more

The Prime Minister Vs. Public Opinion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Miftah by Caelum Moffatt - (Opinion) November 13, 2007 - 3:54pm Most commentaries inundating the press at the moment meticulously analyze the consequences of a failed summit and center on the probable break out of another Intifada, as highlighted by Ahmad Qurei. This may well be the case but it is important to recognize that a successful summit could also cause uproar amongst Israelis which in turn could affect the Palestinians and hinder any positive steps taken. » Read more

Editorial: Black Mark On Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) November 13, 2007 - 3:52pm The death of at least six people at a rally in Gaza organized by Fatah to mark the third anniversary of Yasser Arafat’s death is a black mark against Hamas. It could well prove fatal for the movement. There was no reason for Hamas security forces to open fire on the crowd — other than, of course, the fact they could not stomach the fact that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had gathered in the center of Gaza, waving Fatah flags and carrying pictures of the late Palestinian leader. A more potent sign of Hamas losing the support of Gazans could hardly be imagined. » Read more