Annapolis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al Hayat by Cyril Townsend - (Opinion) December 11, 2007 - 1:56pm To my alarm, and possibly for the first and only time, I found myself agreeing with a comment by John Bolton, President George Bush's former and totally miscast Ambassador to the United Nations.  Speaking of the Annapolis summit, which collected together the representatives of 44 countries in Maryland, he said:- "Normally, you have substantive actions and then you bring in the television cameras - they reversed that order." » Read more

Time-wasting Manoeuvres ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times December 11, 2007 - 1:55pm It has been reported that during the Annapolis conference, Israel offered the Palestinian side recognition of a Palestinian state with provisional borders and that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas quickly rejected the offer. It is not hard to guess why Abbas refused such an offer; its acceptance would be tantamount to consolidating Israel’s grip on Palestinian territories for an indefinite period of time and would put the border issue in deep freeze. » Read more

Iran Is No Threat And That’s Official ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Linda Heard - December 11, 2007 - 1:52pm “They stole our threat” goes a headline in the Israeli daily Haaretz. The author is, of course, referring to the recently published US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) composed by 16 American intelligence agencies. It counters US and Israeli assertions that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. There’s been no such program since 2003, it states. » Read more

The 'four-phase' Approach ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Uri Savir - December 11, 2007 - 1:51pm In May 1996, permanent status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian leadership officially began. I represented Israel and my Palestinian counterpart was Mahmoud Abbas. The discussion of permanent status issues lasted only two hours. Instead, we opted to commence our negotiations by talking about the desired outcome of Israel's and the future Palestinian state's relations. We intended to give this focus several months' time and to postpone resolution of the final status issues to the last stage. » Read more

Just Another Forgotten Peace Summit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Tamar Hermann, Ephraim Yaar - December 11, 2007 - 1:49pm Many assume that if the Israeli decision-makers were to openly change their position on the conflict and its resolution, the public would throng after them en masse and support an agreement. The present survey, like earlier surveys we conducted, shows that this assumption is very flimsy and that people are not hurrying to get on the Olmert government's peace train. » Read more

Hamas Builds Separate Courts In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - December 11, 2007 - 1:48pm While all eyes were turned to the meeting at Annapolis late last month, Hamas' government in the Gaza Strip tightened its grip on three important civilian institutions: the court system, the municipality and the Central Palestinian Bureau of Statistics. In taking over these branches of governance, Hamas deepened the institutional rift between its dominion and the Fatah-led West Bank. The fact that these institutions are now under Hamas' auspices add to the Strip's character as a separate entity. » Read more

Hamas Asks Us To Free Gaza 'ghetto' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Australian by Martin Chulov - December 11, 2007 - 1:45pm THE Hamas rulers of Gaza have implored the US to bring an end to the crippling boycott of the Gaza Strip, which they have likened to the World War II siege of Warsaw's Jewish Ghetto. » Read more

The Grim Reality In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from New Statesman by Mohammed Omer - December 11, 2007 - 1:43pm Traffic in the Gaza Strip slowed to a trickle last week, and this week medical centres have scaled back treatment in the medicines and sustenance-destitute Strip. "Israel’s decision is a death penalty: our reserve of fuel is almost zero and it may very likely run out by the end of today," said Khaled Radi, Ministry of Health spokesman for the dismissed Hamas government. » Read more

U.s. Jews Must Be Ready ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Kenneth Bob - (Opinion) December 11, 2007 - 1:41pm My first visit to Israel was in 1969, only two years after the Six-Day War, and soon after my arrival I was walking through narrow Jerusalem streets on my way to the Western Wall. » Read more

Utility Cuts Increase Misery In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from World Peace Herald by Erica Silverman - December 11, 2007 - 1:39pm Israeli cuts in fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip are hitting home, affecting schools, hospitals and businesses as officials from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority exchange blame for the suffering. Utility cuts are intended to pressure Hamas to halt rocket fire into Israel. Filling stations across this seaside territory have shut down, crippling public transportation systems. » Read more