Israel Vows Not To Block Supplies To Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Steven Erlanger - January 28, 2008 - 7:16pm Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel promised the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, on Sunday that Israel would no longer disrupt the supply of food, medicine and necessary energy into the Gaza Strip and intended to prevent a “humanitarian disaster” there. Last Wednesday, the Hamas rulers of Gaza broke open the border to Egypt, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to seek goods that Israel had restricted in its clampdown on the region. » Read more

January 28, 2008 - Vol. 9, Issue 21 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Americans For Peace Now by Middle East Peace Report - January 28, 2008 - 7:15pm Military Escalation is a Boon for Hamas: Even before the breach of the Gaza-Egypt border, the escalation in cross-border attacks between Gaza and Israel had pumped up public support for Hamas. This was the principle finding of a poll conducted in the West Bank and Gaza by the Ramallah-based AWRAD research center, when compared with an AWRAD survey from shortly before the November Annapolis peace conference. » Read more

Bush Hits A Wall In The Mideast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Jim Hoagland - January 28, 2008 - 7:14pm Watching Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner and other congressional leaders craft a stimulus package to calm the turbulent economy is like watching President Bush pursue his equally implausible and belated Middle East peace initiative. In each case, the challenges are so much larger than the means suddenly being brought to bear that you don't know whether to laugh or to cry. » Read more

Israeli 'economic Warfare' To Include Electricity Cuts In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Ellen Knickmeyer - January 28, 2008 - 7:13pm Saying they were waging "economic warfare" against the Gaza Strip's Hamas leaders, Israeli officials told the Supreme Court on Sunday that the military intends to start cutting electricity to the Palestinian territory and continue restricting fuel. The statements by Israel's state attorney, outlining Defense Ministry plans, came in response to a lawsuit filed by Israeli and Palestinian rights groups. » Read more

Hamas Helps Egypt To Reclose Gaza Border ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Omar Sinan - January 28, 2008 - 7:12pm Hamas militants joined Egyptian forces for a second day Monday in trying to restore control at three breaches in the Gaza border, building a chain-link fence to seal off one opening and directing traffic at two others. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have flooded into Egypt unchecked over the past six days since Hamas militants blasted holes in the border partition. They have been voraciously buying up food, fuel and other goods made scarce by Israeli and Egyptian closures of Gaza's borders. » Read more