December 11th

Lebanon refugees fear for future ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Natalia Antelava - December 11, 2008 - 1:00am Ruins and rubble are all that is left of Nahr al-Bared, a camp for Palestinian refugees near the Lebanese city of Tripoli. Piles of ravaged concrete tower over the Mediterranean, cutting into the grey clouds of the winter sky. As we pass a battered army checkpoint the scale of destruction emerges - mind-boggling and depressing at the same time. "It was scary, very scary," our guide Fady Tayyar says as we drive into the camp accompanied by the Lebanese army. No-one is allowed to enter Nahr al- Bared without permission. » Read more

Putting the Arab Peace Initiative Into Action ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Progress by Ghaith Al-Omari - December 11, 2008 - 1:00am The fact that more than five years after its publication, the Arab Peace Initiative continues to be a topic of conversation is a testament to its strength. Its recent resurgence presents an opportunity for Arabs, Israelis and Americans alike to breathe new life into the shaky and uncertain Israeli-Palestinian peace process. » Read more

December 10th

Barak: Israel will act in Gaza when time and place are right ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - December 10, 2008 - 1:00am Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Wednesday to discuss the future of Israel's policy on the Gaza Strip, after the ongoing cease-fire with Hamas comes to end next week. Just hours before the meeting, a Qassam rocket struck the western Negev, following a two-day lull in fire from Gaza. The prime minister would not allow any details of the meeting to be released to the public, but topics on the agenda included Israel's response to Hamas in light of the militant group's continued violations of the truce. » Read more

Israel Xmas Scrooge for Bethlehem winery ATFP World Press Roundup Article from McClatchy News by Dion Nissenbaum - (Blog) December 9, 2008 - 1:00am For 125 years, the Roman Catholic Cremisan Monastery near Bethlehem has been producing its own brand of wine to help fund its work in the West Bank. The monastery recently started exporting wine to Europe, where it is used as communion wine. This year, though, because of long delays in getting permission from Israel to export the wine, Cremisan exporters say they won't be able to get wine to Europe for Christmas. » Read more

Israel approves Gaza money transfer ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press December 10, 2008 - 1:00am Israel has approved a money transfer to impoverished Gaza to ease the cash crunch there. Israel has not allowed money to enter Gaza since October, causing cash shortages in local banks. Its refusal to let Palestinian banks send money to their Gaza branches is a part of a larger blockade imposed on the territory in response to Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza. Israeli officials say Defense Minister Ehud Barak agreed on Wednesday to transfer 100 million shekels ($25 million) to Gaza from banks in the West Bank. The transfer is expected to take place in the next few days. » Read more

Israeli Court Frees Settler Seen Shooting At Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) December 10, 2008 - 1:00am A Jerusalem court Wednesday freed a Jewish settler suspected of firing on Palestinians at point blank range in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron. Zeev Braudeh from the settlement of Kiryat Arba on the city's outskirts turned himself into police Saturday after video footage released by a human rights group showed him firing at a group of Palestinians. Two Palestinians were injured by the gunfire and Braudeh suffered light wounds after a Palestinian crowd threw stones at him. » Read more

Nobel Peace Prize winner urges Obama to focus on Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press December 10, 2008 - 1:00am Nobel Peace Prize winner Martti Ahtisaari urged U.S. President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday to start his term by giving high priority to the Middle East conflict, calling it the world's most challenging peace-building project. In his acceptance speech in Oslo, the Finnish diplomat and mediator also warned that the global financial crisis would strike hard at the developing world, and called on governments to not cut back on foreign aid. » Read more

Far right gains bring setback for Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times by Tobias Buck - December 9, 2008 - 1:00am The veteran leader of the Israeli right is opposed to current peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and has called for a tougher policy towards Iran. Mr Netanyahu is also a committed supporter of free-market reforms and economic liberalisation. » Read more

Barack Obama plans to reach out to Muslim world ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Chicago Tribune by John McCormick, Peter Nicholas, Christi Parsons - (Interview) December 10, 2008 - 1:00am Barack Obama says his presidency is an opportunity for the U.S. to renovate its relations with the Muslim world, starting the day of his inauguration and continuing with a speech he plans to deliver in an Islamic capital. And when he takes the oath of office Jan. 20, he plans to be sworn in like every other president, using his full name: Barack Hussein Obama. » Read more

Arabs enjoy a bit of comic relief ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times by Dale Gavlak - December 10, 2008 - 1:00am Torrents of raucous laughter erupted through the crowd, packed mainly with youths clad in T-shirts and jeans who were eager for some good, clean fun. "This is great. Everybody's on time. All the Arabs showed up," Jordanian-American comic Mike Batayneh said, ribbing the audience of 3,000 about the penchant for lateness in the Middle East. "Normally, it's like, 'What time did you get here?' Ah, 'Sometime between 2:30 and Monday'," the Detroit native joked in English. The audience in the capital's plush King Hussein Cultural Center auditorium roared. » Read more