January 7th

Hardline Israeli Settlers Plan Chilly Reception For Bush ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) by Michael Blum - January 7, 2008 - 6:14pm Residents of one of the oldest and most radical Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank are dreading the upcoming Middle East visit by US President George W. Bush. The settlers of Kiryat Arba west of Hebron -- one of the first set up after the West Bank's capture in 1967 -- fear for their future amid new peace talks with the Palestinians. But they remain defiant over American pressure to freeze settlement activity during the talks, and plan to make their voices heard during the landmark visit. » Read more

Surprising Lessons From Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Emily Schaeffer - January 7, 2008 - 6:12pm Six years after Sept. 11th and the ensuing war on terror, what seemed a temporary situation has become a protracted conflict, with everyone from the Bush administration to competing presidential candidates offering recommendations for change. Proposals vary from withdrawing troops from Iraq to reforming the military commissions in Guantánamo. But amid an open-ended war on terror, would any of these comparatively small changes really matter? » Read more

Bush's Mideast Mission ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Boston Globe (Editorial) January 7, 2008 - 6:10pm IN AN effort to bring about enormous changes at the last minute, President Bush will arrive in Israel Wednesday to begin an eight-day trip to a half-dozen countries in the Middle East. This will be his first state visit to all the countries on his itinerary except Egypt, and Americans must hope this belated trip to such a strategically vital region means Bush now recognizes the mistake he made in waiting so long. » Read more

Substance, Not Smiles ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Baltimore Sun (Editorial) January 7, 2008 - 6:09pm Jerusalem is draping itself in the flags of the city, Israel and the United States in honor of President Bush's visit this week, perfect for the essential photo op. And that's all this trip sounds like it's shaping up to be since neither the president nor his advisers have identified any policy or message that Mr. Bush will relay to advance the commitments made at the Annapolis peace summit. And that's just unacceptable. » Read more

Straddling Cultures, Irreverently, In Life And Art ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - January 7, 2008 - 6:07pm Being an Arab Israeli has always been a complex affair, at times almost a contradiction in terms. For Sayed Kashua, 32, an Israeli-born Arab journalist and author, it just got more complicated. » Read more

As Bush Heads To Mideast, Renewed Questions On Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Michael Abramowitz, Ellen Knickmeyer - January 7, 2008 - 6:06pm President Bush intends to use his first extended tour of the Middle East to rally support for international pressure against Iran, even as a recent U.S. intelligence report playing down Tehran's nuclear ambitions has left Israeli and Arab leaders rethinking their own approach toward Iran and questioning Washington's resolve, according to senior U.S. officials, diplomats and regional experts. » Read more

Israel's False Friends ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by John J. Mearsheimer And Stephen M. Walt - (Opinion) January 7, 2008 - 6:05pm Once again, as the presidential campaign season gets underway, the leading candidates are going to enormous lengths to demonstrate their devotion to the state of Israel and their steadfast commitment to its "special relationship" with the United States. » Read more

Bush Faces Mideast Obstacles ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Amy Teibel - January 7, 2008 - 6:04pm President Bush heads to Israel and the West Bank this week, hoping his first visit as U.S. leader will open the throttle on Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. But in the six weeks since Bush declared at an international gathering in Annapolis, Md., that "the time is right" to make peace, two perennial obstacles to Mideast peacemaking have already reared up: Israeli settlements and violence. » Read more

Just Going To Work, Palestinians And Israelis Travel Different Roads ATFP World Press Roundup Article from McClatchy News by Dion Nissenbaum - January 7, 2008 - 6:03pm Before they set out for work each morning, neighbors Naim Darwish, a Palestinian Muslim, and Jacob Steinmetz, an Israeli Jew, begin their days in quiet meditation. In the pre-dawn chill, Darwish sets his Muslim prayer rug on the floor facing Mecca. In the soft morning light, Steinmetz throws on his prayer shawl and turns toward Jerusalem. Then the lives of these West Bank neighbors diverge. » Read more

January 4th

Time For Deal Running Out ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Sever Plocker - (Opinion) January 4, 2008 - 2:44pm For several years now, and certainly since the second Intifada’s outbreak, Palestinian economist demanded in every forum that the Paris Agreement, which in 1994 created a uniform external border for Israel and Palestinian for the purpose of duty collection, be annulled. The Palestinians viewed this duty collection amalgamation as a tangible and irritating expression of Israeli occupation. » Read more