January 29th

Border Control / Olmert's Man In Ramallah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - January 29, 2008 - 6:59pm Prime Minster Ehud Olmert wouldn't have had to ask twice: The barest of winks, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) would have sent every journalist in Israel a petition calling to keep the prime minister where he is. For good reason. People in Ramallah read the public opinion polls published in those papers, too. » Read more

Short Term Gain For Hamas, Long Term Gain For Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - January 29, 2008 - 6:57pm The dramatic recent developments on the Palestinian-Egyptian border are direct and predictable results of the internationally supported Israeli siege on Gaza. It should have been expected that the mounting pressure on Gaza would cause a popular explosion. The Egyptian border was the weakest link in the prison wall, since all other escape routes, including the sea, are blocked by Israel. » Read more

Gaza's People Cry Out For Freedom ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Linda S. Heard - (Opinion) January 29, 2008 - 6:57pm On a human level, scenes of hungry families breaking free from their besieged open-air prison elicit an emotional response. My own was one of relief mixed with gratitude towards members of the Egyptian security services, who refrained from a shoot-to-kill policy even when faced with intense provocation. » Read more

A Rough Guide To Hebron: The World's Strangest Guided Tour Highlights The Abuse Of Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent January 29, 2008 - 6:54pm It starts in Shuhada Street, which runs through what is now the settlers' security zone, the rows of empty Palestinian shops and houses boarded up with steel shutters, many daubed with Stars of David to show who is in charge here. The only permitted vehicles are those of the settlers and the Israeli military. » Read more

Eu Calls On Israel To Halt "illegal" Settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Deutsche Presse Agentur January 29, 2008 - 6:53pm The European Union's foreign ministers called on Israel on Monday to halt all settlement activity in Palestinian areas, saying that it was illegal.   "The EU considers that settlement building anywhere in the occupied Palestinian Territories is illegal under international law. This includes Israeli settlements in both East Jerusalem and the West Bank," the ministers said in a joint statement. » Read more

Jerusalem Diary: Monday 28 January ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News by Tim Franks - January 29, 2008 - 6:51pm RAFAH AND GAZA CITY Some came just to gawk, to be part of the moment. Some came to see family they hadn't seen for years. One family, heaving plastic suitcases, told me they were going to Norway. Most came to shop, returning with whatever they could carry or push.   But away from the delight and the novelty down in Rafah, life ground on.   » Read more

Politics & Policies: Bush's Last Hurrah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times by Claude Salhani - (Opinion) January 29, 2008 - 6:42pm There was no mention of the "axis of evil" in U.S. President George W. Bush's final State of the Union address Monday night, although the president did made a point of singling out Iran and al-Qaida as continuing to threaten the advance of democracy in the Middle East. But, said the president, the United States, "would not rest until this enemy has been defeated." » Read more

Palestinians Rush For Confirmation They Exist ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Mona Alami - January 29, 2008 - 6:41pm The Palestinian Liberation Organisation headquarters in the posh neighbourhood of the now closed Summerland Hotel in Beirut is buzzing with activity. A few men in black, Kalashnikovs firmly in their hands, guard the entrance to the elegant building. A handful of veiled women and older men carrying papers scurry past them up the stairs to the PLO offices. » Read more

Excluding The Militant Group Won't Secure Peace In The Middle East. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Helena Cobban - (Opinion) January 29, 2008 - 6:40pm Last week, the Palestinian militant organization Hamas masterminded a spectacular "bust-out" into Egypt of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza, where Israel has been maintaining a tight siege for many years. That bust-out reinforced the strength of Hamas's popular support among Palestinians and has started to change the political map of the region. » Read more

Living With The Breach: Israeli Strategists Weigh Gaza Options ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Leslie Susser - January 29, 2008 - 6:40pm The collapse of the border wall between the Gaza Strip and Egypt has done much more than break Israel’s siege of the Hamas-run strip. It also has opened up new, far-reaching strategic options for Israel while exposing it to grave new dangers. » Read more