Palestinians Say Militant Hub Is Now Safe Town; Israel Unconvinced ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press February 15, 2008 - 2:29pm Local Hamas activists have pledged to obey the law, Mideast envoy Tony Blair has taken a stroll through once gunman-infested neighborhoods and policemen are now the only ones carrying weapons in public in this former militant hub.   » Read more

The Peacebuilding Prince ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Christianity Today by Cornelis Hulsman - (Interview) February 15, 2008 - 2:26pm Prince Hassan bin Talal, brother of the late King Hussein of Jordan, is worried about the future of Christians all over the Arab world, including the Holy Land—the name he gives to the combined area of Israel, the Palestinian region, and his homeland of Jordan. The prince holds two degrees from Oxford University and is renowned worldwide for his views on the relationship of religion and society. » Read more

Adrian Hamilton: Democracy Has Become A Devalued Concept ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Adrian Hamilton - (Opinion) February 15, 2008 - 2:22pm It's not only the concept of humanitarian intervention that has been fatally undermined by the decade of Bush and Blair. It is the whole ideal of promoting democracy abroad. Not that either the White House or Whitehall have given up on the rhetoric. Indeed, President Bush still goes on about America's historic role in promoting democracy around the world. It was the one single theme that he picked up from the neo-cons at the beginning of his administration and has hammered on about ever since. » Read more

Israeli Generals Oppose Checkpoints ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al Jazeera English February 15, 2008 - 2:20pm Checkpoints and roadblocks in the occupied West Bank are harming the Middle East peace process according to a group of retired Israeli generals. The 12 senior former commanders have written a letter to Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence minister, urging the army to remove roadblocks saying that they fuel Palestinian hatred of Israel.    » Read more

Israel's Quandary In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Steven Erlanger - February 15, 2008 - 2:19pm JERUSALEM: Israel hoped that by pulling its settlers and troops from Gaza in 2005, it would also leave behind responsibility for the Gazans. With the help of the West and more moderate Arab countries, the Palestinian Authority could begin to create a prosperous state, the new Palestine, as if the continuing Israeli occupation of the West Bank were somehow irrelevant. » Read more

Hamas Leader In Egypt For Border Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters February 15, 2008 - 2:17pm A leading member of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas entered Egypt from Gaza on Thursday to resume talks with the Egyptian government on arrangements at the border, a security source said. Mahmoud al-Zahar, a Gazan who was Palestinian foreign minister in a short-lived government led by Hamas, crossed with about four other Hamas officials and headed for the coastal town of El Arish, the capital of the Egyptian border province.   » Read more

Israelis Seek Support For Gaza Attack, Abduct 70 In West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star February 15, 2008 - 2:14pm   While arresting 70 Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank, Israel took nearly 70 foreign ambassadors to its border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday as part of a diplomatic campaign to enlist international support for tougher action against the enclave's Hamas rulers. » Read more

Valentine Flowers Wilt Behind Gaza's Walls ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) February 15, 2008 - 2:13pm In past years, Ziad Hejazi's colourful Gaza-grown carnations would adorn the homes of lovers across Europe, bringing an early springtime splash of colour to wintry Valentine Days. But the 35-year-old farmer from the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah says that this year his flowers will be fed to animals because of a punishing Israeli economic lockdown of the Hamas-ruled territory. "I apologise to the lovers on the day of their love because I cannot bring flowers to them," Hejazi says. "Our flowers have become food for the sheep." » Read more

Hopes Are Fading ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arabic Media Internet Network by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) February 15, 2008 - 2:11pm It is now almost three months since representatives of nearly 50 countries and international organisations attended the historic Middle East peace conference at the Naval Academy in nearby Annapolis which gave many high hopes that a Palestinian-Israeli settlement is around the corner. The event was the first serious action on the Arab-Israeli conference since President George W. Bush assumed the presidency more about seven years ago. » Read more

Palestinian Prime Minister Voices Doubts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - February 15, 2008 - 2:09pm As the situation in Gaza deteriorates, Palestinian and Israeli leaders alike are voicing doubts about the feasibility of realizing President Bush’s goal of a peace agreement by the end the year. Not much optimism was heard this week from Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad during a visit to Washington. Fayyad, who is seen by the Bush administration as an agent of reform in the Palestinian government, stressed to his hosts the lack of progress since the peace process was relaunched last November in Annapolis, Md. » Read more