February 8th

Israel Trims Gaza Electricity, Prompting Warning From U.s. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Isabel Kershner - February 8, 2008 - 7:47pm Israel has begun reducing the amount of electricity it sells to Gaza as part of sanctions against continued rocket fire, Israeli officials said Friday. The move prompted a warning from the United States not to "worsen the humanitarian situation" of civilians in Gaza, and was followed by the firing of yet more rockets at Israel by militants there. » Read more

Palestinian Pm Sees No '08 Israel Accord ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Ed Stoddard - February 8, 2008 - 7:46pm Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said on Thursday a lasting peace accord with Israel was unlikely in 2008 despite renewed diplomatic efforts to resolve the long-running conflict. In an interview with Reuters in the Texas capital, Austin, where he is on a private visit, he highlighted the lack of progress on the issue of Israeli settlements and military incursions into the West Bank as among the chief obstacles in the "road map" to peace and Palestinian statehood. » Read more

Egyptian President Views Gaza Border Crisis, Iran Ties, Mideast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News (Interview) February 8, 2008 - 7:43pm Text of report by Italian leading privately-owned centre-left newspaper La Repubblica, on 31 January [Interview with Egyptian President Husni Mubarak by Nicola Lombardozzi and Alix Van Buren in Cairo on 30 January: "'Israel Will Not Offload Gaza On to Us'"] » Read more

Israel To Intensify Strikes If Rocket Fire Continues ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Ellen Knickmeyer - February 8, 2008 - 7:41pm Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak threatened Thursday to intensify military operations in the Gaza Strip if fighters continue using the Palestinian territory for rocket attacks on southern Israel. Earlier in the day, Israeli troops supported by tanks, artillery and fighter jets raided Gaza, killing six Palestinian gunmen, according to Palestinian and news service accounts. » Read more

February 7th

Barak Is The Wrong Man ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Israel Harel - (Opinion) February 7, 2008 - 7:34pm The main reason given by Defense Minister Ehud Barak for remaining in the government is to contend with the state's grave security threats, from both near and far. To be prepared, he said, our operational capabilities must be restored and a moral change must be implemented. Barak is thus telling the public he is the right man in the right place, and if he were to step down now there would be no one to carry out these tasks as well as he can. » Read more

Hamas: Egypt Should Voice Its Anger Against Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews February 7, 2008 - 7:33pm Egypt has warned Palestinians against trying to break through its resealed Gaza border about two weeks after Hamas militants blew it open to defy an Israeli-led blockade.   After allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to cross into the Sinai peninsula last month, Egypt on Sunday closed the border to Palestinians seeking entry.      » Read more

Shas Leader: Early Elections Possible ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Neta Sela - February 7, 2008 - 7:30pm Shas Chairman Eli Yishai said Thursday that general elections may be held as early as this year. Speaking at a convention in northern Israel, Yishai said: "I don't know how long this government will last. I estimate that soon we will have elections."   » Read more

Abbas: Fatah Ready To Control Crossings ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Etgar Lefkovits - February 7, 2008 - 7:29pm Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that his security officials are ready to take responsibility for the border crossings in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip as part of a moribund international border agreement that was scrapped after the Islamic group seized control over the coastal strip last year. "We are ready to take over responsibility of the crossing points together with the European Union, the Egyptians and the Israelis," Abbas told a group of European parliamentarians in his West Bank headquarters. » Read more

Israel Can Expect More Suicide Attacks - Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News February 7, 2008 - 7:28pm Gaza: Hamas' representative in Iran said Israel can expect a wave of suicide bombings inside its 1967 borders, not just the West Bank. The announcement of more attacks came as Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip launched at least 10 Qassam rockets into Israel, lightly wounding a two-year-old girl and 12-year-old girl. » Read more

Israel Must Stop Changing Facts On The Ground - Fm ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times February 7, 2008 - 7:26pm Jordan on Wednesday warned against Israeli measures “to alter facts on the ground” in the occupied Palestinian lands in a way that affects final status talks. During a meeting with US Undersecretary for Middle East Affairs David Walsh, Foreign Minister Salah Bashir called on Israel to stop its settlement activities, stressing the need to ease the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people through softening the restrictions on their movement. » Read more