February 22nd

Israel Extends Closure Of Palestinian Offices In East Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press February 22, 2008 - 4:22pm Israel is keeping Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem shut tight, despite its pledge to reopen them under a recently revived peace blueprint, Palestinian officials said yesterday. This month, the officials said, Israel renewed its order to close the Orient House, the city ‘s Arab Chamber of Commerce and other heavily symbolic buildings that are a rallying point for the Palestinians’ claims to Jerusalem’s eastern sector as capital of a future state. » Read more

Hamas Urges Eu To Up Pressure On Israel Over Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters February 22, 2008 - 4:10pm Hamas called on the European Union on Friday to step up pressure on Israel to lift its economic and military blockade of the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Islamist group. "We urge the European Union not to limit its action to purely calling for an end to the siege but also to apply political and practical pressure on Israel," Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said. » Read more

Obama's Brain Trust Taking Shape ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Sun by Eli Lake - February 22, 2008 - 4:09pm WASHINGTON — When it comes to foreign affairs, Senator Obama's inner circle of advisers includes a Swahili-speaking Air Force general he met on a trip to Africa; a 30-year-old speechwriter who helped draft the final report from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, and President Clinton's first national security adviser, who in 2005 converted to Judaism under the tutelage of the Navy's chief Jewish chaplain. » Read more

Arab Leaders Say The Two-state Proposal Is In Peril ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Michael Slackman - February 22, 2008 - 4:08pm Arab leaders will threaten to rescind their offer of full relations with Israel in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal from occupied lands unless Israel gives a positive response to their initiative, indicating the Arab states’ growing disillusionment with the prospects of a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. » Read more

February 21st

Analysis: Threats Of Unilateral Independence Rocks Sleepy Peace Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - February 21, 2008 - 7:28pm For a minute it seemed that the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and the media focus surrounding it, were shaken awake. Following three sleepy months since the end of the Annapolis conference, and with nearly no diplomatic headlines, Yasser Abed Rabbo - the secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization central committee, and until recently a member of the negotiating team - managed to bring some drama to the process. » Read more

What America Wants From An Operation In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Shmuel Rosner - (Opinion) February 21, 2008 - 7:26pm As the Second Lebanon War raged, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger paid a visit to Major General Dan Harel, who was then army attache in Washington and is now deputy chief of staff. The war had not yet been described as a failure, nor had anyone thought about setting up the Winograd Committee. But Kissinger already had things to say, and he may not have been the only one. » Read more

Israel’s Settlement Activities Under Way ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Mohammed Mar’i - February 21, 2008 - 7:25pm The Israeli anti-settlement watchdog, Peace Now, yesterday said that 27 new mobile homes are currently under construction at the settlement of Eli, north of West Bank city of Ramallah, even though Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed publicly after the Annapolis peace conference that any such building would cease. » Read more

Economic Reform Key To Mideast Stability - Un ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Linda Hindi - February 21, 2008 - 7:24pm Delegates attending a UN conference yesterday stressed economic reform as the key for stability in the occupied territories and the basis for building a foundation for a viable two-state solution. But they added that sustainable growth cannot be achieved without a political settlement. » Read more

Pa Won't Follow Kosovo Model, All Agree ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post February 21, 2008 - 7:23pm Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas quickly dismissed a top aide's call Wednesday for a unilateral declaration of statehood if negotiations with Israel fail. The Palestinians are committed to reaching a negotiated peace agreement this year, Abbas said in a statement. "If we are unable to do that... We will return to our Arab [brothers] to take the appropriate decision," he said. Earlier in the day, Abbas's aide, Yasser Abed-Rabbo, said he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Kosovo, which on Sunday declared independence from Serbia. » Read more

Correspondence: The Stakes In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New Republic by Nabil Fahmy - (Opinion) February 21, 2008 - 7:22pm Crises in the Middle East have a tendency to exhibit a peculiar pattern. While they appear to be limited in scope, they almost invariably reveal a broader dimension, which is what makes such crises potentially so destabilizing. The situation created by Hamas' dramatic breach of the border between Egypt and Gaza, and the ensuing influx of Palestinians into Sinai, presents a clear example of this pattern. » Read more