March 17th

Rendering The Pa Irrelevant ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) March 17, 2008 - 6:45pm Although the calm in Gaza did not last for more than a few days it marks a very significant development in the ongoing power struggle between Israel, Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. » Read more

Shifting Towards Israel? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Star by Oakland Ross - (Opinion) March 17, 2008 - 6:43pm A United Nations panel voted overwhelmingly this month to condemn Israel for a recent armed incursion in the Gaza Strip that claimed more than 120 lives, many of them civilian. Thirty-three member countries of the 47-seat UN Human Rights Council endorsed the resolution, which accused Israel of war crimes in its ongoing battles against Palestinian militants in Gaza. Those in favour of censuring the Jewish state included China, India and Russia. Thirteen countries abstained, among them seven European governments. » Read more

Uncritical Merkel Gets Red Carpet Treatment In Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Speigel International by Ralf Beste, Ralf Neukirch And Christoph Schult - March 17, 2008 - 6:42pm German Chancellor Angela Merkel has become Israel's staunchest ally in Europe. This week, the country has pulled out all the stops to welcome the German leader. Back home, though, many wish Merkel would finally speak up about Israeli excesses in the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Israel, Palestinians Resume Suspended Peace Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters March 17, 2008 - 6:41pm Occupied Jerusalem: Israeli and Palestinian negotiators held undisclosed peace talks after a deadly Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip led to their brief suspension and are to meet again on Monday, Israeli officials said. Despite growing tensions over colony expansion on occupied land, Israeli Prime Ehud Olmert said the construction would continue in occupied Jerusalem and in colony blocs the Jewish state wants to keep as part of any deal with the Palestinians. » Read more

Diplomatic 'surge' To Boost Middle East Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by James Hider - March 17, 2008 - 6:39pm With the Middle East peace process at its lowest ebb since being revived last year, a diplomatic “surge” is to take place in the coming months, culminating in President Bush's return for a second visit to join the May celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. » Read more

What The Middle East Needs Most ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by John Cooley - (Opinion) March 17, 2008 - 6:38pm Torn by perennial conflicts, the Middle East has long been on the receiving end of great pessimism. But today, buoyed by cash from $100-plus a barrel oil prices and stirred by the region's tech-savvy and politically impatient young residents, it's also the subject of a spirit of possibility. The big question is this: Is the kind of independent thinking that can breed peace and the gradual spread of democracy likely to grow? » Read more

March 10th

Illegitimate Use Of Mourning ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) March 10, 2008 - 5:49pm We can assume that the young people who harassed Education Minister Yuli Tamir outside the Mercaz Harav yeshiva as she emerged from there yesterday after consoling the mourners, were not sent to do so by the rabbis who head the yeshiva. And nevertheless, the unbridled incitement shouted by the youths found an echo among the national-religious leadership, its rabbis and its educators. » Read more

Gaza - What's Their Problem? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times (Editorial) March 10, 2008 - 5:46pm If you want a clear understanding of the explosive situation in Gaza take a look at a most informative report by the American Task Force on Palestine published last week. The report titled, "What Lies Ahead for Gaza?" is a must read.   » Read more

Israeli Intel Report Paints Grim Picture ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times March 10, 2008 - 5:45pm Israel's intelligence community painted a bleak picture of threats facing the Jewish state. The report – an annual assessment somewhat similar to Washington's National Intelligence Estimate, or NIE, was delivered to the Israeli cabinet on Sunday.   The report singles out Iran and Hamas as the two most pertinent threats to the Jewish State. It comes on the heels of an attack against Jewish religious students in Jerusalem last week, the worst such attack in four years.   » Read more

Fatah Must Reinvent Itself, Or Risk Irrelevance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Mouin Rabbani - (Opinion) March 10, 2008 - 5:43pm With preparations accelerating, it seems increasingly likely that Fatah, the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, will hold its Sixth General Conference during 2008. Yet given the advanced state of disintegration in which the movement finds itself, it may well be a case of too little too late. Simply put, Fatah's very survival now hangs in the balance. » Read more