April 7th

Olmert, Abbas To Meet Again After Seven Weeks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) April 7, 2008 - 5:38pm Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas meet on Monday for the first time in six weeks as Middle East peace talks get back on track under heavy US pressure. Abbas, who suspended his bi-weekly meetings with Olmert at the beginning of March after an Israeli military operation in Gaza killed more than 130 people, said on Sunday that he would not accept a peace deal at any price. » Read more

Evangelist Hagee Pledges $6 Million To Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press April 7, 2008 - 5:35pm American Evangelist John Hagee on Sunday announced donations of $6 million to a number of Israeli causes and declared that Israel must remain in control of all of Jerusalem. Hagee, who has been in the news lately for his endorsement of US Presidential candidate John McCain and his criticism of the Catholic Church, brought hundreds of backers on a solidarity trip to Israel. » Read more

Road Map To A Gaza War ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Jackson Diehl - (Opinion) April 7, 2008 - 5:32pm Seven years ago George W. Bush's incoming foreign policy team blamed the Clinton administration for an eleventh-hour rush for a Middle East peace agreement that ended with the explosion of the second Palestinian intifada. Now, with less than 10 months remaining in office, Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are engaged in a similar last-minute push -- yet they don't seem to recognize the growing risk that their initiative, too, will end with another Israeli-Palestinian war. » Read more

April 4th

With Friends Like These ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) April 4, 2008 - 6:30pm The president of the Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, has called for non-cooperation with the Christian Zionists, a movement of millions of Americans who ardently support Israel. Yoffie represents a movement that supports Israel for very different reasons from those of the Christian Zionists, who identify largely with the most right-wing sectors of Israeli society. His call on Wednesday reawakens the controversy over Israel's practical approach toward its supporters in the United States. » Read more

The Lie Of Peace And The Nonsense Of Security ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) April 4, 2008 - 6:29pm Presumably there is a strange but legitimate dispute between a leader who comes from the right, who believes that if Israel continues to hold on to the territories the Jewish state will be in danger, and a leader who comes from the left, who claims that if Israel stops holding on to the territories Jewish lives will be in danger. Ostensibly one proposes a reaching a quick solution to the conflict by negotiating with Fatah, and the other prefers long-term resolution via a military struggle with Hamas. » Read more

'marching Toward Total Ruin' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - (Interview) April 4, 2008 - 6:28pm "When you see Zakariya, maybe you'll be surprised, but he looks like just any other Palestinian man now. Without armed men, without a weapon, just an ordinary guy," related an acquaintance of Zakariya Zubeidi, until not long ago the commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in Jenin. » Read more

U.k. Foreign Sec.: Israel's Future Depends On Palestinian Statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz April 4, 2008 - 6:25pm British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Wednesday praised Israel's achievements over the 60 years of its existence, but said the "small country's" future depends above all on "the creation of a new and viable Palestinian state, alongside a secure Israel." Addressing the annual Easter Banquet at Mansion House, London on Wednesday, the foreign secretary said that Israel's 60th anniversary was "an opportunity for us all to recognize the achievements - in democratic governance, science, culture and business." » Read more

Settlement Freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward (Editorial) April 4, 2008 - 6:21pm A rash of reports coming out of Israel indicates that a spurt of new construction is under way in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The development should be alarming to anyone who cares about Israel’s welfare. It’s a violation of Israel’s public commitments, most of all to the Bush administration. It’s damaging to Israel’s international standing and harmful to its security, both short and long term. » Read more

Israel Tries To Cool Predictions Of Impending War With Syria ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) by Charly Wegman - April 4, 2008 - 6:18pm Israel on Thursday played down media reports of heightened tension along the Syrian border, insisting there was little likelihood of military confrontation between the two countries. "Israel has no intention of attacking Syria, and the latter says only it is ready to respond to any attack, so the risk of a military confrontation is very low," said Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon. » Read more

Israel Claims To Remove 50 Roadblocks In West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters April 4, 2008 - 6:16pm Israel on Thursday said  it had removed 50 roadblocks in the West Bank as part of promises made to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, but US and Palestinian officials could not confirm their removal. A senior US official said "it is hard to assess" the impact of the roadblocks' removal, let alone confirm they were scrapped, because Israel had yet to give Washington or the Palestinians a map showing where the dirt-mound obstacles were. » Read more