May 16th

Rocket Damages Synagogue In Israel: Army ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) May 16, 2008 - 7:30pm A rocket fired by Gaza militants damaged a synagogue and another hit a kindergarten in the southern Israeli city of Sderot overnight, a military spokeswoman said on Friday. There were no casualties in the attacks, the spokeswoman said. "In all, 11 rockets, including a long-range one, and nine mortar rounds were fired towards Israel on Thursday and during the night," she said. Troops fired at a group of Palestinians in Gaza who had just fired a mortar round on Friday morning, she said, adding that several of the militants were hit.

Hamas To Send Delegation To Egypt For Gaza Truce Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) May 16, 2008 - 7:27pm The Palestinian Hamas movement will send a delegation to Egypt to discuss a proposed truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip where the Islamists seized power nearly a year ago, a spokesman said on Friday. "Hamas will send a delegation to Egypt on Monday to discuss a period of calm in Gaza," Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha told journalists, adding that the delegation would discuss conditions set by Israel. » Read more

Israelis Are Talking To Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times by Marc Gopin - (Opinion) May 16, 2008 - 7:25pm There are Israeli Jews who have been talking to Hamas for years, especially Rabbi Menahem Frohman. In fact, even more Israeli Jews – official and unofficial – would be talking not only to Hamas, but also to Syria and Iran were the White House not pressuring them against dialogue with enemies of Israel. This is unprecedented: a third party, supposedly mediating for peace, that forbids two parties from talking to each other. » Read more

In Israel, Bush Outlines A Blunt Vision For The Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ilene Prusher - May 16, 2008 - 7:21pm President Bush, at the height of his Wednesday-to-Friday visit here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Israel, stood before the Knesset and laid out a vision for the Middle East 60 years down the road: an Israel that still stands tall, lives next to a Palestinian state, and is surrounded by countries where democracy and human rights reign. But his shorter-term vision, particularly in terms of his view of how things look today, sounded like a return to the stark rhetoric he became famous for in 2002 when he described Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as an axis of evil. » Read more

Iran's Pawns Move ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) by Arnaud De Borchgrave - (Opinion) May 16, 2008 - 7:19pm Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, with an assist from Sen. Joe Lieberman, competed in freshly minted assurances of allegiance to Israel as it embarked on a weeklong 60th birthday party. Neocons have hinted darkly that Obama, whose middle name is Hussein, was born a Muslim who later grew up as a Christian -- which, they say, makes him an apostate and puts him at risk of execution by an Islamist extremist. Proof of Obama's extraterritorial allegiance? A Hamas official who said, in an interview, "We like Mr. » Read more

Bush's Comments In Israel Fuel Anger ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Michael Abramowitz - May 16, 2008 - 7:17pm On an emotional visit to mark Israel's 60th anniversary, President Bush on Thursday compared people seeking talks with Iran and radical Islamic groups to the Nazis' appeasers, provoking a political storm at home and accusations that he was politicizing the celebration. Bush's address to the Israeli parliament also stirred intense debate between Israelis and Palestinians. His strong words of empathy for Israel brought lawmakers in the tiny chamber to their feet. » Read more

Palestinians Mark Day Of 'catastrophe' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Ashraf Khalil - May 16, 2008 - 7:15pm Across Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Palestinians on Thursday mourned their exodus from the land with moments of silence, black clothing and displays of defiance. The demonstrations came a day after the 60th anniversary of Israel's declaration of statehood, an event that Palestinians refer to as the Nakba: the catastrophe. It led to a war between the new state and surrounding Arab nations -- and to lives as rootless refugees for generations of Palestinians. » Read more

Bush Assails ‘appeasement,’ Touching Off Storm ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Sheryl Gay Stolberg And Jim Rutenberg - May 16, 2008 - 7:14pm President Bush used a speech to the Israeli Parliament on Thursday to liken those who would negotiate with “terrorists and radicals” to appeasers of the Nazis — a remark widely interpreted as a rebuke to Senator Barack Obama, who has advocated greater engagement with countries like Iran and Syria. Mr. Bush did not mention Mr. Obama by name, and White House officials said he was not taking aim at the senator, though they were aware the speech might be interpreted that way. » Read more

May 15th

Reuters Demands Explanation From Israel For Death Of Cameramen ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters May 15, 2008 - 4:45pm A month after journalist Fadel Shana was killed by an Israel Defense Forces tank crew in the Gaza Strip, Reuters renewed its demand on Thursday for a prompt explanation from the Israeli army of why it fired on its cameraman. Shana, a 24-year-old Palestinian, was killed on April 16 along with eight mostly teenage bystanders by darts known as flechettes that burst out of a tank shell in mid-air. Shana had been filming about 1.5 km (a mile) from two Israeli tanks. » Read more

Talking To The Enemy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from New Statesman by Avi Shlaim - May 15, 2008 - 4:44pm The conflict with the Arabs has cast a long shadow over Israel's history. In the Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv, on 14 May 1948, the founding fathers extended their hand in peace to all the neighbouring states and their peoples. Today, Israel is still at war with Syria and Lebanon and locked into a bitter conflict with the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank. The explanation that Israelis usually give for the failure to achieve peace in the Middle East can be summed up in two words: Arab intransigence. » Read more