June 19th

The Hump On The Back Of The (u.s.) Camel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times by George Hishmeh - June 19, 2008 - 2:45pm One could hardly believe upon reading or hearing the statement by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after her talks with Israeli leaders last Sunday when she "pressed" them to halt settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, two Israeli-occupied areas where the Palestinians hope to establish their independent state along with the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Gaza Truce Could Create Conditions For Un Force ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters June 19, 2008 - 2:44pm JERUSALEM - An Egyptian-brokered truce and reconciliation talks between rival Palestinian factions could create conditions for the deployment of UN peacekeepers in the Gaza Strip, the United Nation\'s envoy said on Thursday. Robert Serry, the world body\'s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said the idea of sending peacekeepers was ‘premature’ at this stage but that it could become ‘very practical’ later if security and political conditions improve. » Read more

Israel And Hamas Remain On War Footing Despite Ceasefire ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by Sheera Frenkel And David Byers - June 19, 2008 - 2:43pm Israel and the Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers remained firmly on a war footing today, despite a truce between the sides coming into effect. Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, confirmed that his country's military was on high alert despite the ceasefire, and predicted that the halt in violence would be fragile and may be "short-lived". » Read more

Israel's Broad American Base ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Walter Russell Mead - June 19, 2008 - 2:41pm Many observers attribute U.S. support for Israel to the financial and political clout of the American Jewish community. In fact that is only a small part of the story. For the last 60 years, non-Jewish Americans have overwhelmingly sided with the Jewish state rather than its enemies. Washington's pro-Israel stance in the Middle East reflects the wishes, above all, of American gentiles. » Read more

Israel And Hamas Ceasefire Begins ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News June 19, 2008 - 2:39pm The truce is designed to halt Israeli incursions into the Gaza Strip, and to stop missiles being fired from Gaza into southern Israel. If it holds, Israel will ease its blockade on Gaza and there may be further talks on a prisoner exchange. Correspondents say the eve-of-truce attacks underline how fragile the agreement could be. There were no reports of fire from either side on Thursday morning. » Read more

Truce In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post (Editorial) June 19, 2008 - 2:37pm ATRUCE between Israel and Hamas was to begin this morning in the Gaza Strip, ending daily barrages of rockets that have terrorized nearby Israeli towns as well as counterstrikes that have killed more than 350 Palestinians this year. In accepting the Egyptian-brokered deal, Israel embraced the least bad of the limited options it has for countering Hamas, which has been turning Gaza into a fortified base for advancing the cause of Islamist extremism in the region -- a cause it shares with Iran. » Read more

Strengthening Extremists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristof - (Opinion) June 19, 2008 - 2:35pm The yearlong siege of Gaza may soon end with the new cease-fire there, marking the eclipse of one more American-backed Israeli policy that backfired by strengthening extremists. » Read more

Analysis: Small Steps A Way To Broader Mideast Peace? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Cnn by Tricia Escobedo And Kevin Flower - June 19, 2008 - 2:33pm JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel has been making small steps toward reconciling with its neighbors -- including this week's planned truce with Gaza's Hamas leaders -- raising questions about whether those steps could lead to a broader peace deal. Last month, Israel confirmed it had been indirectly negotiating a deal with Syria for more than a year. And on Wednesday it announced it hoped to hold similar peace talks with Lebanon. The Jewish state is under pressure from the United States to reach an agreement outlining a future Palestinian state by the end of the year. » Read more

June 18th

A Year After The Takeover: “hamas” Birds On The Tree! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-ayyam by Rajab Abu Sariya - June 18, 2008 - 4:52pm Not only did President Mahmoud Abbas’ popularity rise since his calls for Palestinian dialogue, but also his political savvy has become evident, on both the domestic and diplomatic fronts. The timing and form of the presidential initiative didn’t allow Hamas to stall or refuse to negotiate, and that is what explains the talks in Cairo and Dakar and the resurgence of hope and optimism, despite wariness and caution shared by both observers and citizens. » Read more

Idf To Remove Kalkilya Roadblocks As 'reward' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Yaakov Katz - June 18, 2008 - 4:51pm The Civil Administration in the West Bank has negotiated a deal with a number of Palestinian villages in the Kalkilya region in which dirt roadblocks cutting off their access to nearby cities and roads would be lifted in exchange for the cessation of local terror activity, a senior IDF commander told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. » Read more