February 4th

Trust Obama On Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Martin Peretz - (Opinion) February 4, 2008 - 7:50pm Florida, of course, was a different story, but back in Iowa there was no need for Barack Obama or any other candidate to worry about the Jewish vote. There are 7,000 Jews in the entire state, including 100 hassidim, who work a kosher meat-packing plant in Pottsville. » Read more

Obama's Israel Shuffle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Mother Jones by Justin Elliott - (Opinion) February 4, 2008 - 7:49pm Last week, when Barack Obama became the first major candidate to break the silence on the situation in Gaza, he didn't criticize Israel, whose blockade of a civilian population has been roundly condemned by human rights organizations, nor did he call for restraint from the United States' top ally in the Mideast. Instead, he fired off a letter to U.N. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad with a resounding message—one that could have been mistaken for words straight from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) website. » Read more

Hamas Continues To Breach Gaza Border ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press February 4, 2008 - 7:46pm Rafah: Hamas breached the Gaza-Egypt border again, despite attempts by Egyptian troops to seal it, and said they would not allow the border to be closed again. Hundreds of Hamas supporters protested on the breached Gaza-Egypt border yesterday, demanding that it remain open, while Egyptian troops poured cement and laid down metal spikes in a new attempt to halt the influx of Gazans. » Read more

Palestinians Urge For Early Presidential Ballot ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Angus Reid Global Monitor February 4, 2008 - 7:45pm The vast majority of people in the Gaza Strip and West Bank believe a change of government is necessary, according to a poll by An-Najah National University. 65.1 per cent of respondents support conducting an early presidential election, and 52.4 per cent would dissolve the Palestinian Legislative Council. » Read more

Israeli Defense Minister To Stay In Olmert Coalition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - February 4, 2008 - 7:44pm Ehud Barak, Israel’s defense minister and the leader of the Labor Party, announced Sunday that he would remain in the government, stabilizing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s coalition despite last week’s harsh report on the political and military leaders’ handling of the Lebanon war in 2006. » Read more

Shikaki: Hamas’ Popularity On Rise In Gaza After Tearing Down Wall With Egypt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Council on Foreign Relations by Bernard Gwertzman - (Interview) February 4, 2008 - 7:44pm Khalil Shikaki, a leading Palestinian political scientist and polling expert based in the West Bank, says that Hamas, the radical Palestinian group opposed to Israel, has been losing popularity among Palestinians since it took over Gaza by force last June. But more recently, Israeli sanctions against Gaza in retaliation for the rocket attacks on Israel, and Hamas tearing down the wall separating Gaza from Egypt, have probably boosted Hamas’ popularity again, making it difficult for Hamas’ rival, Fatah, to contemplate defeating Hamas in another election. » Read more

February 1st

Brotherhood Sought ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al- Ahram by Serene Assir - February 1, 2008 - 6:42pm One week on from the mass act of popular refusal among Palestinians that broke the siege of Gaza, movement in and out of the occupied territory has being radically cut down as Egyptian Central Security forces were deployed in thousands to block the entry of Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula via Rafah and Arish. Meanwhile, calls to Egyptian authorities for a greater show of solidarity -- indeed, sovereignty from the will of Israel -- to break the siege imposed seven months ago on Gaza intensified over the course of the week. » Read more

Who Is More Pro-palestine? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times (Editorial) February 1, 2008 - 6:41pm The choice has been whittled down to four candidates in the U.S. presidential race, so their various positions on the outstanding issues of Middle Eastern politics are becoming increasingly important. It is also becoming interesting, because while the staunchly pro-Israeli positions of senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton are well known, Senator Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney are relative newcomers to the international scene. » Read more

The Anti-israel Factor ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum by M.J. Rosenberg - (Opinion) February 1, 2008 - 6:40pm On Tuesday, millions of voters in 21 states will make their choice for President. Although it is unlikely that the two nominations will be sewed up on February 5, Super Tuesday will mark the end of the preliminary stage of “The Making of the President 2008” and will move us very close to the main event. From a roster of more than a dozen potential Presidents, we are now down to just Senators Clinton and Obama on the Democratic side and Senator McCain and Governors Romney and Huckabee for the Republicans. This early deciding is relatively new. » Read more

Palestinian Majority Opposes Rocket Attacks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Angus Reid Global Monitor February 1, 2008 - 6:38pm Many residents of the Palestinian Territories believe a series of rocket attacks launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel should stop, according to a poll by An-Najah National University. 52.7 per cent of respondents share this view. » Read more