January 5th

For Trapped Gazans, Few Options for Safety ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Reyham Abdel Kareem, Craig Whitlock - January 5, 2009 - 1:00am As Israeli forces attacked Gaza by land, sea and air, residents living in the congested coastal strip faced a fateful question: Flee the shelling and shooting, or hole up inside their homes and hope for the best? The five-member al-Jarou family decided to make a break for it around midday Sunday. They abandoned their home in the Shaaf neighborhood east of Gaza City and dashed by car to a relative's house a mile and a half away, thinking it would be safer, according to interviews with family members and neighbors. » Read more

Hamas 'to attend' Cairo truce talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Jazeera English January 5, 2009 - 1:00am Palestinian group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, has announced it will send a delegation to Egypt for ceasefire negotiations as diplomatic efforts to end the fighting in Gaza intensified. Ayman Taha, a Hamas official told the Reuters news agency on Monday that a group would head to Cairo "answering an Egyptian invitation to hold discussions". Taha did not say whether the delegation would include Hamas members from Gaza or exiled leaders. » Read more

Israel tightens grip on Gaza, fights off ceasefire pressure ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) January 5, 2009 - 1:00am GAZA CITY (AFP) — Israeli warplanes carried out intensive raids on Hamas targets on Monday as ground troops surrounded Gaza's main city, while Israel faced mounting diplomatic pressure for a ceasefire. The senior Hamas leader in Gaza promised "victory is coming" for the Islamist group, but Israel's defence minister said "we have hit Hamas hard" while insisting the operation to halt Hamas rocket attacks would continue. » Read more

January 4th

Holy Land Foundation case puts burden on Muslim charities ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Dallas Morning News by Jason Trahan - January 3, 2009 - 1:00am American Muslims are finding it more difficult to donate money to help Palestinian refugees and other Middle Eastern causes because of court decisions showing that some charities were using the money for terrorism. On Nov. 24, the formerly Richardson-based Holy Land Foundation and five of its organizers were found guilty in a Dallas federal court of sending millions of dollars to Palestinian charity committees controlled by banned group Hamas. » Read more

No light at the end of the tunnel! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Ayyam by Hassan Khadr - December 30, 2008 - 1:00am If the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel did not exist today, most of the population of the Gaza Strip would have already been pushed into Sinai. And, if the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel did not exist today, most of the population of the West Bank would have already been driven onto the East Bank of the Jordan River. Therefore, those existing peace treaties have in fact been the best guarantee to avoid the mass expulsion of Palestinians. » Read more

Hamas has failed – it is time they stepped down ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Sultan Al Qasemi - January 4, 2009 - 1:00am Regardless of the outcome of the barbaric Israeli Operation Cast Lead, one thing is certain; it is high time for Hamas to step down as the keeper of Gaza. This is where people will object and remind us that they were democratically elected. My answer to that is: Yes, but they are incompetent. » Read more

Gaza: Caught Between Butchery and Trade! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Tariq Alhomayed - January 3, 2009 - 1:00am The brutal killings currently taking place in the Gaza Strip are saddening. It is also saddening that the Gaza Strip is being betrayed on two fronts; on one front by Israeli brutality, and on the other by countries that are exploiting Hamas and the Palestinian cause in order to serve their own interests in our region including a misleading media campaign. » Read more

If Obama Is Serious, He should get tough with Israel. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Newsweek by Aaron David Miller - January 4, 2009 - 1:00am Jews worry for a living; their tragic history compels them to do so. In the next few years, there will be plenty to worry about, particularly when it comes to Israel. The current operation in Gaza won't do much to ease these worries or to address Israel's longer-term security needs. The potential for a nuclear Iran, combined with the growing accuracy and lethality of Hamas and Hizbullah rockets, will create tremendous concern. Anxiety may also be provoked by something else: an Obama administration determined to repair America's image and credibility and to reach a deal in the Middle East. » Read more

Why Peace Now ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times by Reema I. Ali - January 2, 2009 - 1:00am Whether the United States continues to advocate the preemptive war doctrine or becomes a 'green' and 'soft' superpower, and whatever maps the new administration looks at, the central apparent issue that cannot be and should not be ignored is the stability of the Middle East and the impact this has on U.S. strategic national interests. Key to the stability of the region is the resolution of the Israeli Palestinian conflict through the implementation of a two-state solution along the lines of international consensus of the pre-1967 borders. » Read more

Solution to Gaza crisis requires pan-Arab effort ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Zvi Barel - January 4, 2009 - 1:00am The intensification of the military operation in Gaza has not yet led to a similar increase in the Arab states' diplomatic efforts. A lasting diplomatic solution to the Gaza situation demands more than an agreement between Hamas and Israel - it demands pan-Arab reconciliation. Turkish Prime Recep Tayyip Erdogan's shuttle diplomacy took him to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, and it seems he is now coming to understand the tremendous weight of the mission he has taken upon himself. » Read more