Palestinians say Israel revises prisoner swap list ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Abraham Rabinovich - March 26, 2009 - 12:00am A Palestinian official said on Thursday Israel had revised a list of Palestinian prisoners it might release in exchange for a captured Israeli soldier. The official said the offer had been passed to the Hamas Islamist group, which controls the Gaza Strip, through Egyptian mediators. Hamas officials said Wednesday that indirect negotiations had been renewed to free Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier abducted by Palestinian militants who tunneled into Israel from the Gaza Strip in 2006. » Read more

Israeli PM's "final offer" to Palestinians revealed ATFP World Press Roundup Article from China View March 26, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert proposed to return 93 percent of the West Bank to the Palestinians and to handle the Jerusalem question under an international framework as his "final offer," local news service Ynet reported Thursday. Olmert made the promises to Palestinian National Authority (PNA)Chairman Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting in September, said the report, quoting senior officials as saying that the pledges marked Olmert's "final offer to end the conflict." » Read more

Moment of truth ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Ahram by Nicola Nasser - (Opinion) December 31, 1969 - 8:00pm In view of a world consensus on a two-state solution for the Arab-Israeli conflict most political analysts and commentators concluded that Israeli prime minister-designate Benyamin Netanyahu, who still refuses to affirm his commitment thereto, would face a "moment of truth" during his recent meetings with visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US presidential envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell. Yet the outcome of Clinton's first regional tour as secretary of state and Mitchell's second tour as envoy proved the opposite. » Read more

After 30 years peace must make progress ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National March 27, 2009 - 12:00am Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the signing of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The Egyptian Ambassador to Israel Yasser Reda marked the occasion by stating that while the signing of the treaty was a courageous act by the leaders of both countries, the peace never developed into a warming of relations as was intended. Considering how the peace process has languished over the past 30 years, this is hardly surprising. » Read more

Freeman, Straight, No Chaser, as Critic of Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward March 25, 2009 - 12:00am Charles “Chas” Freeman, who until recently was set to assume the post of chairman of the National Intelligence Council, wants to make a few things emphatically clear. Freeman would like it to be known that he does not believe, as some have charged he does, that American support of Israel caused the September 11 terrorist attacks. “That’s obviously nonsense,” said Freeman, who withdrew his name for the post on March 10, just a month-and-a-half after agreeing to take up the job amid weeks of attacks on him by supporters of Israel and others. » Read more

The racist Israeli fascist in me ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - (Opinion) March 17, 2009 - 12:00am I was determined to duck it. I was resolved to fly to the States, speak about the situation in Israel, and reply with nothing more than a half-smile and a "next question, please," to the well-read and otherwise openhearted people who ask questions of the tenor of "Between you and me, what is wrong with these people, your friends, the Israelis?" » Read more

Gaza witness: IDF troops told us 'Go south or you'll get shot' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz March 27, 2009 - 12:00am When Israel Defense Forces soldiers expelled Abir Hijeh, her five children and their neighbors from homes in a Gaza war zone, she said they warned her in broken Arabic: Go south or you might get shot. The group went the wrong way and came under fire from Israeli soldiers. Hijeh was wounded and her 2-year-old daughter was killed. Hijeh's account of a sniper firing on civilians, along with soldiers' graffiti and destruction seen by The Associated Press in homes they commandeered, lend support to allegations of IDF misconduct during the onslaught in Gaza. » Read more

Sudan strike won't make Iran give up on Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel - (Analysis) March 27, 2009 - 12:00am A moment before the Olmert government leaves office, coincidently or not, American television network CBS breaks the fascinating story of the Israel Air Force attack on an Iranian weapons convoy in Sudan. » Read more

Obama: Israel-Egypt treaty inspires us to expand circle of peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews March 26, 2009 - 12:00am The 30th anniversary of the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel proves that peace is always possible, US President Barack Obama said Thursday.      "As we commemorate this historic event, we recall that peace is always possible even in the face of seemingly intractable conflicts," Obama said. » Read more

One Last Chance for Peace in the Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times by Claude Salhani - March 27, 2009 - 12:00am Here we go. This is the last chance for a peaceful resolution of the Middle East crisis before the region takes a turn for disaster. All the ingredients for peace as well as for greater conflict are in place. How it all turns out is now up to the players on the ground. At this point it's a 50-50 gamble. Examining the peace dividends, they are many. First, regarding the Palestinian issue, everyone knows the final outcome. There are no surprises; the issues have been addressed ad nauseam: » Read more