April 14th

Hamas agrees to probe deaths of alleged Israel collaborators ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - April 14, 2009 - 12:00am Gaza prime minister Ismail Haniyeh approved last week the recommendation of the local interior ministry's special investigative committee to dismiss and court-martial 11 policemen on suspicion of causing the death of detainee Zayad Ayash Jaradat. A decision on the death of another detainee is still pending. » Read more

Why new Palestinian talks will fail ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by George Giacaman - (Opinion) April 14, 2009 - 12:00am The second round of Palestinian reconciliation talks in Cairo have been postponed for several weeks, and even if they resume toward the end of April as announced, it is not likely that they will succeed. At best the parties might agree on the composition of the new Cabinet, but all other issues, even if there is agreement in principle over them, will not be implemented any time soon. » Read more

US-Israeli relations on shaky ground ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Linda Heard - (Opinion) April 13, 2009 - 12:00am The US administration and the new right-wing Israeli government may be on a collision course over Middle East peace as well as how to deal with Iran's nuclear programme, although any disputes are likely to be muted or behind firmly closed doors. It is the policy of Israeli and American governments to be viewed by the outside world as being joined at the hip with neither side wishing to air their dirty laundry in public. » Read more

So many words, but so little action ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Linda Heard - (Opinion) April 14, 2009 - 12:00am President Barack Obama definitely talks a good talk but when it comes to implementing his stated foreign policy goals, he appears to be dragging his heels. He's certainly been decisive on the economy and has upset many in the process. But three months into his presidency, his Middle East policy is still vague and he has yet to officially approach Iran to hold what he terms mutually respectful talks. » Read more

What is Left of Egypt's Mediation between the Palestinians? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Elias Harfoush - (Opinion) April 13, 2009 - 12:00am If there was any hope for negotiations between Fatah and Hamas in Cairo to reach an agreement that would end the state of division between the Palestinians, such a hope has become less likely today as a result of the repercussions of the exchange of smear campaigns between the Egyptian government and Hezbollah, on the background of the cell arrested by the Egyptians, who claim that it had been planning activities that pose a threat to Egypt's security. » Read more

April 13th

Israel: New govt and old policies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) April 13, 2009 - 12:00am Lest it not be clear or be forgotten, Palestinians and other Arabs are spelling out what a peace settlement in their view entails: The two-state formula in accordance with the agreed references, particularly the Arab peace initiative. These policy positions, recently expressed by the chief Palestinian negotiator in Palestine, and in neighboring Jordan where Arab foreign ministers met to review of the Middle East peace process, were meant to reiterate the ways of reaching peace. » Read more

US envoy in fresh bid to kickstart peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Vita Bekker - April 13, 2009 - 12:00am George Mitchell, the US special envoy to the Middle East, returns to the region today for the first time since the new Israeli right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu took power in a bid to push forward the stalled peace process. » Read more

Little hope in Gaza aftermath ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Jeremy Bowen - April 9, 2009 - 12:00am I can't imagine what Gaza would be like if it didn't have the sea. The other morning its tiny piece of the Mediterranean was coming in lazy and calm, and a light breeze was blowing down the beach. If you are Gazan and your soul is troubled, or if you just want some space, the beach must be one of the better places to go. GAZA AFTER THE CONFLICT # 80% living on less than $2 a day # 35,000 without running water # 20,000 homes destroyed or damaged # 80% living on less than $2 a day # 10% without electricity # 800 private businesses destroyed or damaged » Read more

Washington Watch: Might Lieberman be the Arab world's best friend? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) April 12, 2009 - 12:00am Even those who expected friction between the Obama and Netanyahu governments over pursuing Israeli-Arab peace were surprised that it came so quickly. About 20 minutes, by one count. Tzhat's how long it took Israel's new foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, to scrap the US-led Annapolis peace talks on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, take the Golan Heights off the negotiating table with Syria, and reject the long-standing concept of land for peace, threatening a US-Israel rift if his government turns that rhetoric into policy. » Read more

Hamas Comes Out of Hiding ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Paul McGeough - (Opinion) April 12, 2009 - 12:00am JUST a year and a half ago, visiting Khalid Mishal, the supreme leader of Hamas, was a cloak-and-dagger affair. In September 2007, I climbed into the back of a curtained Mercedes to make the dash from central Damascus to the southern suburbs, where the Palestinian group operated from a high-security enclave reserved for senior officials of the Syrian government. » Read more