October 19th, 2007

Fuit En Avant ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - October 19, 2007 - 8:34pm Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are both experienced politicians. At least for the moment, they seem perfectly capable of ignoring the internal political critics of their negotiations. And there is a lot to ignore. » Read more

Us Launches Broad Strategy In Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News by Paul Reynolds - October 19, 2007 - 8:34pm The United States has embarked on a diplomatic strategy in the Middle East in which it hopes to rally support for Iraq, arm its allies, isolate Iran and launch a new conference for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. The strategy is being launched in visits to the region by the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Defence Secretary Robert Gates. » Read more

Ingredients For A True Peace Process ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - October 19, 2007 - 8:33pm If Prof. Johann Galtung, the 76-year-old guru of peace advocates worldwide, were to be invited for a conversation with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert or with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, he would tell them that some day, when the United States is sick of Israel's conflict with the Arabs, this country's leaders will look for non-military solutions. » Read more

Under Siege: Drug Shortage 'is Killing Patients In Gaza' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Eric Silver - October 19, 2007 - 8:33pm Shifa hospital, the biggest in the Gaza Strip, is running out of drugs. It is performing emergency operations only. The CAT scanner is out of service for want of spare parts. The orthopaedic department no longer has plaster of Paris. Hospital managers appealed yesterday to the international community to lift the siege on Gaza, which imposed after Hamas seized control in June. » Read more

Will Use 'non-military' Means To Attacks: Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Khaleej Times October 19, 2007 - 8:32pm Israel will use non-military means to respond to ongoing rocket attacks against it from the Gaza Strip, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Tuesday, hinting at a plan for sanctions against civilian infrastructure in the salient such as limiting the flow of water and electricity. ‘We have means, means which are not only military,’ she told a joint news conference in Jerusalem with visiting French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. ‘It is our duty to take these steps.’ » Read more

Where The West Bank Meets Bavaria ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News by Martin Asser - October 19, 2007 - 8:31pm But that is exactly what visitors to the small Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh were treated to at the weekend. The village is home to a successful family-owned microbrewery, the Taybeh Brewing Company, whose co-owner, Nadim Khoury, and his sister-in-law, Maria Khoury, staged its third annual Oktoberfest, modelled on the great beer-drinking event in Munich. One of the curiosities of the original Bavarian version is that it starts in September - something to do with timing of the brewing process. » Read more

Us Offer To Arm Arab States Wins Lukewarm Response From Leaders ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by Sonia Verma Verma - October 19, 2007 - 8:31pm Condoleezza Rice arrives in Israel today hoping to breathe new life into the stalled peace process after offering Arab leaders $20 billion (£10 billion) in arms in return for promises to help to stabilise Iraq and counter the growing influence in the region of Iran. » Read more

Among Arab Nations, An Atmosphere On Edge ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Jeffrey Fleishman - October 19, 2007 - 8:31pm The mood is gruff and the talk shrill across the Middle East as growing strategic differences between Saudi Arabia and Syria underscore Iran's ability to exploit the region's fragile alliances. » Read more

On Two Fronts, Israel Faces Prospect Of Military Escalation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Leslie Susser - October 19, 2007 - 8:29pm After months of talk of a "hot summer" with Syria and a long battle of attrition with Palestinian Kassam rocket launchers in Gaza, Israel finds itself facing the prospect of a major military escalation on two fronts. In the North, Syria has warned that it will retaliate at a time of its choosing against the alleged Israeli penetration of its airspace on the night between Sept. 5 and 6. » Read more

Knesset Bill Slammed For Maintaining ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ben Harris - October 19, 2007 - 8:29pm A proposed Israeli law that would uphold the government's refusal to lease land to Israeli Arabs has generated broad opposition among American Jews concerned about the bill's moral implications and its impact on the Jewish state's international standing. The bill allows the Israel Lands Authority to continue its refusal to lease land owned by the Jewish National Fund to non-Jews. It was endorsed 64-16 earlier this month in its first Knesset reading. » Read more