U.S. Talks Tough on Gaza Aid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Glenn Kessler - March 1, 2009 - 1:00am

The United States on Monday will pledge $300 million in humanitarian relief for people in Gaza after the 22-day war with Israel but will maintain restrictions to prevent any assistance from reaching Hamas, State Department spokesman Robert A. Wood said. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, attending an international conference here to raise funds for the Gaza Strip, will also announce $600 million in assistance to the Palestinian Authority, which is controlled by Fatah, a rival of Hamas that is dominant in the West Bank.

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http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/region/10290602.html
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Ban Ki-Moon - March 1, 2009 - 1:00am

The widespread destruction and suffering that marked the fighting in and around Gaza between December 27, 2008 and January 18, 2009 affected civilian populations of Gaza and southern Israel the worst. The people of Gaza, who have endured untold hardship for years, were subjected to still greater misery, leaving them to face an already uncertain future with greater anxiety and despair. I personally felt the extent of the indignities facing the people when I visited Gaza two days after the ceasefire had been declared and what I saw and heard left me deeply perturbed.

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Rescue a two-state solution in Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Ziad Asali - February 27, 2009 - 1:00am

In the wake of the devastating war in Gaza, the immediate challenge facing the United States, its Arab allies, and the international community, is providing essential aid and reconstruction to the people of Gaza without bolstering Hamas. Hamas launched reckless and provocative rocket attacks against Israel. But Gazans, already suffering under siege, are not Hamas, they are not combatants, and should not be punished.

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Rescue a two-state solution in Palestine
In Print by Ziad Asali - The Daily Star - February 27, 2009 - 1:00am

In the wake of the devastating war in Gaza, the immediate challenge facing the United States, its Arab allies, and the international community, is providing essential aid and reconstruction to the people of Gaza without bolstering Hamas. Hamas launched reckless and provocative rocket attacks against Israel. But Gazans, already suffering under siege, are not Hamas, they are not combatants, and should not be punished.

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U.S. envoy, Netanyahu meet on peace efforts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - February 26, 2009 - 1:00am

The special U.S. envoy tasked with jump-starting flagging peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians huddled Thursday with designated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a vocal opponent of the negotiations. The meeting was the first between Netanyahu and George Mitchell since Netanyahu was tapped to lead Israel's next government.

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PA to seek $2.8 billion to rebuild war-ravaged Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
February 26, 2009 - 1:00am

The Palestinian Authority said on Wednesday it will seek $2.8 billion to rebuild Gaza, as Israel threatened another military offensive if alleged arms smuggling into the Hamas-run enclave continues. "We have prepared a document on the basis of which donors will make their aid pledges. It foresees a total of $2.8 billion for all sectors," Palestinian Premier Salam Fayyad said at the headquarters of his Western-backed government in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

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A battle worth fighting
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
(Editorial) February 26, 2009 - 1:00am

Are we seeing the return of the US as an active mediator in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict? Reported US displeasure with Israeli foot-dragging in allowing in humanitarian aid to Gaza certainly signals that Israel will no longer be allowed to get away with just anything. That the US will also donate $900 million for the reconstruction of this poor and much-pummelled strip of land is also a positive sign, even if Western donors were happy in the past to pour money into Palestine and then see it all be blown away by Israel to no noticeable protest.

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Abbas: Hamas must recognize Israel to gain world legitimacy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
February 24, 2009 - 1:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday a new national unity government that includes rival Hamas must be in place and internationally recognized to manage humanitarian aid for Gaza and the West Bank. Abbas said he hopes the upcoming round of reconciliation talks would lead Hamas to accept deals with Israel agreed to by previous Palestinian administrations even if they are not in line with the group's own political platform.

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Israel links Gaza deal to soldier's release
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Adam Entous - February 18, 2009 - 1:00am

Israel decided Wednesday against lifting its border blockade of the Gaza Strip until Hamas agreed to the release of a captured Israeli soldier, putting a longer-term ceasefire proposal by Egypt on hold. The unanimous decision by outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's security cabinet raised the stakes in delicate negotiations over Hamas demands that Israel free up to 1,400 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the soldier, Gilad Shalit.

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Israel Takes Control of More West Bank Land
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
February 16, 2009 - 1:00am

Israel has taken control of a large chunk of land near a prominent West Bank settlement, paving the way for the possible construction of 2,500 settlement homes, officials said Monday, in a new challenge to Mideast peacemaking.

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