Six die in Israeli attack over Hamas 'tunnel under border to kidnap soldier'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times
by James Hider - November 4, 2008 - 8:00pm

A five-month truce between Israel and the Islamist rulers of the Gaza Strip was foundering today after Israeli special forces entered the besieged territory and battled with Hamas militants, leaving six Palestinian fighters dead and four Israeli soldiers wounded. The Israeli military described the operation as a “pinpoint” raid to destroy a 250-metre tunnel it said the hardline Palestinian movement was digging under the border to try to kidnap an Israeli soldier, as it did in summer 2006.

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Gaza truce in jeopardy after Hamas-Israeli clashes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
November 4, 2008 - 8:00pm

Hamas militants pounded southern Israel with a barrage of rockets Wednesday, hours after Israeli soldiers killed six gunmen in new violence that threatened a five-month-old truce that has brought relief to both Gaza and southern Israel. The clashes began late Tuesday after Israeli forces burst into Gaza to destroy what the army said was a tunnel being dug near the border to kidnap Israeli troops. Despite the outbreak of violence, both the Israeli authorities and officials with Gaza's Hamas government said they wanted to restore the calm that has largely prevailed for five months.

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Israel preparing for Hamas attacks after Gaza operation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Hanan Greenberg - November 4, 2008 - 8:00pm

Tuesday night's successful Israel Defense Forces operation in Gaza thwarted a concrete and significant terror threat, but military officials admitted Wednesday that the tunnel attacked was only one of many threats which still exist in the Strip. Defense Minister Ehud Barak held a special meeting with security officials Wednesday morning, and one of the issues discussed was the possibility of a complete collapse of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

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Livni slams 'flagrant violation' of truce as Qassams hit western Negev
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - November 4, 2008 - 8:00pm

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Wednesday that Israel could not put up with "flagrant violations" of the cease-fire agreement with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, after dozens of Qassam rockets hit Israel on Wednesday. The rocket barrage came a day after an Israel Air Force strike in the southern Strip killed at least five militants and wounded several others. Hamas claimed responsibility for the rockets, but vowed interest in maintaining the five-month old truce.

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A direct and immediate impact
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - November 2, 2008 - 8:00pm

The domestic Israeli political scene and balance of powers have a very strong effect on the peace process and the domestic Palestinian scene. The Israeli balance of power is in turn deeply influenced by Israeli public opinion. The latter sets the limits for how far negotiators can go as well as for how far Israeli bulldozers may reach.

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An Israeli dove's descent from politics
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune
by Ethan Bronner - November 1, 2008 - 8:00pm

For the last two decades, the easiest way to invoke dovishness in Israel has been to utter the words "Yossi Beilin." The politician who navigated mutual recognition between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in the early 1990s and has never stopped believing, Beilin has a unique place in the Israeli political galaxy, both admired and reviled for his relentlessness.

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Egyptian police find 8 missiles in Sinai
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
October 30, 2008 - 8:00pm

An Egyptian security official said on Thursday night that police have discovered eight missiles in an underground bunker in the northern Sinai. The official told AP that surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles were found, but provided no more details. It is not uncommon for police to find explosives, light arms and mines in Sinai, but they rarely report discovering missiles. Most of the weapons are believed to be intended to be smuggled into the Gaza Strip. Israel has repeatedly accused Egypt of not doing enough to stop the smuggling of arms into Gaza.

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Middle East challenges for next president
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Alistair Lyon - October 28, 2008 - 8:00pm

Major foreign policy challenges await the next president in the Middle East. Here are some of the intertwined issues that Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain will inherit from President George W. Bush.

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Hamas tunnel uncovered by PA near Hebron was arms training site
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel - October 28, 2008 - 8:00pm

The tunnel near Hebron uncovered about two weeks ago by the Palestinian Authority was used by Hamas as a firing range and for other weapons training, according to PA security officials. The discovery of the tunnel is indicative of the kind of pressure the PA security forces are putting on the military wing of Hamas. The revelation of the tunnel caught by surprise Israeli security officials, who reportedly agree with the PA's evaluation of its purpose. In contrast to tunnels excavated through the Gaza Strip sand, a tunnel in the West Bank is rare.

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Israel's Current Strategic Environment
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
by Amos Gilad - October 27, 2008 - 8:00pm

- Hamas could have pretended it wanted a political solution and the whole world would have recognized this. The Quartet posed to Hamas only three conditions: recognize your neighbor, recognize the peace agreements, and avoid terror. But Hamas said, no, Israel has no right to exist. They have a dream - to join the other Islamic forces, to revolutionize the whole Middle East. - The Palestinian Authority is doing better at maintaining law and order in its territory in the West Bank. However, it has far from demonstrated any level of performance in dealing with terror.

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