Paris Donors Conference For The Palestinian State: The Ball Is In Israel's Court
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Reut Institute
December 20, 2007 - 4:53pm

In light of yesterday's donor conference in Paris, the Reut Institute contends that the key to upgrading the PA's political status lies with Israel rather than with the donor countries. Yesterday, the Donors Conference for the Palestinian State (rather than the Palestinian Authority) was convened in Paris.

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Analysis: Palestinian Aid And Politics
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News
by Jeremy Bowen - December 20, 2007 - 4:50pm

If delegates to the Palestinian donors' conference in Paris felt like a little light shopping after their work was done it was a mere step from their meeting hall to the Champs Elysees. If they had worked up an appetite, there are restaurants where a modest piece of grilled fish can cost more than 60 Euros (US $86).

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Bush To Make First Presidential Visit To Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Ewen Macaskill - December 20, 2007 - 4:48pm

President George Bush is to embark on a week-long tour of the Middle East in the new year to nudge Israelis and Palestinians towards an end to their decades-long conflict and to bolster an Arab coalition against Iran. It will be the first time in his seven years as president that Bush will have visited Israel, the West Bank, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. Elaborate security planning is already under way in Israel and the Arab countries for the visit, which begins on January 8, given the level of hostility towards Bush in the Middle East over the Iraq war.

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Israeli Operations In Gaza Meet Little Resistance In Washington
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - December 20, 2007 - 4:46pm

As Israel stepped up air attacks on Gaza this week, the Bush administration refrained from blocking any measures or criticizing Israel’s activity. The Israeli Air Force last week renewed the practice known as “targeted killing” against members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group in Gaza. Israeli officials have said in recent weeks that if rocket fire against Israeli towns is not stopped, further escalation might be imminent, including a full-scale ground incursion into the Hamas-controlled strip.

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For Israel's Arab Citizens, Isolation And Exclusion
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Scott Wilson - December 20, 2007 - 4:44pm

Fatina and Ahmad Zubeidat, young Arab citizens of Israel, met on the first day of class at the prestigious Bezalel arts and architecture academy in Jerusalem. Married last year, the couple rents an airy house here in the Galilee filled with stylish furniture and other modern grace notes.

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Speaking Truth For Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Michael Felsen - (Opinion) December 19, 2007 - 4:08pm

For years, countless synagogues and other Jewish institutions in the United States have flown the banner declaring "We Support Israel in Her Quest for Peace."

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A Total Lack Of Confidence In The Annapolis Process Keeps Hamas’s Popularity Stable Despite Worsening Conditions In The Gaza Strip
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Palestinian Center For Policy And Survey Research
December 19, 2007 - 4:05pm

These are the results of the latest poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during December 11-16, 2007. Total size of the sample is 1270 adults interviewed face to face in 127 randomly selected locations. Margin of error is 3%. This poll release covers Palestinian domestic issues. A separate joint Palestinian-Israeli press release will cover issues related to the peace process and Israeli-Palestinian relations. For further details, contact PSR director, Dr.

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Much European Ado About Nothing In Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) December 19, 2007 - 4:02pm

I was in Germany talking to Europeans involved in Middle East issues during the run-up to the Paris conference on Palestinian aid, which on Monday pledged $7.4 billion over three years to the Palestinian half-government headed by President Mahmoud Abbas. Europeans seem again to respond to the challenges of engaging in the Arab-Israeli conflict with their usual financial generosity and political wishful thinking.

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Funding Mideast Hope
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Star
(Editorial) December 19, 2007 - 3:42pm

Canada and the world have just cast a vote of confidence in the Mideast peace process by pledging $7.4 billion in aid to the Palestinians at a donors conference in Paris. The show of generosity surprised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who had asked for $2 billion less.

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Vol. 9, Issue 15
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Americans For Peace Now
by Middle East Peace Report - December 19, 2007 - 3:39pm

THE LEFT BANK: Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad is expected to ask donor states at a conference in Paris today to pledge $5.6 billion over three years in financial assistance to help build the future Palestinian state. The Paris conference is the first forum for international states to make pledges to assist the Palestinian Authority since 1996.

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