February 7, 2008

Middle East News: World Press Roundup

Reuters highlights the views of Middle East envoy Tony Blair regarding the ‘road map’ and the recent progress made by the PA (1.) The state of Arab philanthropy is examined in a Christian Science Monitor article by Ian Wilhelm (2.) The Jordan Times looks at Jordan’s recent warning to Israel to stop altering facts on the ground through settlement expansion (5.) In the Jerusalem Post, Edgar Lefkovitz writes about the recent assertion by Mahmoud Abbas that his security officials are ready to take responsibility for the border crossings in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip (7.) A Ynet news article discusses the treatment of Palestinians crossing the border into Egypt and Hamas’s call for Egypt to voice its anger at Israel instead.

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Arab Charity Is Blooming – No Thanks To America

Oil and conflict. These are the two topics that dominate news coverage of the Middle East.

But there are signs that amid headlines that scream of suicide bombings and surging energy costs, a quiet social movement is under way – one that could help alleviate some deep-rooted problems of the Arab world.

Gazan Students In Limbo

The future of hundreds of Gazan students, trapped in el-Arish in the Egyptian Sinai and in the Gaza Strip, hangs in the balance as they wait in a state of uncertainty for permission to leave Egypt and Gaza to continue their studies abroad.

Politics Of Illusions

I have just returned from an extended trip to the Middle East, hoping that I would come back feeling recharged by the progress made in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, especially in the wake of the Annapolis peace conference. To my dismay, not in Israel or in Jordan or in talking to Palestinian and Egyptian officials, have I felt or seen much optimism.

Those who still believe that an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement is possible by the end of 2008 – U.S. President George W. Bush's stated desire – are few and far between.

Israel Must Stop Changing Facts On The Ground - Fm

Jordan on Wednesday warned against Israeli measures “to alter facts on the ground” in the occupied Palestinian lands in a way that affects final status talks.

During a meeting with US Undersecretary for Middle East Affairs David Walsh, Foreign Minister Salah Bashir called on Israel to stop its settlement activities, stressing the need to ease the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people through softening the restrictions on their movement.

Israel Can Expect More Suicide Attacks - Hamas

Gaza: Hamas' representative in Iran said Israel can expect a wave of suicide bombings inside its 1967 borders, not just the West Bank.

The announcement of more attacks came as Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip launched at least 10 Qassam rockets into Israel, lightly wounding a two-year-old girl and 12-year-old girl.

Abbas: Fatah Ready To Control Crossings

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that his security officials are ready to take responsibility for the border crossings in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip as part of a moribund international border agreement that was scrapped after the Islamic group seized control over the coastal strip last year.

"We are ready to take over responsibility of the crossing points together with the European Union, the Egyptians and the Israelis," Abbas told a group of European parliamentarians in his West Bank headquarters.

Shas Leader: Early Elections Possible

Shas Chairman Eli Yishai said Thursday that general elections may be held as early as this year. Speaking at a convention in northern Israel, Yishai said: "I don't know how long this government will last. I estimate that soon we will have elections."

 

Hamas: Egypt Should Voice Its Anger Against Israel

Egypt has warned Palestinians against trying to break through its resealed Gaza border about two weeks after Hamas militants blew it open to defy an Israeli-led blockade.

 

After allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to cross into the Sinai peninsula last month, Egypt on Sunday closed the border to Palestinians seeking entry. 

 

 

Barak Is The Wrong Man

The main reason given by Defense Minister Ehud Barak for remaining in the government is to contend with the state's grave security threats, from both near and far. To be prepared, he said, our operational capabilities must be restored and a moral change must be implemented.

Barak is thus telling the public he is the right man in the right place, and if he were to step down now there would be no one to carry out these tasks as well as he can.

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