April 30, 2008

Middle East News: World Press Roundup

ATFP President Ziad Asali fields another question at Shmuel Rosner’s blog (1). Dominique Moisi reflects on Israel’s anniversary (3) while Sarah Kreimer discusses Zionism in the Jerusalem Post (10). United Nations Secretary General Bam Ki Moon emphasizes the need for a viable and just solution to the Palestinian refugee issue (7). Finally, Rami Khouri writes about how current negotiations continue despite U.S. Involvement (8).

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Israel’s Pride And Prejudice At 60

If 60 is for an individual the age of maturity, it is a very young age for a state. Israel remains, for the lack of a better word, an adolescent state, the young incarnation of a very old dream. It is an adolescent torn between pride and resentment on one hand, and hope and fear on the other.

New Gaza Tragedy Threatens Cairo Truce Talks

This much is clear: A devastating blast Monday in Gaza killed five members of the same family – a mother and four children. But whose ammunition was responsible has turned into another bitter dispute as Israeli and Palestinian officials each blame the other.

Palestinians 'losing Hope' For Peace Deal - Rice

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has told an American Jewish group that young Palestinians are losing hope for a peace agreement with Israel.

Her comments came during a sobering speech on Tuesday evening to the American Jewish Committee at their 102nd annual meeting in Washington.

Rice is set to leave early on Thursday for more Middle East peace talks with Arab and Israeli leaders, after a meeting in London designed to raise more economic support for the Palestinians.

Israeli Ex-generals, Palestinian Officials Say Israel Can Remove 10 Key Checkpoints

Israel should remove 10 major West Bank checkpoints to give a badly needed boost to the Palestinian economy and can do so without compromising security, a group of Israeli ex-generals and Palestinian officials said in a joint report Wednesday.
The 10 checkpoints cause major disruptions to Palestinian trade and movement, said the report, whose authors include two former chiefs of Israel's military government in the West Bank.

Things Are Moving, But The Us Is Absent

One of the important developments in Middle Eastern diplomacy that becomes more obvious with every passing month is the continued marginalization of the United States. As the Bush administration and the American presidential candidates find themselves focusing most of their Middle East-related attention on the complex challenges the US invasion of Iraq has created, other important regional issues seem to be moving into the hands of local players and mediators.

Spare Your Explanations

 

Let’s assume, for a moment, that the Israeli version of Monday’s incident in Gaza is accurate, real, and honest. Let’s assume, just for a moment, that a gunship hit a group of terrorists, and they happened to be right next to a Gaza mother and her four children, and the gunship hit the terrorists’ explosives, which ended up killing the mother and children.

So what?

Moving On To 'stage-two Zionism'

'Make a decision - are you citizens of Israel, or of the Palestinian Authority?" Yisrael Beitenu MK David Rotem challenged the Arab citizens of Israel in a recent Israeli news interview. Sadly, on the eve of Israel's 60th celebration of independence, ongoing Israeli policy is pushing almost one-fifth of our citizenry - the Arab Israelis, or Palestinian citizens of Israel - into the corner of choosing between being Israelis or being Palestinians; when, in fact, they are both.

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