June 12, 2008

Middle East News: World Press Roundup

The Israeli security cabinet votes to continue pursuing cease-fire negotiations with Hamas, though the possibility of military action in Gaza remains on the table (1). Pressure on Israel for a thorough investigation into the April death of a Reuters cameraman in Gaza continues (4). The future of the Israeli parliament is uncertain as more join the call to name a new Prime Minister (5) (10). The newest poll from the Palestinian Center for Policy & Survey Research looks at public attitudes (7). The Fulbright scholarships are in the headlines again as Egypt denies entry to a U.S. scholar (9).

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Israel Urged To Bare Findings In Journalist's Death

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday called on Israel to release findings of an army investigation into the killing of a Reuters cameraman in the Gaza Strip in April.

 

Fadel Shana, a 24-year-old Palestinian, was hit by a spray of metal darts from a controversial type of missile on April 16 as he filmed an Israeli tank dug in about a kilometer (1,000 yards) away.

Barak Threatens To Join Vote To Dissolve Israeli Parliament

JERUSALEM (AFP) Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak warned on Thursday that his Labour party would join the opposition in voting to dissolve parliament if the Kadima party does not name a new prime minister.

"The way things are now, we will present a bill to dissolve parliament on June 25," Barak told journalists.

"The decision is in the camp of (Prime Minister) Ehud Olmert and his party," said Barak, whose Labour party is Kadima's main coalition ally.

Shelving The American Role

Once Barack Obama shockingly unveiled his true and one-sided views regarding a Palestinian-Israeli peace settlement at last week's meeting in Washington of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, it became obviously clear that he has unwittingly disqualified himself as the much-promised instrument of "change" or that "we can" help bring about an honorable end to the decades-old conflict.

Joint Israeli-palestinian Public Opinion Poll

Israelis strongly oppose cease-fire with Hamas

if agreement does not include release of Gilad Shalit; Palestinians strongly oppose such an agreement if it does not include the West Bank or does not stipulate an immediate opening of the Rafah crossing to Egypt 

Settlers Attack Palestinian Homes In Hawara

RAMALLAH, June 12 (KUNA) -- Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian home on Thursday, injuring two in Hawara town, South Nablus.
Eyewitnesses said that settlers from Yetzahar settlement near Hawara attacked houses in the area clashing with Palestinians, which resulted in the injuries.
They added, settlers stabbed one of the injured with a sharp tool, and hit the other with a metal bar on his head.
Medical sources assured that those injured are now in stable condition.

U.s. Fulbright Winner Barred From Egypt

CAIRO -- A decision by the Egyptian government to decline an American Fulbright winner the opportunity to carry out his research in the Middle Eastern nation highlights the political nature of the award.

In a similar case last month, Israel threatened to deny exit visas for Gaza residents, initially forcing the United States to cancel their scholarships. Four of the Gazans have since been issued travel permission and have left Gaza for Jerusalem en route to the United States to study, but three others remain in limbo as to their status.

Barak: Labor To Vote For Dissolution Of Knesset

"The way things look at present time, we will support the motion for the dissolution of the Knesset on the June 25th preliminary vote," said Labor party chairman, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, on Thursday morning at a Labor party meeting.

"We would prefer to see stability, but if the reality necessitates it then there is nothing to fear by going to elections," he said.

Mortar Shells, Qassam Rockets Rain On Israel's South

 

A 59-year-old Israeli woman was lightly-to-moderately wounded in the Yad Mordechai area on Thursday afternoon as Palestinian terror groups launched a barrage of mortar shells and Qassam rockets against Israeli communities near the Gaza border.

The injured woman was evacuated to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon for treatment.

Deepening Us-israel Partnership

Media accounts of last week’s policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) naturally focused on presidential politics.

But the policy conference had a number of other resounding messages, including this one: U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation is stronger than ever. Once more a slogan than reality, the idea of a genuine partnership between the two nations has become an everyday fact of life on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon.

Year On, Fayyad Aims To Change Palestinian Mindset

When he was named to lead a government reeling from civil war in Gaza, those Palestinians who had even heard of Salam Fayyad mostly saw him as an obscure, expatriate technocrat with little feel for their troubles.

Now, a year after President Mahmoud Abbas made Fayyad prime minister in place of a Hamas leader he accused of staging a coup in the Gaza Strip, the former World Bank and IMF official is reaching out for grass roots support with a message of change.

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