Delusions of victory in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Zvi Barel - December 28, 2008 - 1:00am

As of yesterday, politicians and the public at large have been enthralled by a new prospect: that of a wide-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip. Such a prospect answers all their heart's secret wishes: Avenging the rocket fire by Gazan militants, reclaiming Israel's prestige, delivering a fatal blow to Hamas, providing payback for Israel's 2005 pullout from Gaza, sending a strong message to Iran, an implicit one to Hezbollah, and also showing the government's concern for its citizens and scoring some points with the electorate ahead of the elections.

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The Gaza Time Bomb
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times
by Patrick Seale - December 23, 2008 - 1:00am

PARIS -- With the ending of the truce between Israel and Hamas, Gaza is now one of the Middle East's most dangerous flashpoints. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has issued a cry of alarm, while Tony Blair, the Quartet's Middle East envoy, has urged Israel to defuse tensions by lifting the siege of Gaza. Everyone is aware that it would take only a spark - such as a Qassam rocket landing on a house in Sderot - to trigger a full-scale war. The paradox is that neither side really wants this to happen.

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Gaza Incursion Nears; Hamas Mulls Renewal of Suicide Bombing
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times
by Mel Frykberg - December 22, 2008 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM -- Over the weekend, a barrage of rockets hit Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip following the end of a six-month truce between Israel and the Islamic resistance movement Hamas. While Israeli security officials prepare for a possible large-scale military invasion into Gaza, Hamas officials have said that they may renew suicide bombings. Hamas accused Israel of reneging on promises to open Gaza crossings and lift the economic blockade that has caused major suffering to the coastal territory's 1.5 million citizens, the vast majority of them civilian.

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Israel Embarks on Global PR Campaign To Recruit Support for Gaza Raids
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Jack Khoury, Barak Ravid - December 22, 2008 - 1:00am

Israel is kicking off a public relations campaign with the intention of widening a basis for international support of a military offensive on the Gaza Strip. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has instructed Israeli representatives abroad to begin diplomatic efforts focused on members of the United Nations Security Council and Europeans states.

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Extend the truce
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Opinion) December 16, 2008 - 1:00am

On Friday, the Gaza cease-fire will officially expire. On the face of it, there should be no doubt about it - the lull has in any case evaporated. Despite the launching of Qassam rockets and mortar rounds, or maybe even because of it, the question of whether to extend the truce or declaratively disavow it arises in full force.

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Two Qassams hit Negev, days before Gaza cease-fire set to end
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
December 12, 2008 - 1:00am

Gaza militants fired two Qassam rockets into the Western Negev on Friday, a few days before Israel's truce with Hamas was set to come to an end next week. The rockets stuck open areas and caused neither damage nor casualties. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Wednesday to discuss the future of Israel's policy on the Gaza Strip. Just hours before the meeting, a Qassam rocket struck the western Negev, following a two-day lull in fire from Gaza.

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Official: IDF prepared for Gaza op
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ron Ben-Yishai - December 11, 2008 - 1:00am

Eight days before the ceasefire agreement brokered with the militant groups in the Gaza Strip is scheduled to end, and amid non-stop rocket fire, a security source said that "the IDF will execute any operation the political echelon orders." The source further criticized statements made by various cabinet members, saying there was no need for them to publicly call for a Gaza operation, while they choose to take different stands – sometimes opposite stands – in the practical discussions on the matter.

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Barak: Israel will act in Gaza when time and place are right
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - December 10, 2008 - 1:00am

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Wednesday to discuss the future of Israel's policy on the Gaza Strip, after the ongoing cease-fire with Hamas comes to end next week. Just hours before the meeting, a Qassam rocket struck the western Negev, following a two-day lull in fire from Gaza. The prime minister would not allow any details of the meeting to be released to the public, but topics on the agenda included Israel's response to Hamas in light of the militant group's continued violations of the truce.

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Olmert: We won't just defend against Gaza terror, we'll attack
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel - December 9, 2008 - 1:00am

Outgoing Prime Minster Ehud Olmert on Tuesday threatened that Israel would lash out against Gaza militants in response to ongoing cross-border attacks. "We will never flee from our homes. We won't defend, but will attack - and stop once and for all what threatens our daily lives," he vowed. Olmert made the comments while speaking to schoolchildren during a tour of rocket-battered communities bordering the Gaza Strip.

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Two Palestinians killed in IAF strike on southern Gaza Strip
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
December 1, 2008 - 8:00pm

An Israel Air Force strike in the southern Gaza Strip killed two Palestinians Tuesday, dealing a new blow to efforts to restore a fraying cease-fire. The army said it attacked a group of militants who had fired mortar shells at Israel Defense Forces troops from the area. But Palestinian medical officials said the dead were civilians - a pair of teenage brothers who were struck outside their house. The identities of four people wounded were not immediately known. The ruling Hamas militant group said its fighters had used the area to fire shells at Israeli targets earlier Tuesday.

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