Middle East News: World Press Roundup

Joshua Mitnick looks at the State of Israel on its 60th birthday in the first of a two part story (2) in the Washington Times. Bloodshed continues as a rocket attack wounds Israelis in an Ashkelon mall (3) and several Palestinians are killed during an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip (4). The Associated Press reports that Israel will soon approve more home construction in the West Bank (6). Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar questions Israeli military supremacy (9).

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Peace Struggles Cloud Israel's Birthday ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times by Joshua Mitnick - May 14, 2008 - 5:08pm When asked to assess Israel's geopolitical standing on its 60th birthday, lawmaker Yuval Steinitz crowed. By nearly every measure — military, economic, demographic — Israel's position has improved exponentially. » Read more

Gaza Rocket Strikes Israeli City, 14 Wounded ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Karin Laub - May 14, 2008 - 5:09pm A rocket fired from Gaza exploded in a shopping center in this southern Israeli city Wednesday, wounding at least 14 people, as President Bush wrapped up talks in Jerusalem with Israel's prime minister. The attack raised the chances that Israel will send large numbers of ground forces into the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip - something the army chief has reportedly decided he wants to do. » Read more

Five Palestinians Killed, Two Wounded In Israeli Airstrikes In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press May 14, 2008 - 5:11pm Two Palestinian civilians and three militants were killed Wednesday in Israeli military raids on the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical officials said. One was a 17-year-old riding his bike, doctors added. At dawn Israeli troops pushed into southern Gaza to target rocket-launching squads, the army said. Two Palestinian militants were killed in airstrikes near the town of Khan Younis, Palestinian doctors said. » Read more

Bush Arrives In Israel For Start Of Middle East Trip ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press May 14, 2008 - 5:12pm US President George W Bush has opened a celebratory visit to Israel where he'll make a new push for peace in the long-troubled Middle East. The president arrived in Tel Aviv and was flying by helicopter to Occupied Jerusalem for events marking the 60th anniversary of Israel's birth in the wake of the Nazi genocide of 6 million Jews.  Bush says the Mideast is "the center of anti-Americanism and hatred" and that those who attacked the US on September 11 "came from this part of the world." » Read more

Israel 'to Approve Hundreds Of Homes In West Bank' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press May 14, 2008 - 5:13pm Israel's housing minister will approve next week the construction of hundreds of homes in West Bank settlements, a political ally of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Wednesday, adding new tensions to peace talks between Israel and Palestine. » Read more

Rice: Peace Deal By 2009 'improbable' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press May 14, 2008 - 5:15pm Ahead of a visit to the Middle East, US President George W. Bush expressed some optimism that an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement would be struck before his term ends while holding out little hope for a major breakthrough when he arrives in Israel. His Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, on Tuesday said reaching such a deal within the next eight months "might be improbable but it's not impossible." » Read more

The Palestinian Narrative Is Here To Stay ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) May 14, 2008 - 5:15pm That both Israeli independence and the Palestinian catastrophe, or nakba, of 1948 are now acknowledged virtually simultaneously around the world is a great achievement for the Palestinians, just as the creation of Israel was a miracle in the eyes of the world's Jews. The two big stories 60 years later are the strength and vitality of the Israeli state and the depth, vigor and relentless quest for life, land and liberty of the Palestinian people. » Read more

Al-zahar: Israeli Military Not Beyond Defeat ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - May 14, 2008 - 5:16pm Senior Hamas member Mahmoud al-Zahar spoke Wednesday at a Gaza Strip event marking the 60th anniversary of the Nakba – the anniversary of the 1948 events which led to the induction of the State of Israel – and promised his listeners that "the right of return is closer than ever." The events of the Gaza pullout and the Second Lebanon War, he added, proved that the Israeli military is not beyond defeat. » Read more

Olmert: Understandings Reached In Talks With Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Anshel Pfeffer - May 14, 2008 - 5:18pm Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday that he and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have reached "understandings and points of agreement" on key issues in U.S-backed peace talks but he gave no details. "There has been significant progress, and understandings and points of agreement have been reached in important matters, but not on all the issues," Olmert said in a speech to visiting world leaders at the "Facing Tomorrow" presidential conference. » Read more

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