Gaza's Christian Population Wanes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from World Peace Herald
by Erica Silverman - January 15, 2008 - 5:42pm


A small group of Palestinian Christians stands outside Gaza City's Baptist Church on a Sunday morning, waiting for the generator to power up. The church is cold and dark in the dead of winter, Israel having reduced fuel supplies to Gaza in an effort to pressure Hamas to halt rocket fire into Israel.


Bush's Arab World Tour Is Significant For Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Leslie Susser - January 15, 2008 - 5:40pm


With its focus on strengthening the moderate Arab coalition against Iran, President Bush’s tour of the Persian Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia and Egypt could prove extremely significant for Israel. From an Israeli perspective, the three key elements were isolating Iran, coaxing moderate Arab countries into moving toward normalization with Israel and getting oil-rich Arab states to honor their financial pledges to the Palestinians. Progress on all or some of these issues would significantly boost Israeli foreign policy goals.


Threat To Cut U.s. Aid Opens Rift With Egypt
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - January 15, 2008 - 5:39pm


Pro-Israel advocates in Washington refrained from contesting a congressional decision last month to withhold part of American military aid to Egypt, in what appears to be a departure from a 30-year-old unwritten understanding that Israel would help Cairo fight off any efforts to cut American assistance to Egypt.


Mideast Peace Talks Get Underway
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Richard Bourdreaux - January 15, 2008 - 5:39pm


Israeli and Palestinian negotiators began addressing the most difficult issues of their decades-old conflict Monday, keeping a promise to President Bush but putting Israel's coalition government under strain. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Korei emerged from a two-hour session at a Jerusalem hotel with little to say about what they had discussed. Israeli officials said the two lead negotiators planned to meet at least once a week.


Olmert Is Cautious As Talks With Palestinians Begin
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - January 15, 2008 - 5:38pm


Top Israeli and Palestinian negotiators began talks on core issues on Monday, as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel sought to lower expectations of reaching a final peace agreement within a year. “I’m not sure we can reach an agreement, and I’m not sure we can reach its implementation,” Mr. Olmert told Parliament’s foreign affairs and defense committee on Monday, an official who had attended the meeting said.


The LA Times reports on how renewed Israeli-Palestinian final status negotiations are causing tensions within Israel's governing coalition (2.) The Jewish Telegraphic Agency gives an Israeli perspective on what significance the Bush Mideast visit has (4.) A Middle East Times opinion by Maria Appakova gauges the possibility of reaching a Mideast peace deal by the end of 2008, spurred on by President Bush's professed zeal in achieving this goal (6.) A Financial Times (UK) editorial stresses the importance for President Bush's wider Mideast foreign policy agenda in achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace (7.) Der Spiegel (Germany) examines the resonance of the Bush democracy agenda during his current Mideast visit (9.) A Daily Star (Lebanon) opinion by UK secretary of state for international development Douglas Alexander, published in collaboration with Common Ground News Service, stresses the importance of the international community's financial and political support for the Palestinians in order to capitalize on the momentum of Annapolis and the Paris donor conference (11.) An Arab News (Saudi Arabia ) editorial is critical of the Bush attempt to rally and Arab coalition against Iran as heavy on threats and light on diplomacy (13.) Haaretz (Israel) reports on clarification regarding U.S. opposition to both settlement 'natural growth' and expansion in East Jerusalem and the West Bank (14.) Also in Haaretz, an opinion by Amir Oren analyzes how Secretary Rice has prepared a team of U.S. officials to push for Israeli actions that yield positive results on the ground (15.)

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