Faith, Freedom And Bling In The Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Maureen Dowd - (Opinion) January 16, 2008 - 5:21pm

As a Saudi soldier with a gold sword high-stepped in front of him, President Bush walked slowly beside King Abdullah through the shivery gray mist enveloping the kingdom, following the red carpet leading from Air Force One to the airport terminal. When the two stepped onto the escalator, the president tenderly reached for the king’s hand, in case the older man needed help. He certainly does need help, but not the kind he is prepared to accept.

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Gaza Strike Hardens Hamas Position
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Dan Murphy - January 16, 2008 - 5:20pm

Mahmoud Zahar, the Hamas leader widely seen as the strategic mind behind the Islamist movement's successful takeover of the Gaza Strip last summer, struck a defiant tone when asked in an interview last week how long he thinks Hamas can maintain control in the face of an economic blockade and Israeli pressure.

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The Christian Science Monitor looks at how the situation in Gaza is entrenching Hamas control and hardline positions (1.) The Associated Press assesses whether the promises made to and by President Bush during his Mideast trip will translate into a renewed momentum for peace (4.) In an editorial, the Middle East Times concludes that the Bush Mideast peace push is too little too late (5.) BBC (UK) analyzes the motivations behind the Bush Mideast visit (8.) A Daily Star (Lebanon) opinion by Rami Khouri examines a paper by a high-ranking U.S. military figure on the root causes of the terror problem (10.) A Haaretz (Israel) opinion by Amira Hass explains why the granting of Palestinian citizenship to the famous Israelli conductor Daniel Barenboim obscures the fact that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has little control over population or citizenship issues (12.)

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