April 28th

Israeli Fire 'kills Four Children In Gaza'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
April 28, 2008 - 6:08pm

Israeli fire hit a house in the Gaza Strip today while a family was eating breakfast, killing six Palestinians, including four children and their mother, residents and medical officials said. The deaths in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun cast another shadow on Egyptian efforts to forge a ceasefire between Israel and militant groups and end violence threatening US-brokered Palestinian statehood talks.

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Hamas Ready To Accept 1967 Borders
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al Jazeera English
April 28, 2008 - 6:05pm

Hamas has said it is ready to accept a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders but "will not recognise Israel".   Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Khaled Meshaal, the exiled Hamas political leader, reaffirmed Hamas's stance towards Israel and clarified his comments as relayed earlier by Jimmy Carter, the former US president.

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Rosner's Guest: Ziad Asali
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Shmuel Rosner - (Interview) April 28, 2008 - 6:03pm

Ziad J. Asali, M.D., is the president and founder of the American Task Force on Palestine, a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, D.C. Asali is a long-time activist on Middle East issues. He has been a member of the Chairman's Council of American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) since 1982, and has served as ADC?s president from 2001-2003. He served as president of the Arab-American University Graduates (AAUG) from 1993-1995, and was Chairman of the American Committee on Jerusalem (ACJ), which he co-founded, from 1995-2003.

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April 27th

ATFP President Dr. Ziad Asali begins a week long guest slot on Shmuel Rosner’s blog (1). You can submit questions regarding the Israeli Palestinian Peace Process by email at rosnersdomain@haaretz.co.il. Hamas places conditions on accepting the 1967 borders (2) as Israel continues to decline the conversation (4). Tariq Alhomayed discuses the global political context of the Israeli-Syrian negotiations (6). Israeli settlers arrive in Ras al-Amud (9) and MK Uri Ariel asks the Israeli government to encourage Israeli Arabs to “willingly emigrate” from the country(10).

April 25th

Four Sides, One Shelf
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) April 25, 2008 - 6:20pm

Before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert signs away the entire Golan Heights, he would do well to think about Jerusalem. After Israel gives Mount Hermon to the Syrians, how will it convince the Palestinians to let Har Homa remain in Israeli hands? How will the Palestinians - the weakest of all Arab sides - be able to concede the most valuable of assets to Israel?

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Yes, It Is Apartheid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yossi Sarid - (Opinion) April 25, 2008 - 6:18pm

The anchorwoman was clearly shocked: I don't have time now to respond to what you have said, she told the former U.S. president, allowing Jimmy Carter to make a narrow escape from her clutches. Then she added that she did not want to imagine what would happen to him if he bumped into her colleague from the security affairs desk in Channel 2's dark alley. And the pundit sitting there, sunk in deep thought as always, nodded his heavy head, confirming: He's lucky, the bastard, that we didn't gang up on him and cut him to shreds.

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Dreams And Reality
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum
by M.J. Rosenberg - (Opinion) April 25, 2008 - 6:17pm

As readers of this column know, I often refer to the organizations which constitute the Israel lobby as the "status quo" lobby. I do that because, frankly, I view it as advocating very little beyond the status quo. Its entire raison d’être seems to be to ensure that everything stays just the way it is.

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Olmert And Abbas Lose Support Over Stalled Peace Process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times
by Sheera Frenkel - April 25, 2008 - 6:16pm

Israeli and Palestinian leaders were pursuing diplomatic initiatives on three fronts yesterday as both fought for their political survival. Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, and Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Palestinian Authority, both suffer from discontent in their ranks and low poll ratings that have refused to recover as US-brokered peace talks fail to make significant progress.

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Israeli Ex-soldiers Expose Abuse Of Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - April 25, 2008 - 6:11pm

Doron Efrati was assigned to the Kfir Brigade, part of an infantry battalion that was especially created to serve in the West Bank following the outbreak of the second intifada. He figured if he was going to be drafted anyway, he would agree to serve in the Israeli-occupied territories, "to see what really happens, and maybe to change things," he says. "But I didn't succeed."

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Imf Praises Pa For 'bold Reforms,' Strides Toward Fiscal Sustainability
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
April 25, 2008 - 5:58pm

The International Monetary Fund on Friday praised the Palestinian government for what it calls 'bold reforms' and said it was making strides toward fiscal sustainability. The agency's report Friday praises President Mahmoud Abbas' government for freezing public sector hiring and wage increases and reducing utility subsidies. But it says the deficit remains high. The Abbas government has promised international donors to try to reduce spending, and especially the government payroll.

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