May 19th

Bush Wraps Up Mideast Trip With A Thud, Analysts Say
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Usa Today
by Charles Levinson - May 19, 2008 - 5:47pm

President Bush wrapped up his five-day Mideast tour Sunday with little visible progress on either of the main issues he highlighted: rising oil prices and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Instead, Bush was subjected to a wave of criticism as he delivered a lecture to the Arab world on the benefits of democracy. "This trip was an exclamation point on the fact that the mystique about American power is no longer there," said Steve Clemons, an analyst at the New America Foundation, a think tank in Washington.

»

Bin Laden: Arab Leaders Sacrificing Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
May 19, 2008 - 5:46pm

Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden lashed out at Arab leaders for "sacrificing" the Palestinians in a new message released Sunday and he called on Muslim terrorists in Egypt to help break the blockade of Gaza. Bin Laden called Arab leaders "agents of the crusaders" and "wolves" in the audio message posted on an Islamic militant Web site where al-Qaida leaders issue their statements. He portrayed the citizens of Arab nations as herds of sheep who have been handed over to the wolves to look after them.

»

Palestinians Hope To Draw Investment At Conference
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Karin Laub - May 19, 2008 - 5:45pm

The West Bank is open for business after years of bloody turmoil. At least that's the intended message of this week's international investors conference, where the Palestinians are seeking backing for nearly $2 billion in development projects, from fish farms to a new city of 25,000.

»

The Limits Of War In Lebanon
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Boston Globe
(Editorial) May 19, 2008 - 5:45pm

THE ARMED confrontation in Lebanon between the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and the Shi'ite movement Hezbollah is ending. Hezbollah fighters are withdrawing from the Sunni neighborhood of West Beirut, opening roads once again, and allowing the airport to function.

»

May 18th

Karin Laub reports for the Associated Press on efforts to encourage investment in Palestine at the upcoming Bethlehem Conference (2). US President George W. Bush faces criticism for his latest trip to the Middle East (5). Thomas Friedman examines the question of Obama’s attitude toward Israel (6). As violence continues in Gaza (8) and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warns of escalation (9). In Y-Net News, Yehuda Litani argues for freeing Marwan Barghouti(10).

May 16th

Arabs Slam Bush's Warm Rhetoric Towards Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
May 16, 2008 - 7:33pm

  While it remains unclear if US President George W. Bush's visit will yield any political gains in the race to achieve an agreement of any sort between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, it has certainly been an

»

'yes...but'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al- Ahram
by Dina Ezzat - May 16, 2008 - 7:31pm

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is expected to visit Egypt for talks with President Hosni Mubarak early next month, Egyptian sources say, in confirmation of an Israeli account. The visit, they added, should cover recent developments on the ground in the Gaza Strip, and Egypt's immediate and troubled backyard, including Egypt's efforts to strike a full truce between Israel and Hamas.

»

Rocket Damages Synagogue In Israel: Army
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
May 16, 2008 - 7:30pm

A rocket fired by Gaza militants damaged a synagogue and another hit a kindergarten in the southern Israeli city of Sderot overnight, a military spokeswoman said on Friday. There were no casualties in the attacks, the spokeswoman said. "In all, 11 rockets, including a long-range one, and nine mortar rounds were fired towards Israel on Thursday and during the night," she said. Troops fired at a group of Palestinians in Gaza who had just fired a mortar round on Friday morning, she said, adding that several of the militants were hit.


Hamas To Send Delegation To Egypt For Gaza Truce Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
May 16, 2008 - 7:27pm

The Palestinian Hamas movement will send a delegation to Egypt to discuss a proposed truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip where the Islamists seized power nearly a year ago, a spokesman said on Friday. "Hamas will send a delegation to Egypt on Monday to discuss a period of calm in Gaza," Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha told journalists, adding that the delegation would discuss conditions set by Israel.

»

Israelis Are Talking To Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times
by Marc Gopin - (Opinion) May 16, 2008 - 7:25pm

There are Israeli Jews who have been talking to Hamas for years, especially Rabbi Menahem Frohman. In fact, even more Israeli Jews – official and unofficial – would be talking not only to Hamas, but also to Syria and Iran were the White House not pressuring them against dialogue with enemies of Israel. This is unprecedented: a third party, supposedly mediating for peace, that forbids two parties from talking to each other.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017