Defence chiefs urge hawk Netanyahu to strike deal with Syria ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by Uzi Mahnaimi - February 22, 2009 - 1:00am ISRAEL’S next prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will face an early test when he finally takes office in the next few weeks: should he ditch an election pledge and follow his defence chiefs’ strategic advice to explore a peace treaty with Syria? During his campaign Netanyahu, the leader of the conservative Likud party, had struck a belligerent note and pledged he would never agree to Syria’s main demand that the Golan Heights, seized by Israel in the 1967 war, should be returned. » Read more

Hamas: Welcoming the Americans ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) February 21, 2009 - 1:00am Hamas considered the visit of a US delegation to Gaza a step in the right direction and it asked the delegation to convey a true image of Israel’s crimes in the Gaza Strip to the US administration. » Read more