February 19th

Exclusive-money Trail To Hamas Begins With Israeli Banks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Adam Entous - September 28, 2007 - 12:00am

Israeli authorities tracking Hamas's funds said they made an unexpected discovery last month -- cash from one of Israel's biggest banks had found its way to a security force loyal to the Palestinian Islamists in Gaza. Officials, speaking to Reuters this week on condition of anonymity, said the incident sparked a inquiry by the Justice Ministry's anti-money laundering authority and fuelled debate within the Israeli government and banking community over whether to cut financial links to Palestinian banks in the Gaza Strip.

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Seafaring Activists, Palestinians Leave Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
August 28, 2008 - 12:00am

Two boats carrying foreign peace activists who had defied an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip left the Hamas-ruled territory on Thursday for Cyprus, taking with them seven Palestinians. An Israeli official said the Israeli navy would not intercept the boats. Thousands of cheering Palestinians had welcomed the boats, carrying 44 peace activists from 17 nations, when they docked in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. A Hamas official said nine activists decided to stay in the territory in a show of solidarity with its 1.5 million inhabitants.

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With Legacy In Mind, Bush Reassesses His Agenda
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Peter Baker - September 28, 2007 - 12:00am

As he addresses a conference on climate change this morning, President Bush will face not only a crowd of skeptics but the press of time. For nearly seven years, he invested little personal energy in the challenge of global warming. Now, with the end in sight, he has called the biggest nations of the world together to press for a plan by the end of next year.

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Changing The West Bank Status Quo: A Conversation With Brigadier General (ret.) Baruch Spiegel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum
August 27, 2008 - 12:00am

On Thursday, August 21, IPF National Scholar Steven L. Spiegel moderated a discussion with Israeli Brigadier General (ret.), Baruch Spiegel, who currently serves President Shimon Peres as advisor on regional affairs, economic development, and special projects. The following is a summary of his remarks.

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Iconic Palestinian Headscarf Outgrows Mideast Conflict
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
August 29, 2008 - 12:00am

Anti-war activists and fashionistas have carried the iconic Palestinian keffiyeh across the globe, but in the West Bank producers of the headscarf are struggling to compete with Chinese imports. The black-and-white checkered scarf -- which became an international symbol of the Palestinian struggle when Yasser Arafat first sported it in the 1960s -- has since grown into a global phenomenon more and more disconnected from the land and the struggle in which it was born.

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February 18th

Awaiting Israel's next step
Media Mention of Ziad Asali In Gulf News - February 18, 2009 - 1:00am

The optimists in the Middle East, and they hardly exceed the number of fingers on one's hand, are wondering whether Benjamin Netanyahu, who may be charged of forming the new Israeli government, will pull a Richard Nixon out of his bag. After all, it was this former conservative American president who paved the way for establishing diplomatic relations with Communist China when he visited there in 1972.

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Israel’s Security cabinet announces that it will not lift the Gaza blockade until captured soldier Gilad Shalit is freed (1). The UN says a large stockpile of unexploded weapons is missing in Gaza (2). Kadima party leader Tzipi Livni says that Israel must be prepared to give up ‘considerable territory in exchange for peace’ (3). Israel launches air strikes on sites in southern Gaza (4). Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad says he wants aid for rebuilding Gaza to be sent directly to the needy (5). Speculation continues about holding Israel accountable for alleged war crimes (6). Former U.S. Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer warns against a possible Netanyahu-Lieberman Israeli government (12).

Analysis: Amman caught between Hamas and Fatah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Brenda Gazzar - February 18, 2009 - 1:00am

An expected move by Jordanian parliamentarians to file a petition with the International Criminal Court at The Hague accusing senior Israeli figures of war crimes during Operation Cast Lead does not reflect the kingdom's official position, experts say. The petition is expected to be filed this week by the head of Jordan's Parliamentary Legal Committee, Mubarak Abu Yamin, against several Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, Arab media reported this week.

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IDF raids village near Qalqilya in search of weapons
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - February 18, 2009 - 1:00am

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday night arrested 15 wanted Palestinian terror suspects in the West Bank village of Jayus, northeast of the city of Qalqilya. An army spokesperson said the forces were operating in the town following a rise in the number of incidents involving the throwing of stones at Israeli vehicles recently. The Palestinians said the soldiers used excessive force against the residents, claiming that that the army imposed a curfew on the village and that dozens of men were assembled at the local school yard.

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Kurtzer: Netanyahu-Lieberman is 'bad combination' for U.S.
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Natasha Mozgovaya - February 18, 2009 - 1:00am

Daniel Kurtzer, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, said on Tuesday that a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu that also included Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman would be a "bad combination for American interests." "It would be much more difficult for the right-wing even with determined American leadership to advance the peace process," Kurtzer said. "Not impossible, but very difficult."

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