January 11th

Security cabinet: Israel to continue Gaza offensive to pressure Egypt
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff, Barak Ravid, Yoav Stern - January 11, 2009 - 1:00am

The security cabinet decided Friday to continue Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip, but not expand it at this stage. In the coming days Israel will focus its military and diplomatic efforts on pressuring Egypt to work toward the Israeli and international demand to deploy an international force to combat smuggling from Egypt to Gaza.

»

Evolving talks over Gaza ceasefire
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
January 11, 2009 - 1:00am

Gaza truce talks have shown little outward sign of progress, with Israel seeking guarantees Hamas will be prevented from rearming and the Islamist group demanding Israel first pull out and reopen border crossings. Egyptian officials have sought to mediate between the two sides, which refuse to talk to each other directly. A Hamas delegation is now in Cairo. Israel planned to send senior defense official Amos Gilad on Monday. Based on interviews with diplomatic and political sources, here are the main issues being discussed in the talks: ANTI-SMUGGLING MEASURES

»

Fierce Focus on Tunnels, a Lifeline for Gazans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Stephen Farrell - January 10, 2009 - 1:00am

Fifty feet underground, the tunnel looked like a giant wormhole: large enough for a man to crawl through, worn smooth by constant use and disappearing into the subterranean darkness beneath the Gaza-Egypt border. Waist high, three feet wide and equipped with a motorized winch and electric lights, it was one of scores of Palestinian tunnels beneath the southern Gaza town of Rafah in March 2008, when a reporter visited.

»

Israel warns Gaza residents of 'new phase' of offensive
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Rushdi Abu Alouf, Richard Boudreaux - January 11, 2009 - 1:00am

Israel's aircraft pounded Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Saturday and scattered leaflets warning of an escalation in attacks, but there was no sign that its forces had begun a major advance on the militant group's urban strongholds. A senior Hamas commander and seven members of a Palestinian family were among those killed on the 15th day of Israel's thundering air and artillery assault, which also damaged a hospital. Palestinian militants fired 15 rockets into Israel, wounding three people.

»

Israeli Troops Push Into Gaza City in Day of Fierce Fighting
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner, Steven Erlanger - January 11, 2009 - 1:00am

Israeli troops pushed into a heavily populated area of Gaza City from the south early on Sunday in what the army and locals described as fierce fighting. In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the nation that Israel is “getting close to achieving the goals it set for itself,” but that “more patience, determination and effort is still demanded.” Speaking during the regular Sunday cabinet meeting, Mr. Olmert gave no time frame for the conflict but said that Israel “must not miss out, at the last moment, on what has been achieved through an unprecedented national effort.”

»

Israeli troops, militants battle in Gaza suburb
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Ibrahim Barzak, Matti Friedman - January 11, 2009 - 1:00am

Israeli troops battled Palestinian gunmen in a suburb of Gaza City Sunday in one of the fiercest ground battles so far as Israel's military inched toward Gaza's population centers. A top Israeli defense official said Hamas has been badly hurt by the offensive in Gaza - especialy by the deaths of senior militants and shortages of ammunition - but predicted that the group would fight on. The group "is not expected to raise a white flag," military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin told the Israeli Cabinet Sunday.

»

Israel says Gaza war nearing end as fighting rages
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
January 11, 2009 - 1:00am

Israel indicated for the first time on Sunday that an end was in sight to its war on Hamas, amid some of the heaviest clashes of an offensive that has killed nearly 900 people in the Gaza Strip. Israeli troops pushed deeper into Gaza's main city, sparking some of the fiercest battles yet of the 16-day-old war that Israel launched in response to rocket fire, but that has failed to completely stop the rockets.

»

January 10th

The conflict in Gaza continues, with further civilian casualties and another reported atrocity by Israeli forces (1), (2), (3). Focus increases on the issue of tunnels and border security (4), (5), (6), (7). Anger against Arab governments continues mount, especially in and toward Egypt (9), (10), Israeli writer Tom Segev abandons hope for peace (12).

Ceasefire
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum
by M.J. Rosenberg - January 9, 2009 - 1:00am

It is obvious who is losing the Gaza war. But who is winning? First the losers. Hamas is losing. It made the mistake of believing its own propaganda about Israelis having lost the determination to fight for their state. For some reason, Hamas decided that the veterans of 1948, 1967, and 1973 had produced cowardly, unpatriotic, and inept descendants. Big mistake.

»

Peace Is No Longer in Sight
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Tom Segev - January 10, 2009 - 1:00am

At the end of the 10th day of Israel's operation in the Gaza Strip, I was zapping between Israeli, Arab and international TV channels. The pictures grew more gruesome from moment to moment. Then a friend called to tell me that Mezzo, a French concert channel, had just started playing "Christ on the Mount of Olives," a rather obscure oratorio by Beethoven.

»


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