December 20th

The Israel Lobby Revisited ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy In Focus by Stephen Zunes - December 20, 2007 - 4:45pm It has been 21 months since John Mearsheimer and Steve Walt published their article “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” in The London Review of Books and four months since their publication of a book by the same name. Their main arguments are that unconditional U.S. support for the Israeli government has harmed U.S. interests in the Middle East and that American organizations allied with the Israeli government have been the primary influence regarding the orientation of U.S. Middle East policy. » Read more

For Israel's Arab Citizens, Isolation And Exclusion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Scott Wilson - December 20, 2007 - 4:44pm Fatina and Ahmad Zubeidat, young Arab citizens of Israel, met on the first day of class at the prestigious Bezalel arts and architecture academy in Jerusalem. Married last year, the couple rents an airy house here in the Galilee filled with stylish furniture and other modern grace notes. » Read more

Hamas Calls For Truce With Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Sarah El Deeb - December 20, 2007 - 4:43pm On Islam's most important holiday, the leader of Gaza's Hamas government appealed Wednesday for a cease-fire with Israel and said his people — battered by Israeli military strikes and international sanctions — are greeting this year's feast with "tears in our eyes." Hamas until it renounces violence and recognizes Israel, though one Cabinet minister said Israel might consider outside mediation with the Islamic militants. » Read more

Israelis Cool To An Offer From Hamas On A Truce ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - December 20, 2007 - 4:42pm Officials in the Israeli prime minister’s office reacted coolly on Wednesday to an indirect approach by the Hamas leader in Gaza offering talks on a truce. The offer was relayed through an Israeli reporter, Sleman al-Shafhe, of Channel 2 television. On a news broadcast on Tuesday night, Mr. Shafhe said Ismail Haniya, the leader of the Hamas government in Gaza, had called him earlier in the day to convey a message to the Israelis. » Read more

December 19th

Speaking Truth For Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Michael Felsen - (Opinion) December 19, 2007 - 4:08pm For years, countless synagogues and other Jewish institutions in the United States have flown the banner declaring "We Support Israel in Her Quest for Peace." » Read more

Looking For A Home In Pisgat Ze'ev ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Danny Rubenstein - December 19, 2007 - 4:07pm The separation fence surrounding eastern Jerusalem winds north of the city among the crowded houses of the Dahit al-Barid neighborhood. The wall is not finished and, in a few places, there are openings enabling passage (which confirms the graffiti drawn nearby by an Israeli tagger, "Yoram Arbel was right," i.e., this is not how you build a wall). » Read more

So What Have We Done To Them ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Nehemia Shtrasler - December 19, 2007 - 4:06pm An old Jewish joke tells of a devoted mother who briefs her son before he sets out to battle: "Kill a Turk and rest," she advises. But the son asks: "And what happens if in fact the Turk tries to kill me?" She opens her eyes wide in surprise: "Why would he want to kill you? What have you done to him?" » Read more

A Total Lack Of Confidence In The Annapolis Process Keeps Hamas’s Popularity Stable Despite Worsening Conditions In The Gaza Strip ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Palestinian Center For Policy And Survey Research December 19, 2007 - 4:05pm These are the results of the latest poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during December 11-16, 2007. Total size of the sample is 1270 adults interviewed face to face in 127 randomly selected locations. Margin of error is 3%. This poll release covers Palestinian domestic issues. A separate joint Palestinian-Israeli press release will cover issues related to the peace process and Israeli-Palestinian relations. For further details, contact PSR director, Dr. » Read more

Will Donor Dollars Ensure Future State? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Miftah by Caelum Moffatt - December 19, 2007 - 4:04pm On December 17, the highly anticipated day-long donor’s conference commenced in Paris. The conference, brainchild of Middle East envoy Tony Blair and attended by 70 countries and 20 organizations, aimed at providing a monetary basis to reform and develop the dire economic situation in Palestine as well as to set the conditions for the creation of a secure, stable and sustainable Palestinian state. » Read more

Much European Ado About Nothing In Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) December 19, 2007 - 4:02pm I was in Germany talking to Europeans involved in Middle East issues during the run-up to the Paris conference on Palestinian aid, which on Monday pledged $7.4 billion over three years to the Palestinian half-government headed by President Mahmoud Abbas. Europeans seem again to respond to the challenges of engaging in the Arab-Israeli conflict with their usual financial generosity and political wishful thinking. » Read more