February 1st

The Shifting Balance Of Power ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Economist February 1, 2008 - 6:27pm ABSORBED by speculation about their government's future after an inquiry commission this week released its final report on the 2006 Lebanon war (see article), Israelis seemed briefly to forget about last week's dramatic breach of the Gaza-Egypt border by Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip. Yet in Gaza as in Lebanon, the short-sighted planning that the Winograd commission criticised was much in evidence. » Read more

Defiant Hamas Bulldozes Rafah Crossing Wider ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Nidal Al-mughrabi - February 1, 2008 - 6:24pm Hamas used a bulldozer to widen a breach in the Gaza-Egypt border on Friday so trucks could pass out of the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian territory despite Egypt's efforts to seal the crossing, witnesses said. An armed Hamas militant clung on to the outside of the yellow bulldozer's cab as the driver went about his work, and a number of other armed men close by provided additional cover. » Read more