March 27th

Olmert Upbeat On Mideast Peace Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Ashraf Khalil - March 27, 2008 - 6:45pm


Amid ongoing rocket fire from Gaza Strip militants and efforts by the Israeli government to shore up the Palestinian Authority, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday said he was optimistic that current negotiations would produce a lasting peace with the Palestinians. "We want it. They want it. We have to agree. It's not easy. It takes time," Olmert said during a briefing with foreign journalists. "Those who want peace, those who want good neighborly relations, will prevail. . . . These are not empty talks. We are very serious."


Let A 'peace Contract' Precede An Actual Treaty
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Avshalom Vilan - (Opinion) March 27, 2008 - 1:29pm


Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced two weeks ago in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel would continue to negotiate with PA President Mahmoud Abbas for peace in the West Bank on the one hand; while on the other hand, it would fight Hamas in Gaza as if there were no peace negotiations.


The Folly At Givat Ze'ev
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Amnon Rubinstein - March 27, 2008 - 1:27pm


The admonition delivered to Israel by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice regarding its resumption of the construction of 750 housing units in Givat Ze'ev raises afresh the question of establishing or expanding Jewish settlements in territories generally considered to be Palestinian. These admonitions were accompanied by strongly worded statements made by the secretary-general of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, and by the EU, referring to Israel's road map undertaking to cease such settlement activities.


' State Should Have Hanged 10 Sons Of Terrorist'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Matthew Wagner - March 27, 2008 - 1:25pm


Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliahu called on the state to use brute force as a deterrent to future terror attacks, following the shooting at the capital's Mercaz Harav Yeshiva three weeks ago that killed eight students. "A state that really respects the lives of its citizens would have hanged the 10 sons of the terrorist on a tree 50 amot [25 meters] tall, so that others would see it and be afraid," wrote Eliahu, referring figuratively to the Book of Esther's depiction of how the Jews of ancient Persia took revenge against Haman and his 10 sons.


Olmert Threatens 'painful' Steps Against Hamas, Rules Out Truce
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - March 27, 2008 - 1:23pm


Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed Wednesday that Israel would take 'painful' measures against Hamas, and ruled out any possibility of talks toward a cease-fire. "We are not talking to Hamas and we are not going to compromise with someone that is consistently shooting rockets on the heads of Israelis," Olmert told foreign journalists at a news conference, speaking in English. "We will deal with Hamas in other ways and these ways will be very painful."


Gaza And The Failure Of Israel's Deterrence Strategy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) March 27, 2008 - 12:20pm


Every day in the Gaza Strip, strategic deterrence - the inhibition of attack by a fear of punishment backed up by superior military power - is being put to the test. The escalating spiral of violence by Israel and Gaza militants indicates not only that deterrence is failing, but also that its effectiveness depends on adherence to fundamental standards of morality.


Turning Words Into Concrete Actions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Progress
by Brigadier General (ret.) Ilan Paz - (Interview) March 27, 2008 - 12:17pm


Q: What is your current assessment of the Israel-Palestinian track since the Annapolis conference?


The Peace Process Will Be Weakened
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by David Brodet - (Opinion) March 27, 2008 - 12:15pm


The economic crisis we are currently experiencing appears to be extreme, largely because it really comprises three major simultaneous and interlocking crises. The first is a complex financial crisis in the American capital market. The second is a prolonged macro-economic crisis in the United States that began several years ago and affects global currency exchange rates. And the third is the extreme rise in oil prices.


Of Yarmulkes And Epithets
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI)
by Arnaud De Borchgrave - (Opinion) March 27, 2008 - 12:12pm


To understand the chasm between mainstream media and the blogosphere, Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass" is a helpful guide. Tweedledum and Tweedledee, they are not. But they are frequently fact and factoid (an invented fact that is taken to be true because of its appearance in print). And many blogs have achieved the status of print by virtue of the fact that countless millions get their news online. The average age of a newspaper reader is 55. Onliners? Try 30.


Egypt To Snub Syria's Arab Summit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News
March 27, 2008 - 12:11pm


A junior cabinet minister will lead the Egyptian delegation instead. Saudi Arabia had said it would only send its Arab League representative rather than King Abdullah, and Lebanon is boycotting the summit completely. The political situation in Lebanon, which has prompted disputes between Arab countries, is being blamed for the upheaval, correspondents say. Lebanon has been without a president since November because of disputes between the pro-Western government, supported by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and the opposition, which is supported by Syria and Iran.



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