June 4th

Black Market Soars As Hamas Rations Fuel In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Khaleej Times June 4, 2008 - 5:38pm For the past five days Abdullah Naqbil has been waiting outside the car he parked at a service station fuel pump, planning to be the first person served when the next shipment of diesel arrives. ‘Sometimes I even sleep in the car,’ he says as he sits on the sidewalk. Barely 20 of Gaza's 160 petrol stations are open, and then only when they receive fuel from Israel, which has blockaded the Gaza Strip in response to Palestinian rocket attacks. » Read more

Olmert's Survival Instinct Rapidly Fading ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times by Joe Macaron - June 4, 2008 - 5:37pm It must be ecstatic for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to be in Washington for three days, a brief escape from a quasi political inferno. Not only haunted by scandals and calls to step down, but by a Palestinian process devoid of substance, an inherently strained Syrian track and a puzzled observation of developments in Lebanon. The man came to power with two enduring complexes: the lack of military heroism and subsequently the guilt to compromise. » Read more

Report: Hamas Using Bigger Rockets ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) June 4, 2008 - 5:35pm A report published Wednesday says Hamas has upped the ante in its rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza by procuring more powerful Iranian-made weapons. Citing unnamed military sources, the Israeli Web site DEBKAfile.com reported that Hamas used the new weapon, a multiple-launch rocket with an eight-kilogram explosive payload, for the first time Tuesday in an attack aimed at Shaar Henegev in Israel. The Web site said it's the same vehicle-launched weapon used against Israel by Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. » Read more

Palestinians Negotiator: Peace Talks Need Miracle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press June 4, 2008 - 5:35pm The lead Palestinian peace negotiator says only a miracle will bring a peace deal with Israel by the year-end target. Ahmed Qureia says the two sides have been discussing all the issues at the heart of their 60-year conflict. But he says gaps still exist. Speaking in the West Bank on Wednesday, Qureia said he thinks progress can be made this year. But he says he doesn't think a deal can be reached this year "unless there is a miracle." » Read more

Israel Closes Gaza Fuel Crossing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press June 4, 2008 - 5:34pm The Israeli army says it has closed the Gaza fuel crossing after an errant rocket fired by militants wounded a Palestinian worker at the terminal. Israel's army says the attack on the Gaza side of the crossing prompted it to cease transferring industrial fuel, cooking gas and diesel to the territory of 1.4 million Palestinians. Israeli spokesman David Baker says Wednesday's attack showed militant groups' "total disregard for the well-being of the Palestinian people." Palestinian militants frequently fire mortars toward the Israeli-controlled crossings. » Read more

Israel-palestine Talks Will Go On With Or Without Ehud Olmert - London Ambassador ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by Richard Beeston - June 4, 2008 - 5:33pm Israel is prepared to press ahead with Middle East peace negotiations with or without Ehud Olmert as Prime Minister, the country’s Ambassador to London said yesterday. Speaking as the embattled Israeli leader began a three-day visit to America, Ron Prosor said that other potential leaders in the ruling Kadima party would pursue talks with the Palestinians should Mr Olmert be forced from office. » Read more

Israeli Shift To Private Security Draws Fire ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times by Tobias Buck - June 4, 2008 - 5:31pm A scuffle has broken out among the Palestinian workers waiting to pass the sprawling Israeli checkpoint between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The men, who have waited patiently outside the terminal for much of the night, are tired, and afraid of arriving late at work on nearby Israeli building sites. Now, one of them is trying to push ahead of the queue, sparking an angry response from the men behind. » Read more

Smells Of Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Nicki Bennett - June 4, 2008 - 5:30pm Like most people who read and watch a lot of news, I’ve seen a fair share of photographs and television footage of the Gaza strip in my life. And unlike some of the places I’ve worked — like Goz Beida in eastern Chad or El Zapote in Guatemala — Gaza is actually a place that many people can locate on a world map, or describe to you on the basis of the images they’ve seen. » Read more

June 3rd

Aipac Instructs Delegates To Stay ‘positive’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - June 3, 2008 - 5:21pm This past week, an unusual letter was sent out to the 7,000 delegates expected to attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s upcoming annual conference. Reflecting the heightened political tension surrounding the gathering in this campaign year, organizers from Aipac effectively told those planning to attend on June 2 to behave themselves better than they had last year. » Read more

Palestinian Pharmaceuticals Company Exporting Painkillers To Eu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews June 3, 2008 - 5:20pm A Palestinian pharmaceuticals company is exporting drugs to Europe after passing the required EU quality tests. The first shipment by the Dar al-Shifa company consists of 1.4 million painkiller pills. Next on the list are antibiotics and ulcer medication. The head of the company, Bassem Khoury, said Tuesday that exports for 2008 are expected to reach $1.6 million and $47 million by 2010.