January 7th

Substance, Not Smiles ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Baltimore Sun (Editorial) January 7, 2008 - 6:09pm Jerusalem is draping itself in the flags of the city, Israel and the United States in honor of President Bush's visit this week, perfect for the essential photo op. And that's all this trip sounds like it's shaping up to be since neither the president nor his advisers have identified any policy or message that Mr. Bush will relay to advance the commitments made at the Annapolis peace summit. And that's just unacceptable. » Read more

Straddling Cultures, Irreverently, In Life And Art ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - January 7, 2008 - 6:07pm Being an Arab Israeli has always been a complex affair, at times almost a contradiction in terms. For Sayed Kashua, 32, an Israeli-born Arab journalist and author, it just got more complicated. » Read more

As Bush Heads To Mideast, Renewed Questions On Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Michael Abramowitz, Ellen Knickmeyer - January 7, 2008 - 6:06pm President Bush intends to use his first extended tour of the Middle East to rally support for international pressure against Iran, even as a recent U.S. intelligence report playing down Tehran's nuclear ambitions has left Israeli and Arab leaders rethinking their own approach toward Iran and questioning Washington's resolve, according to senior U.S. officials, diplomats and regional experts. » Read more

Israel's False Friends ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by John J. Mearsheimer And Stephen M. Walt - (Opinion) January 7, 2008 - 6:05pm Once again, as the presidential campaign season gets underway, the leading candidates are going to enormous lengths to demonstrate their devotion to the state of Israel and their steadfast commitment to its "special relationship" with the United States. » Read more

Bush Faces Mideast Obstacles ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Amy Teibel - January 7, 2008 - 6:04pm President Bush heads to Israel and the West Bank this week, hoping his first visit as U.S. leader will open the throttle on Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. But in the six weeks since Bush declared at an international gathering in Annapolis, Md., that "the time is right" to make peace, two perennial obstacles to Mideast peacemaking have already reared up: Israeli settlements and violence. » Read more

Just Going To Work, Palestinians And Israelis Travel Different Roads ATFP World Press Roundup Article from McClatchy News by Dion Nissenbaum - January 7, 2008 - 6:03pm Before they set out for work each morning, neighbors Naim Darwish, a Palestinian Muslim, and Jacob Steinmetz, an Israeli Jew, begin their days in quiet meditation. In the pre-dawn chill, Darwish sets his Muslim prayer rug on the floor facing Mecca. In the soft morning light, Steinmetz throws on his prayer shawl and turns toward Jerusalem. Then the lives of these West Bank neighbors diverge. » Read more

January 4th

Time For Deal Running Out ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Sever Plocker - (Opinion) January 4, 2008 - 2:44pm For several years now, and certainly since the second Intifada’s outbreak, Palestinian economist demanded in every forum that the Paris Agreement, which in 1994 created a uniform external border for Israel and Palestinian for the purpose of duty collection, be annulled. The Palestinians viewed this duty collection amalgamation as a tangible and irritating expression of Israeli occupation. » Read more

When Ehud Meets George ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Daniel Levy - (Opinion) January 4, 2008 - 2:42pm The finishing touches are being applied to preparations for next week's presidential visit. After more than 2,500 days in the White House, George W. Bush will grace the Holy Land with his presence, and Ehud Olmert can notch up an achievement denied to his predecessor, Ariel Sharon - of hosting an American president. The script for such an occasion almost writes itself. The president will visit all the usual Israeli and Jewish sites of history, heartbreak and heroism, identifying with our suffering and marveling at our achievements. » Read more

Israel’s Quiet War ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Fred Schlomka - (Opinion) January 4, 2008 - 2:41pm While Ehud Olmert and Abu Mazen were wheeling and dealing at Annapolis, several Israeli government ministries and security agencies were deploying their combined resources in a massive operation aimed at Israel’s southern Negev Desert. While the eyes of the world are on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel is in the middle of a campaign to complete the displacement of Palestinian Arabs who also are Israeli citizens. » Read more

Lurching From Crisis To Crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al- Ahram by Marian Houk - January 4, 2008 - 2:40pm The Israeli Defence Ministry's programme to punish all Gazans for Qassam missiles fire into Israeli territory is apparently moving into a new phase. A second round of fuel cuts reportedly started on 30 December, with a military-ordered reduction of some 35-43 per cent (depending on what numbers are used as the baseline) in the amount of gasoline that will now be supplied to the Gaza Strip. » Read more