January 3rd

Peace Brokers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Century by James M. Wall - (Opinion) January 3, 2008 - 5:19pm The local public library asked me to introduce and discuss the 1962 movie Lawrence of Arabia. The screening happened to coincide with the day of the multinational Annapolis Conference on the Mideast, so I could not resist showing a segment from the final moments of the film. The parallel between Lawrence of Arabia, which ends in 1918 in Damascus, and the 2007 gathering of peacemakers at Annapolis, Maryland, is this: in both situations there is a deep imbalance of power and a pervasive distrust. » Read more

Former "dateline" Reporter Blasts Nbc ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Paul J. Gough - January 3, 2008 - 5:16pm A former "Dateline NBC" correspondent claims that in the aftermath of September 11, the network diverted him from reporting on al Qaeda and instead wanted him to ride along with the country's "forgotten heroes," firefighters. » Read more

The Fence Failure ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The American Prospect by Gershom Gorenberg - January 3, 2008 - 5:14pm When George W. Bush visits Israel next week, he's reportedly planning to take time off for a visit to the ruins of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus is said to have lived and preached. I shouldn't begrudge someone shlepping across the world a couple hours for a private pilgrimage. But if Bush wants to pry time free from meetings in Jerusalem, it would be better spent on a tour of the Israeli separation barrier, a.k.a. fence, a.k.a. wall. Plenty of human rights activists who speak good English (maybe too good for W.) would be happy to guide him. » Read more

Voting Our Hopes, Voting Our Fears ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward (Editorial) January 3, 2008 - 5:10pm Maybe it’s the weakness of the candidate field. Maybe it’s old habits dying hard, or unfamiliar threats flaring up. Whatever the cause, there seems to be a sharp increase in talk among Jews, some in the most unaccustomed circles, who plan to cast their votes this year on the basis of Israel’s security needs. » Read more

Bush's Gordian Knot ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times by Claude Salhani - (Analysis) January 3, 2008 - 5:02pm U.S. President George W. Bush is about to embark on a tour of several Middle Eastern countries starting next week as his presidency rounds the corner heading for the final stretch of its second and final term at the White House. The president will travel to Israel, the West Bank, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt over a period of eight days starting Jan. 8. » Read more

January 2nd

Words Won't Stop The Construction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) January 2, 2008 - 2:44pm The announcement that the prime minister has directed cabinet ministers not to build in the territories behind his back sounds like a sleight of hand. The prime minister should not instruct his ministers to "increase awareness" of their ministries' actions that might impair negotiations with the Palestinians, but rather he should once and for all bring the Sasson report to the cabinet for approval. The report states clearly how to monitor settlement expansion. » Read more

Here's To The '67 Borders, The New Middle Of The Road ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - January 2, 2008 - 2:42pm There was a time, not long past, that the mere mention of the 1967 borders was seen by many in the Jewish community as an expression of disloyalty, of sacrilege, of foolhardy risk, almost of profanity. Gradually, remarkably, there are signs that the route of the middle of the road has shifted. That we've come a long, long way. At this point, for many on the Israeli side and, in fact, on the Palestinian side as well, the middle of the road passes very, very close to the Green Line, the post-1948 war, pre-1967 war boundary between the West Bank and Israel. » Read more

Olmert Says Israel Must Internalize Divided J'lem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon And David Horovitz - January 2, 2008 - 2:40pm Israel needs to internalize that even its supportive friends on the international stage conceive of the country's future on the basis of the 1967 borders and with Jerusalem divided, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has declared to The Jerusalem Post. At the same time, he made clear that he did not envisage a permanent accord along the '67 lines, describing Ma'aleh Adumim as an "indivisible" part of Jerusalem and Israel. » Read more

Settlements Contradict The Essence Of Peacemaking ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) January 2, 2008 - 2:36pm The policy of establishing and expanding settlements may well be the only constant in Israeli practices on occupied Palestinian territory since 1967. Yet it is possible to discern several distinct phases in this policy depending on the party in power in Israel. » Read more

Cautious Hope For Peaceful Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Asia Times by Kaveh Afrasiabi - January 2, 2008 - 2:34pm Unlike 2007, a rather bloody year in the history of modern Middle East, 2008 should have a better prospect for peace than at any time since 2001, year zero in the American-declared "global war on terror", assuming that the lame-duck George W Bush administration does not somehow stifle that prospect. » Read more