April 2nd

Hamas: We won't stop arms smuggling ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - April 2, 2009 - 12:00am Since Operation Cast Lead concluded some 22 tons of explosives and 45 tons of raw materials used to manufacture weapons have been smuggled into the Gaza Strip, Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin reported this week. On Thursday Hamas pledged that the smuggling from the Sinai Peninsula will continue. Abu Ubeida, Hamas' military wing's spokesman, said that his group will refuse to sign an agreement with Egypt that calls for the cessation of weapon smuggling, "or any other agreement that might undermine the resistance in Palestine." » Read more

Israeli 13-year-old killed in West Bank ax attack ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Sebastian Scheiner - April 2, 2009 - 12:00am An ax-wielding Palestinian militant went on a rampage Thursday in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, killing an Israeli 13-year-old and wounding a 7-year-old boy before fleeing the area. The attack posed an important test for Israel's new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has promised a firm hand against militants and expressed skepticism about prospects for peace. Government spokesman Mark Regev called it a "senseless act of brutality against innocents." » Read more

Repression campaign ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) April 2, 2009 - 12:00am The rapid investigation of testimony from Operation Cast Lead veterans who told of the killing of civilians, vandalism of property, and use of phosphorus bombs in Gaza shows that the military justice system can act quickly under public pressure. One week's worth of an expedited probe launched by the Military Police Investigation Department was enough for the Military Advocate General to rule that the soldiers lied and exaggerated their statements during a symposium of the Yitzhak Rabin pre-military preparatory academy, and to close the case. » Read more

Peace move gains urgency ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Analysis) April 1, 2009 - 12:00am Why does Bibi Netanyahu think that everyone will believe him when he ventriloquates, especially when he is talking about life-and-death issues like peace with the Arabs, particularly the Palestinians? » Read more

Israel's New Leader: Can the U.S. Work with Netanyahu? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Time by Tim McGirk - (Analysis) April 1, 2009 - 12:00am A right-wing Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was sworn in on Tuesday, and its refusal to accept a two-state solution with the Palestinians has already set it on a collision course with the Obama Administration. » Read more

Adopting Text on Middle East Conflict, Security Council Reaffirms Support for Annapolis Outcomes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Nations December 16, 2008 - 1:00am Resolution Garners 14 Votes in Favour as Libya Abstains, Citing ‘Ambiguity’ Reaffirming its support for the agreements and negotiations resulting from the 2007 Middle East summit in Annapolis, Maryland, the Security Council called on the parties, regional States, and other States and international organizations this morning to intensify their efforts to achieve a two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as peaceful coexistence among all States in the region. » Read more

Israeli Minister Dismisses Peace Effort ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - April 2, 2009 - 12:00am In a blunt and belligerent speech on his first day as Israel’s new foreign minister, the hawkish nationalist Avigdor Lieberman declared Wednesday that “those who wish for peace should prepare for war” and that Israel was not obligated by understandings on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict reached at an American-sponsored peace conference in late 2007. “Those who think that through concessions they will gain respect and peace are wrong,” Mr. Lieberman said during a transfer ceremony at the Foreign Ministry. “It is the other way around; it will lead to more wars.” » Read more

April 1st

Poll: most Palestinians want gov't to observe peace deals ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 1, 2009 - 12:00am A majority of Palestinians want any upcoming government to conform to all deals the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) has signed, according to a poll released on Wednesday. According to the poll, which involved 900 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, 63 percent said they want the government to adhere to the agreements the PNA signed, while the rest believe the agreements are not binding to the upcoming government. » Read more

Netanyahu vague on peace talks with Palestinians: PNA ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 1, 2009 - 12:00am The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) said on Wednesday new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his inauguration speech "offered nothing" concerning the peace talks with the Palestinians. Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian negotiator, said, "Netanyahu failed to endorse the two-state solution. He failed to explicitly support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. He made only vague commitments to continuing negotiations." » Read more

Changing the rules of war ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The San Francisco Chronicle by George Bisharat - April 1, 2009 - 12:00am The extent of Israel's brutality against Palestinian civilians in its 22-day pounding of the Gaza Strip is gradually surfacing. Israeli soldiers are testifying to lax rules of engagement tantamount to a license to kill. One soldier commented: "That's what is so nice, supposedly, about Gaza: You see a person on a road, walking along a path. He doesn't have to be with a weapon, you don't have to identify him with anything and you can just shoot him." What is less appreciated is how Israel is also brutalizing international law, in ways that may long outlast the demolition of Gaza. » Read more