August 20th

Arab reaction to Obama’s Mideast policy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Nasser Ali Khasawneh, Dima Sari - (Opinion) August 20, 2009 - 12:00am The new American administration is moving at a frenetic pace, trying to break the seemingly interminable deadlock between Israel and the Arab world. Recent press reports suggest that George Mitchell, President Barack Obama’s special envoy to the Middle East, is reaching a critical point in his negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and the Palestinian Authority. Amid all this, it is fair to say that the average Arab is rather puzzled about the US policy. » Read more

It's time to speak openly ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) August 19, 2009 - 12:00am Fatah’s historic Congress, held in Bethlehem earlier this month, has generated widespread optimism in the region due to the ouster of the old guard which paid the price for tolerating the cruel status quo and its ineffectiveness since signing the inconclusive peace accord with Israel in 1993. What was sorely missing from the exchanges at the Congress, and subsequently the media coverage thereof, was any mention of the consequences of Israel’s harsh policies. » Read more

The Missing Courage ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Abdullah Iskandar - (Opinion) August 19, 2009 - 12:00am The state of embarrassment and opportunism, and sometimes malice, that accompanied the military settlement carried out by Hamas against Jund Ansar Allah in the Gaza Strip, is not unique in the relationship between political Islam and the hard-line fundamentalist organizations it brought about under different names. We have seen such a case in Egypt when some fundamentalist organizations ignited armed violence in the face of the state and citizens. We also witnessed it in Algeria with the outbreak of hostile activities. » Read more

Into the Abyss ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Hussein Shobokshi - (Opinion) August 20, 2009 - 12:00am As if the Palestinians needed a new chapter to be added to their sad story! It seems, however, that the road is still full of sadness, shocks, and unpleasant surprises. How else can one explain the harsh bloody clashes between the "government" of the Hamas organization in the Gaza Strip and the new "alien" faction called Jund Ansar Allah? These clashes led to the killing of scores of people, including Dr. Abdul Latif Al Mousa, the obscure and controversial leader of this faction who is also known by his code name of Abu Noor al-Maqdisi. » Read more

“Jihad” Against Hamas and Sheikh Sharif ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Mshari Al-Zaydi - (Opinion) August 20, 2009 - 12:00am It was a surprise hearing the Defence Minister of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed’s government in Somalia and the Spokesman for the Hamas Interior Ministry in Gaza calling for people to embrace “moderate” Islam and branding those who fight against their governments as ideologically deviant and far away from understanding real Islam. They are also described as “brainwashed,” a western term that is used excessively insinuating that they themselves are pure! » Read more

It's time to talk to Fatah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Colette Avital - (Opinion) August 19, 2009 - 12:00am During the much-reported tour of four Knesset members to the illegal outposts earlier this week, one small sentence uttered by Interior Minister Eli Yishai in passing attracted my attention. Why bother, he said - after all, after the Fatah congress, it is obvious now that we have no one to speak to. Thus, he joined a long list of Israeli politicians, among them Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who hurried to characterize the Sixth Fatah Conference as a saboteur of peace. » Read more

Fatah, Hamas trade accusations over failure to bridge rift ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - August 19, 2009 - 12:00am Egypt has once again failed in its efforts to end the rift between Hamas and Fatah, sources close to the two parties said on Wednesday. An Egyptian security delegation that met with Hamas and Fatah representatives in Ramallah this week left without succeeding in persuading the two sides to attend another round of reconciliation talks in Cairo late this month, the sources told The Jerusalem Post. » Read more

Al-Qaida-style Islamism comes to Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Jonathan Spyer - August 19, 2009 - 12:00am Quiet has now returned to the Gaza Strip after the weekend violence which claimed the lives of 28 people. The last of the funerals of the Jund Ansar Allah fighters killed in the suppression of the organization by Hamas authorities has taken place. This episode demonstrated the tight hold which Hamas maintains on the Gaza Strip. » Read more

What was he thinking? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Sima Kadmon - (Opinion) August 20, 2009 - 12:00am What was he thinking? This is the most intriguing question today. What was the deputy prime minister thinking when he attended earlier this week a meeting organized by the Feiglins; yes, the Jewish Leadership faction which Netanyahu made every effort in the last two years to push out of Likud. » Read more

Swedish government disagrees with embassy in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roni Sofer - August 20, 2009 - 12:00am Sweden's Foreign Ministry on Thursday said a response by the Swedish Embassy in Israel to a report by the Aftonbladet news saying IDF soldiers killed Palestinians in order to harvest their organs does not represent the government's stance. The embassy had stated that the report was "appalling". But the Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman said, "The embassy in Tel Aviv responded in accordance to Israeli public opinion, however the Swedish government is committed to freedom of the press." She added that Israel had not issued an official complaint on the report. » Read more