April 13th

Washington Watch: Might Lieberman be the Arab world's best friend? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) April 12, 2009 - 12:00am Even those who expected friction between the Obama and Netanyahu governments over pursuing Israeli-Arab peace were surprised that it came so quickly. About 20 minutes, by one count. Tzhat's how long it took Israel's new foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, to scrap the US-led Annapolis peace talks on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, take the Golan Heights off the negotiating table with Syria, and reject the long-standing concept of land for peace, threatening a US-Israel rift if his government turns that rhetoric into policy. » Read more

Hamas Comes Out of Hiding ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Paul McGeough - (Opinion) April 12, 2009 - 12:00am JUST a year and a half ago, visiting Khalid Mishal, the supreme leader of Hamas, was a cloak-and-dagger affair. In September 2007, I climbed into the back of a curtained Mercedes to make the dash from central Damascus to the southern suburbs, where the Palestinian group operated from a high-security enclave reserved for senior officials of the Syrian government. » Read more

Restoring tranquility to a wild West Bank town ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Globe and Mail by Patrick Martin - April 10, 2009 - 12:00am By day, this northern West Bank community – once considered the Tombstone, Ariz., of the Palestinian territories – is the picture of calm, its old market bustling, farmlands in full production and a friendly policeman on every corner. By night, however, it becomes vulnerable to raids and targeted assaults, not by the Palestinian militants who once ruled the streets, but by Israeli military patrols that invade the town and nearby villages at will. » Read more

Pride and empty words ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Eitan Haber - (Opinion) April 12, 2009 - 12:00am At the height of the settlement enterprise in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, when thousands of settlers danced before Ariel Sharon and sang songs of praise for him, I used to tell my friends in the settlement movement: Arik, and none other than him, will kick you out of all the settlements one of these days and won’t look back. » Read more

Top Israeli diplomat: Don't rush us back to peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from McClatchy News by Dion Nissenbaum - April 11, 2009 - 12:00am Ultranationalist Avigdor Lieberman has been Israel's foreign minister for a week, and his blunt, undiplomatic style already is threatening to overshadow the new government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. » Read more

Borderline outcast? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times by Tobias Buck, Roula Khalaf - (Analysis) April 13, 2009 - 12:00am It has been a tough few months for Israel's diplomatic corps. At the start of the year, diplomats were fending off accusations that Israel was using excessive force in its offensive against the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. After that conflict they faced a torrent of allegations that their actions had amounted to war crimes, claims that they deny. » Read more

Can the United States put pressure on Israel?: A user's guide ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Stephen Walt - April 10, 2009 - 12:00am Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and now Barack Obama have all publicly stated that the United States seeks a "two-state" solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In other words, the United States supports the creation of a viable Palestinian state in virtually all of the West Bank and Gaza. The new Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu opposes this goal, and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has already said that he does not think Israel is bound by its recent commitments on this issue. » Read more

Egyptian guard killed on border with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press April 13, 2009 - 12:00am An Egyptian security official says a border guard has been killed while patrolling the frontier with Israel. The officials say Magdi Abdellah Hamza was shot in his neck early Monday while on duty, the official said on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the media. The official said an investigation is underway. Security is tight along porous border area where local Bedouins engage in drug, weapons and human trafficking. » Read more

Netanyahu pledges Palestinian talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Jazeera English April 12, 2009 - 12:00am Benyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has said he will hold peace talks with the Palestinians. Netanyahu's comments on the stalled peace process - his first since he took office at the beginning of the month - came in a phone call with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, on Sunday. Abbas had called Netanyahu to extend holiday greetings for the Jewish Passover ceremony. The two had a "friendly and warm" conversation, according to a statement from Netanyahu's office. » Read more

If we give, we'll get ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - April 13, 2009 - 12:00am It's a good thing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak didn't listen to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Instead of going to hell, as Lieberman has recommended, he sent his police to stop would-be terrorists planning to send many Israelis to that destination. I wonder what Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, well known for his fondness of Egypt, might have to say about the operation against Hezbollah in Egypt. » Read more