June 25th, 2008

In Jerusalem, Even A Bridge Divides ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Chicago Tribune by Joel Greenberg - June 25, 2008 - 5:11pm Poking out of a jumble of drab apartment buildings, office blocks and hotels, a soaring suspension bridge designed by an internationally celebrated architect is reshaping the main entrance to Jerusalem, generating debate about modern urban aesthetics in a city of timeless shrines. » Read more

Why Israel Won't Accept A Two-state Solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Princeton University by Bernard Chazelle - June 25, 2008 - 5:08pm The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often narrated as a morality play, where offers are generous, lessons are taught, consciousness is seared, terrorism is rewarded, etc. Let's quit the blame game and focus, instead, on what's feasible and what's not. For starters, one can safely notch the right-wing fantasy of a Jordanian absorption of Palestine in the "Dream on, settlers" column. Ethnic cleansing is passé. » Read more

June 24th

Egypt Vows Rafah To Remain Closed Until Shalit Free ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roni Sofer - June 24, 2008 - 4:45pm With the volatile ceasefire holding up despite threats made by the Islamic Jihad to breach the shaky agreement following the killings of two organization members in the West Bank duringan IDF operation – Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stopped by for a brief visit to Egypt, where he hopes to advance the negotiations for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Olmert met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the Sharm el-Sheikh resort on Tuesday afternoon, and received the latter's assurance that Cairo was exerting considerable efforts to free the Israeli soldier. » Read more

Divide And Conquer ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) June 24, 2008 - 4:41pm The ceasefire agreement that was reached between Israel and the Hamas leadership through Egyptian mediation and that has been observed successfully by the two parties since Thursday marks a very significant development with potentially far reaching consequences. » Read more

Israeli Forces Kill 2 Palestinians In West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Atef Saad - June 24, 2008 - 4:40pm Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, including an Islamic Jihad commander, in the West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday in the first fatal raid since a ceasefire took hold in the Gaza Strip last week. Islamic Jihad threatened to launch attacks inside Israel to avenge the death of Tarek Juma Abu Ghali, whom the militant group described as one of its most senior commanders in the northern West Bank. A second Palestinian, affiliated with the Islamist militant group Hamas, was also killed in the overnight raid, Palestinian security sources said. » Read more

Greece, Israel Held Two Military Test Runs For Attack On Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times June 24, 2008 - 4:35pm A top Greek air force official has revealed that Greece participated in two major military exercises over the Mediterranean Sea with Israel in recent weeks as test runs for possible long-range strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. News of a secret exercise was broken by the New York Times last Friday, citing U.S. officials as saying that more than 100 Israeli F-16 and F-15 fighter jets took part in preparation for long-range strikes in the first week of June. » Read more

On The Contacts Of Defiant Arabs With Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al Hayat by Elias Harfoush - (Opinion) June 24, 2008 - 4:34pm "Indirect" is so far the status of current contacts established between the three defiant sides in the region, namely Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas, with Israel. Despite their indirect nature, such contacts seem to bear promising results regarding issues where positive developments had until recently been difficult to imagine. » Read more

Palestinian Leader Calls For More Eu Support For Peace Process ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Kuwait News Agency (kuna) June 24, 2008 - 4:33pm Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Tuesday for more active support by the European Union (EU) for the Middle Eastern peace process. Speaking at a joint press conference with French President Nicholas Sarkozy in Bethlehem, he said the peace process required a "strong push" by the international community, and by the EU, whose rotating presidency was currently held by France. » Read more

Palestinian Police Chafe At Israeli Limitations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Alastair Macdonald - June 24, 2008 - 4:30pm For Palestinian police chief Radhi Assida, an international fundraising conference in Berlin on Tuesday may provide welcome cash for kit and training. For the aid to help bring peace and security to the Middle East, however, the colonel wants the governments attending to focus on something more -- pressuring Israel to trust his force more and to end what he says are policies that limit its effectiveness and undermine its credibility among Palestinians. » Read more

Countries Commit $242m To Strengthen Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Geir Moulson - June 24, 2008 - 4:23pm Countries at an international conference Tuesday agreed to commit $242 million to strengthen the Palestinian Authority's police and judicial systems, sending what Germany's foreign minister called a "clear signal of support" for building a Palestinian state. The money will go to projects that include police training, building a forensic lab and prisons, installing communications networks, and creation of courthouses. » Read more