June 19th, 2008

Israel And Hamas Ceasefire Begins ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News June 19, 2008 - 2:39pm The truce is designed to halt Israeli incursions into the Gaza Strip, and to stop missiles being fired from Gaza into southern Israel. If it holds, Israel will ease its blockade on Gaza and there may be further talks on a prisoner exchange. Correspondents say the eve-of-truce attacks underline how fragile the agreement could be. There were no reports of fire from either side on Thursday morning. » Read more

Truce In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post (Editorial) June 19, 2008 - 2:37pm ATRUCE between Israel and Hamas was to begin this morning in the Gaza Strip, ending daily barrages of rockets that have terrorized nearby Israeli towns as well as counterstrikes that have killed more than 350 Palestinians this year. In accepting the Egyptian-brokered deal, Israel embraced the least bad of the limited options it has for countering Hamas, which has been turning Gaza into a fortified base for advancing the cause of Islamist extremism in the region -- a cause it shares with Iran. » Read more

Strengthening Extremists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristof - (Opinion) June 19, 2008 - 2:35pm The yearlong siege of Gaza may soon end with the new cease-fire there, marking the eclipse of one more American-backed Israeli policy that backfired by strengthening extremists. » Read more

Analysis: Small Steps A Way To Broader Mideast Peace? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Cnn by Tricia Escobedo And Kevin Flower - June 19, 2008 - 2:33pm JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel has been making small steps toward reconciling with its neighbors -- including this week's planned truce with Gaza's Hamas leaders -- raising questions about whether those steps could lead to a broader peace deal. Last month, Israel confirmed it had been indirectly negotiating a deal with Syria for more than a year. And on Wednesday it announced it hoped to hold similar peace talks with Lebanon. The Jewish state is under pressure from the United States to reach an agreement outlining a future Palestinian state by the end of the year. » Read more

June 18th

A Year After The Takeover: “hamas” Birds On The Tree! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-ayyam by Rajab Abu Sariya - June 18, 2008 - 4:52pm Not only did President Mahmoud Abbas’ popularity rise since his calls for Palestinian dialogue, but also his political savvy has become evident, on both the domestic and diplomatic fronts. The timing and form of the presidential initiative didn’t allow Hamas to stall or refuse to negotiate, and that is what explains the talks in Cairo and Dakar and the resurgence of hope and optimism, despite wariness and caution shared by both observers and citizens. » Read more

Idf To Remove Kalkilya Roadblocks As 'reward' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Yaakov Katz - June 18, 2008 - 4:51pm The Civil Administration in the West Bank has negotiated a deal with a number of Palestinian villages in the Kalkilya region in which dirt roadblocks cutting off their access to nearby cities and roads would be lifted in exchange for the cessation of local terror activity, a senior IDF commander told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. » Read more

Gazans Eagerly Awaiting Ceasefire ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - June 18, 2008 - 4:49pm Weary, and wary - Gaza's residents are counting the hours until the ceasefire between Israel and the armed groups in the Strip comes into effect (6:00 am on Thursday). The overall feeling in the streets is of satisfaction mixed with disbelief that the truce will last. After all, the region has known its share of failed truces. "The people here are very happy. Some even allowed themselves to go out in the city last night," Ahmad al-Najar, a resident of the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, told Ynet. » Read more

Day Before Truce, Gaza Barrages Continue ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Hanan Greenberg - June 18, 2008 - 4:47pm Despite the formal announcements from Jerusalem, Gaza and Cairo announcing the ceasefire agreement will go into effect at 6:00 am on Thursday, it was the routine of incessant attacks Israel's South awoke to on Wednesday. In the most recent attack a house in Sderot was hit directly, and ten residents suffered from shock. A woman lightly injured her leg while running for cover. » Read more

Blair, Merkel To Help Palestinians Rebuild ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times by Andrew Bishop - June 18, 2008 - 4:44pm Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be hosting an inter-ministerial conference in Berlin on June 24 with the aim of rallying the international community around their effort to strengthen the Palestinian Authority's judicial and security capabilities. » Read more

Hamas Feels It Benefits More From A Truce Than Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Shaul Arieli - (Opinion) June 18, 2008 - 4:41pm The policy of "throwing away the keys" that characterized the Israeli withdrawal and removal of settlements from the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2005 played right into Hamas' hands as it sought to achieve political and social objectives based on a strategy of "armed struggle" and non-recognition of Israel. » Read more