May 28th, 2008

More Than 3,000 Israeli Demolition Orders Pending ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press May 28, 2008 - 6:10pm More than 3,000 Israeli demolition orders are pending against Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank and 10 small communities are at risk of being almost entirely displaced by demolitions, a UN agency said in a report Tuesday. From 2000 to 2007, Israel demolished more than 1,600 Palestinian-owned structures, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). During the same period, Israel denied 94 per cent of Palestinian requests for building permits, the agency said, citing Israeli government figures. » Read more

An Unmentionable Truce? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times by Sadie Goldman With Jason Proetorius And Ipf Staff - (Opinion) May 28, 2008 - 6:09pm A Hamas-Israel ceasefire could be on its way, but you wouldn't know it. No press conference will be held to announce it. Instead, quiet on Gaza's borders – no rockets going out, no Israeli fire going in – will serve as the declaration that the ceasefire has begun. But this quiet will come with a tension that at any moment the ceasefire could end. And once that happens, major confrontation can be expected. The Ceasefire That Shall Not Be Mentioned » Read more

Syria: Olmert's Political Weakness May Affect Recently Renewed Peace Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters May 28, 2008 - 6:09pm The recently revived peace talks between Syria and Israel may be hindered by the weakness of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, beleaguered by a political crisis, Syrian analysts said Wednesday. The Syrian comment came shortly after Defense Minister Ehud Barak urged Olmert to step down or face early elections in light of the corruption investigation currently underway against him. » Read more

Ehud Olmert Given Ultimatum: Quit Or Lose Power ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by Jenny Booth - May 28, 2008 - 6:08pm The fate of the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hung in the balance today as his defence minister called on him to resign over corruption allegations or face the collapse of his coalition government. A day after an American businessman told an Israeli court how he handed Mr Olmert envelopes stuffed with thousands of dollars in cash, Ehud Barak held a news conference to lay out the position of his Labour party, the junior partner in Mr Olmert’s coalition. » Read more

Deal Imminent Between Israel And Hezbollah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Der Spiegel by Ulrike Putz - May 28, 2008 - 6:06pm It was an impressive scene, though hardly a new one: Tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered in south Beirut on Monday night to celebrate -- as they do every year -- the "Day of Resistance" against Israel. Above the crowd a sea of yellow Hezbollah flags waved and the voice of the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, thundered above them. » Read more

Jerusalem Is The Key ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Quarterly by Uri Dromi - (Opinion) May 28, 2008 - 6:03pm Whenever Israeli politicians want to generate applause, all they need do is speak passionately about ‘united Jerusalem’, and a standing ovation is guaranteed. Yet as indicated by Dr. Moshe Amirav, in his book The Jerusalem Syndrome (Carmel, Jerusalem, 2007, Hebrew), the purported ‘united city’ is a myth. Nine new neighbourhoods have been built in the Eastern side of the city since 1967, billions of Shekels have been invested, and still ‘this forty-year policy has only generated disappointments and failures. » Read more

Palestinian Cell Service Still On Hold ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - May 28, 2008 - 6:02pm After getting Iraq's first post-invasion cellular phone network operational in four months, Allan Richardson expected that launching the second Palestinian mobile service would be easy. But nearly a year and a half after arriving here, the chief executive officer of Wataniya Palestine Telecom is still waiting for Israel to release cellular frequencies. The delay has held up a $650 million investment in the Palestinian economy and the creation of 2,500 jobs in the midst of double-digit unemployment. » Read more

May 27th

Us Professor Shares Israeli Prize With Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Barbar Ferguson - May 27, 2008 - 6:18pm Here’s a story of a man with guts... and a big heart. The recipient of one of Israel’s most prestigious prizes donated his $33,333 portion of the shared award yesterday to a Palestinian university and an Israeli human rights group that tries to ease Israeli travel restrictions on Palestinian students. » Read more

Israeli Demolition Threatens 3,000 Palestinian Homes: Un ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) May 27, 2008 - 6:17pm Thousands of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank risk being displaced as the Israeli authorities threaten to tear down their homes and in some cases entire communities, a UN agency said on Wednesday. "To date, more than 3,000 Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank have pending demolition orders, which can be immediately executed without prior warning," the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report. » Read more

How The Arabs Failed In Bethlehem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed - (Opinion) May 27, 2008 - 6:16pm The Palestinian Authority failed last week to attract the interest of Arab governments and major economic establishments to help it develop its economy. No one appears to be willing to consider Palestine more than just an issue of political conflict with Israel. The conference's failure proved that the Palestinians would not get Arab support unless an Israeli shell fell on the Intercontinental Hotel, the conference venue, and Palestinian television showed scenes of bodies, wounded, blood, and shouts. No aid without disasters. This is the only emotional engine. » Read more