May 16th, 2008

Bush's Comments In Israel Fuel Anger ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Michael Abramowitz - May 16, 2008 - 7:17pm On an emotional visit to mark Israel's 60th anniversary, President Bush on Thursday compared people seeking talks with Iran and radical Islamic groups to the Nazis' appeasers, provoking a political storm at home and accusations that he was politicizing the celebration. Bush's address to the Israeli parliament also stirred intense debate between Israelis and Palestinians. His strong words of empathy for Israel brought lawmakers in the tiny chamber to their feet. » Read more

Palestinians Mark Day Of 'catastrophe' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Ashraf Khalil - May 16, 2008 - 7:15pm Across Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Palestinians on Thursday mourned their exodus from the land with moments of silence, black clothing and displays of defiance. The demonstrations came a day after the 60th anniversary of Israel's declaration of statehood, an event that Palestinians refer to as the Nakba: the catastrophe. It led to a war between the new state and surrounding Arab nations -- and to lives as rootless refugees for generations of Palestinians. » Read more

Bush Assails ‘appeasement,’ Touching Off Storm ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Sheryl Gay Stolberg And Jim Rutenberg - May 16, 2008 - 7:14pm President Bush used a speech to the Israeli Parliament on Thursday to liken those who would negotiate with “terrorists and radicals” to appeasers of the Nazis — a remark widely interpreted as a rebuke to Senator Barack Obama, who has advocated greater engagement with countries like Iran and Syria. Mr. Bush did not mention Mr. Obama by name, and White House officials said he was not taking aim at the senator, though they were aware the speech might be interpreted that way. » Read more

May 15th

Reuters Demands Explanation From Israel For Death Of Cameramen ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters May 15, 2008 - 4:45pm A month after journalist Fadel Shana was killed by an Israel Defense Forces tank crew in the Gaza Strip, Reuters renewed its demand on Thursday for a prompt explanation from the Israeli army of why it fired on its cameraman. Shana, a 24-year-old Palestinian, was killed on April 16 along with eight mostly teenage bystanders by darts known as flechettes that burst out of a tank shell in mid-air. Shana had been filming about 1.5 km (a mile) from two Israeli tanks. » Read more

Talking To The Enemy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from New Statesman by Avi Shlaim - May 15, 2008 - 4:44pm The conflict with the Arabs has cast a long shadow over Israel's history. In the Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv, on 14 May 1948, the founding fathers extended their hand in peace to all the neighbouring states and their peoples. Today, Israel is still at war with Syria and Lebanon and locked into a bitter conflict with the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank. The explanation that Israelis usually give for the failure to achieve peace in the Middle East can be summed up in two words: Arab intransigence. » Read more

Israel's Secret Fears ATFP World Press Roundup Article from New Statesman by Haim Baram - May 15, 2008 - 4:43pm Israel marks its 60th birthday in a climate of increasing racism, intolerance, corruption and militarism. A nation that has long seen itself as one of the most misunderstood is now almost unable to understand the world beyond its borders. Fear and anxiety provide the mood music of the celebrations. » Read more

Interview With David Makovsky: Probe Into Olmert's Finances Imperils Israeli-palestinian Peace Outline ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Council On Foreign Relations by Bernard Gwertzman - (Interview) May 15, 2008 - 4:41pm David Makovsky, an expert on Israeli politics, says there is concern that if Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is forced to resign as a result of the investigation into his finances, this could turn "to an unraveling of whatever has been done on the Palestinian issue." In an interview from Israel, Makovsky says Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas were close to some statement of principles that might serve as a document for both sides to ratify on the outlines of a peace treaty. » Read more

Army Ready For Gaza Assault After Rocket Attack: Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) May 15, 2008 - 4:39pm Israel warned on Thursday that its forces were prepared to launch a major military operation in the Gaza Strip after a rocket attack that wounded at least 14 people while US President George W. Bush was in Israel. ‘The Israeli army has never been this ready to launch a large-scale operation in Gaza,’ said Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, a member of Israel's security cabinet. » Read more

The Squeeze On The Middle East's Moderates ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by David Ignatius - (Opinion) May 15, 2008 - 4:38pm Watching the news from Lebanon, it's poignant to read the title of a new memoir by Jordan's former foreign minister, Marwan Muasher, "The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation." The daily headlines tell us that centrist Arabs such as Muasher are becoming an endangered species. » Read more

Bush Leaves It To Olmert To Push Mideast Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Terence Hunt - May 15, 2008 - 4:37pm President Bush gently urged Mideast leaders to "make the hard choices necessary for peace," leaving it to embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to stand before a divided parliament Thursday and forcefully declare that this war-weary nation is ready for a historic agreement with Palestinians. » Read more