May 8th, 2008

Israel At 60 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Prospectsforpeace.com by Daniel Levy - (Blog) May 8, 2008 - 5:35pm I don’t often, or ever really, write about my own relationship to Israel or how I ended up there, but I’ll make an exception for the 60th anniversary. It happened for me at the time of the ‘good’ Iraq war, you remember – the one whose ambitions were limited to ensuring continued access to Kuwaiti oil – not the contemporary Iraq tri-fecta effort – own the oil, change the regime, and transform the region. » Read more

Israel's Half A Step Forward ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times by George S. Hishmeh - May 8, 2008 - 5:34pm The May cover of The Atlantic magazine, a respected monthly, was daring. The headline was unbelievable for an American publication: "Is Israel Finished?" The Star of David was larger than the characters on the cover which was adorned by the four colors of the Palestinian flag –– red, white, black and green. » Read more

Middle East Peace Process Needs To Move Faster, Blair ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Kuwait News Agency (kuna) May 8, 2008 - 5:33pm Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday the Middle East peace process needs to move faster if there is to be any chance of an agreement this year. In an exclusive interview with the satellite TV station 'Sky News' in the West Bank town of Jenin, Blair also said Israel must do more to lift restrictions on the Palestinians to improve their economy. » Read more

Fatah Wins Key W. Bank Student Election ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press May 8, 2008 - 5:32pm Hebron University officials say Fatah has won student council elections in a former Hamas stronghold. Fatah activists loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas won 21 seats Wednesday, compared to 20 for Hamas. Fatah supporters honked car horns and fired guns in the air when the results were announced. Islamists controlled the university's student council since 1986. » Read more

Arabs Say Racism On Rise As Israel Turns 60 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Mohammed Assadi - May 8, 2008 - 5:31pm Salwa Abu Jaber believes her story shows Israel discriminating against its Arab citizens, 60 years after the state was established as a haven for Jews. The 32-year-old mother of four from northern Israel said her five-year-old daughter has never seen her father, who lives in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Separated from the man for five years, she says she has been forced to divorce him. » Read more

Let There Be Justice For All ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Economist May 8, 2008 - 5:29pm ONE of the thorniest questions in an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, if it ever happens, will be what recompense to give the 4.5m Palestinian refugees and their descendants, of whom only a tiny minority, if any, are likely to be allowed to return to what is now Israel. But now a coalition of Jewish organisations has managed to get a no less thorny problem onto the agenda: compensation for Jews who fled the Arab world. » Read more

May 7th

Israel Is Stronger Than Its Ills ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) May 7, 2008 - 7:01pm In the weeks preceding the publication of the new suspicions against the prime minister, it seemed as though Israel was progressing toward a peace agreement with the Palestinians and perhaps even with Syria. Now it is very hard to believe that a government in the process of being dismantled can carry this load on its shoulders. The country's intensive and welcome preoccupation with government corruption is determining the national mood on this Independence Day more than any ceremony and celebration. » Read more

Barak: Nothing Can Destroy Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Sima Kadmon Alex Fishman - (Interview) May 7, 2008 - 6:57pm   Good news first – Israel is under no existential threat. Not yet anyway. According to Labor Chief Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Israel is the strongest nation in the Middle East and will remain so in the foreseeable future; but that doesn\'t mean there are no challenges ahead. » Read more

Israel - 60 And Beyond ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times by Alon Ben-meir - (Opinion) May 7, 2008 - 6:56pm As Israelis finalize preparations for their momentous 60th anniversary – a date marking 10 years of consistent economic growth and industrious expansion – there remains the underlying question that will go unanswered yet another decade: What will be done with the West Bank and the Golan Heights? Despite all of its considerable achievements, cross-border violence persists and Israel's existence remains fundamentally insecure. » Read more

Israel Braces For Political Shake-up If Olmert Goes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times May 7, 2008 - 6:55pm Israel was bracing on Tuesday for a possible eruption in the political landscape if Prime Minister Ehud Olmert resigns or is suspended over the latest corruption probe into his affairs. The atmosphere of uncertainty has been heightened by a whirl of rumours and speculation due largely to a media blackout imposed on details of the case against the 62-year-old premier. The anti-fraud investigation is the fifth such probe of Olmert's dealings before he became prime minister in 2006, although one case against him has been dismissed. He has denied any wrongdoing. » Read more