How Not to Make Peace in the Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Review Of Books
by Hussein Agha, Robert Malley - January 15, 2009 - 1:00am

1. Foreign affairs had no more than a small part in Barack Obama's presidential campaign, and the Middle East peace process only a fraction of that. Yet the sorry prospects for peace between Israelis and Palestinians make a break with past US policy on this matter imperative, regardless of the new administration's priorities.

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Egypt's Gaza truce plan is mostly bad for Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - (Analysis) January 15, 2009 - 1:00am

After 19 days of fighting and more than 1,000 Palestinian fatalities, the first significant signs that Hamas is breaking could be seen Wednesday night. Hamas representatives to talks with Egypt announced an agreement in principle on Wednesday to the Egyptian cease-fire proposal. They also demanded several clarifications, primarily from Israel.

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War on Hamas Saps Palestinian Leaders
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - January 15, 2009 - 1:00am

Israel hoped that the war in Gaza would not only cripple Hamas, but eventually strengthen its secular rival, the Palestinian Authority, and even allow it to claw its way back into Gaza. But with each day, the authority, its leader, Mahmoud Abbas, and its leading party, Fatah, seem increasingly beleaguered and marginalized, even in the Palestinian cities of the West Bank, which they control. Protesters accuse Mr. Abbas of not doing enough to stop the carnage in Gaza — indeed, his own police officers have used clubs and tear gas against those same protesters.

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Israeli forces storm Gaza City neighborhood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Ibrahim Barzak, Christopher Torchia - January 14, 2009 - 1:00am

Terrified residents ran for cover Tuesday in a densely populated neighborhood of Gaza City as Israeli troops backed by tanks thrust deeper into the city and sought Hamas fighters in alleyways and cellars. On the diplomatic front, Egyptian mediators pushed Hamas to accept a truce proposal and, in a hopeful sign, Israel sent its lead negotiator to Cairo for "decisive'' talks on a cease-fire. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also headed for the region to join diplomatic efforts.

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Hamas May Survive Offensive, Israel Says
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Craig Whitlock - January 14, 2009 - 1:00am

TEL AVIV, Jan. 13 -- Israeli military officials said Tuesday that their 18-day offensive in the Gaza Strip had weakened Hamas but that a knockout blow was unlikely. The conflict showed no signs of ending as diplomats reported little progress in negotiating a cease-fire.

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At Cairo Hospital, Injured Palestinians Increasingly Voice Support for Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Sudarsan Raghavan - January 14, 2009 - 1:00am

CAIRO -- At Nasser hospital here in the Egyptian capital, the sound of Palestinian Arabic spills out from rooms and floats through the corridors of the fourth floor. "God is great, God is great," Ahmed Hussein, 25, said to a weeping Egyptian woman, one of a stream of visitors coming to pay their respects to those injured by Israeli airstrikes. "May God make you be victorious," she said. "I cannot stand what is happening to your people."

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Israel's Gaza offensive stokes anger among Jordan elite
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Borzou Daragahi - January 14, 2009 - 1:00am

Reporting from Amman, Jordan — The boutique sells designer outfits, but the agitated talk among the women in fur coats and leather go-go boots is about politics, specifically Israel's war in the Gaza Strip. "Everyone around here hates Israel," says Dana Abu Zannnad, the anger rising in her voice. The 31-year-old Jordanian homemaker and her husband, a wealthy businessman, are among the country's new jet set. They speak English, shop at deluxe malls and travel abroad, many on earnings resulting from Jordan's status as a jumping-off point for Iraq reconstruction projects.

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Israel thinks Hamas waiting on Obama for Gaza truce
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - (Analysis) January 14, 2009 - 1:00am

Some reservists called up earlier this month were sent home on furlough on Tuesday. This may be a hint that Israel is still delaying the third stage of its offensive in the Gaza Strip - a significant deepening of its ground operation. Meanwhile, the diplomatic efforts to bring the fighting to an end are continuing, albeit slowly. As expected by many analysts, Hamas offered a less than clear response to the Egyptian cease-fire initiative. The deputy head of the Hamas politburo, Musa Abu Marzouk, explained that some changes to the proposal are necessary.

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Gaza tunnels: No path to peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Boston Globe
by David Schenker - (Opinion) January 14, 2009 - 1:00am

EGYPT has long been considered a "bridge" between the East and West. Yet, two weeks into the Israeli campaign against Hamas in Gaza, Egypt is probably better known for its role as a tunnel, serving as the primary smuggling route for Hamas weapons into militant-controlled territory. As pressure mounts for a cease-fire, the disposition of these tunnels - and specifically, what actions Cairo is prepared to take to close them - seems likely to prove the difference between war and peace.

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Neither Israel nor Hamas can be choosy in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amir Oren - January 13, 2009 - 1:00am

To judge by the sights and sounds on the Negev's roads, at military staff headquarters and at training facilities, Operation Cast Lead is about to take off to new heights.

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