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Clinton dips into Arab-Israeli peacemaking
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Sue Pleming - February 26, 2009 - 1:00am Secretary of State Hillary Clinton makes her first foray into Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking next week, promising more than $900 million in aid for Gaza but with dim prospects of reviving talks soon. Middle East experts say the timing could not be worse, with a new Israeli government being cobbled together after last week's election and Egyptian efforts making no headway yet in forging a Palestinian unity government. |
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Clinton to press Israel on Gaza as children suffer
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times by Dale Gavlak - February 26, 2009 - 1:00am Assistance to the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands of displaced people are living in flimsy U.N. tents despite freezing winter temperatures and rain, will be "at the top of [the] agenda" when Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visits the region next week, a U.S. official in Jerusalem said Wednesday. A month after a cease-fire ended Israel's military offensive in Gaza, many sleep on thin mats on the muddy ground and traumatized children burst into tears at any loud noise. Lots where they once played are littered with crushed concrete and other debris. |
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U.S. Helps Palestinians Build Force for Security
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - February 26, 2009 - 1:00am They rappel down a 65-foot tower, navigate obstacle courses, shoot in the firing range and sleep in pristine barracks. They eat in an air-conditioned mess where brushed aluminum glints from every kitchen surface. Rows of Land Rovers stand by. The entrance reads “The Presidential Guard, Always in Front: Strength, Sacrifice, Redemption.” |
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Palestinian Rivals Announce Steps Toward Healing Rift
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Taghreed El-Khodary, Isabel Kershner - February 26, 2009 - 1:00am Leaders of the rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah declared Thursday a “historic day” at the conclusion of a meeting here aimed at healing a 20-month schism. The long-awaited Cairo talks added another twist to an already complex political situation as President Obama’s Middle East envoy arrived in Israel for discussions with Israeli and Palestinian officials. |
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'Palestine's' Next Stage
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Peter Marks - February 25, 2009 - 1:00am George Ibrahim tugs down at the top of his turtleneck and points to the bare skin of his throat. "This," he says in accented English, "is what kasaba means in Arabic. Center of breathing. Center of life." |
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Peace With Syria Could Catalyze Middle East Process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times by Cesar Chelala - February 24, 2009 - 1:00am Benjamin Netanyahu plants trees in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights with his family and friends from his political party such as Moshe Bugi Yealon (Former IDF Chief of Staff-pictured L). ... (Rapport via Newscom) |
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Netanyahu Rebuffed Again in Efforts to Form Coalition
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - February 24, 2009 - 1:00am Ehud Barak, the leader of Israel’s center-left Labor Party, turned down a proposal on Monday by the prime minister-designate, Benjamin Netanyahu of the conservative Likud Party, to join a broad governing coalition. The refusal dealt a further blow to Mr. Netanyahu’s efforts to forge a unity government. His meeting on Sunday with Tzipi Livni, the leader of the centrist Kadima Party, ended without agreement. |
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'Re-education' for West Bank mosque preachers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - February 24, 2009 - 1:00am Last Friday's sermon in one of the mosques near Ramallah, the sheikh opened with the words, "Today we won't talk politics; we will talk about issues of religion." As basic as this comment may seem to an outsider, those familiar with internal Palestinian politics understood that this was a veiled attack aimed at Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's government and his policy on religion, sermons, mosques, and the way they are run. |
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Israel-Hamas arms embargo urged
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News February 23, 2009 - 1:00am Amnesty International has called for a freeze on arms sales to Israel and Palestinian groups such as Hamas following the recent Gaza conflict. The human rights group said it had evidence both Israel and Hamas had used weapons sourced from overseas to carry out attacks on civilians. It called for the UN Security Council to impose the embargo on all parties. Both Israel and Hamas have rejected the conclusions of the report, in which Amnesty accuses each of war crimes. |
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Kerry shuns Hamas during Gaza visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Jazeera English February 20, 2009 - 1:00am The US will not change its stance towards Hamas, John Kerry, the former democratic US presidential candidate, has said during a tour of Gaza. His comments came on Thursday during the highest-level visit by a US official to the territory since Hamas seized control two years ago. "I am here to listen with the UN personnel on the ground to hear ... the things we need to do is to improve the situation in the region," he said. |