Broader Gaza deal possible next week - Mubarak
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
February 9, 2009 - 1:00am

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Monday a broader truce would "maybe" be agreed next week for the Gaza Strip, where a fragile ceasefire has been in place since Israel ended a military offensive on Jan. 18. "We have discussed the date when the situation could calm down, maybe from next week," said Mubarak, speaking through an interpreter and referring to attempts to reach a "consolidated" deal to stabilise the Hamas-ruled Strip.

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Can Obama envoy George Mitchell kick-start Mideast peace?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Mark Rice-Oxley - February 9, 2009 - 1:00am

Few people can kick off a résumé like this: "1995-99: solved one of the world's most durable and intractable conflicts." So when President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were casting around for a peace envoy for the Middle East, George Mitchell was the obvious choice. Who better to deploy than someone experienced in the tortuous dealmaking that defused a comparable crisis and steered Northern Ireland toward a (sometimes frosty) civility?

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Playing With Fire
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times
February 9, 2009 - 1:00am

Both Israel and Hamas are playing dangerous games, the outcome of which could lead to a major confrontation in the Middle East. First, Hamas: Encouraged by their "victory" in the last confrontation with Israel, Hamas continues to lob the occasional rocket on Israel. Perhaps it's their way of reminding the Israelis that they remain a force to contend with. However, it would benefit Hamas to study carefully Israel's last two wars - the war with Hezbollah in 2006 and the recent war with Hamas in Gaza.

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After Gaza War, Daunting Curbs On Rebuilding
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Griff Witte - February 8, 2009 - 1:00am

Mohammed Irhaiem's former home was a spacious 1,500 square feet and was built from solid concrete blocks. It had views of the Mediterranean and fruit trees in the yard. His new home, which he surveyed for the first time this week, measures 12 by 6 feet and is made of sheets of canvas held aloft by three wooden poles. His is one of 90 bright white tents that have sprouted in neat rows amid a sea of gray rubble, the wreckage from homes -- including Irhaiem's -- that were destroyed during the 22-day Gaza war between Israel and Hamas.

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A Hard-Liner Gains Ground in Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - February 8, 2009 - 1:00am

Last year, he suggested publicly that Egypt’s president “go to hell.” In the Israeli parliamentary elections, to be held Tuesday, he is running on a vow to require Arab citizens to sign a loyalty oath. As his campaign slogan asserts with a sly wink at Jewish voters, Avigdor Lieberman “knows how to speak Arabic.”

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A Hard-Liner Gains Ground in Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - February 8, 2009 - 1:00am

Last year, he suggested publicly that Egypt’s president “go to hell.” In the Israeli parliamentary elections, to be held Tuesday, he is running on a vow to require Arab citizens to sign a loyalty oath. As his campaign slogan asserts with a sly wink at Jewish voters, Avigdor Lieberman “knows how to speak Arabic.”

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Rise of the moderates
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Antony Lerman - (Opinion) February 6, 2009 - 1:00am

Each and every Jew who protested as a Jew against the Gaza war had a personal Jewish imperative for doing so. Some simply expressed dismay; most demanded action to end the carnage. To say that we failed is neither an expression of despair nor a statement that dissent wasn't worthwhile. Realism suggests that it was inevitable.

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Political Divide Between Hamas, Fatah Deepens
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times
by Mel Frykberg - February 6, 2009 - 1:00am

Hamas security men are back on the streets, directing traffic and trying to restore some semblance of law and order following isolated incidents of looting in the wake of Israel's 23-day military assault on Gaza. Operation Cast Lead left over 1,300 Palestinians dead and nearly 500 wounded, most of them civilian, and also left the infrastructure of the coastal territory decimated. The smuggling of weapons, and everyday essential items, into Gaza and sporadic rocket fire on Israel has resumed.

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Gaza aftermath: IDF bides its time, Hamas leaders hide out, everyone awaits truce
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - February 6, 2009 - 1:00am

Just days before the Knesset elections, the decision on whether to continue the confrontation in the south lies in the hands of Hamas. If the organization accepts the Egyptian cease-fire initiative, this will likely restore calm to the region along the border with the Gaza Strip, at least for a few months; a negative reply will set Israel back on the road of assassinating Hamas leaders, eventually leading to a new round of hostilities.

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Gaza offensive boosted Hamas, poll concludes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times
by Tobias Buck - February 6, 2009 - 1:00am

Palestinian support for the Islamist Hamas movement has soared in the wake of Israel’s three-week offensive against the Gaza Strip, according to a poll released on Thursday. The survey, by the independent Jerusalem Media and Communications Center, also found that the majority of Palestinians thought the group had emerged victorious from the conflict. Almost one in two Palestinians said Hamas won the Gaza war, while less than 10 per cent said Israel had triumphed.

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