Israel's Key Election Issue: Did War End Too Soon?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Griff Witte - February 2, 2009 - 1:00am

Just over a week before Israel holds elections to choose a new government, the outcome of the war in the Gaza Strip has emerged as a central issue in the campaign, with the candidates sparring over whether the massive military operation went far enough. The argument reflects the reality that elections here often turn on a single question: Who looks tougher on national security?

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Gaza counts the cost – and assigns blame
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
February 1, 2009 - 1:00am

Two weeks after an uneasy ceasefire ended Israel's 22-day offensive, Gaza is still struggling to come to terms with the cost of more than 1,300 Palestinian lives, more than 5,000 injuries and the total or partial destruction of some 20,000 homes.

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A long and bumpy road
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Economist
January 30, 2009 - 1:00am

AS AN array of diplomats intensify their efforts to consolidate the ceasefire that took hold in the Gaza Strip after January 18th, the battered territory’s 1.5m people were still gasping for desperately-needed help. Gazans are terrified that violence might return, as tit-for-tat attacks resumed at a relatively low but still dangerous level. Most Gazans now rely on food handouts to survive.

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US 'actively seeks' Mid-East deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
January 30, 2009 - 1:00am

The US envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, has said Washington is committed to "actively and aggressively" seeking lasting peace. He announced that President Barack Obama had directed him to spend $20.3m (£14.1m) on food and medical aid to the wounded and displaced in Gaza. Mr Mitchell is on a regional tour aimed at consolidating ceasefires declared by Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza. Earlier, Mr Mitchell met Israeli politicians and intelligence officials.

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Dozens believed dead in reprisal attacks as Hamas retakes control
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Rory McCarthy - January 30, 2009 - 1:00am

Evidence is emerging of a wave of reprisal attacks and killings inside Gaza that have left dozens dead and more wounded in the wake of Israel's war. Among the dead are Palestinians suspected of collaborating with the Israeli military. Others include criminals who were among the 600 prisoners to escape from Gaza City's main jail when it was bombed as the war began. Their attackers are thought to be their victims' relatives. Rory McCarthy on Hamas staging victory celebrations in Gaza Link to this audio

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U.S. says open Gaza border to choke arms smuggling
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Andrew Hammond - January 30, 2009 - 1:00am

U.S. envoy George Mitchell said on Thursday opening the Gaza Strip to commercial goods would help to choke off the smuggling that Israel fears could replenish Hamas's weapons stocks. But he said the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas must help to supervise the crossings, a demand that has been a major sticking point in Egyptian-brokered negotiations with the Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers for a long-term ceasefire.

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The Limits of International Public Opinion
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Hassan Haidar - (Opinion) January 30, 2009 - 1:00am

Both inside and outside the Arab World, there are an increasing number of calls to prosecute Israeli government and army officials before international courts, because of the war crimes and the crimes against humanity witnessed during their latest military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

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Spanish FM: We'll act to prevent war crimes probes against Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - January 30, 2009 - 1:00am

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos informed Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Friday of Spain's plan to amend legislation that granted a Spanish judge the authority to launch a much-publicized war crimes investigation against senior Israeli officials. Judge Fernando Andreu launched an investigation Thursday into seven current or former Israeli officials over a 2002 bombing in Gaza that killed a top Hamas militant, Salah Shehadeh, and 14 other people, including nine children.

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UN launches $613m appeal for Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
January 29, 2009 - 1:00am

The UN has launched an appeal for $613m to help people affected by Israel's military offensive in Gaza. "These needs are massive and multi-faceted," the body's top official Ban Ki-moon said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He added that funds would be used to "help overcome at least some measures of this hardship". The announcement came amid fears of a collapse of unilateral ceasefires by Israel and the Hamas militant group. Two rockets have been fired at Israel, while Israeli air strikes hit southern Gaza.

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Gaza Violence Complicates Mitchell Mission
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - January 29, 2009 - 1:00am

A day after President Obama’s special Middle East envoy called for a consolidation of the fragile Gaza cease-fire, the truce came under new strain on Thursday when the Israeli military said Palestinians fired a rocket into Israel at dawn and Israel launched an air attack into southern Gaza.

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