Palestinian Rival Says It Is Attacked by Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Sabrina Tavernise - January 23, 2009 - 1:00am

The 27-year-old in a sweatsuit limped to the table, heaved himself into a chair and began to talk about how he had been shot. Men from Hamas have begun to assault people they suspect of supporting its chief political rival, Fatah, he said, and on Sunday, he became one of the victims. It was impossible to verify the man’s account, which he provided on the condition that he remain anonymous, out of concern for his safety. But it came during a week in which leaders of Fatah accused Hamas of harassing and harming its members in the Gaza Strip.

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UN 'shocked' by Gaza destruction
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
January 23, 2009 - 1:00am

The UN's humanitarian chief has told the BBC the situation in Gaza after a three-week Israeli offensive against Hamas was worse than he anticipated. Sir John Holmes, who visited Gaza on Thursday, said he was shocked by "the systematic nature of the destruction". He said that the territory's economic activity had been set back by years. UN workers have been given access to Gaza. On Friday, Israel lifted a ban on international aid agencies entering the Palestinian territory. The ban had been in place since early November when tensions mounted between Israel and Hamas.

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Inching steadily better than stalemate
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
(Editorial) January 23, 2009 - 1:00am

US President Barack Obama signalled interest in finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, made more imperative after the horrors of the just-ended Israeli war on Gaza. Obama called four Middle East leaders on his first day in office; choosing His Majesty King Abdullah, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as his interlocutors on the Palestinian issue, Obama may have wished to show that he is siding with the voices of moderation in the region, not with the so-called rejectionists.

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Obama's Messages to the Arabs: With the Two-State Solution and against the "Jordanian Option"
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Raghida Dergham - (Opinion) January 23, 2009 - 1:00am

When change came to the White House last Tuesday, as Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as President of the United States, this unique man took it upon himself to call for taking responsibility and "setting aside childish things", asserting that America during his presidency will not seek isolationism but will take the responsibility of world leadership. He extends his hand but only if the hand that meets it is not a clenched fist.

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As Obama Visits State Dept., Clinton Announces Two Special Envoys
Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Washington Post - January 23, 2009 - 1:00am

By Karen DeYoung and Glenn Kessler Washington Post Staff Writers Friday, January 23, 2009; A05 President Obama traveled to the State Department yesterday afternoon for a visit that was as rich in symbolism as in substance, underscoring his pledge to give top priority to diplomacy as he outlined an activist policy in the Middle East and warned that "difficult days lie ahead" in Afghanistan.

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Israeli envoy in Egypt to discuss lasting Gaza truce
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
January 22, 2009 - 1:00am

Israeli envoy Amos Gilad was in Cairo on Thursday for Egyptian-mediated talks on clinching a lasting truce with Hamas expected to focus on stemming arms smuggling across the porous Gaza-Egypt border. Gilad arrived "for a short visit to meet with senior officials to discuss consolidating the ceasefire in Gaza," Egypt's state MENA news agency said. Egypt invited Hamas to Cairo for separate talks on Thursday on shoring up the fragile ceasefire that took effect on January 18, but the Islamists will only send a delegation to Cairo on Sunday, the foreign ministry said.

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Gaza smugglers get back to work
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News
January 22, 2009 - 1:00am

Hundreds of Palestinians are starting to repair tunnels in Gaza that are used for smuggling in goods from Egypt. Israel, which ended its 22-day offensive last Sunday, has warned of renewed military strikes on the strip if the tunnels are reopened. Residents along the border say food, fuel and other goods are moving through the several dozen tunnels that are still operational. Meanwhile, attempts continued in Egypt to find a lasting truce. The talks, with an Israeli envoy Amos Gilad, were expected to focus on stemming arms smuggling across the border. 'Hamas trying to rearm'

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As Constraints on Gaza Ease, New Reports of Misery
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Jonathan Finer, Craig Whitlock - January 22, 2009 - 1:00am

Khaled Abed Rabbo returned Wednesday to what was left of his five-story home in a village that bears his family's name, and spoke softly of his three young daughters. Sowad, 7, and Amal, 2, died in a hail of Israeli gunfire during what was supposed to be a cease-fire to allow humanitarian aid in the early days of the conflict, he said. His middle daughter, Samar, is now paralyzed with bullet wounds.

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Gaza: Humanitarian situation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
January 22, 2009 - 1:00am

Gaza: Humanitarian situation Aid agencies are battling to meet the urgent needs of tens and thousands of displaced, homeless and injured people in Gaza, as well as to get damaged water, power and sewage infrastructure back even to their ailing pre-war levels. That stage alone will cost "hundreds of millions" of dollars, while long term reconstruction will run into "billions," the UN has said. Two separate Palestinian surveys have put the cost of the damage just under $2bn.

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After Gaza war, Israel sees Hamas prisoner swap
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Dan Williams - January 22, 2009 - 1:00am

After pummeling Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel now hopes to push through a prisoner swap to retrieve a soldier held by the Palestinians since 2006, Israeli officials said on Thursday. They said Israel was conditioning any lifting of its Gaza blockade on immediate progress in Egyptian efforts to free Gilad Shalit, and would be willing to relax its objections to a list of Palestinian prisoners which Hamas wants released in exchange.

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