Rendering The Pa Irrelevant
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) March 17, 2008 - 6:45pm

Although the calm in Gaza did not last for more than a few days it marks a very significant development in the ongoing power struggle between Israel, Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah.

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Uncritical Merkel Gets Red Carpet Treatment In Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Speigel International
by Ralf Beste, Ralf Neukirch And Christoph Schult - March 17, 2008 - 6:42pm

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has become Israel's staunchest ally in Europe. This week, the country has pulled out all the stops to welcome the German leader. Back home, though, many wish Merkel would finally speak up about Israeli excesses in the Gaza Strip.

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Israel, Palestinians Resume Suspended Peace Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
March 17, 2008 - 6:41pm

Occupied Jerusalem: Israeli and Palestinian negotiators held undisclosed peace talks after a deadly Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip led to their brief suspension and are to meet again on Monday, Israeli officials said. Despite growing tensions over colony expansion on occupied land, Israeli Prime Ehud Olmert said the construction would continue in occupied Jerusalem and in colony blocs the Jewish state wants to keep as part of any deal with the Palestinians.

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Israeli Intel Report Paints Grim Picture
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times
March 10, 2008 - 5:45pm

Israel's intelligence community painted a bleak picture of threats facing the Jewish state. The report – an annual assessment somewhat similar to Washington's National Intelligence Estimate, or NIE, was delivered to the Israeli cabinet on Sunday.   The report singles out Iran and Hamas as the two most pertinent threats to the Jewish State. It comes on the heels of an attack against Jewish religious students in Jerusalem last week, the worst such attack in four years.  

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Abbas Says Peace Efforts With Israel Must Go On
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
March 10, 2008 - 5:34pm

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday peace efforts with Israel must move forward, despite an especially bloody spate of violence capped by a deadly attack on a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem. Abbas also reiterated his support for Egypt's efforts to mediate a truce between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. In a speech marking International Women's Day, Abbas said, "Despite all the circumstances we're living through and all the attacks we're experiencing, we insist on peace. There is no other path."

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Annapolis's Fading Hope
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
(Opinion) March 10, 2008 - 5:29pm

The Annapolis peace conference last November was a good moment for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She seemed to be getting serious, finally, about using American diplomacy to push for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement whose basic parameters are understood by everyone -- but which requires U.S. follow-through to make it happen.

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Talk, But No Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
(Editorial) March 10, 2008 - 5:25pm

There are a few certainties when it comes to the Middle East. One is that Hamas militants will do anything to sabotage Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. Another is that Israel will retaliate against serious assaults on its people. And a third is that without measurable improvements in the lives of both Israelis and Palestinians, a few spectacular acts of terrorism can derail even the best-intentioned peace talks.

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The Recent Gaza Escalation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Common Ground News Service
by Americans For Peace Now - March 7, 2008 - 6:29pm

Over the past few days Israelis, Palestinians, and the world have witnessed the unfolding of a serious and dangerous military escalation between Israel and Hamas. This crisis is a symptom of failed policies, irresponsible actions, and a lack of strategic thinking. Further escalating the violence in Gaza may deal a fatal blow to the credibility and viability of the peace process, and would erode support for the peace process among both Israelis and Palestinians.

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Mideast Turning Point
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times
by Claude Salhani - (Opinion) March 7, 2008 - 6:23pm

After the misplaced euphoria brought about by the Annapolis peace summit and a naive belief by some that the Middle East dispute could be solved in less than 12 months — a typically mistaken assumption of the region — events have now taken a turn for the worse.

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'this May Be The Last Chance'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gidi Weitz And Meron Rapoport - (Interview) March 6, 2008 - 7:39pm

Yasser Abed Rabbo is worried and one of the reasons for this becomes immediately apparent when we meet: An armed guard escorts him into his office on the third floor of a building in Ramallah midday on Saturday. "Who is he protecting you from - the Israelis or Hamas?" we ask. "From Hamas," he says without hesitating.

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