October 7th

ATFP Hosts Palestinian Stone and Marble Delegation Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - October 6, 2008 - 12:00am The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) held a reception on Monday, Oct. 6th to welcome a delegation of Palestinians from the Stone and Marble Industry. The reception, held at the Capital Hilton, brought the 15-person delegation together with ATFP Board Members and staff, as well as leaders from the Arab-American community, including PLO Mission Charge’ d’ affaires Dr. Nabil Abuznaid and Commercial Attache Ramzi Issa. Read more

Russia's Jerusalem land claim worries Israelis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Tia Goldenberg - October 6, 2008 - 8:00pm The Russians are coming to downtown Jerusalem, reclaiming ownership of a landmark with the approval of the Israeli government, just as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert visits Moscow to try to iron out serious policy differences between the two countries. After years of contacts, Olmert's Cabinet agreed Sunday to hand over the small tract known as Sergei's Courtyard. The area, which once accommodated Russian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land, now houses offices of Israel's Agriculture Ministry and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. » Read more

Livni expected to meet leaders of religious parties in bid to form ruling coalition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) October 6, 2008 - 8:00pm Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni pressed ahead with efforts to secure a ruling coalition on Monday, a day after delivering her first foreign-policy speech since being named to form a new government. Elected on September 17 to replace Premier Ehud Olmert at the head of the Kadima party, Livni needs to put together a governing coalition if she is to also take over as premier while averting a snap election. » Read more

Hamas will not recognise Abbas after term ends ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) October 6, 2008 - 8:00pm Hamas members of parliament said on Monday that they will not recognise Mahmoud Abbas as president after January 8, a move that could sharpen the internal divisions plaguing the Palestinians. “The legal term of President Abbas ends on January 8 and Abu Mazen [Abbas] will not remain president for a single minute after this date,” Hamas parliamentary leader Ahmed Bahar told AFP. » Read more

Olmert's Final Divorce From "All of Eretz Israel" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Counterpunch by Uri Avnery - (Opinion) October 6, 2008 - 8:00pm In colloquial Israeli Hebrew, when someone discovers something that everybody else already knows, we say: "Good morning, Elijahu!" Why Elijahu? I don't know. Now one could say: "Good morning, Ehud!" That's what I said to myself when I read the sensational interview that Ehud Olmert gave this week, on the eve of the Jewish New Year, to the newspaper "Yediot Aharonot". » Read more

In Israel, a first attempt at high school integration ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Brenda Gazzar - October 6, 2008 - 8:00pm Yazan Khalaf has no shortage of big dreams. Aspiring to be a pilot, the young Arab-Israeli entering the 10th grade is also trying to "change the whole world." Yazan might not start any kind of global revolution, but he is taking part in an educational experiment that could profoundly affect Israel. » Read more

Egypt blocks Gaza protest attempt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News October 5, 2008 - 8:00pm Police in Egypt have blocked a convoy organised by opposition groups to carry medical supplies to the Gaza Strip. The convoy had been due to leave from the journalists' syndicate in central Cairo but activists gathering there were surrounded by police. Reports say at least 15 people were detained in Cairo - some of them linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. Some activists were reportedly detained trying to cross into Sinai and some nearer Rafah. The protest is being supported by other opposition groups in Egypt. » Read more

October 6th

PA forces foil suicide bombing bid by Hebron terrorists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - October 5, 2008 - 8:00pm Palestinian security forces have thwarted an attempted suicide bombing within the Green Line, Palestinian sources told Haaretz recently. The security service in the West Bank arrested two senior wanted members of Hamas' military wing in Hebron, who were found in possession of weapons and an explosives belt, the sources said. The suspects, who were arrested three weeks ago, were also in possession of a great deal of cash, which they were thought to be planning to use in carrying out the attack. » Read more

Palestinians sue Israel for not evacuating West Bank outpost ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz October 5, 2008 - 8:00pm Five Palestinian farmers are suing the state for not evacuating the illegal West Bank outpost of Migron, which is built upon land they own. The plaintiffs are seeking NIS 1.5 million for damage caused to their livelihoods by the outpost, which the government committed to evacuate over a year ago. The Israeli human rights group Yesh Din filed the lawsuit at the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court on Sunday on behalf of the plaintiffs. The organization described the lawsuit brought as the first of its kind involving an illegal outpost. » Read more

The Balkans have arrived ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - October 4, 2008 - 8:00pm It is difficult to imagine that a veteran political hack and smart lawyer like Ehud Olmert did not understand that once Israel's prime minister loudly set the bar for an agreement with the Palestinians at the 1967 borders, no Palestinian leader will settle for less. Like the heiress apparent, Tzipi Livni, Olmert knows that there is no point in continuing to bargain. Both have concluded that the old game of the endless peace process that leads nowhere has reached its end. » Read more