October 30th

Israel needs to show it is serious about peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by George S. Hishmeh - October 29, 2008 - 8:00pm

And now it's Israel's turn to vote in a new parliament. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. The results of the elections in Israel and America are bound to affect the Middle East and, hopefully, the new leaders of the two countries will bring good tidings for traumatised Arabs and Israelis.

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Guilt by Insinuation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The American Prospect
by Tim Fernholz - October 29, 2008 - 8:00pm

"He's an Arab," the woman at a town hall meeting in Minnesota told John McCain, who gently took the microphone from her hand. "No, Ma'am," he said. "He's a decent family man, [a] citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. And that's what this campaign is all about."

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Gaza Rocket Strikes Israel; Cargo Crossings Closed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
October 29, 2008 - 8:00pm

Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have fired a rocket into southern Israel in violation of a 4-month-old truce, but the strike did not cause any injuries or damage. The Israeli Defense Ministry has responded Thursday by snapping shut cargo crossings into Gaza until further notice. Hezbollah Palestine, a little-known group, has claimed responsibility. It first emerged last week when it claimed responsibility for an Oct. 21 rocket attack. Rocket barrages from Gaza have largely ceased since Israel reached a truce with militants in the territory in June.

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Quartet to meet in Egypt on Nov. 6
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Karin Laub - October 29, 2008 - 8:00pm

A senior Palestinian official said Wednesday the Quartet of Middle East peacemakers will meet Nov. 6 at Sharm el-Sheik to assess progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting's date has not been announced, said the gathering in Egypt would include U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The aim is to hear the progress Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have made in their talks. The so-called Quartet is made up of the U.N., the U.S., the European Union and Russia.

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Beilin to quit Israeli politics
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
October 29, 2008 - 8:00pm

The veteran left-wing Israeli politician, Yossi Beilin, has said he will retire from political life after the general election due in February. Mr Beilin initiated ground-breaking talks between Israel and the Palestinians during the early 1990s which led to the Oslo Peace Accords. He also helped develop the Geneva Initiative, an unofficial peace deal negotiated by figures from both sides. A spokeswoman said the former Meretz party head remained committed to peace.

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Israelis and Palestinians Launch Web Start-Up
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Dina Kraft - October 29, 2008 - 8:00pm

Nibbling doughnuts and wrestling with computer code, the workers at G.ho.st, an Internet start-up here, are holding their weekly staff meeting — with colleagues on the other side of the Israeli-Palestinian divide. They trade ideas through a video hookup that connects the West Bank office with one in Israel in the first joint technology venture of its kind between Israelis and Palestinians.

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Investment Forum Brings Top Palestinian Businessmen to DC
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - October 26, 2008 - 12:00am

The U.S.-Palestinian Partnership (UPP) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (UCC) held the Palestinian Business and Investment Forum (PBIF) on Tuesday, October 14. The PBIF, which was designed to take advantage of the momentum created earlier this year at the Palestine Investment Conference in Bethlehem, featured keynote speeches by U.S.


October 29th

Israel schedules early elections for February 10th (1). Chris Phillips examines the Arab-Israeli peace talks in an op-ed for The Guardian (2). A boat of activists arrives on the shores of Gaza to draw attention to Israel’s blockade (3). The Israeli military defends their ‘shoot-to-kill policy, following the deaths of three Palestinian youths last week (4). Hamas warns that the recent arrests of their members in the West Bank may harm the upcoming unity talks (5). Retired Major General Amos Gilad discusses Israel’s current strategic environment in an article published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (9).

IDF troops kill Palestinian farmer, 68, near Jenin
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
October 28, 2008 - 8:00pm

Israel Defense Forces troops shot and killed an elderly Palestinian farmer on Wednesday while operating near the West Bank town of Jenin on Wednesday. Palestinian security sources and the IDF both confirmed the incident. An army spokesman said troops on patrol in the area shot the man after he opened fire at them. Advertisement A Palestinian security source identified the Palestinian as a 68-year-old farmer, Mohammed Abahreh, and said he was carrying a shotgun as he herded cattle in the village of Al-Yamoun.

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Hamas tunnel uncovered by PA near Hebron was arms training site
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel - October 28, 2008 - 8:00pm

The tunnel near Hebron uncovered about two weeks ago by the Palestinian Authority was used by Hamas as a firing range and for other weapons training, according to PA security officials. The discovery of the tunnel is indicative of the kind of pressure the PA security forces are putting on the military wing of Hamas. The revelation of the tunnel caught by surprise Israeli security officials, who reportedly agree with the PA's evaluation of its purpose. In contrast to tunnels excavated through the Gaza Strip sand, a tunnel in the West Bank is rare.

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