Bush Struggles with Legacy on Mideast Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Danna Harman - August 25, 2008 - 8:00pm Nine months since President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hosted the much touted Annapolis Conference on Middle East peace – at which all sides pledged to work toward a settlement by the end of 2008 – Ms. Rice is once more pushing in person for some kind of deal before the administration leaves office. Her arrival here Sunday marks the 22nd time she's shown up to shuttle between the sides. Yet the main thing Israelis and Palestinians seem to have come any closer on is a shared sense of disappointment. » Read more

Rice meets Olmert in peace push ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News August 25, 2008 - 8:00pm US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has met Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ahead of three-way talks aimed at a Mid-East peace agreement. The visit is her seventh to the region since the Annapolis meeting where the Israelis and Palestinians agreed to push for a deal by the end of 2008. Ms Rice has played down the possibility that details of an interim agreement might be published next month. She said the talks were "intensive" amid heavy doubts a deal can be agreed. » Read more

Israel Group Reports Sharp Increases in Settlement Activity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - August 25, 2008 - 8:00pm Peace Now, the Israeli advocacy group, said in a report released Tuesday that in the last year Israel had nearly doubled its settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, in violation of its obligations under an American-backed peace plan. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in Jerusalem on a short visit to help Israeli and Palestinian leaders in their negotiations, said when asked about the report that she had told Israeli officials that such building did not advance the cause of peace. » Read more

The faulty pleasant approach ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Uzi Benziman - (Opinion) August 26, 2008 - 8:00pm Underwear was among the many things the United States supplied Israel during the Yom Kippur War. This urgent shipment was somewhat ironic: It completely contradicted the dominant ethos of the previous 15 years and found expression in Haim Hefer's song "Cannons instead of socks." Hefer's lyrics, sung by the Nahal troupe, were part empathy and part criticism of the soldier's willingness to give up comfort and clothing for another gun and another tank. » Read more

Israel’s political limbo is just as thorny for Rice ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - December 31, 1969 - 8:00pm U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice may have arrived in Israel with the intention of advancing talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, but her meetings have also dealt with trying to understand Israel's political limbo. An Israeli government source said a key issue Rice's aides discussed with their Israeli counterparts was what happens the day after the Kadima party primary. » Read more

IDF temporarily bans 3 rightists from West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Erfat Weiss - August 26, 2008 - 8:00pm IDF Central Command chief, Major-General Gadi Shamni, issued three restraining orders against settlers residing in the West Bank settlements of Yitzhar and Adi-Ad, banning them from the area pending the conclusion of the upcoming Palestinian olive harvest. Early Wednesday morning, the men – all known right-wing activists – were presented with the warrants, banning them from the West Bank from several months. » Read more

Israel commends Egypt’s “effective” crackdown on Gaza tunnels ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) August 26, 2008 - 8:00pm Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak during talks with President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday voiced rare praise for Egypt's efforts to stem weapons smuggling into the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Barak hailed Egyptian efforts along the porous border which "have visibly been effective," said a statement from the Israeli Defense Ministry.

Hamas breaks school strike by rival Fatah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press August 26, 2008 - 8:00pm The ruling Hamas movement on Wednesday replaced hundreds of striking teachers with its own supporters, purging Gaza's education system of its political rivals and deepening its control of the coastal territory. The labor strife has disrupted the public school system at the start of the academic year and added to the misery in Gaza, which has suffered from international isolation and Israeli economic sanctions since Hamas violently seized power last year. » Read more

Rice clings to Mideast peace hopes in visit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Matthew Lee - August 25, 2008 - 8:00pm Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday there is hope for a Mideast peace deal but she offered no reason for optimism beyond the fact that the two sides are speaking. » Read more

Hamas armed wing vows to continue battle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press August 25, 2008 - 8:00pm The shadowy leader of Hamas' armed wing on Tuesday broke a two-year silence with a new vow to continue battle until "victory" over Israel. The new comments by Mohammed Deif were published a Hamas Web site. Hamas said his call to battle was part of a new book glorifying comrades killed in fighting with Israel. Deif is one of Israel's most wanted Palestinian gunmen. He has survived several assassination attempts and lives in hiding. It is believed that he remains seriously wounded. In his comments, Deif said he will go on fighting until victory, or until he is killed. » Read more