Date
Type

August 7th

Israel Troops Face Shooting Trial
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News
August 7, 2008 - 4:48pm

An Israeli commander and sergeant face trial for "unworthy conduct" over the shooting of a bound Palestinian prisoner, Israeli officials say. Col Omri Borberg was filmed holding the prisoner as a soldier under his command fired a rubber bullet at his feet. Israel's military advocate general says the incident in the West Bank in July represents a "severe moral failure". Israeli human rights group B'Tselem had said the military would be shamed if it failed to punish anyone.

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Interview: How To Deal With Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Progress
(Interview) August 7, 2008 - 4:47pm

Interview with Lt. Col. (Res.) Ron Shatzberg Project Director, Economic Cooperation Foundation. Can you explain the challenge Jerusalem poses to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

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August 6th

An IDF commander and sergeant are being brought to trial over the recent shooting of a Palestinian detainee (2). British diplomats traveling by car through the West Bank town of Hebron are attacked by a group of settlers (3). Two articles discuss the network of underground smuggling tunnels that are supplying the blockaded Gaza strip (4) (5). In a meeting with Mahmoud Abbas Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pledges the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners (7).

Mofaz: I Will Keep Jerusalem United As Israel's Eternal Capital
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
August 6, 2008 - 2:27pm

Speaking at a conference of Kadima party activists six weeks ahead of the scheduled party primary, frontrunner Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz emphasized that he pledges to "keep Jerusalem united as Israel's eternal capital." "We will keep alive the magnificent dynasty of the days of King David, who named the city as our capital 3,000 years ago," Mofaz continued.

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Supreme Court: Palestinian Authority Can Be Sued
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Aviad Glickman - August 6, 2008 - 2:26pm

The Supreme Court overturned a Jerusalem District Court decision on Wednesday and determined that the Palestinian Authority is not immune to lawsuits filed by Israeli bodies and it does not hold sovereign immunity. The Supreme Court’s ruling followed a petition filed by the Beit Midrash of the Elon Moreh settlement in the West Bank against the Jerusalem District Court, which rejected the Jewish organization’s 2006 lawsuit and determined that the PA is considered autonomous and thus, can’t be sued.

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Israel To Release Prisoners As Gesture To Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Roni Sofer - August 6, 2008 - 2:24pm

Despite his upcoming resignation and sensitive political status, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met Wednesday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the PM's official residence in Jerusalem. During the meeting, Israel announced that it would release several Palestinian prisoners as a gesture to Abbas by the end of August. The Palestinian requested that the released prisoners include former Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat, one of the masterminds behind the killing of Minister Rehavam Ze'evi.

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A Trojan Horse In The Jordan Valley
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Lara Friedman And Hagit Ofran - August 6, 2008 - 2:22pm

Is Israel serious about wanting peace? Plans approved last week by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak for a new settlement in the Jordan Valley provide ammunition for those who argue that the answer is no.

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Abbas Mulls Gaza As ‘rebel-held Territory’; Halting Funding
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Abd Al-karim Shweiki - August 6, 2008 - 2:21pm

Under pressure from Palestinian Authority officials, P.A.

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Hamas Warns Of Uprising Against Fatah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Mohammed Mar’i - August 6, 2008 - 2:19pm

RAMALLAH/GAZA CITY: A senior Hamas official in Gaza City warned yesterday that his Islamic group could overrun the West Bank, just as it took over Gaza, if provoked by its rivals in Fatah. The official, Sami Abu Zuhri, spoke as tensions between the two groups remained high following a bombing that killed five Hamas members in Gaza and a Hamas sweep that ended with 11 dead and dozens wounded, most of them from Fatah.

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Middle East Rhetoric Obstructing Us Interests
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Common Ground News Service
by Richard Murphy And Ethan Chorin - August 6, 2008 - 2:18pm

Washington, DC - It would be naive to assume that Undersecretary of State William Burns' presence at the recent EU-Iran nuclear talks has opened the door to a rapid improvement in US-Iranian relations, or that the US administration has abandoned its military option. But this recent tilt towards diplomacy offers a pause in which to take note of the unsung economic and political costs of hyped-up rhetoric.

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