November 4th

Israel releases 198 Palestinian prisoners
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Mohammed Assadi - August 24, 2008 - 8:00pm

Israel freed nearly 200 Palestinian prisoners to a hero's welcome in the West Bank on Monday, seeking to bolster President Mahmoud Abbas as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began a new peace mission. Making her seventh visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories this year in the long-shot U.S. effort to secure a peace agreement by December, Rice welcomed the release as "something that matters a lot to the Palestinians."

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Officials: Cairo talks unlikely to reconcile Hamas and Fatah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
August 24, 2008 - 8:00pm

A new round of Egyptian mediation starting on Monday and aimed at reconciling the rival Hamas and Fatah factions is unlikely to produce a breakthrough, officials familiar with the talks told Reuters. Sharp differences between Egypt and Hamas on two key issues will make it even harder for Cairo to broker a deal between the Islamic militant group that now rules the Gaza Strip and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement, they said.

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Rice to make new push for Mideast peace agreement
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
August 24, 2008 - 8:00pm

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice left for Israel and the Palestinian territories on Sunday in another bid to push the stalled Arab-Israeli peace process forward. Rice "will travel to Israel and the Palestinian Territories on August 24," said spokesman Sean McCormack.


Rights Advocates Defy Israeli Blockade of Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Taghreed El-Khodary, Isabel Kershner - August 22, 2008 - 8:00pm

Two boats carrying more than 40 international human rights advocates landed in Gaza on Saturday, challenging an Israeli blockade of the Hamas-run territory. About 2,000 residents came out to greet them at the small seaport near Gaza City. Many were singing, while others swam or set out in fishing vessels to meet the boats. Israel had told the activists to keep their boats away but ultimately decided to allow them to land, apparently to prevent a potentially more damaging public relations drama.

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Israel frees Palestinian prisoners
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Myra Noveck, Tom Rachman - August 24, 2008 - 8:00pm

Israel released almost 200 Palestinian prisoners Monday in a good-will gesture aimed at reinvigorating the faltering peace process. Hours later, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in the country to make her own push for a deal between the two sides. With President Bush leaving office in January, his administration has been seeking a peace agreement before the end of the year, but the efforts have brought little progress so far. Ms. Rice arrived Monday for two days of talks with top Israeli and Palestinian officials, her seventh trip to the region since November.

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Time Magazine chronicles the ongoing battle between the Israeli government and settlers over Oush Grab (1). The New Statesman examines the tension and violence surrounding this year’s olive harvest in the West Bank (2). Palestinian unity talks are scheduled to be held next week in Cairo (3). Egypt uncovers 13 tunnels used to smuggle goods into the Gaza strip (4). Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal visits Beirut, Lebanon (5). Egypt reportedly refuses entry for six members of Hamas’ parliament who were set to leave on a visit to several Arab countries (6).

Hamas' Deif: We'll continue to attack Zionist enemies of God
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - November 3, 2008 - 8:00pm

Mohammed Deif, the former head of Hamas' military wing, on Tuesday declared that the Palestinian military group will continue to launch terror attacks against Israel. Speaking at a memorial ceremony for Hamas leader Fawzi Abu Al-Kara, Deif said his men will continue Jihad "until victory and martyrdom." "We will pursue the Zionist enemies of God," the former Iz al-Din al-Qassam commander vowed.

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Maintenance mode
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - November 2, 2008 - 8:00pm

Israel finds itself in a unique position in terms of both its political history and the annals of the Israel-Arab peace process. PM Ehud Olmert has resigned and elections have been set for February 10, 2009. The elections have caught Israel in the throes of two peace processes, with the PLO and Syria. Olmert, who is not running for reelection, has indicated that he intends to pursue negotiations on both fronts.

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Advance the dialogue regardless of transition
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Gilead Sher - November 2, 2008 - 8:00pm

Global challenges of economy and security become an ever-growing concern in transition periods such as the present one. In that context, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other geopolitical developments in the Middle East represent a myriad of problems of leadership, legitimacy, continuity and practicability. The concurrent transition among the terms in office of the relevant actors in the arena--the United States, Israel and the Palestinian Authority--should be meticulously prepared for.

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A direct and immediate impact
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - November 2, 2008 - 8:00pm

The domestic Israeli political scene and balance of powers have a very strong effect on the peace process and the domestic Palestinian scene. The Israeli balance of power is in turn deeply influenced by Israeli public opinion. The latter sets the limits for how far negotiators can go as well as for how far Israeli bulldozers may reach.

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