October 27th

Settlers vandalise Arab graves ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Jazeera English October 25, 2008 - 8:00pm Jewish settlers have gone on a rampage in the West Bank, vandalising a Muslim cemetery and threatening Israeli troops. Settlers from the Harat al-Jabari neighbourhood in the city of Hebron were responding on Sunday to the dismantling a West Bank outpost by the Israeli army. Four settlers were arrested, including one for allegedly injuring a policeman and two who are suspected of trying to set fire to police cars, police officials said. Settlers also slashed the tyres of two dozen Arab-owned cars and sprayed paint on Muslim graves, the Israeli military said. » Read more

Three Solutions for the Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed - October 26, 2008 - 8:00pm There is no comfortable solution for the Palestinians to repair their domestic affairs other than the leaders abandoning their ambitions to lead. This is a fact that has been known for a long time. However, the problem is how to convince all these leaders when it's apparent how happy Hamas is with its sovereignty over Gaza, and its readiness to give everything to preserve it; the same applies to the others. » Read more

Palestinian force enters Hebron in security drive ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters October 24, 2008 - 8:00pm Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent hundreds of security officers into Hebron on Saturday as part of a Western-backed campaign to strengthen his control over the occupied West Bank. Israel, which is trying to bolster Abbas against his Hamas rivals, approved the deployment of some 550 armed officers in the biggest West Bank city, a frequent flashpoint between Palestinians and Jewish settlers. » Read more

Bottom-Up Meets Top-Down for Progress ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Progress by Robert Danin - (Interview) December 31, 1969 - 8:00pm Can you give our readers a view of the current Palestinian economic situation, from the ground? » Read more

Israelis say Hamas man acknowledged plan to take another soldier prisoner ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) October 26, 2008 - 8:00pm Israeli security forces have apprehended a Hamas operative whom they say planned to capture Israeli soldiers and smuggle them into the Gaza Strip to be used in future prisoner swaps, the army said on Sunday. An army spokesman said Israeli troops and intelligence agents arrested Gamal Abu Duabah, a 21-year-old Gaza resident, on September 21 after he attempted to infiltrate Israel from Egypt. » Read more

Olive Harvest Becomes West Bank Battleground ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press October 25, 2008 - 8:00pm The olive harvest was off to a bad start for Said Abu Aliya -- branches torn from the Palestinian farmer's trees lay scattered on the ground, along with bright-green olives. He blamed Israeli settlers in a nearby hilltop camp, and Israeli soldiers patrolled as a buffer while he and his family picked the remaining crop. ''Without their presence, we wouldn't be able to enter our lands because the settlers would attack us,'' said the 47-year-old. » Read more

Palestinians Host First International Soccer Game ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press October 26, 2008 - 8:00pm Palestinians may not have a state, but now they have a way to express their national pride -- through soccer. On Sunday, the national team hosted an international match for the first time, in the West Bank's only regulation-size stadium. Located in a West Bank suburb of Jerusalem, the stadium was renovated with the help of FIFA, soccer's governing body, and other donors. Thousands watched the friendly game against Jordan, and the crowd roared as Palestinian forward Ahmed Kashkash scored several minutes after kickoff. Jordan tied early in the second half. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. » Read more

Polls Show Even Split in Israeli Elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press October 26, 2008 - 8:00pm Israel moved closer Monday to a bruising election campaign that will decide the future of peace talks, as polls showed the moderate foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, in a surprisingly close race with hard-line opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu. Neither of Israel's two leading political parties would have enough seats to form a government on its own, according to the surveys, which also showed an even split between the country's hawkish and center-left blocs. That signals more deadlock in peacemaking with Syria and the Palestinians. » Read more

My descent into Gaza's smuggling underworld ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - October 24, 2008 - 8:00pm Crawling south in the dank metre-high passage, you have to hope the crude wooden supports will keep the thick layers of clay and sand above your head from crashing down on to you. Anyone who has been in a narrow-seam coal mine can relate to the mild sense of claustrophobia induced by a visit to Gaza's smugglers' tunnels, in which workers were killed at roughly the rate of three a week last month. » Read more

Livni Abandons Effort to Form Israeli Coalition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Linda Gradstein - October 26, 2008 - 8:00pm Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Sunday gave up trying to form a coalition government, paving the way for new elections in early 2009. Palestinian officials worried that her decision could also mean the end of the fragile Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which resumed just under a year ago and had been a priority of the Bush administration. » Read more