October 21st

Israel removes wildcat settlements in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
October 19, 2008 - 8:00pm

Israeli troops have cleared three Jewish wildcat settlements in the occupied West Bank, the army said on Monday. The three outposts, one of which was built six months ago and the other two set up on Sunday by right-wing activists, were removed during the night by border police and army troops, it said in a statement.

»

Lock maker Assa Abloy to move West Bank plant
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
October 20, 2008 - 8:00pm

Sweden's Assa Abloy AB, the world's largest lock maker, said Tuesday it would move a production plant from an Israeli settlement in the West Bank after being criticized by human rights groups. The announcement followed a critical report by the Church of Sweden, aid group Diakonia and SwedWatch, a nonprofit group that monitors the conduct of Swedish businesses. The report said Assa Abloy disrespects international humanitarian law by conducting business in occupied territory.

»

Israel Targets Palestinian Students
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Mohammed Omer - October 20, 2008 - 8:00pm

The letter of acceptance that 28-year-old Hazem Hussain got for a business graduate programme in a Californian university once brought joy. Now he does not know what to do with it. He has admission, and a visa to the U.S., but the Israelis will not let him leave. "I have tried to get out through every means possible for a year now," he says. "But I am not able to go." The semester started some weeks ago.

»

Hamas Welcomes Egypt Plan for Palestinian Unity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
October 20, 2008 - 8:00pm

Hamas on Tuesday gave its tentative support to an Egyptian plan to reconcile the Islamist movement and the rival Fatah faction of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. "We will agree to the draft of the agreement and will not reject it," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP, but he added that the plan would require some "modification" before it could be implemented. "The draft contains positive elements, but also has some points that need modification and some points that need clarification from the Egyptian leadership."

»

Egypt to host intra-Palestinian talks next month
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
October 20, 2008 - 8:00pm

Egypt has invited Hamas and Fatah to meet in Cairo on November 9 for talks aimed at restoring Palestinian unity, Hamas said Monday. "We received yesterday a draft of the Egyptian vision for Palestinian reconciliation which includes a call for a full Palestinian dialogue," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP. "Hamas has no problem in attending and we were the first to call for Palestinian-Palestinian talks to end the internal conflict," he added.

»

Palestinian group says Israelis killed 68 children in Gaza in year
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Rory McCarthy - October 20, 2008 - 8:00pm

A prominent Palestinian human rights group says it has found evidence that 68 children were killed in the Gaza Strip in the 12 months to June this year as a result of "disproportionate and excessive lethal force" by the Israeli military.

»

October 20th

In an op-ed for The Boston Globe Ephraim Sneh outlines the Mideast challenges facing the next U.S. President (1). Another op-ed by Ian Black in the UK’s Guardian addresses the same set of challenges and suggests an Arab peace initiative as vital to keeping Israeli-Palestinian negotiations afloat (2). Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak condemn settler violence against Palestinians during the olive harvest (4) (8) . Tzipi Livni receives a two-week extension to continue building a coalition government (7).

Abbas: to meet Olmert October 27, counterpart made positive remarks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)
October 19, 2008 - 8:00pm

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Sunday evening remarked he is to meet Israeli counterpart Ehud Olmert October 27 and added the latter made positive remarks on several issues recently. Abbas told a host of Palestinian columnists Olmert spoke of returning "almost all of the West Bank" and "almost all Jerusalem neighborhoods," adding, however, he was not sure what his counterpart meant exactly by "almost.

»

Half of Palestinians Want Combined Election
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Angus Reid Global Monitor
October 19, 2008 - 8:00pm

Many adults in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank would like to hold the presidential and legislative ballots at the same time, according to a poll by the Jerusalem Media & Communication Center. 51.4 per cent of respondents support having simultaneous elections.

»

Hamas could halt talks on Israeli soldier: official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Nidal Al-Mughrabi - October 19, 2008 - 8:00pm

Hamas could halt talks on the release of an Israeli soldier seized in a cross-border raid and now being held in the Gaza Strip if Egypt does not free one of its leaders, a Hamas official said. Soldier Gilad Shalit was abducted by militants from an Israeli army base in June 2006. In exchange for his release, Hamas has demanded that Israel sets free hundreds of prisoners it holds. It also wants Egypt to release Ayman Nofal, a senior Hamas military operative arrested in Egypt on suspicion he was planning to attack targets there. Egypt has been trying to mediate a prisoner swap.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017