September 18th

Tough road ahead for Livni
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by Jeremy Bowen - September 17, 2008 - 8:00pm

In the end, only a few hundred votes separated Tzipi Livni and Shaul Mofaz. But Ms Livni has won, and now she gets the chance to form a government. The day before the vote, one of her strategists, full of confidence, sat back and predicted that if it was going to be a big victory, he would know by 1730 on the afternoon of polling day. But the winning margin was narrow, and Ms Livni's camp had to wait until the middle of the night to be sure they had it.

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Livni begins new government talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
September 17, 2008 - 8:00pm

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is beginning the task of putting together a new government after her election as leader of the ruling Kadima party. She has 42 days to form a coalition and replace Ehud Olmert as prime minister. The leadership vote was called after Mr Olmert, who will remain as caretaker prime minister, announced he would step down to fight corruption allegations. Ms Livni narrowly beat Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz by just 431 votes, or 1.1%, in Wednesday's primary.

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September 17th

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni claims victory as the Kadima Party successor to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (1). The World Bank warns that Israeli restrictions are severely hampering the growth of the Palestinian economy and leaving it largely dependent on foreign aid (2). An op-ed by Jonathon Freedland in The Guardian discusses the prospects for a future two-state solution (3). Israel lifts restrictions on the town of Nablus that had barred Israeli Arabs from shopping in the town (4). Jordan and Kuwait renew their support for the Palestinian Authority (7).

IDF rejects bid to up charges in case of prisoner shot in leg at Na'alin protest
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yuval Azoulay, Tomer Zarchin - September 16, 2008 - 8:00pm

The IDF's Military Advocate General has rejected the demand to increase the charges against the former commander of the 71st battalion, Lt. Col. Omri Burberg, who was filmed in June holding a bound and blindfolded Palestinian prisoner and ordering one of his soldiers to fire a rubber bullet at the prisoner's leg.

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Settlers face down IDF, prevent evacuation of West Bank outpost
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yuval Azoulay, Nadav Shragai - September 16, 2008 - 8:00pm

The Israel Defense Forces backed off of a planned evacuation of an illegal West Bank outpost after a throng of settlers who learned of the plan gathered at the site before dawn on Wednesday. The security forces had amassed a considerable number of personnel who were ready to evacuate the outpost of Yad Yair, west of the settlement of Binyamin. Senior IDF officials have held contacts with settler leaders in an effort to coordinate an agreed upon relocation of the outpost closer to the settlement of Dolev.

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Palestinian official: Olmert, Abbas to meet as long as PM stays in office
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
September 16, 2008 - 8:00pm

A Palestinian official says President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will continue to met for peace talks as long as Olmert remains in office. Olmert has pledged to step down over corruption allegations but he could stay in his post until next year if his resignation leads to a new election. He and Abbas met Tuesday and an Israeli official said afterward that the two would meet again after Abbas returns from the UN General Assembly in New York later this month.

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Jordan, Kuwait renew support for PA
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
September 16, 2008 - 8:00pm

Jordan and Kuwait on Tuesday renewed their support for the Palestinian Authority?s efforts to unify the Palestinian ranks. During talks in Kuwait City between His Majesty King Abdullah and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, the two leaders said the current Palestinian rift threatens the interests of the Palestinian people and its aspirations to establish an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza. They also called for intensifying efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians as a result of the harsh economic conditions they are experiencing.

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Patience frays
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Ahram
by Dina Ezzat - September 16, 2008 - 8:00pm

The look on the face of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as he exited meetings with Arab foreign ministers at a late evening hour Monday, or earlier in the week after talks with President Hosni Mubarak, was one of despair. Abbas is all but saying that he cannot conclude a final status deal with the Israelis as he had hoped and that he cannot keep on fighting -- or as hard -- his immediate political adversary, Hamas. Abbas is saying this to all Arab, including Egyptian, interlocutors and is not getting much support from either.

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Keep Israel and Syria Talking
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times
by Bruce Riedel, Bilal Y. Saab - September 16, 2008 - 8:00pm

The indirect negotiations between Syria and Israel that began last May have gone as far as they can. Their purpose -- to break the ice between the two states after eight years of not talking, and to test one another's resolve over certain issues -- has been achieved. Now, Syrian President Bashar Assad wants to move forward, as evidenced in his proposal to Israel for direct peace talks at a recent four-way summit in Damascus involving Syria, Turkey, France and Qatar.

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Trade blossoms as Israel eases chokehold on Nablus
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Wafa Amr - September 16, 2008 - 8:00pm

Trade is blooming in Nablus after eight years of commercial drought, as Arabs from Israel return to shop in a city declared off-limits in 2000 as a font of Palestinian militancy in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. "I have not set foot in Nablus since the beginning of the Intifada in 2000," said Njeidat, a chef from the Galilee area to the north, home to many of Israel's million Arab citizens.

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