August 14th

Abbas: We won't agree to temporary state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - August 14, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that Fatah would oppose any plan to form a Palestinian state with temporary borders. In a press conference held in the West Bank city of Ramallah following the end of the Fatah Congress in Bethlehem, Abbas said that the movement will adhere to former Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's legacy.

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J'lem not counting on Gulf states' gestures
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Roni Sofer - August 14, 2009 - 12:00am

The winds of change blowing in from the Gulf are being received coldly in Jerusalem. According to a message recently relayed from Washington, Qatar and Oman may be willing to renew relations with Israel if the latter freezes construction in West Bank settlements. But as there has been no progress in talks with the US regarding its demand to halt construction, Israeli officials say these are premature promises, and that no significant change in ties should be expected in the near future.

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Obama's America is not delivering the goods
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) August 14, 2009 - 12:00am

With great sorrow and deep consternation, we hereby declare the death of the latest hope. Perhaps rumors of its death are greatly exaggerated, to paraphrase the famous quote by Mark Twain, but the fears are being validated day after day. Barack Obama's America is not delivering the goods. Sharing a glass of beer with a racist cop and a pat on the back of Hugo Chavez are not what we hoped for; wholesale negotiations on freezing settlement construction are also not what we expected.

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Oman, Qatar: We'll renew Israel ties if it freezes settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - August 14, 2009 - 12:00am

The United States told Israel last week that Gulf states Oman and Qatar are willing to renew their relations with Israel if it agrees to a moratorium on construction in the West Bank, Haaretz has learned. The Obama administration has been pushing for a construction freeze in the West Bank settlements, which are illegal under international law. President Barack Obama's demand has been repeatedly rejected by Israel's government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has refused to resume negotiations until Israel complies with a freeze.

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Following election triumph, Fatah sets out to 'liberate' Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - August 14, 2009 - 12:00am

At the start of the week, a member of Iz al-Din al-Qassam, the military wing of Hamas, died in the Palestinian Authority's Juneid Prison, in Nablus. The circumstances of Fadi Hamadneh's death are unclear, with PA officials claiming he committed suicide, and Hamas claiming he was tortured to death by PA security operatives. In response to the charges, the spokesman of the Palestinian security services, Adnan Damiri, said that Hamas, which has executed hundreds of people in the Gaza Strip, has no right to talk about torture or the violation of human rights.

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After Alert, Israel Rules Out Kidnapping of Soldier
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - August 13, 2009 - 12:00am

Twelve hours after the Israeli Army began a desperate search for what it feared was an abducted soldier, it said late Thursday that it had ruled out any such possibility. “The special operations room has been closed and all roadblocks have been removed,” a military spokeswoman said. “Both the army and the Shin Bet have ruled out any kidnapping. There is still an investigation under way to understand what happened.” Shin Bet is Israel’s internal security agency.

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August 13th

Human Rights Watch calls on Israel to investigate seven alleged incidents of IDF soldiers firing at Palestinian civilians flying white flags during the Gaza war. Two Israeli civilians are shot and wounded in the West Bank. Settlers in the West Bank outpost of Bnei Adam agree to voluntarily evacuate. Conflicting accounts are reported from the Hamas and Israeli leaderships on the progress of talks regarding the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Israel increases restrictions on foreigners entering the country with ties to the West Bank. Analysis of the Palestinian political scene continues in the wake of Fatah’s recently concluded party congress.

Reframing Obama’s Approach to Negotiating Middle East Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Joyce Karam - (Opinion) August 12, 2009 - 12:00am

In addressing one of its most pivotal foreign policy challenges in the Middle East, the Obama administration needs to moderate its lexicon in framing the negotiations and expectations on the Peace Process. Using words such as “normalize” in addressing the responsibilities of Arab governments and sending mixed signals on its call for a “complete” settlement freeze from Israel, is creating misperceptions in the Arab Street of the administration’s efforts and undermining its objectives.

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Division of Jerusalem has to be faced now
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Jonathan Power - (Opinion) August 13, 2009 - 12:00am

Poets as diverse as William Blake and Yehuda Amichai have sung the praises of the heavenly Jerusalem, a land without strife or rancor, war or bitterness, envy, acquisitiveness or hatred. Israel, Fatah and Hamas have the historic opportunity to take a giant step toward making the present day Jerusalem acquire, at least in some of its aspects, the earthly prototype of the heavenly Jerusalem. For once we can see whether the work of imams, rabbis and priests can bear fruit.

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Closer to becoming a political party
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) August 13, 2009 - 12:00am

Fateh, the key Palestinian guerilla movement within the Palestine Liberation Organisation, moved one step closer to becoming a political party. Having held its sixth congress for the first time in the occupied territories, it would be hard to continue pretending to be a liberation movement. Officially, however, the over 2,000 delegates, representing former Fateh fedayyin (guerillas) and Intifada activists, voted to continue the resistance and the struggle for the liberation of Palestine. Resistance, however, was explained in a much wider perspective than the military struggle.

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