July 7th

Poll: 2/3 of Palestinians against rocket attacks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews July 7, 2010 - 12:00am Some 68% of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza do not want Hamas to resume its rocket attacks on Israel, while 25.5% believe the attacks against Israel's southern communities should be resumed, according to a survey conducted by the Ramallah-based Arab World for Research & Development (AWRAD) organization. The poll's findings, which are based on answers by 1,200 respondents, indicate that 35.4% of Palestinians residing in Hamas-ruled Gaza are interested in resuming the attacks, while only 19.5% of Palestinians in the West Bank share this opinion. » Read more

Analysis: President now working with the PM, not against him ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - July 7, 2010 - 12:00am Tuesday's White House meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama was the fifth time the two leaders have met in some 14 months, but only the second time they have issued joint statements and answered questions together. And the difference in Obama's tone on Tuesday, compared to the last time they met the press in the Oval Office in May 2009, was striking. » Read more

ANALYSIS / Obama trying carrot, not stick, on Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Aluf Benn - (Analysis) July 7, 2010 - 12:00am From the White House's perspective, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in a constant state of vacillation, evading any decision that could get him into political trouble. United States President Barack Obama is striving to put an end to Netanyahu's hesitations and push him to make the historic decision to withdraw from the occupied territories and establish a Palestinian state in place of the settlements. » Read more

Report: Secret document affirms U.S.-Israel nuclear partnership ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - July 7, 2010 - 12:00am Israel's Army Radio reported on Wednesday that the United States has sent Israel a secret document committing to nuclear cooperation between the two countries. According to Army Radio, the U.S. has reportedly pledged to sell Israel materials used to produce electricity, as well as nuclear technology and other supplies, despite the fact that Israel is not a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. » Read more

Nice pictures, but what did Obama and Bibi discuss? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - (Opinion) July 7, 2010 - 12:00am The optics were perfect, but the meaning was elusive. President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat together Tuesday, joshing and smiling, trying to project a clear message: The rift was over. Israel and the United States are on the same track again. » Read more

Hamas arrests alleged collaborators with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Ibrahim Barzak - July 7, 2010 - 12:00am The militant Hamas group launched a campaign to arrest suspected collaborators with Israel in the Gaza Strip, detaining five in overnight raids, a Hamas security official said Wednesday. The raids began after a two-month amnesty for collaborators expired and just three months after two collaborators were executed. Collaboration is viewed as an especially egregious offense in Palestinian society. The Hamas official said suspects would go to trial, adding, "We are not going to show any mercy to those involved in spying on our people." » Read more

Saudi Arabia and Israel Once Again ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) July 7, 2010 - 12:00am Last Saturday, I wrote that two parties have been provoked by the intense Saudi Arabian political presence and activity at the international level, especially after the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz participated in the G20 summit in Canada, and following this visited Washington where he received a warm welcome from US President Barack Obama. These parties are of course Iran and Israel. » Read more

PA minister banned from entering Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 7, 2010 - 12:00am PA Minister of Prisoners Affairs Issa Qaraqe was denied entry into Israel on Tuesday and stripped of his VIP card permitting him to cross Israeli military checkpoints without harassment. The minister told Ma'an that he was en route to a meeting in Nazareth with a follow-up committee on the cases of Palestinian prisoners in Israel who hold Israeli ID cards when he was detained. » Read more

Obama Says Direct Israeli-Palestinian Talks May Be Imminent ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Jonathan Ferziger, Roger Runningen - July 7, 2010 - 12:00am President Barack Obama said direct Israel-Palestinian talks may get started within less than three months, praising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a leader prepared to take “risks for peace.” Obama and Netanyahu, speaking to reporters at the White House yesterday after an 80-minute meeting, both said they wanted to dispel concerns that the U.S. commitment to Israel has been weakened by disputes over construction in West Bank settlements and east Jerusalem. The two leaders ate lunch together with advisers. » Read more

Palestine stands up ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Shlomo Avineri - (Opinion) July 7, 2010 - 12:00am Although the crisis over Israel’s naval interventions to defend its blockade of Gaza is gaining all the headlines around the world, something of far more historic importance is taking place in the Middle East. The Palestinian Authority is preparing to issue a unilateral declaration of independence, and it is taking concrete steps on the ground to make any such declaration viable. » Read more