July 26th

Abbas: 'Entire world' wants direct talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - July 25, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday that he was under pressure from the international community to begin direct negotiations with Israel. He told the PA’s Voice of Palestine radio station that he would enter direct talks only if progress was first achieved on the future borders and security of a Palestinian state. Without “clear and specific references,” the negotiations would collapse from the beginning, Abbas said. » Read more

Israel's harassment of citizens could ignite uprising, warns Arab politician ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by David Hearst - July 26, 2010 - 12:00am Israel could ignite a third intifada if it continues to push its 1.2 million Arab citizens into a corner, claims Haneen Zoabi, the Arab member of the Knesset vilified for joining the Gaza aid flotilla. Zoabi, who was branded a traitor for her participation in the Gaza convoy, warned that Israel was playing with fire. "We accepted a democratic, liberal state, we voted for the Knesset. But we are not just an internal issue – we are the litmus test of the whole problem. If Israel does not recognise this, conditions will deteriorate towards a third intifada." » Read more

Top settler rabbi arrested for allegedly inciting to kill non-Jews ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - July 26, 2010 - 12:00am The head rabbi of a prominent yeshiva in the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar was arrested Monday for writing a book that allegedly encourages the killing of non-Jews. Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira is the alleged author of the book "The King's Torah," which deems as legal, according to "Jewish law," the killing of non-Jews. Police began investigating Shapira after an advertisement for the book in a Hebrew newspaper created a public uproar. Deputy Attorney General Shai Nitzan encouraged the investigation as he believed the book contained an incitement to violence. » Read more

IDF Strikes 3 Gaza Targets ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Israel News July 26, 2010 - 12:00am The Israel Air Force struck three targets in the Gaza Strip Sunday night including an arms factory in the northern Strip and two smuggling tunnels in the south. The military reported that precise hits were identified and all jets returned safely to their bases. There were no reports of injuries on the Palestinian side. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said the assault came in response to the rockets and mortar shells fired at Israel over the weekend. » Read more

IDF: Curb 'price tag' violence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Israel News by Aviel Magnezi - July 26, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian fields in the Har Bracha area were torched on Monday as part of the settlers' "price tag" reprisals against the demolition of illegal structures in the settlement of Yitzhar earlier Monday. Palestinian fire trucks were deployed to the blazing fields and a heavy cloud of smoke hovered over the region. Meanwhile, two more settlers were arrested after clashing with police officers in Givat Natan near Bracha forest. » Read more

As the Israeli blockade eases, Gaza goes shopping ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - July 26, 2010 - 12:00am Hila Abdul Wahad, a new graduate in commercial accounting from the Islamic University, was enthusiastic as she window-shopped her way round the eight new stores on the second floor of the shopping mall. "It's great that this is happening in the situation we're in," she said. "We should be proud. It feels that we are outside of Gaza, it's like ... [she paused briefly] ... being in Egypt." » Read more

As the Israeli blockade eases, Gaza goes shopping ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - July 26, 2010 - 12:00am Hila Abdul Wahad, a new graduate in commercial accounting from the Islamic University, was enthusiastic as she window-shopped her way round the eight new stores on the second floor of the shopping mall. "It's great that this is happening in the situation we're in," she said. "We should be proud. It feels that we are outside of Gaza, it's like ... [she paused briefly] ... being in Egypt." » Read more

IDF: Curb 'price tag' violence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Israel News by Aviel Magnezi - July 26, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian fields in the Har Bracha area were torched on Monday as part of the settlers' "price tag" reprisals against the demolition of illegal structures in the settlement of Yitzhar earlier Monday. Palestinian fire trucks were deployed to the blazing fields and a heavy cloud of smoke hovered over the region. Meanwhile, two more settlers were arrested after clashing with police officers in Givat Natan near Bracha forest. » Read more

As the Israeli blockade eases, Gaza goes shopping ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - July 26, 2010 - 12:00am Hila Abdul Wahad, a new graduate in commercial accounting from the Islamic University, was enthusiastic as she window-shopped her way round the eight new stores on the second floor of the shopping mall. "It's great that this is happening in the situation we're in," she said. "We should be proud. It feels that we are outside of Gaza, it's like ... [she paused briefly] ... being in Egypt." » Read more

Pennsylvania Senate Race Turns Into Battlefield for Dueling Pro-Israel Groups ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Josh Nathan-Kazis - July 26, 2010 - 12:00am Two self-described pro-Israel groups are trading barbs and pointed advertisements in a dispute over the record of Rep. Joe Sestak, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania. The dueling advertisements, sponsored by the left-wing group J Street and a new right-wing group called the Emergency Committee for Israel, present diverging views of Sestak’s positions on Israel. Meanwhile, the two groups are targeting each other in a secondary dispute over which organization best represents the interests of Israel. » Read more