US: Direct talks ‘getting closer’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and US envoy George Mitchell on Tuesday failed to reach agreement on the issue of direct talks between the PA and Israel. The two men met in Ramallah to discuss the latest developments surrounding the peace process and US efforts to launch direct talks between the two parties. » Read more

Bibi’s catastrophic testimony ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Nahum Barnea - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am For weeks, Benjamin Netanyahu prepared for his appearance before the Turkel Committee. First, he hired the services of Dori Klagsblad, a top-notch lawyer considered the greatest expert on overcoming commissions of inquiry. The attorney briefed the prime minister, prepared a list of possible questions, and drafted answered memorized by the PM. » Read more

US officials optimistic about direct talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am The White House's Mideast envoy failed Tuesday to secure Palestinian agreement to go to direct talks with Israel, but U.S. and Palestinian officials said a possible solution to the standoff is emerging. The U.S. has been calling for a speedy resumption of face-to-face negotiations, with officials citing Sept. 1 as a target date. » Read more

23 settlement activists arrested after march into Jericho ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Tovah Lazaroff - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am Judea and Samaria police detained 23 right-wing activists on Tuesday who clashed with security personnel after the activists illegally entered the Jericho to pray at the Na’aran synagogue. Far-right activist Itamar Ben-Gvir said that as of press time, a number of activists were still in the synagogue. He said that the police used excessive force against the marchers and that six of them had been injured. Once they were in custody, he said, a driver threw stones at the protesters before they were forced to board his security vehicle so that they could be taken out of the city. » Read more

Accountability unclear in Israeli probe of deadly Gaza flotilla raid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am Israel's inquiry into a naval raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May has raised the question of who bears responsibility for the deadly outcome, which drew international condemnation and compelled Israel to ease its embargo of the Palestinian enclave. In the first two days of testimony before a government-appointed commission, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak made statements that appeared to shift a good part of the burden off their shoulders. » Read more

Cinema Jenin brings movies and revival to a scarred West Bank city ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am For years this dusty city in the northern West Bank was a hotbed of Palestinian militancy, with gunmen roaming the streets, suicide bombers dispatched to Israel and lethal Israeli army raids leaving swaths of destruction. Now, the renovation and reopening of a movie theater closed for 23 years is being celebrated as a harbinger of change and cultural revival. It is the latest symbol of the transformation of this city, where Palestinian security forces are firmly in control and the local economy is improving after the easing of Israeli-imposed travel restrictions. » Read more

The Negotiations…And Thinking Outside The Box ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Ali Ibrahim - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am I was struck by what the great writer Anis Mansour said in an interview with Egyptian television. The important thing to draw from the interview was when [Anis Mansour] narrated his experience with the late President Anwar Sadat in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, during Sadat's first visit [to Israel], which shocked both the region and the world. » Read more

Justice Ministry wants clearer separation of powers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 11, 2010 - 12:00am The justice sector under the Palestinian Authority needs a clear separation of powers and a clarified jurisdictional scheme to make it more effective, officials from the Ministry of Justice say. The minister and several key portfolio holders from the ministry gathered in Bethlehem on Saturday to conduct a three-day self-evaluation on the performance of the ministry and its branches. Following the close of meetings Monday, ministerial undersecretary Khalil Karaja spoke with Ma'an. » Read more

President Abbas and Peace Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times (Editorial) August 11, 2010 - 12:00am Making peace between Israelis and Palestinians is somewhat like solving a Rubik’s Cube. You get one colored square lined up but the next one just won’t fall into place. So it is now. After three months of American-mediated proximity talks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has agreed to direct negotiations on a two-state solution; the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, is stubbornly resisting. It is time for him to talk. » Read more