August 11th

'Barak wanted to avenge border incident, attack Lebanon' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roee Nahmias - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am France dissuaded Israel from opening a large-scale military operation against Lebanon in response to the border incident which killed Ltc. Dov Harari, the London-based al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Wednesday. French sources told the paper that Defense Minister Ehud Barak had informed French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner that "Israel intends on opening a large-scale military operation to educate the Lebanese Army and avenge the death of the senior Israeli officer." » Read more

Is Hezbollah right that Israel assassinated Lebanon's Rafik Hariri? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Nicholas Blanford - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am On Monday night, the leader of Hezbollah showed intercepted Israeli reconnaissance footage and confessions of Israeli spies to back his accusation that Israel was responsible for the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri – an explosive murder under investigation by an international tribunal. » Read more

A soldier's word ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am Children in the West Bank throw stones at army vehicles and Israeli cars, mainly those belonging to settlers. That is the undeniable truth. Throwing stones is the classic way of telling the occupier, who is armed from head to toe, that he has forced himself on the occupied. Sometimes it's part of a sweeping resistance movement, sometimes it's a ceremonial remnant of such a movement, not devoid of braggadocio and adolescent boredom, while also a reminder to adults not to adapt. » Read more

Israel's Gaza blockade: Millions of dollars worth of aid piles up in warehouses ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Anne Usher - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am In a half-dozen warehouses in this southern Israeli port, refrigerators and roofing materials for Israeli homes share space with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of PVC pipes, generators, and other equipment intended for 37 wells and water treatment facilities in the Gaza Strip. Stacked in other warehouses close to the Gaza border are steel pipes and cement for building the facilities’ foundations – part of $85 million set aside for water projects by UNICEF and other international donors. » Read more

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