August 11th

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.

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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.

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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.

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August 10th

Hezbollah's leader again accuses Israel of responsibility for the assassination of former Lebanese PM Hariri. Micah Zenko says Israel should be open about its nuclear arsenal. A PA official denies claims by Fatah officials that a cabinet reshuffle is imminent. Israel will increase water supplies to Bethlehem. Israeli officials testify at the flotilla attack inquiry, and DM Barak takes full responsibility but contradicts PM Netanyahu. Pres. Abbas will again ask the US for clear terms of reference for direct talks and Akiva Eldar says he faces a difficult choice. Barak says that a robust peace process will end international pressure on Israel. Ami Ayalon says Israel should begin the process of voluntary resettlement of settlers back into Israel. Settler rabbis refuse to be interrogated over a book authorizing the killing of non-Jews. Asharq Al-Awsat interviews PLO official Ahmed Qurei. Shlomo Ben-Ami warns that if mishandled, the peace process could lead to war. The Arab News says Hamas is wrong to condemn the Arab League's approval of direct negotiations. Hussein Ibish looks at political and regional influences on Hamas' policies.

Hamas on killing spree in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Alex Fishman - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am

News stories about bodies found at sea are occasionally published by Gaza newspapers. The number of such bodies isn't huge, yet not all those drowning victims chose to go swimming voluntarily. The Gazans who found their death at sea include mid-level officials at sensitive government ministries, the Interior Ministry for example, alongside police and security officers. Some of them were shot in the head before being sent on their swim.

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'Voluntary Settler Return Law’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Ami Ayalon - August 9, 2010 - 12:00am

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is impossible to defer any longer. Most importantly, we will soon be facing the end of the construction freeze imposed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last year, the convening of the Knesset’s winter session, the recent Arab League resolutions and the elections for the two houses of Congress in the United States. This quadrangle of political influence is a signal that we must act now.

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Rabbis refuse questioning over war book
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Yaakov Lappin - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am

Two prominent rabbis from the national-religious camp refused police requests on Monday that they undergo questioning for their endorsements of a controversial book authored by Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira of the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar. The book, Torat Hamalech (The King’s Torah), discusses the rules of war and states that in certain situations, non-Jews can be killed. The book has attracted a firestorm of controversy since being published in 2009, and police questioned Shapira over the text last month while raiding his yeshiva, Od Yosef Chai, in Yitzhar in order to confiscate copies.

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Barak contradicts Netanyahu's testimony on flotilla
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Atilla Somfalvi - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am

Speaking before the Turkel Commission probing the raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla in May, Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday contradicted statement's made by the prime minister on Monday, who told the committee the seven-minister forum only discussed the media aspects of stopping the flotilla and did not address the operational aspects.

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A Talk with Palestinian Negotiator Ahmed Qurei
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Kifah Zaboun - August 9, 2010 - 12:00am

Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat- Ahmed Qurei, who is also known by his Arabic Kunya Abu Alaa, is a former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, and a veteran negotiator. In 1968 he joined the Fatah political party, and lived in exile with its founder, Yasser Arafat. After improving the economic fortunes of the party, he became a member of the Fatah central committee in 1989, and subsequently went on to play a prominent role in peace negotiations. He is highly regarded for the instrumental role he played in negotiating the Oslo accords of 1993.

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Barak: Peace process will get world off our back
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Atilla Somfalvi - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am

Defense Minister Ehud Barak took advantage of his testimony to the Turkel Committee, probing the deadly Navy raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, to voice political messages as well. "The key for changing Israel's legitimacy, and the ability to get the world off our back, is to restart a comprehensive peace process, to utilize the chance to reach agreements to the fullest, particularly with the Palestinians, despite the difficult price," he said.

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