PA: Exports from Gaza 'within weeks' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 17, 2010 - 12:00am The Palestinian Authority will take over the administration of the southernmost Gaza-Israel crossing "within the coming weeks," Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein Ash-Sheikh told Ma'an Radio on Thursday. The official said that 95 percent of the structural changes to the crossing had already been completed, and once they were done the hand-over would be made. » Read more

Israeli army assassinates Hamas leader ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 17, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli forces entered the home of a Hamas leader in Tulkarem on Friday morning and shot him three times in the neck and chest before withdrawing, family members said. Medics at the Thabit Thabit Hospital in Tulkarem confirmed that 38-year-old Iyad As’ad Shelbaya, a known Hamas leader, was dead, killed by three bullets to the neck and chest. Shelbaya lived in the Nur Shams refugee camp east of Tulkarem. Security sources said he was assassinated during a raid on his home at 2:30 a.m. on Friday morning. » Read more

Palestinians Make Strides In West Bank Security ATFP World Press Roundup Article from National Public Radio (NPR) by Deborah Amos - (Analysis) September 16, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli and Palestinian leaders are back at the table negotiating for peace, and a key factor in getting them there was improved security in the West Bank. The Palestinians have taken a larger role, forming police and security forces that have helped restore order in the disputed territory. It’s considered a success, but a new report says it’s hard to sustain. » Read more

Campaigns to hurt Israeli economy really hurt Middle East peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Jon Haber - (Opinion) September 16, 2010 - 12:00am After three years of relative quiet, Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns have been making a comeback in the past 12 months. The BDS movement demands that organizations divest from Israel’s economy as a protest against claims of human-rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Certainly, loud divestment protests on well-known college campuses and boycott decisions by aging pop stars may make sexier headlines than the quieter work of peace negotiations. » Read more

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks under threat from Hamas. Can Syria help? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Nicholas Blanford - September 16, 2010 - 12:00am With Gaza rocket fire and Israeli air strikes providing a potent reminder of Hamas's potential to destabilize Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, US envoy George Mitchell arrived in Syria today looking to secure broader regional support. While Syrian leaders have repeatedly expressed support for restarting peace talks with Israel, few expect an imminent breakthrough on that front. But where Syria could play a crucial role in the short term is in helping the US shore up the recently renewed Israeli-Palestinian talks. » Read more

Israel-Palestinian talks end without settlement deal: What happens next? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - September 16, 2010 - 12:00am US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left the Middle East on Thursday with no sign of a breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, despite three days of intensive mediation. The key sticking point is an unresolved dispute over Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank. Only two weeks remain before Israel's settlement freeze expires. With Palestinians threatening to quit the talks if construction resumes, negotiators have a fast-closing window – one filled with a cluster of Jewish holidays – to come up with an end game. » Read more

Israel-Palestinian talks end without settlement deal: What happens next? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - September 16, 2010 - 12:00am US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left the Middle East on Thursday with no sign of a breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, despite three days of intensive mediation. The key sticking point is an unresolved dispute over Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank. Only two weeks remain before Israel's settlement freeze expires. With Palestinians threatening to quit the talks if construction resumes, negotiators have a fast-closing window – one filled with a cluster of Jewish holidays – to come up with an end game. » Read more

Is George Mitchell in the Middle East, or Northern Ireland? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Jackson Diehl - (Opinion) September 16, 2010 - 12:00am A dozen years ago, former senator George Mitchell helped to broker a peace accord, the "Good Friday agreement," between warring Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. The Irish still appear to be grateful. But I'm not so sure about Israelis and Palestinians -- who appear to be doomed to listen to Mitchell draw parallels between their conflict and that of the Irish at every possible opportunity. » Read more

Clinton wraps up Israeli, Palestinian talks - for now ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Glenn Kessler - September 16, 2010 - 12:00am Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday wrapped up three days of intense Middle East diplomacy that produced good atmospherics but no sign that an impasse over Israeli settlement construction has been resolved. "We all know that there is no alternative to peace other than negotiating peace, so we have no alternative but to continue peace efforts," Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said before meeting with the chief U.S. diplomat in the West Bank city of Ramallah. » Read more

No sign impasse is resolved as Clinton ends Mideast trip ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Glenn Kessler - September 16, 2010 - 12:00am Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday wrapped up three days of intense Middle East diplomacy that produced good atmospherics but no sign that an impasse over Israeli settlement construction has been resolved. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said before meeting with Clinton in this West Bank city that both sides recognize there is "no alternative" to continuing peace efforts. But he gave little sign that he is willing to keep talks going after a partial moratorium on Israeli construction expires Sept. 30. » Read more