July 27th, 2009

Mitchell appeals to Syria over West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Vita Bekker - July 27, 2009 - 12:00am

George Mitchell, the top US envoy to the Middle East, landed in Israel yesterday as part of a regional tour this week that includes meeting senior Israeli and Palestinian leaders to try to reach a compromise on the disputed issue of Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. Mr Mitchell’s trip to Israel and the occupied West Bank comes after his visit to Damascus, where he stated that the US wants Syria’s help in reaching a deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

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Securing the nightspots of Ramallah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Omar Karmi - July 27, 2009 - 12:00am

Basem Sharawi is having a typically busy weekend. In between joking with would-be revellers at the popular Snowbar nightspot in Ramallah while politely but firmly telling them they cannot get in to the party raging below, the 28-year-old is constantly on his walkie-talkie to other members of his five-man security team. “There’s always a way to convince people. They won’t always be happy, but they will eventually see things my way,” Mr Sharawi said with a smile.

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Envoy Mitchell kicks off Mideast peace push
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - July 26, 2009 - 12:00am

The Obama administration embarked on a multipronged Middle East peace drive on Sunday, with four senior US officials coming here to push for progress on some of the region's thorniest issues. In the course of what promises to be an intense week of diplomatic activity, Israeli, Palestinian, Syrian, and Egyptian leaders are meeting with Middle East special envoy George Mitchell. Three other heavy-hitters will also be in town: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, special adviser Dennis Ross, and National Security Adviser James Jones.

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Gaza judge tells female lawyers to wear head scarf
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Ibrahim Barzak, Diaa Hadid - July 26, 2009 - 12:00am

Gaza's top judge said Sunday that he has ordered female lawyers to wear Muslim headscarves when they appear in court, the latest sign that the Islamic militant group is increasingly imposing its strict interpretation of Islamic law on residents of the coastal strip. Supreme Court chief justice Abdul-Raouf Halabi said female lawyers will be required to wear a headscarf and a long, dark colored cloak under their billowing black robes when the court returns from its summer recess in September.

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U.S. Envoy Visits Israel After Talks in Damascus
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
July 27, 2009 - 12:00am

U.S. Middle East envoy George J. Mitchell held talks in Israel on Sunday after having a "candid and positive" discussion with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad amid a diplomatic push by Washington to restart stalled peace talks. Washington is committed to a "comprehensive peace in the Middle East, and that includes Israel and Palestine, Israel and Syria, Israel and Lebanon, and normal relations with all countries in the regions," Defense Minister Ehud Barak's office quoted Mitchell as saying after the two held talks in Tel Aviv.

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In 2 West Bank Settlements, Sign of Hope for a Deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner, Isabel Kershner - July 27, 2009 - 12:00am

Seen from afar, this fast-growing settlement embodies everything that the Obama administration wants to address through its demand for a freeze on settlement building: it sits on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and, with 45,000 residents and 60 births a week, it is the largest and fastest-growing Jewish community in the West Bank. If, as is widely believed abroad, “natural growth” by Israeli settlers is blocking the creation of a viable Palestinian state, this community should show why.

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July 24th

The New York Times looks at how Hamas is attempting to gain support through a new public relations push (1). The U.S. warns Israel against building in the controversial E-1 area of East Jerusalem (3). The President of the Union of Reform Judaism says that most U.S. Jews support President Obama’s demand for a full Israeli settlement freeze (4). A pair of articles assess difficulties faced by Arabs living in Israel (5) (10). Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says he is ready to resume peace talks with the Palestinians immediately (6). A recently released poll finds a majority of Israelis wary of Palestinian leadership, and of a U.S. backed peace process (9) (13).

Israeli derision at mufti-Hitler link
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Australian
by John Lyons - July 24, 2009 - 12:00am

ISRAEL'S colourful Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has sparked another controversy with an order to all Israel's overseas missions that they draw attention to a picture taken in Nazi Germany in 1941 showing Adolf Hitler with a Palestinian religious leader of the time. The order has been greeted inside the Israeli Foreign Ministry with derision, with one source telling The Australian it was met with "laughter, scepticism and a sense of misplaced communication that this doesn't help one bit the real argument".

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Israeli Report Stirs Settlement Worries
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal
by Joshua Mitnick - July 24, 2009 - 12:00am

An Israeli nonprofit said the city of Jerusalem and Israel's government are helping Jewish settler groups convert parts of an Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem into a tourist park, fanning international concern over Israeli expansion into areas claimed by Palestinians as their future state.

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Israelis Wary of U.S.-Backed Peace Process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from CBS News
by Robert Berger - July 24, 2009 - 12:00am

Amid strong U.S. pressure for a settlement freeze, there is growing skepticism among Israelis about America's stance in the Middle East peace process. A poll published Friday in The Jerusalem Post shows that 64 percent of Israeli Jews believe Israel cannot trust international pledges for its security in return for dismantling settlements and withdrawing from the West Bank. Furthermore, Israelis want a quid pro quo: 71 percent believe that Palestinians must freeze West Bank construction if Israel is forced to do the same.

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