July 1st, 2008

Eu Official: Rafah Won't Be Permanently Opened Any Time Soon
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
July 1, 2008 - 3:41pm

Palestinian diplomat Nabil Amr said Monday that Egypt will open the Rafah border crossing for two days on Tuesday to allow hundreds of stranded on both sides to cross, but EU officials said this was only a temporary move, and did not represent the reopening of the crossing. Lt.-Gen. Pietro Pistolese, head of the EU Border Assistance Mission that monitored the Rafah crossing in 2005 and 2006, said that although the crossing is open from time to time for humanitarian reasons or to allow delegations to pass through, this did not constitute the legal opening of the crossing.

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Israel Seals Gaza Crossings After Rocket Attack
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - July 1, 2008 - 3:34pm

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned Palestinian militants on Tuesday that Israel would respond with force if attacks from the Gaza Strip persist in defiance of a recent truce. Earlier in the day, Israel once again closed its cargo crossings, accusing Palestinian militants of firing a rocket at southern Israel in violation of a shaky truce. Gaza's Hamas rulers denied a rocket was fired on Monday evening, and accused Israel of looking for excuses to shirk its commitment under the cease-fire agreement to ease its blockade of impoverished Gaza.

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Palestinian Leader, Israeli Defense Minister Meet
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
July 1, 2008 - 3:32pm

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak met briefly Tuesday on the sidelines of a worldwide socialist party conference near Athens. The two met privately for a half-hour on the sidelines of a three-day Socialist International conference in this coastal resort, 25 miles south of Athens. After the meeting, Barak said he expected U.S.-backed peace talks with the Palestinians to continue, according to aides who were there when he spoke.

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Palestinians Queue In Droves As Egypt Reopens Rafah Crossing
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times
by David Byers - July 1, 2008 - 3:25pm

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were today queuing in their hundreds at the territory's hated border with Egypt after it was opened for the first time in months. Crowds gathered at the Rafah crossing after Egypt agreed to ease the closure for two days, with officials saying that Palestinians requiring medical attention would be allowed treatment at Egyptian hospitals.

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June 30th

Egypt opens the Rafah crossing temporarily after several months of closure, (1) though a permanent opening still appears a long way off (4). Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbbas met briefly with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak outside of Athens (2). Gaza crossings are closed again as rockets fall in southern Israel (3). B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group warns that the West Bank is looking at a serious water shortage in the near future (6).

Hamas Arrests Fatah Spokesman In Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - June 30, 2008 - 5:26pm

Hamas security forces arrested the spokesman for Fatah's Aksa Martyrs Brigades in the Gaza Strip on Sunday. Muhammad Abu Armaneh, who is better known by his nom de guerre Abu Qusai, was taken into custody while standing in front of his shop in Rafah, sources in the Gaza Strip said. The arrest is believed to be linked to Hamas's attempts to enforce the truce agreement that was reached with Israel last week. Last week, Armaneh was the one who announced that the Aksa Martyrs Brigades had fired three rockets at Israel in violation of the cease-fire.

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Scared Of Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Atilla Somfalvi - (Opinion) June 30, 2008 - 5:25pm

“Hannibal was a military commander who lived more than 2,000 years ago and defeated the Romans in several battles,” Benjamin Netanyahu said at the Knesset cafeteria last week. “For Hundreds of years, mothers in Rome would use him to scare children who wouldn’t eat. They would tell them: ‘If you don’t eat, Hannibal will come for you.’ Now, Hannibal is back. I’m Hannibal.”

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New Mt. Hebron Neighborhood Absorbs 10 New Families
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Erfat Weiss - June 30, 2008 - 5:21pm

Ten incoming families will inhabit their new homes Monday in a new neighborhood built in the Carmel settlement on South Mount Hebron. Although the Yesha Council is talking about settlements construction being frozen, an inauguration ceremony for the new neighborhood is due to take place Tuesday. One of the new residents told Ynet, “We are not sneaking in like thieves at night.”

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Illusions Built On Domestic Necessities
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) June 30, 2008 - 5:18pm

In the last few weeks we have witnessed a series of developments that at face value might appear inconsistent with the general trends of deterioration that the Arab-Israel conflict in particular and the Middle East in general has been experiencing.

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Arab League Holds Talks With Palestinian Official On Palestinian Dialogue
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Kuwait News Agency (kuna)
June 30, 2008 - 5:17pm

Palestinian Fatah parliamentary leader Azzam Al-Ahmed held discussion Saturday with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa regarding ways of enhancing Palestinian national dialogue efforts and end division among Palestinian two main parties. Al-Ahmad said in a press release after the meeting that discussion focused on efforts exerted to kick off Palestinian talks, end division in the arena Palestinian, and return unity based on the Yemeni initiative.

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