June 5th, 2008

Syria-israel Talks To Be Held On 'regular' Basis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - June 5, 2008 - 6:20pm

The indirect Israeli-Syrian talks, which are expected to resume next week in Turkey, will be held on a regular basis, a Turkish official said Wednesday, without spelling out what the frequency of the talks would be. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's chief of staff, Yoram Turbowicz, and his foreign policy adviser, Shalom Turgeman, are expected to go to Turkey next week to resume the indirect negotiations with the Syrians, with the Turkish team shuttling between the two delegations.

»

Abbas Aides Say Hamas Talks Depend On Ceding Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
June 5, 2008 - 6:19pm

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has not softened his position on reconciliation with Hamas and dialogue still depends on the Islamists ceding the Gaza Strip, his aides said on Thursday. Abbas called on Wednesday for reconciliation talks with Hamas leaders without explicitly repeating previous demands they first give up the Gaza Strip, fuelling speculation the two sides could be ready to repair ties.

»

Palestinian Girl, Israeli Killed In Gaza Border Fire
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Nidal Al-mughrabi - June 5, 2008 - 6:18pm

An Israeli air strike killed a young Palestinian girl in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Thursday after an Israeli died in a militant cross-border mortar attack on a kibbutz. Palestinian medics said a girl of about eight was killed and two women were injured outside their house near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The army said it carried out an air strike in the area, saying it was targeting a militant. The attack in Gaza came after Palestinian militants shelled an Israeli kibbutz, killing one person and wounding three.

»

Palestinian Leader Urges Talks With Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - June 5, 2008 - 6:09pm

The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, called unexpectedly late Wednesday for a resumption of dialogue with the Islamic militant group Hamas, a move that could herald a breakdown of his peace talks with Israel. In a short televised speech, Mr. Abbas, who is based in the West Bank, expressed his desire to restore national unity. Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007. Mr. Abbas said that if talks with Hamas succeeded, he would call for legislative and presidential elections. His term is supposed to end in January.

»

June 4th

A New York Times piece reports on Abbas’s call for the resumption of dialogue with Hamas (1.) Nidal al-Mughrabi describes recent violence at the Gaza Border (2.) George Hishmeh reports on the AIPAC Conference held this week (5.) and Al Jazeera follows up on the story of the of the eight Fulbright students from Gaza ( 9.)

Hamas: We'll Accept Truce For Removing Siege
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - June 4, 2008 - 5:42pm

srael's position regarding the Egyptian initiative for achieving a truce with the Palestinians is totally unclear, but that does not mean that Hamas does not want a cease-fire, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Tuesday. He said that despite the difficulties in reaching an agreement, the Egyptians were making efforts to achieve a truce between the Palestinians and Israel. "Hamas's position toward the Egyptian initiative is very clear," said Haniyeh.

»

Rice Pushes Peace As Olmert Visits Washington
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
June 4, 2008 - 5:41pm

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made clear on Tuesday Washington will press for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal this year despite the corruption scandal dogging Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert, who arrived in Washington on Tuesday at the start of a three-day visit, has rebuffed calls that he leave office over allegations that he took envelopes stuffed with cash from a Jewish-American businessman.

»

Palestinians Protest Nearly Year-long Siege On Gaza Strip
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
June 4, 2008 - 5:40pm

Around 100 Palestinians gathered outside the UN refugee agency's headquarters in Gaza City Tuesday to protest a nearly one-year-old Israeli blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory. The protesters, including a number of women and children, held signs saying "No more blood" and "Lift the siege from us" as they called on Israel and Egypt to reopen border crossings into Gaza.

»

Black Market Soars As Hamas Rations Fuel In Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Khaleej Times
June 4, 2008 - 5:38pm

For the past five days Abdullah Naqbil has been waiting outside the car he parked at a service station fuel pump, planning to be the first person served when the next shipment of diesel arrives. ‘Sometimes I even sleep in the car,’ he says as he sits on the sidewalk. Barely 20 of Gaza's 160 petrol stations are open, and then only when they receive fuel from Israel, which has blockaded the Gaza Strip in response to Palestinian rocket attacks.

»

Olmert's Survival Instinct Rapidly Fading
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times
by Joe Macaron - June 4, 2008 - 5:37pm

It must be ecstatic for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to be in Washington for three days, a brief escape from a quasi political inferno. Not only haunted by scandals and calls to step down, but by a Palestinian process devoid of substance, an inherently strained Syrian track and a puzzled observation of developments in Lebanon. The man came to power with two enduring complexes: the lack of military heroism and subsequently the guilt to compromise.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017