November 15th

Palestinians Aim For Agreement With Israel Within Year ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Rory Mccarthy - November 15, 2007 - 6:28pm Palestinian negotiators want to set a timetable to secure a peace agreement with Israel within a year, according to Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior Palestinian official, who yesterday stressed that the bold agenda was "realistic". Abed Rabbo, a senior figure within the Palestine Liberation Organisation and a leading negotiator, said the peace conference expected to be held in Annapolis, Maryland, within a fortnight, was aiming at a renewed peace process based on a fresh approach to the US "road map" of 2003. » Read more

Israelis On Us Mission Ahead Of Peace Meeting ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) by Charly Wegman - November 15, 2007 - 6:26pm Two top aides to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert flew to Washington overnight ahead of expected peace talks, amid reports of a freeze on construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Olmert plans to freeze the growth of settlements as a concession to Palestinians ahead of the planned US-sponsored meeting. » Read more

White House Implores Organized Jewry To Support Peace Summit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - November 15, 2007 - 6:25pm The Bush administration is making a last-ditch effort to push the mainstream Jewish community into action in advance of the upcoming peace summit. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made the pitch Tuesday in a high-profile speech in front of United Jewish Communities, the roof body of North America’s local federations of Jewish charities. The organization was having its annual General Assembly here. Speaking to 3,500 Jewish communal leaders, Rice said that “failure is not an option” for the upcoming summit, which is set to take place in Annapolis, Md. » Read more

Mideast-us: New Scholars Group Seen As Close To White House ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Khody Akhavi - November 15, 2007 - 6:23pm And it boasts several big name albeit controversial scholars, among them Bernard Lewis and Fouad Ajami, two academics who advised the George W. Bush administration's policy towards the Middle East. Citing the "the increased politicisation of these fields, and the certainty that a corrupt understanding of them is a danger to the academy as well as the future of the young people it purports to educate," the newly formed Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) aims to offer "dispassionate" study of the region. » Read more

What About Hamas? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Baltimore Sun (Editorial) November 15, 2007 - 6:21pm The Islamic militant group Hamas brutally put down a rally by thousands of Gazans who turned out this week to mark the third anniversary of the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The demonstration was a tribute to Mr. Arafat, but more important, it was also a show of support for his Fatah faction and a strong sign of Gazans' growing antipathy toward Hamas. In Gaza, though, Hamas gunmen rule, and they may well become the uninvited spoilers of the peace summit planned for Annapolis. » Read more

Palestinian Security Paradox ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by David Ignatius - (Opinion) November 15, 2007 - 6:20pm Here's a safe prediction in advance of the Annapolis peace conference scheduled to take place in a few weeks: The Palestinians won't be ready to fulfill their obligation to provide security in the West Bank under the "road map to peace." The Palestinian Authority simply doesn't have the people, the training or the equipment to maintain order in the territories. » Read more

Palestinians Begin Rebuilding Symbols Of Authority ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Wael Al-ahmed, Adam Entous - November 15, 2007 - 6:17pm Work crews are laying foundations for a Palestinian state, clearing away the twisted ruins of government compounds destroyed by Israel to start a major rebuilding campaign. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's plan calls for rebuilding eight muqatas -- Arabic for headquarters -- and other administrative buildings flattened by Israel across the occupied West Bank after the start of a Palestinian uprising in 2000. » Read more

Fear Of Hamas Looms Over Statehood Bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Week by Stewart Ain - November 15, 2007 - 6:15pm The bloody end to a massive rally in Gaza Monday marking the third anniversary of Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat’s death is seen as underscoring the disunity of the Palestinian people whose aspirations for their own state are proving more and more elusive. » Read more

Israelis Press Plan To Block The Division Of Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - November 15, 2007 - 6:13pm The Israeli Parliament gave preliminary approval on Wednesday to a bill intended to hinder any division of Jerusalem in a future deal with the Palestinians. The vote came as Israel’s rightist and religious parties started positioning themselves before an American-sponsored peace gathering expected to take place in Annapolis, Md., this month. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he plans to negotiate with the Palestinians after Annapolis on the core issues relating to a two-state solution, including security issues, borders, refugees and the status of Jerusalem. » Read more

Hamas To Curb Press, Gatherings In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Sarah El Deeb - November 15, 2007 - 6:12pm Gaza's Hamas rulers issued an edict Wednesday banning journalists from working in the coastal strip unless they submit to sweeping press restrictions, and it said it would soon impose new restraints on public gatherings. The moves, which follow the arrests of hundreds of opposition activists, appeared to be part of an intensifying clampdown after the Islamic militant group was confronted with a mass demonstration called by the rival Fatah movement that led to violence. » Read more