October 4th

Nablus' Online Link To The World ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Clare Simon - October 4, 2007 - 2:49pm This is a tale of two cities. The first is Nablus in the West Bank of the occupied Palestinian territories, a city of picturesque ancient buildings and winding alleyways - and fierce resistance to the Israeli presence. The second is virtual Nablus - a city of monitors, keyboards and cables where the residents of Nablus can experience a freedom they do not enjoy in real life. » Read more

Palestinians Divided Over Future Under Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald Macintyre - October 4, 2007 - 2:48pm Asked a routine question about the 2006 Palestinian elections yesterday, Khaled abu Ahmed slipped off his sandal and used it to beat his head several times to demonstrate his remorse for voting Hamas. "We wanted change and reform," he said. "We thought they would bring prosperity. We thought they were people who knew God. But, believe me, they don't know God." » Read more

Politics: Mideast Meet Has Ambiguous Agenda ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Khody Akhavi - October 4, 2007 - 2:47pm As the George W. Bush administration prepares to host its much-publicised Middle East conference, Israeli experts gathered on Capitol Hill Tuesday to discuss whether Washington's latest diplomatic attempts would pave the way for a solution to the long-moribund Palestinian-Israeli peace process. But with less than two months before the November meeting, which is to be held in Annapolis, the sentiment was anything but hopeful. » Read more

The Groups Who Cried Anti-semitism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New Republic by John B. Judis - October 4, 2007 - 2:45pm Virginia Representative Jim Moran is no stranger to controversy. And he now finds himself in midst of another one--over what he said about Jews, Iraq, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in an interview in the September-October issue of Tikkun magazine. Moran's statements have been denounced as anti-Semitic by the officials of Jewish political and religious organizations and by members of Congress. These critics see Moran's statements as part of a wave of anti-Semitism--of which Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer's book The Israel Lobby and U.S. » Read more

Mideast Negotiating Teams Get Orders ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Richard Bourdreaux - October 4, 2007 - 2:44pm The Israeli and Palestinian leaders brought their negotiating teams together for the first time Wednesday and instructed them to start work next week on a joint declaration that would pave the way for full-scale peace talks. The two-hour meeting at Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's residence did not delve into the core issues of the decades-old conflict. That task was handed to the negotiators, who have just weeks to draft a document to serve as the agenda for a peace conference called by President Bush. » Read more

Fatah Fights To Keep Hamas Out Of Mosques ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Joshua Mitnick - October 4, 2007 - 2:42pm He has been charged with no less a mission than ridding the local branch of the Palestinian religious authority of Hamas’s influence. But when a reporter arrives in his office, Hassan Hilali goes stiff. “I am only a simple man,” he apologizes, while dialing a superior to get authorization to talk. “I’ve only been in the job for a month.” » Read more

Abbas Sees Six-month Timeframe For Peace Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Mohammed Assadi - October 4, 2007 - 2:38pm Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's government said on Thursday formal negotiations to create a Palestinian state could be completed six months after a U.S.-sponsored Middle East conference. Palestinian Information Minister Riyad al-Malki said the agreement would then be brought before the Palestinian people, both inside the Palestinian territories and abroad, for a referendum. » Read more

Israelis, Palestinians To Draft Declaration ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Scott Wilson - October 4, 2007 - 2:36pm Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed Wednesday to begin work on a joint declaration setting out their positions on the core issues of their long conflict before a U.S.-proposed peace conference tentatively scheduled for next month. » Read more

October 3rd

Rice's Clock ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Shmuel Rosner - October 3, 2007 - 6:35pm Four former ambassadors to the Middle East, three of whom also served as under secretary of state, have signed a paper circulated this week under the sponsorship of the Israel Policy Forum, a dovish Washington institute. They were joined by a CIA man, an adviser and a professor - an impressive group. Tell me who your writers are and I'll tell you what's in the paper. In this case, it's advice to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in advance of the "Annapolis meeting," the Israeli-Palestinian peace summit planned for November. » Read more

The Right And The Return ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ruth Gavison - October 3, 2007 - 6:32pm In his article "The problems are already here" (Haaretz, October 1), Danny Rubinstein reported that the Palestinians will oppose any move - which is said to be at the basis of the talks between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas - toward recognizing not only Israel's right to exist, but also its status as the state of the Jewish people. This opposition stems from both the implications of such recognition for the status of Arab citizens of Israel and the concession of the right of return that it implies. » Read more