June 9th

Drafting To Start On Mideast Peace Deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) by Hossam Ezzedine - June 9, 2008 - 4:28pm RAMALLAH, West Bank (AFP) Top Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qorei said Palestinian and Israeli negotiators are to start drafting a document, in remarks published Saturday on progress in US-backed peace talks. In an interview with two Palestinian newspapers, Qorei said the two sides were discussing all the core issues of the decades-old conflict, including borders, Jerusalem, and Palestinian refugees. » Read more

Hamas Takes Responsibility For Attacks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press June 9, 2008 - 4:24pm Hamas has claimed belated responsibility for a string of terror attacks in Israel carried out several years ago. A Hamas web site lists nine attacks that killed 26 Israelis from 2002 until 2005. Other Palestinian groups claimed responsibility for some of those attacks at the time. The group says it kept quiet about its role until now for security reasons. The web site says all the attackers came from the West Bank. » Read more

Poll: Abbas More Popular Than Haniyeh After Call For Hamas Dialogue ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters June 9, 2008 - 4:20pm Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's popularity rebounded in a survey released on Monday after he renewed his call for dialogue with the Hamas Islamists who control the Gaza Strip. The poll, conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research, suggested that Abbas would win 52 percent of the vote against 40 percent for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh if a presidential election were held in the Palestinian territories now. A survey by the same group in March showed Haniyeh leading Abbas by 47 percent to 46. » Read more

Talks Seek To Bridge Hamas-fatah Rift ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters June 9, 2008 - 4:16pm DAKAR, Senegal (Reuters) — The Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas met in Senegal over the weekend for talks aimed at bridging the violent rift between the groups. The two sides released a joint statement on Sunday saying that the meetings had restored “an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect,” though there were no details about progress on specific issues. » Read more

Israel Seals Gaza, West Bank Borders ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) June 9, 2008 - 4:14pm RAMALLAH, West Bank, June 8 (UPI) -- Israel Sunday closed the country to entry from the occupied Palestinian territories for the Shavuot holiday, sealing off the West Bank and Gaza. The closure was announced on Israeli radio and was planned to last until Monday, reported KUNA, the Kuwaiti news agency. It said the decision bans entry into the country from the occupied territories except for emergencies, and tightened security at checkpoints and demarcation lines to guard against terrorist attacks. The decision was made by the Israeli Army, KUNA said.

Commentary: Aipac And Liege Fealty ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times by Arnaud De Borchgrave - (Commentary) June 9, 2008 - 4:12pm Once a year, the Israel lobby in Washington known as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee holds its annual convention where anyone who is anyone in the political world comes to render fealty, rather than homage. It has become a political rite of passage, like a medieval contract for exchanging goods and services, which was often military service in exchange for protection. Anyone who doesn't pass the litmus test can forget about becoming president of the United States, or senator or even congressman. » Read more

Jerusalem Solution Called Unlikely By Year’s End ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - June 9, 2008 - 4:10pm JERUSALEM — An Israeli government official acknowledged Saturday that the crucial issue of the future status of Jerusalem was unlikely to be resolved in negotiations with Palestinians this year, reflecting the abiding gaps between the sides. » Read more

June 6th

Olmert Hints Major Gaza Operation Is Imminent ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - June 6, 2008 - 3:10pm Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told reporters on his plane bound for Israel on Thursday just prior to departure that "it would appear we are very close to a decisive crossroads in Gaza," intimating that a major military operation is in the offing. "The people of Israel have reason to be pleased with the results of the visit to the U.S. in relation to all sensitive security matters concerning the future of the state," Olmert said. » Read more

Idf Soldier Wounded, Militant Killed In Gaza Border Fire ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Mijal Grinberg - June 6, 2008 - 3:06pm A barrage of four Qassam rockets and five mortar shells fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip slammed into the western Negev on Friday. No injuries were reported, but several people were treated for shock and cars in the area sustained damage. Another Qassam rocket struck an open area in the Eshkol region in the western Negev. No injuries or damage were reported. Earlier Friday, an Israel Defense Forces soldier was wounded and a Palestinian gunman was killed in clashes near the Gaza Strip border fence. » Read more

Israel, Pa Look At Gaza Crossing Options ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon And David Horovitz - June 6, 2008 - 2:59pm   Amid increasing international impatience with the policy of isolating Gaza, both Israeli and Palestinian officials are floating ideas to enable the opening of one or more of the four crossings from Israel into the Strip. "There has been an evolution in the international community on how to handle the Gaza Strip," a Western diplomatic official said Thursday. "There is a consensus that the current strategy that is being pursued is not achieving that much that is positive, whether for Israel, the Palestinian Authority or Egypt." » Read more