July 21st

Israeli Forces Detain Hamas Lawmaker, Businessmen ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Dan Williams - July 21, 2008 - 3:47pm NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces detained a Hamas woman lawmaker on Monday along with 14 managers of a West Bank business venture that Israel accuses of having links to the Islamist faction, Palestinian officials said. The detentions in Nablus looked likely to stoke tensions between Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is trying to advance his own law-and-order drive in the city and elsewhere in the West Bank since breaking with Hamas last year. » Read more

British Leader Presses Israel To Halt Settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - July 21, 2008 - 3:45pm BETHLEHEM, West Bank - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown demanded yesterday that Israel cease settlement construction and promised more money to jump-start the battered Palestinian economy. In his first trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories as Britain's leader, Brown repeatedly stressed that economics are key to Mideast peace, and said Israel should ease travel restrictions in the West Bank that have hindered commerce. » Read more

Israel Probes 'detainee Shooting' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News July 21, 2008 - 3:43pm Israel says it has launched an inquiry after an Israeli human rights group released footage that appears to show a soldier shoot a Palestinian detainee. The video is blurred when the gun fires, but the Palestinian man says a rubber bullet hit his left big toe and he was treated by an army medic. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called the incident "grave" and in "direct contradiction" of the army's values. Rights group B'Tselem said the incident occurred on 7 July in the West Bank. » Read more

Jewish Guerrillas Told British: Quit Palestine Or Die ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by Marcus Leroux - July 21, 2008 - 3:40pm A pamphlet warning Britons to leave the Middle East or face death has come to light in a stash of illicit propaganda. The document does not hail from Basra or Baghdad, nor was it penned by the Islamists of al-Qaeda or the al-Mahdi Army. It was found in Haifa, about 60 years ago, and it was issued by the underground group led by Menachem Begin – the future Prime Minister of Israel and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. » Read more

Talks Signal Mideast Shift ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Michael Slackman - (Analysis) July 21, 2008 - 3:37pm BEIRUT: After years of escalating tensions and bloodshed, the talk in the Middle East is suddenly about talking. The shift is still relatively subtle, but hints of a new approach in the waning months of President George W. Bush's administration are fueling hopes of at least short-term stability for the first time since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. » Read more

Israeli Soldier Arrested For Shooting Prisoner ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by Anne Barrowclough - July 21, 2008 - 3:32pm An Israeli soldier has been arrested after being caught on camera shooting a bound and blindfolded Palestinian prisoner in the foot. In the video, the Palestinian, Ashraf Abu Rahma, 27, is seen being led, handcuffed and blindfolded, to a Jeep by a high ranking officer of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). While the officer, a lieutenant-colonel, grips his arm, a second soldier aims his gun at Abu Rahma’s legs and fires a rubber bullet at him from about 1.5 metres away. » Read more

July 18th

Even The Arab Envoys Came To Bid Farewell To Israel's Un Ambassador ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Shlomo Shamir - July 18, 2008 - 3:32pm Ambassadors from Arab countries and the Gulf states were among the guests at a reception yesterday for outgoing United Nations Ambassador Dan Gillerman, who is completing a six-year tour of duty. One veteran UN reporter for an American television network told viewers he could not recall such an impressive Arab turnout for a diplomatic event for a senior Israeli official. The envoys from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Oman were seen at the reception, which took place in the official apartment of the Israeli ambassador in Manhattan. » Read more

Arab Media Reacts To Swap ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roee Nahmias - (Opinion) July 18, 2008 - 3:30pm Who is the winner and who is the loser in the prisoner exchange deal? And what will the implications be for the future? But alongside these inevitable questions there are also far tougher questions being asked, ones to do with the heavy toll exacted on Lebanon. » Read more

Hamas Says Learned From Hizbullah Deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - July 18, 2008 - 3:29pm With Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser laid to rest, all eyes are now focused on the ongoing efforts to secure the release of Gilad Shalit – who was taken captive before them and is still being held in the Gaza Strip. This coming Tuesday he was meant to be discharged after having completed his three years of mandatory service. Shalit's friends, who will be discharged without him, have announced they intend to stage a protest march beginning at the army's recruitment center in Gilad's name. » Read more

Madrid Dialogue Shows Unity: Ban ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Badea Abu Al-naja - July 18, 2008 - 3:26pm UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has described the World Conference on Dialogue in Madrid as a symbol of unity among different faiths, adding that he hopes it will contribute to healing divisions and building a more secure and stable world. In a message to the three-day conference, the UN chief thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah “for this welcome and timely initiative.” King Abdullah arrived in Casablanca yesterday from Madrid, where he opened the conference on Wednesday. » Read more