July 28th

U.s. Still Hopes For Israeli-palestinian Deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Sue Pleming - July 28, 2008 - 4:30pm U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Friday there was still time for Israelis and Palestinians to reach a peace deal by the end of 2008. Rice said trilateral peace talks in Washington next week between the United States, Israel and the Palestinian Authority should be closed to offer the best hope of progress. Rice said the latest round of talks which began in Annapolis in the United States in November 2007 had laid a "firm foundation on which these two parties can finally end their conflict". » Read more

West Bank Residents Face Severe Water Shortages As Drought Continues ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press July 28, 2008 - 4:29pm West Bank Palestinians are suffering a serious water shortage this year as a severe drought has exacerbated already existing supply problems, the head of the Palestinian Water Authority said Sunday. » Read more

Israel Downplays Prospect Of 2008 Peace Deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Matti Friedman - July 28, 2008 - 4:27pm Israel's prime minister backed away Monday from a target date - announced with great fanfare at a U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference last November - for reaching a deal with the Palestinians by year's end. Ehud Olmert said the sides will need more time to bridge differences over Jerusalem, long the toughest sticking point in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. » Read more

Israeli Leaders Find Generous Donors In U.s. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Griff Witte - July 28, 2008 - 4:26pm American businessman Morris Talansky has riveted Israel with tales of bankrolling the plush lifestyle of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert: the expensive cigars and five-star suites, a fine watch and an Italian vacation. While most Israelis have been galled at the extent of the alleged corruption, no one has been surprised by the source of the funds. Politicians in Israel have long known that if they want to raise large amounts of money, for whatever reason, they'll find it in the United States. » Read more

Does “pro-israel” Mean Anything? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum by M.J. Rosenberg - July 28, 2008 - 4:23pm Watching Barack Obama in Israel it became clear that he knows the Arab-Israeli issue well. Those who hoped he would make some gaffe that would hurt his candidacy were disappointed. He knows the ins and outs of the issue the way President Bill Clinton did. He feels no need to rely on sound bites about “our democratic ally” or Israel’s obvious “right to defend itself.” Maybe it’s because he is so close to the Chicago Jewish community, which has backed him since the start of his career, but he can talk about Israel with fluency and comfort. » Read more

Arab Aid To Palestinians Often Doesn't Fulfill Pledges ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Glenn Kessler - July 28, 2008 - 4:21pm In 2002, when oil prices were hovering around $21 a barrel, nearly two dozen Arab nations joined to pledge yearly contributions of $660 million to support the Palestinian Authority's annual budget. Now, even with oil prices more than six times higher and the Palestinian Authority bordering on financial ruin, only a handful of Arab countries are sending even a small portion of the money they promised, according to data examined by The Washington Post. » Read more

July 25th

Matters Of Deterrence / Shin Bet Head Diskin: Cease-fire With Hamas Unlikely To Hold ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amoss Harel - July 25, 2008 - 2:41pm A seven-minute ride from Talansky, a minute's walk from Obama, the murderous tractor driver who launched his attack on Tuesday afternoon in central Jerusalem provided a reminder from real life. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not going anywhere in the near future. The day after the terrorist attack, the newspapers gave prominence to what was said by Yuval Diskin, the head of the Shin Bet security service, at a briefing he gave to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee some two hours before the bulldozer attack. » Read more

Report: Pa Mulling Unilateral Declaration Of Statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz July 25, 2008 - 2:39pm The Palestinian Authority is considering cutting off its diplomatic contacts with Israel and unilaterally declaring statehood, the Arabic-language a-Sharq al-Awset daily reported on Friday. "In light of the crisis we have encountered in talks with Israel, the Authority is testing a number of options," one Palestinian official told the daily. According to the report, the Palestinian Authority is also re-evaluating how to proceed with consolidating its security services. » Read more

U.s. Protests Eviction Of Arab Family From East Jerusalem Home ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - July 25, 2008 - 2:37pm The United States this week filed an official protest with Israel for harming Palestinians, including the eviction of the al-Kurd family from their home in the Shimon Hatzadik complex in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. The U.S. also demanded explanations for the harassment of Palestinian residents in the West Bank by Israeli settlers. » Read more

The Glass Menagerie ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yossi Sarid - July 25, 2008 - 2:32pm As long as the Israel Defense Forces continue to coin lies and half-truths, don't sell me the story about the army that has rehabilitated itself, where a new spirit has arisen. When commanders and their subordinates continue to grow on the lie culture's bed of rotting straw, they are bound to leave their boots in the sand, and if not their boots then shabby illusions. The Second Lebanon War was the stinking fruit of an all-embracing and disgraceful culture of whitewash (and so was the first), we were warned. Trust is more important than training, always. » Read more