October 15th

Palestinian group threatens Israeli minister ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press October 14, 2008 - 8:00pm The Palestinian militant group that assassinated Israeli Cabinet minister Rehavam Zeevi in 2001 said Tuesday it has another politician in its sights. A spokesman for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine made the threat against Israeli lawmaker Avigdor Lieberman. The spokesman identified himself as Abu Jamal and spoke on the group's radio station. Lieberman wants to transfer Israeli Arab towns to Palestinian jurisdiction and annex large Jewish settlements in the West Bank to Israel. » Read more

W. Bank Settlers' Rage Grows ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Linda Gradstein - October 14, 2008 - 8:00pm Avi Ben Yakov is a soft-spoken Jewish settler who loves playing with his young children in their red-roofed home in the hills above Nablus, deep inside the West Bank. But when it comes to his Palestinian neighbors, his tone hardens. "They will not be my neighbors if I do what I have to do, which is take them back to their lands," he said. "We don't want them here. Expelling them is the solution." » Read more

Rice vows to do best to reach Mideast peace deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Natasha Mozgovaya - October 14, 2008 - 8:00pm U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that she would leave "no stone unturned" in order to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal before leaving office, but conceded that time is running out. Speaking to a U.S. conference on Palestinian business and investment, Rice said she still hoped to reach the Bush administration's goal of a peace deal by the end of 2008, which was set at the Annapolis summit nearly a year ago. » Read more

Remarks at the Palestinian Business and Investment Forum ATFP World Press Roundup Article from by Condoleezza Rice - October 13, 2008 - 8:00pm Thank you very much. I’d like to thank Walter for that very kind introduction. I also really want to pay tribute to Jim Jones and the hard work that he has done as Special Envoy for Middle East Peace and Security. In fact, Jim has been tireless in working to help the two of the legs come together in a more integrated way. It is absolutely true that security is clearly very important for the Palestinian people, for the neighborhood that both Israelis and Palestinians can feel secure. » Read more

October 14th

Abbas, Olmert to meet Friday ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times October 13, 2008 - 8:00pm Outgoing Israeli PRIME Minister Ehud Olmert is to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for a new round of peace talks this week, the Palestinian foreign minister said on Monday. "[Abbas] will meet Prime Minister Olmert on October 17 within the framework of their regular meetings," Riyad Malki said at a news conference in Ramallah. Olmert and Abbas have been meeting about twice a month since the peace process was relaunched at a US conference in November. » Read more

700 More PA Personnel to Deploy in Hebron ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line October 12, 2008 - 8:00pm The Palestinian Authority plans to deploy an additional 700 security personal in the West Bank city Hebron to carry out security operations among the city’s Palestinian population, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. » Read more

Palestinians believe Oslo harmed their cause ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by HIsham Abu Taha - October 13, 2008 - 8:00pm A public opinion poll released yesterday showed that Palestinians believed the Oslo peace accord harmed their cause, and half of the respondents preferred simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The poll, conducted by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Center (JMCC) in the first week of October, found that according to 41 percent of those surveyed the Oslo accord harmed the Palestinian national interests, compared to 20.4 who said it served them. Thirty-four percent said the Oslo accord made no difference. » Read more

Peres visits Acre in wake of clashes, says ‘we are destined to live side by side’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) October 13, 2008 - 8:00pm Israeli President Shimon Peres traveled on Monday to the northern city of Acre where he appealed for tolerance after four days of clashes between Palestinian-Israeli and Jewish residents. "I was surprised by the extent of appeals for peaceful coexistence issued by leaders from both sides," the Israeli politician told journalists. "We are destined to live side by side, and a bright future awaits Acre," said Peres, who was accompanied by Interior Security Minister Avi Dichter and Israel's two chief rabbis, Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar. » Read more

Palestinian brewer still waiting for peace to break out ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) December 31, 1969 - 8:00pm Some Palestinians have taken up arms and others attend peace talks in their decades-long struggle, but Nadim Khoury has found a third route to statehood - the brewing of delicious local beer. The 49-year-old returned to his native Occupied West Bank village of Taybeh from the US in 1994 with the unusual and ambitious idea of distilling the dream of Palestinian independence into a smooth, full-bodied golden lager. » Read more

Hamas locks out striking Gaza teachers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Ibrahim Barzak - October 13, 2008 - 8:00pm The Hamas government announced Tuesday that it will not permit thousands of striking teachers to return to their jobs, further heightening tensions with its political rivals in the West Bank. The strike was called Aug. 24 by the West Bank-based teachers' union. It was seen, in part, as an attempt to disrupt life in Gaza and weaken Hamas, which seized control by force in 2007 and defeated troops loyal to moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Most of Gaza's 10,000 public school teachers are still paid by the Abbas government. » Read more