August 15th

Israel 'worry' At Settler Attacks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News August 15, 2008 - 3:10pm Israeli security officials are reported to have raised concerns about an increase in violence by Jewish settlers in the West Bank. The Israeli Haaretz newspaper said officials had found an increase in incidents of settlers causing harm to Palestinians and to Israeli soldiers. There were 429 incidents in the first half of 2008, against 551 in 2007. There are frequent reports of settlers harassing Palestinians, with two attacks recently captured on video. These have been widely broadcast and have brought the issue to greater prominence. » Read more

Behind The Scenes: Blindfolded For Trip To Gaza Rocket Factory ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Cnn by Paula Hancocks - (Commentary) August 15, 2008 - 3:09pm (CNN) -- It starts with a phone call at 8:30 p.m. as we are sitting down to dinner in Gaza City. The PRC tells us to be at a certain place in half an hour; they are training. No further details. After a phone call to our Jerusalem bureau chief to weigh up the risks, we all decide it is rare enough an opportunity not to be missed.We grab our equipment and jump into the armored car. » Read more

August 14th

11 Injured In Anti-fence Protest In Naalin ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - August 14, 2008 - 4:41pm Eleven demonstrators were injured Thursday afternoon during an anti-fence demonstration in the West Bank village of Naalin, near Modiin. According to the Palestinians, most of the protestors were wounded by rubber bullets, while a Swedish national was beaten and her leg was broken. She was evacuated for medical treatment at a village clinic. Dozens of demonstrators – Palestinians and Israeli and foreign left-wing activists – took part in the rally in protest of the separation fence being constructed on the village's lands. One protestor was arrested. » Read more

Arab Security Forces In Palestinian Territories ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed - August 14, 2008 - 4:36pm Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has sought help and called for the deployment of an Arab security force in the [Palestinian] Authority's [PA] territories to perform two missions: The first is to help the Palestinians establish security which has deteriorated further because of the clashes with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the second is to build up and train the Palestinian security forces. Here, unusually, I agree with Hamas that the plan is impractical and doomed to failure and might complicate further the conflicts and relations between all the parties. » Read more

The Palestinian Icon ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) August 14, 2008 - 4:33pm The last time Arab masses (and Mideast watchers) were mesmerised was when they heard that Jamal Abdul Nasser, the popular Egyptian president, passed away prematurely in 1970 - an event that changed the political climate in the Middle East and presaged the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. At present, these same audiences were shocked by the untimely death last Saturday of Mahmoud Darwish, the Palestinian icon whose poetry and prose has captivated the entire region in the last 40 years. He was only 67 years old. » Read more

Palestinian Officials Explain Olmert Peace Plan To The Media Line ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Abd Al-karim Shweiki - August 14, 2008 - 4:30pm [Ramallah and Jerusalem] Publication on Tuesday by the Israeli daily Haaretz of details of Prime Minister Olmert's peace offer to the Palestinians triggered a rush of assertions and denials playing out in media. » Read more

Fatah Fugitives In Limbo At Israel-gaza Border ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Nidal Al-mughrabi - August 14, 2008 - 4:28pm GAZA, Aug 14 (Reuters) - A patch of sand dunes on the Gaza Strip frontier, within view of Israeli border patrols, is all the haven that eight Palestinians on the run from Hamas have. The men, members of President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction who escaped a July 25 raid by Hamas police, had hoped that Israel would allow them out of the blockaded coastal territory and on to the relative safety of the occupied West Bank. » Read more

Olmert Rejects Return Of Any Palestinian Refugees ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters August 14, 2008 - 4:27pm JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israel will not allow the return of any Palestinian refugees as part of a future statehood deal, Olmert's office said on Thursday. The rare official statement was issued in response to reports Olmert proposed absorbing 2,000 refugees per year for 10 years as part of an agreement to establish a Palestinian state in most of the occupied West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Palestinian National Poet Laid To Rest ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times August 14, 2008 - 4:26pm RAMALLAH (AP) - Poet Mahmoud Darwish, who gave a voice to the Palestinians' longing for independence, was buried Wednesday in a pomp-filled ceremony fit for a head of state. Thousands marched behind the casket, draped in a Palestinian flag and covered with wreaths, as it was driven through Ramallah in a black pickup truck. Uniformed officers sat to either side of the casket and many in the crowd waved Palestinian flags. Huge posters of Darwish were draped across Ramallah's main square. » Read more

Media Criticise Gaza Death Ruling ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News August 14, 2008 - 4:25pm Reuters news agency says the Israeli army has made reporting in Gaza "almost impossible" after it cleared a tank crew that killed one of its cameramen. Fadel Shana and eight other Palestinian civilians, mostly children, were killed by a shell packed with darts in April. The army's top lawyer said the troops acted properly as they suspected his camera tripod was an anti-tank weapon. Reuters says it shows the army is not meeting an obligation to protect civilians in combat areas. » Read more