J'lem expects Arab gestures soon ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - July 29, 2009 - 12:00am US Middle East envoy George Mitchell left his Israeli interlocutors with the impression Tuesday that he would be able to extract some normalization gestures towards Israel from the Arab world within a month. Mitchell, currently on a regional tour that has so far taken him to the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, met one-on-one for two-and-a half hours Tuesday with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. » Read more

UN Calls on Israel to Allow Gaza Schools to rebuild ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) July 29, 2009 - 12:00am UN agencies called on Israel on Tuesday to allow construction materials into the Hamas-run Gaza Strip so that schools damaged in this year's war can be rebuilt in time for the new academic year. "We call on the government of Israel to urgently facilitate entry of construction materials and supplies for schools in the coming weeks, and to ensure that students, teachers and trainers can freely exit and enter Gaza to continue learning," they said in a statement. » Read more

'Occupation will destroy Third Temple' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Erfat Weiss - July 29, 2009 - 12:00am "The occupation will lead to the destruction of the Third Temple"– a Peace Now poster to be hung all over Jerusalem on Wednesday, the eve of Tisha B'Av, reads. "The goal is to stress that continued construction in settlements and the occupation of the (West Bank) will lead to the destruction of Zionism and, for us, the destruction of the Third Temple," said Peace Now Secretary General, Yariv Oppenheimer. » Read more

Yes indeed, the settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Tzvia Greenfield - (Opinion) July 29, 2009 - 12:00am Of all the strange things that have happened this peculiar summer, the strangest is the way that oddly assorted elements have lined up to explain to U.S. President Barack Obama why pressure regarding freezing the Jewish settlements in the territories is not the best way to deal with Israel's evasion of implementing the two-state solution. » Read more

The world smiles on Obama, but not Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Raphael Ahren - July 29, 2009 - 12:00am Israel alone in a poll of 25 nations has decreased its approval of the United States since President Barack Obama took office earlier this year, according to a recent survey. » Read more

Obama begins pressuring Arab leaders on deal with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Nathan Guttman - July 29, 2009 - 12:00am Freezing the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank was once seen as a unilateral Israeli obligation. But the Obama administration is now treating this as part of a package that will require concessions from Arab states as well. An intensified and more public focus on this idea appears to be one of the byproducts of U.S. President Barack Obama's July 13 pledge to American Jewish communal representatives to address perceptions that he is pressuring only Israel. » Read more

In Israel, no settlement deal for US envoy – just more settlers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ilene Prusher - July 29, 2009 - 12:00am US Mideast envoy George Mitchell wrapped up three days of talks here on Tuesday, heralding "good progress" in his meetings with Israeli officials. But he made no mention of a much anticipated agreement on the most visible point of contention in recent weeks and a key issue for Arabs: freezing settlement construction in the West Bank. » Read more

Telling Israel No: Obama's Bold Move ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Celestine Bohlen - July 28, 2009 - 12:00am President Barack Obama, who vowed to revive the Arab-Israeli peace process at the start of his term, has begun with a direct and public challenge to Israel’s latest plan to build new settlements in East Jerusalem. It’s a risky move that has already provoked a sharp rebuke from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But it is hard to see how the peace process could move forward if Washington had remained silent. » Read more