July 16th

Ex-U.S. Diplomat Talks With Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Glenn Kessler, Howard Schneider - July 16, 2009 - 12:00am To Hamas officials Bassem Naim and Mahmoud al-Zahar, a recent meeting in Switzerland with a former senior U.S. diplomat represented an opening in relations with the Obama administration, and a path to easing the Islamist group's isolation. "I hope it will be the beginning of addressing some of the mistakes of the last three years," Naim said of his talks with Thomas R. Pickering, a former undersecretary of state and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. "This was a first meeting to investigate the positions in general terms of both parties without any commitment on any side." » Read more

Jewish Leaders Give Obama No Push-Back on Settlement Freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - July 15, 2009 - 12:00am Forty-five minutes at the White House was all it took to crystallize the new paradigm defining the relations among the Obama administration, the Jewish community and Israel. As Jewish leaders left their July 13 meeting with President Obama — “glowing,” according to one of the participants — it became clear that despite some misgivings regarding the tone Obama has used toward Israel, the bulk of the organized Jewish community is in full support of his peace efforts, including his demand for a complete freeze of Jewish settlements on the Israeli-occupied West Bank. » Read more

Blair: Improved PA security opens many doors ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - July 16, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli and Palestinian officials continue to meet at a technical and expert level to move economic projects forward, even though there are currently no high-level political negotiations, Quartet envoy Tony Blair told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. » Read more

World may back Iran op as part of deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post July 16, 2009 - 12:00am A deal taking shape between Israel and Western leaders will facilitate international support for an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities in exchange for concessions in peace negotiations with the Palestinians and Arab neighbors, The Times reported Thursday. According to one British official quoted by the paper, such an understanding could allow an Israeli attack "within the year." » Read more

Don't escape reality ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Dana Golan - (Opinion) July 16, 2009 - 12:00am The easiest thing is to claim that the testimonies of soldiers who took part in Operation Cast Lead are based on rumors, represent “rotten apples,” and were possibly even elicited from people posing as soldiers. Such response requires no more than recycling the previous reactions to such testimonials, which reflect the slippery slope our military establishment finds itself in. » Read more

Clinton doesn't rule out compromise with Israel on construction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yitzhak Benhorin - July 15, 2009 - 12:00am US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not rule out the possibility of a US-Israeli compromise that will allow the construction of several thousand housing units to be completed in a number of West Bank settlements. » Read more

Netanyahu mulling UN speech ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Itamar Eichner - July 16, 2009 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering heading an Israeli delegation to the opening of the United Nation's General Assembly session scheduled for September, which world leaders including US President Barack Obama and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are scheduled to attend. The session will open on September 23, and the Prime Minister's Office has instructed the Foreign Ministry and Israel's delegation to the UN to prepare for the possibility of Netanyahu's arrival. » Read more

Man responsible for Israel's cruelest wars only attracts praise ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) July 16, 2009 - 12:00am A huge weight has been lifted off our chests: Maj. Gen. Yoav Gallant will stay in the Israel Defense Forces. Although Gallant was not named deputy chief of staff, Defense Minister Ehud Barak publicly declared that he views him as a candidate to succeed Gabi Ashkenazi as chief of staff. The military correspondents, those who only spoke glowingly of Gallant during the entire appointments commotion, put their minds at ease. And the brainwashed public, which shows no interest in learning what our soldiers did in Gaza, were also put at ease. » Read more

Obama to set binding timetable for Israel-PA talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - July 16, 2009 - 12:00am U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce a diplomatic plan soon for renewal of the Middle East peace process. A central feature of the plan, which will be presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, will be a binding timetable for negotiations on the core issues involved in a final resolution of the conflict. It may also be precluded by an easing of pressure for a building freeze in the settlements on the part of the Unites States. » Read more

Advert 'implied Gaza in Israel' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News July 15, 2009 - 12:00am An Israeli tourism advert that showed the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as an undisputed part of Israel has been rejected by the advertising watchdog. The posters, on the London Underground, sparked hundreds of complaints from pro-Palestinian groups and members of the public. The Advertising Standards Authority said a map labelled Israel implied the occupied territories were in Israel. Israel's ministry of tourism said no political message was intended. It added that its aim was to give tourists an idea of the areas in and around Israel. » Read more