July 9th

Security wall barely built in past 15 months ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Tovah Lazaroff - July 9, 2009 - 12:00am Almost no progress has been made toward completing the West Bank security barrier in the past 15 months, according to numbers provided to The Jerusalem Post by the Defense Ministry on Wednesday. To date, around 490 km. of the planned 805-km. barrier have been finished, according to Defense Ministry spokesman Shlomo Dror. This is the same figure he gave the Post in February 2008, just after a suicide bomber came through a gap in the structure and killed a woman in Dimona while wounding 40 other people. » Read more

July 8th

For Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Faisal Al Rfouh - (Opinion) July 8, 2009 - 12:00am July 4 marked the Independence Day of the United States; the advent of the Obama administration marked a departure from the policies of unilateralism and intervention, thereby paving way for reconciliation and accommodation. President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo and Washington’s genuine desire for peace will take some time to convince the world, in general, and the Arab Islamic world, in particular, which has been rattled by the Bush era’s adventurism. » Read more

Confusing Obama before Negotiations Even Begin ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed - (Opinion) July 7, 2009 - 12:00am The Israeli debate with the US over the issue of settlements is ongoing, and it appears that the US President began experiencing the problems of the Middle Easterners from the first moment that he announced his opposition to settlement construction. The resulting headache from this may have caused the president to reach for the aspirin. “Stop the construction of settlements” is the warning that Obama issued to the Israelis when he announced his willingness to solve the critical problem of the Middle East. » Read more

Commentary: Israeli know-how ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) by Arnaud De Borchgrave - (Opinion) July 7, 2009 - 12:00am He speaks like an American, looks like an American, and acts like an American -- because he is an American. He is Israel's new ambassador to the United States, a citizen of both countries. Michael B. Oren (born Michael Bornstein), 54, went to Israel for the first time at 15 to work on a kibbutz, the collective farms that were once recruitment grounds for Israel's ace fighter pilots. He returned to the United States to complete a master's in International Affairs at Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Near East Studies at Princeton. » Read more

Mideast must seize 'window of opportunity': German FM ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) July 7, 2009 - 12:00am German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged Middle Eastern leaders on Tuesday to seize the "window of opportunity" that the new US administration has opened in the region. US President Barak Obama's initiative "creates many opportunities that we need to use now," Steinmeier said after meeting Lebanese prime minister designate Saad Hariri in Beirut. "That is why all the partners must take part constructively in this process and make their positions clear quickly before the window of opportunity closes." » Read more

Israel to extend hours of key Jordan crossing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) July 8, 2009 - 12:00am Israel on Wednesday said it would increase the operating hours of the key Allenby border crossing with Jordan in a move aimed at boosting the Palestinian economy. At a cabinet committee charged with improving the West Bank economy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the extension of hours of operation of Allenby for the transport of goods, his office said in a statement. "Until now the crossing was open until eight in the evening," a spokesman for the prime minister said. "It will now be open until midnight, with the option to extend operations to 24 hours according to need." » Read more

Arab steps U.S. seeks in Israeli settlement dispute ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters (Analysis) July 7, 2009 - 12:00am U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell is pressing for a halt to Israeli settlement activity, holding out the prospect of reciprocal steps by Arab states towards normalising relations with Israel. Talks in London on Monday between Mitchell and Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on a package that could include a settlement freeze and normalisation ended inconclusively. Further discussions are planned between Mitchell and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as early as next week. » Read more

Jerusalem streets marked by signs of conflict ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Erika Soloman - July 8, 2009 - 12:00am Ilana Sichel held a ladder steady for her Israeli boyfriend Romy Achituv while he slapped a white sticker over the defaced Arabic script on a battered yellow sign in a Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem. The sticker, typed out by Sichel in Arabic, says, "Danger of Death," as does the English and Hebrew alongside it. "It could seem like we're vandalizing," Sichel mused as Achituv stepped away from the electric pole. "Well, I guess technically we are." » Read more

Hamas bends to pressure in Gaza and abroad ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Rafael Frankel - July 7, 2009 - 12:00am By one calculus of Middle Eastern politics, Israel could say that its month-long offensive against Hamas and heightened economic blockade of Gaza have succeeded. Rockets no longer fly into Israel from the Gaza Strip. And Gaza's Islamist rulers saw their support base drop below 20 percent as a direct result of a war that exacted a high price: 1,400 dead, 50,000 homes destroyed or damaged, and 1.5 million of Israel's neighbors more embittered than ever. » Read more

US, Israel looking for a way to resolve settlements dispute ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - July 6, 2009 - 12:00am A new round of Israel-US talks in London failed to defuse the standoff over Jewish settlement expansion in the West Bank, though analysts and aides say the two sides are looking for a face-saving compromise for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to yield on continued growth. After a three-hour meeting with Middle East Envoy George Mitchell, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak reported progress but added, "there's still a way to go," Ha'aretz reported on its website. » Read more