Fatah: New leaders declare 'revolution' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) August 11, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas' Fatah party elected a new generation of leaders at its first congress in 20 years, including a popular militant jailed in Israel, according to results on Tuesday. Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences in Israel, was among those elected to Fatah's governing body at the landmark conference aimed at rejuvenating a party weakened by internal rifts. » Read more

Senators to Obama: Lean on Arabs to normalize Israel ties ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Natasha Mozgovaya - August 11, 2009 - 12:00am A bipartisan group comprising 71 U.S. senators is urging President Barack Obama to lean on Arab states to normalize relations with Israel. In a letter addressed to Obama on Monday, the senators praised Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for lobbying the Arab states to take steps toward supporting the Palestinian Authority, though more was needed to advance peace. » Read more

Jailed Fatah strongman Marwan Barghouti elected to party leadership ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters August 11, 2009 - 12:00am Marwan Barghouti, jailed for life in Israel on charges of organizing the killing of Jews, was elected to a top post in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah group on Tuesday, initial results showed. Barghouti, 50, who denies the charges, is a popular and articulate figure among many Palestinians and was once seen as a successor to Yasser Arafat. Some members of the Fatah "Old Guard" lost their positions when the faction elected a new executive body, the initial results showed after more than 90 percent of votes had been counted for the 18-member Central Committee. » Read more

The Two-State Solution Doesn’t Solve Anything ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Hussein Agha, Robert Malley - (Opinion) August 11, 2009 - 12:00am THE two-state solution has welcomed two converts. In recent weeks, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Khaled Meshal, the head of Hamas’s political bureau, have indicated they now accept what they had long rejected. This nearly unanimous consensus is the surest sign to date that the two-state solution has become void of meaning, a catchphrase divorced from the contentious issues it is supposed to resolve. Everyone can say yes because saying yes no longer says much, and saying no has become too costly. » Read more

Saudi Arabia to deliver 200 million USD to PA ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 11, 2009 - 12:00am Saudi Arabia will deliver 200 million US dollars to the Palestinian Authority (PA), caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad announced on Monday. In a press conference at his Ramallah office, Fayyad said that “this generous delivery from Saudi Arabia will enable the PA to fulfill its commitments to the Palestinians who are living under siege, mainly in Gaza.” The funds are to be transferred to the PA treasury over the coming days, he said. » Read more

Fatah Turns to Nation Building, Though It Doesn’t Discard the Rifle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - August 11, 2009 - 12:00am Hoping to satisfy as wide a constituency as possible, the Palestinian delegates to the Fatah conference, scheduled to conclude here on Tuesday, have tried to broadcast a message both peaceful and militant. It was a delicate balancing act for Fatah, the mainstream Palestinian nationalist party, as it sought to rise above past failures, rejuvenate itself and head off the challenge from Hamas, the Islamic group that is Fatah’s rival. But it remains an open question whether the weeklong conference, Fatah’s first in 20 years, has hastened or slowed the prospect of a Palestinian state. » Read more