Abbas: We won't agree to temporary state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - August 14, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that Fatah would oppose any plan to form a Palestinian state with temporary borders. In a press conference held in the West Bank city of Ramallah following the end of the Fatah Congress in Bethlehem, Abbas said that the movement will adhere to former Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's legacy. » Read more

J'lem not counting on Gulf states' gestures ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roni Sofer - August 14, 2009 - 12:00am The winds of change blowing in from the Gulf are being received coldly in Jerusalem. According to a message recently relayed from Washington, Qatar and Oman may be willing to renew relations with Israel if the latter freezes construction in West Bank settlements. But as there has been no progress in talks with the US regarding its demand to halt construction, Israeli officials say these are premature promises, and that no significant change in ties should be expected in the near future. » Read more

Obama's America is not delivering the goods ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) August 14, 2009 - 12:00am With great sorrow and deep consternation, we hereby declare the death of the latest hope. Perhaps rumors of its death are greatly exaggerated, to paraphrase the famous quote by Mark Twain, but the fears are being validated day after day. Barack Obama's America is not delivering the goods. Sharing a glass of beer with a racist cop and a pat on the back of Hugo Chavez are not what we hoped for; wholesale negotiations on freezing settlement construction are also not what we expected. » Read more

Oman, Qatar: We'll renew Israel ties if it freezes settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - August 14, 2009 - 12:00am The United States told Israel last week that Gulf states Oman and Qatar are willing to renew their relations with Israel if it agrees to a moratorium on construction in the West Bank, Haaretz has learned. The Obama administration has been pushing for a construction freeze in the West Bank settlements, which are illegal under international law. President Barack Obama's demand has been repeatedly rejected by Israel's government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has refused to resume negotiations until Israel complies with a freeze. » Read more

Following election triumph, Fatah sets out to 'liberate' Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - August 14, 2009 - 12:00am At the start of the week, a member of Iz al-Din al-Qassam, the military wing of Hamas, died in the Palestinian Authority's Juneid Prison, in Nablus. The circumstances of Fadi Hamadneh's death are unclear, with PA officials claiming he committed suicide, and Hamas claiming he was tortured to death by PA security operatives. In response to the charges, the spokesman of the Palestinian security services, Adnan Damiri, said that Hamas, which has executed hundreds of people in the Gaza Strip, has no right to talk about torture or the violation of human rights. » Read more

After Alert, Israel Rules Out Kidnapping of Soldier ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - August 13, 2009 - 12:00am Twelve hours after the Israeli Army began a desperate search for what it feared was an abducted soldier, it said late Thursday that it had ruled out any such possibility. “The special operations room has been closed and all roadblocks have been removed,” a military spokeswoman said. “Both the army and the Shin Bet have ruled out any kidnapping. There is still an investigation under way to understand what happened.” Shin Bet is Israel’s internal security agency. » Read more