October 21st

Clinton: Talks absolutely necessary for Middle East peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua October 21, 2010 - 12:00am U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that the direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians are "absolutely necessary" to achieve Middle East peace. Clinton made the remarks as she addressed a pro-Palestinian group, the American Task force on Palestine, in Washington. "Negotiations are not easy, but they are absolutely necessary. It is always easier to defer decisions than it is to make them," Clinton said. She admitted that there is no "magic formula" to break the current impasse of the talks regarding the settlement issue. » Read more

Israel marks 15 years since Rabin assassination ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Diaa Hadid - October 20, 2010 - 12:00am Israel on Wednesday marked 15 years since Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by an Israeli extremist who opposed his concessions for peace with the Palestinians. At ceremonies around the country, speakers assessed Rabin's legacy, and many warned that the incitement to violence that preceded his assassination has not disappeared. » Read more

Blast in Gaza Hamas compound injures children ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Ibrahim Barzak - October 20, 2010 - 12:00am A huge blast Wednesday at a Hamas military base in southern Gaza lightly injured more than a dozen people, including children, Hamas officials said. It appeared the explosion was accidental. Hamas did not say what caused the blast in a crowded neighborhood in the town of Rafah and the Israeli military said it wasn't involved. Israeli warplanes often target Hamas weapons facilities, but Israel usually confirms those attacks. » Read more

Slain US activist's parents face Israeli killer ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Tia Goldenberg - October 21, 2010 - 12:00am The parents of an American protester crushed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer in the Gaza Strip got their first chance Thursday to hear from the man who drove the vehicle that killed her. But they were denied a chance to confront him face-to-face in an Israeli courtroom, dashing a central goal of their civil lawsuit against Israel's Defense Ministry. The unidentified former soldier was shielded behind a wood-and-plastic partition, and his testimony about the events leading up to 23-year-old Rachel Corrie's death floated into the hall over a microphone. » Read more

Settlers torch, vandalize Nablus school ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 21, 2010 - 12:00am A group of Israeli settlers broke into an all girls' school in the Nablus districton Wednesday, setting fire to its storehouse containing furniture and unused sports equipment, the headmistress said. Maysoon Sawalha said the cleaning woman at the school in As-Sawiya village arrived to find the lock on the main door broken as well as that of the storehouse, and all its contents were torched. The fire did not spread to the rest of school because the water main is located in the storehouse, she said, adding that "otherwise the whole school would have been set on fire." » Read more

Netanyahu: Settlements no threat to peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 21, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that construction in existing West Bank settlements "does not contradict the aspiration for peace and an agreement." Addressing the Knesset at a session to mark the 15th anniversary of the assassination of late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Netanyahu said the partial settlement freeze was a temporary "gesture." » Read more

Clinton says no substitute for talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 21, 2010 - 12:00am US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday there was "no substitute for face-to-face discussion" to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Speaking at a Washington dinner for advocacy group the American Task Force on Palestine, Clinton said negotiations were "the only path that will lead to the fulfillment of the Palestinian national aspiration." Clinton reiterated the US administration for a two-state solution, which she said was critical for Israel's long-term future and to end "The indignity of occupation" for Palestinians. » Read more

Palestinians mull alternatives to peace talks, including UN recognition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - October 20, 2010 - 12:00am With Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations in limbo over a dispute regarding settlement expansion, Palestinians are starting to think out loud about possible alternatives to peace talks. After investing all of his political capital in talks with Israel, what would President Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority (PA) do if he concludes there's no chance for a deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? » Read more

Moves to free convicted spy Pollard pick up in U.S. and Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Vita Bekker - October 21, 2010 - 12:00am As convicted spy Jonathan Pollard approaches 25 years behind bars, Israelis and others are renewing efforts to secure freedom for the former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, who is serving a life sentence for relaying military documents to Israel. Pollard's case has been a source of constant friction between Israel and the United States, its staunchest ally. Israeli leaders have failed to persuade Washington to release the 56-year-old American Jew, whom Israelis and some U.S. officials say was given an unduly long sentence for spying for a friendly government. » Read more

Palestinians Shift Focus in Strategy for Statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - October 20, 2010 - 12:00am The Palestinian leadership, near despair about attaining a negotiated agreement with Israel on a two-state solution, is increasingly focusing on how to get international bodies and courts to declare a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. » Read more