Palestinian village to be encircled by barrier ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Karin Laub - July 10, 2010 - 12:00am Israel has started construction on a new section of its West Bank separation barrier that Palestinian residents say could sound a death knell for their hamlet. The barrier, running much of the length of the West Bank, has already disrupted lives in many Palestinian towns and villages in its path. But it threatens to outright smother Walajeh: The community of about 2,000 on the southwest edge of Jerusalem is to be completely encircled by a fence cutting it off from most of its open land, according to an Israeli Defense Ministry map. » Read more

U.S. asks Syria to support Palestinian-Israeli direct talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 12, 2010 - 12:00am The U.S. administration demanded Syria not to hinder the Palestinian National Authority's (PNA) tendency towards direct negotiations with Israel, local news website Syria Now reported on Monday. A well-informed source confirmed that Washington asks Damascus, through U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, not to hinder the PNA tendency towards direct negotiation at a time when the Palestinian side showed hesitation over the results of the indirect talks and Arab League chief Amr Moussa declared that those talks have failed. » Read more

Senior Palestinian calls Jerusalem a "time bomb" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters July 12, 2010 - 12:00am A senior Palestinian figure said on Sunday that rising tension with Israel over settlement building in the Jerusalem area was a "time bomb" that was eroding trust between the two sides. Ahmed Qurei, a former prime minister and negotiator, joined Tsipi Livni, a former Israeli foreign minister and now opposition leader in parliament, in calling on both sides to work harder to achieve a two-state solution. » Read more

Israel failed in ship interception planning-reports ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Ori Lewis - July 12, 2010 - 12:00am Israel's military failed to prepare adequately for what turned into a deadly raid on a Gaza aid flotilla, according to findings of a military inquiry quoted by the Israeli media on Monday. The official report into the May 31 incident, in which nine pro-Palestiniam Turkish activists were killed, was set to be released later in the day by a military commission led by Giora Eiland, a retired Israeli general. » Read more

IDF to probe death of Palestinian protester at West Bank rally ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Anshel Pfeffer - July 12, 2010 - 12:00am The Military Advocate General on Monday ordered the army's criminal investigations unit to investigate the death of a Palestinian protester who was killed by a tear gas canister at a demonstration in Bil'in in April 2009. The Military Advocate General had refused to open a criminal investigation into the death of Bassem Abu-Rahma, but on Monday changed its mind after expert testimony showed that the tear gas canister was aimed directly at Abu-Rahma and was fired in violation of military orders. » Read more

The Palestinians' chance to win a moral victory ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Salman Masalha - July 12, 2010 - 12:00am In an era of political correctness, there are those who think it appropriate to adjust the message to the audience to which it is directed. I don't agree. In my view, political correctness is a defilement - sweet talk that obscures blatant racism. There is a universal morality that transcends religions, peoples and nations, and is binding on anyone who belongs to the community of humankind. » Read more

Abbas: No direct talks until progress on borders, security ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 12, 2010 - 12:00am Direct talks will not be resumed with Israel until progress is made during US-brokered proximity talks on the issues of borders and security, President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday evening. “We hope to make progress that will enable us to launch serious negotiations leading to a two-state solution before it is too late,” Abbas said during a celebration at the the Cultural Palace in Ramallah, marking the Prophet Mohammad’s Night Journey. » Read more

What about Palestinian residents of Israel? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Ahmad Tibi - July 12, 2010 - 12:00am In the 11 years that I have served in the Knesset, I have received numerous death threats. Pulsa Denura (the term for a rabbinical death curse) has evidently taken exception to my consistent call for equal rights for the country’s Palestinian minority. Recently I received a letter – the second in as many days – that warned: “You have 180 days to live. Your death will be sudden and cruel, accompanied by great pain...” » Read more

A jihad’s inspiration ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Boston Globe by Philip Smucker - July 12, 2010 - 12:00am AMID THE frosty peaks of the Hindu Kush, I imagined the echo of George W. Bush’s words, “Justice will be done!’’ rebounding through the boulders like a snow leopard on the prowl. Nearly nine years after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, it is worth remembering that killing or capturing Osama bin Laden was once front and center of the US government’s anti-terrorism policy. » Read more

Gaza's smuggling-tunnel millionaire ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News by Jon Donnison - July 10, 2010 - 12:00am While many Gazans live in poverty, one Gazan refugee has used the illegal network of tunnels which enable goods to be smuggled into Gaza to build a millionaire's empire. Maybe, like most people in Gaza, I had been watching a little bit too much of the World Cup. But sitting on Abu Nafez's lush sprinkler-assisted lawn outside his palatial home in the southern Gaza Strip, I kept thinking it was a bit like meeting a Premiership footballer. » Read more