Israel paves the way for killing by remote control ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Jonathan Cook - July 13, 2010 - 12:00am It is called Spot and Shoot. Operators sit in front of a TV monitor from which they can control the action with a PlayStation-style joystick. The aim: to kill. Played by: young women serving in the Israeli army. Spot and Shoot, as it is called by the Israeli military, may look like a video game but the figures on the screen are real people – Palestinians in Gaza – who can be killed with the press of a button on the joystick. » Read more

PA not ruling out direct talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - July 13, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah on Monday did not rule out the possibility that the PA would agree to begin direct negotiations with Israel, in what appears to be a departure from its previous position. According to the officials, the PA was now inclined to agree to hold direct negotiations, especially following assurances from US President Barack Obama to PA President Mahmoud Abbas. “We don’t rule out direct talks,” said one official. “But before we move to these talks, we want to have a clear agenda and timetable.” » Read more

Israel not fooling anyone with report ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National July 13, 2010 - 12:00am It took only a month or so for the Israeli military to conclude its investigation into the deadly raid on the Freedom Flotilla and in particular, the Mavi Marmara. Given that the assault so outraged the world, alienated Israel’s allies and killed nine people, we would have thought it would take more than a few weeks to answer all the tough questions Israel is facing. But that, of course, is the point: Israel has no intention of answering inconvenient questions over an attack it feels entirely justified in carrying out. » Read more

U.S. conservatives form new pro-Israel lobby group ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz July 13, 2010 - 12:00am Washington observers may feel there is no obvious shortage of pro-Israel lobbyists in the city – but a group of leading American conservatives thinks otherwise and has set up a new campaign group to attack President Obama over his "anti-Israel" stance, U.S. website Politico reports. » Read more

Funding Israeli Terrorism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Hussein Shobokshi - July 13, 2010 - 12:00am Amidst the continuous talk about the stalled peace process between Israel and the Palestinians on one hand, and the war on terrorism and the attempts to hunt down the major terrorist financiers on the other, an extremely important issue that is closely related to both of the above topics is being overlooked. I am talking about the financing of illegal Israeli settlements and the heavily armed militias that kill Palestinians in cold blood without any fear of punishment. » Read more

Rival Palestinian factions give priority to reconciliation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Saud Abu Ramadan, Emad Drimly - July 13, 2010 - 12:00am Leaders of various Palestinian factions, including rival Fatah and Hamas movements, agreed on Monday that achieving the inter-Palestinian reconciliation and ending the rift between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank is a national priority to confront the Israelis. The factions' leaders called for overcoming the internal feuds and rejecting any external intervention in the internal Palestinian affair "in order to succeed the efforts of achieving the reconciliation." The call was made during a rally organized by the Palestinian National Initiative movement. » Read more

Living on borrowed time ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Alon Pinkas - (Opinion) July 13, 2010 - 12:00am In romantic terms, the July 6 meeting in the White House between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was a combination of "it's not you, it's me" and "let's hug it out." Both phrases are understated versions of the more lurid and moist descriptions of the encounter in the Israeli media. » Read more

Erekat: No unilateral declaration of Palestinian state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz July 13, 2010 - 12:00am A unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state is "not on the agenda," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Turkish state television channel TRT on Tuesday. "We declared our independence in 1988," Erekat said. "Now it's up to the international community to declare recognition of our independence." "Our option is a two-state solution. We have recognized the state of Israel and its right to exist on the 1967 borders. Now it's up to the international community to stand firm and recognize Palestine on the 1967 lines with Jerusalem as its capital." » Read more

Israeli bulldozers raze 4 east Jerusalem buildings ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Diaa Hadid - July 13, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli bulldozers destroyed six buildings, including at least three homes, in contested east Jerusalem on Tuesday, resuming the demolition of Palestinian property after a halt aimed at encouraging peace talks. Jerusalem house demolitions are a volatile issue because of conflicting Israeli and Palestinian claims to the city's eastern sector. Israel sees it as part of its capital city, while Palestinians want it for their own future capital. » Read more

Most Palestinians believe proximity talks to fail: poll ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 12, 2010 - 12:00am Most Palestinians believe the U.S. -led indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) would fail, a poll showed on Monday. The survey, conducted by the West Bank-based Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO), said 53 percent of the surveyed expected the negotiations that started in May would fail, 37 percent said the proximity talks would be successful and 10 percent refused to answer the question. » Read more