MESS Report / This Ramadan, the occupation is not the hot topic in Ramallah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - August 13, 2010 - 12:00am On Wednesday afternoon, the first day of the month-long fast of Ramadan, the weather in the West Bank was cooler than it had been earlier in the week, making it more conducive to fasting. But with temperatures still hovering around 30 degrees Celsius, it is easy to understand that fasting from dawn to dusk is no great pleasure. When we arrived in downtown Ramallah on Wednesday and looked for parking, we saw that city authorities had designated the area for metered parking. But it's the West Bank, so what could possibly happen to a parking scofflaw? A parking ticket? » Read more

World Bank grants $5 million to PA to train primary teachers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 17, 2010 - 12:00am The World Bank will provide the Palestinian Authority $5 million to fund the Teacher Education Improvement Project, a statemenet read, after the deal was signed last Wednesday by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Dina Abu-Ghaida, Acting World Bank Country Director for West Bank and Gaza (WBG). » Read more

Court holds state responsible for shooting of Palestinian girl ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - August 16, 2010 - 12:00am A Jerusalem court on Monday held the state responsible for killing killing a 10-year-old Palestinian girl in January 2007. In a civil suit, the court ruled that border guards had either been negligent or disobeyed orders in shooting Abir Aramin with a rubber bullet, calling the incident 'totally unjustifiable'. The judge ruled ordered the government to pay damages to the girl's family, with the exact amount to be determined later. » Read more

Haniyeh: PA waging war against Islam ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 17, 2010 - 12:00am Gaza government Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh accused the Palestinian Authority on Monday evening of waging a war against religion and Islam. Haniyeh, speaking to reporters at the rebuilding ceremony of the police station in Al-Shati refugee camp, said "what is happening in the West Bank is a religious war that targets the pious people, particularly the new generation." » Read more

Darkness ahead for the Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon by Hussein Ibish - August 17, 2010 - 12:00am The Palestinian leadership is still seeking a political formula to reenter direct negotiations with Israel. There is no doubt that the Palestinians will agree to this, largely because the United States is insisting on it. However, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his colleagues feel very exposed politically because they have almost nothing to show for diplomatic efforts in the proximity talks and are facing considerable domestic opposition to such a move. » Read more

Source: Israel seeks to avoid Quartet stance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 17, 2010 - 12:00am The Israeli government is trying to prevent the release of the Quartet statement on direct talks, and hopes to replace it with a US decision, a source within the PLO told Ma'an on Monday evening. The source said the PLO's Executive Committee would convene after the Quartet releases its statement, expected to call for talks under conditions that would attempt to satisfy both Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. A PLO position would be determined following the announcement, the source said. » Read more

Negotiations under false pretenses ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - August 17, 2010 - 12:00am Direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are likely to begin in the near future. The international community under the conductor’s wand of the Obama Administration has applied considerable pressure to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to withdraw from all of his demands for setting the conditions for his participation in the negotiations. » Read more

For Hamas, an end to Gaza's tunnel trade may be only the beginning ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Liam Stack - August 16, 2010 - 12:00am Under the watchful eyes of both Egyptian border guards and Hamas tax collectors, more than 1,000 tunnels snake below the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Since Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza after Hamas took control in 2007, the tunnels underneath Rafah, a chaotic border town, have helped bring in everything from snack food and cement to a lion for the zoo. Without this underground highway system, Gazans say they would not have survived the past three years of sanctions. » Read more

Ex-Israeli Soldier’s Photos Condemned ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - August 16, 2010 - 12:00am An Israeli woman who completed her military service last year posted photographs of herself from the army posing with blindfolded and bound Palestinian prisoners under the title “The Army ... The Most Beautiful Time of My Life,” producing enraged commentary on the Internet and condemnation from the military. The woman, Eden Abergil, from the southern city of Ashdod, is seen in the pictures, posted on her Facebook page, smiling next to the prisoners. » Read more

Israeli-Palestinian direct talks expected to be announced soon ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico by Laura Rozen - August 16, 2010 - 12:00am An announcement that Israelis and Palestinians have agreed to go into direct peace talks is expected in the coming days, U.S. officials, Mideast watchers and European diplomats said Monday. “We are close, we are optimistic,” a U.S. official said. “There’s still work to do, details remain.” One western diplomat said the announcement was expected Monday, adding that both parties are essentially agreeing to go into direct talks based on assurances they have received from the United States. » Read more