Fruitless talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) August 2, 2010 - 12:00am Suddenly the mood music for a resumption of direct talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis has changed key and grown louder. The Arab League Thursday endorsed such negotiations subject to Palestinian judgment on timing. It would seem Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s speculation that direct talks could be under way by the middle of this month, was not merely diplomatic window-dressing. » Read more

U.S. companies helped finance Dubai slaying ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) August 2, 2010 - 12:00am Money transfers made through U.S. companies may have used to help finance the January assassination of a senior Hamas leader, the Wall Street Journal reported. The transfers were discovered by American investigators cooperating with the probe into the Jan. 20 assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a hotel room in Dubai. » Read more

Robert Fisk: Israel has crept into the EU without anyone noticing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Robert Fisk - August 2, 2010 - 12:00am The death of five Israeli servicemen in a helicopter crash in Romania this week raised scarcely a headline. » Read more

Israelis and Palestinians unite for peace - and theatre ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Sarfraz Manzoor - August 2, 2010 - 12:00am Nour Shehadah and Chen Alon are both shaven-headed fathers in their forties. Shehadah is Palestinian and he spent five years in an Israeli prison for his activities as a leader of his local Fatah military. Alon is a former combat soldier and major in the Israeli army. » Read more

Israel agrees in principle to UN inquiry ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press August 2, 2010 - 12:00am Israel has agreed in principle to the establishment of a UN flotilla probe committee to investigate the incidents surrounding the IDF raid on a Turkish aid ship in May, Defense Minister Ehud Barak reportedly told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Israel Radio reported Monday that Barak made the announcement during his recent trip to New York. Former New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer was expected to head the committee along with representatives from the US, the UN, Israel and Turkey. » Read more

Ramallah building boom symbolizes West Bank growth ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters August 2, 2010 - 12:00am The din of earth-movers leveling the hilly terrain of Ramallah for construction is unremitting as modern buildings shoot up all over the West Bank city. Once a mere village on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Ramallah has seen its population double in the last 10 years and land prices surge, in part due to the fact it falls within the 40 percent of the West Bank where Palestinians can build without Israeli permission. » Read more

Abbas wants a trilateral meeting between aides before direct talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - August 2, 2010 - 12:00am The Obama administration is attempting to win Israel's agreement to a Palestinian effort to hold a trilateral meeting next week to set the terms of reference, agenda and timetable for direct negotiations with the Palestinians. The Palestinians also want to discuss the future of Israel's freeze on settlement construction, which is scheduled to expire on September 26. If Israel agrees to the meeting, it will be the first significant direct talks with the Palestinian Authority since Benjamin Netanyahu became prime minister last year. » Read more

What will Hamas do if direct Mideast peace talks take off? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - August 2, 2010 - 12:00am The impression from the weekend's events was that neither Israel nor Hamas was interested in escalating the situation, and both are looking for ways to lower the flame and restore the unofficial cease-fire on the Gaza Strip border since the end of Operation Cast Lead about a year and a half ago. On Friday a Grad Katyusha rocket fired from Gaza landed in Ashkelon, causing no injuries. It is not clear who was behind the firing. It is reasonable to assume it was not Hamas but one of the rogue organizations in the Gaza Strip identified with World Jihad or Al-Qaida. » Read more

Abbas, Mitchell's deputy discuss peace process ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua August 2, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met on Monday with David Hale, deputy of U.S. special Middle East envoy George Mitchell, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, state-run Palestinian Wafa news agency reported. During the meeting, Abbas updated the U.S. official with the latest political developments in the region and efforts aiming to push the peace process forward, the report said. » Read more

Israeli army orders officers to protect civilians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press August 2, 2010 - 12:00am The Israeli military says it will assign officers to protect civilians in combat zones during wartime. The move appears to be a response to international criticism of Israel for high civilian death tolls in recent wars in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. The military says an officer in each battalion will be responsible for planning and marking evacuation corridors for civilians in combat areas. Lt. Col. Shuki Shine says the officer will specify where soldiers cannot shoot and will also ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid. » Read more