U.S.: Rabbi's 'offensive' remarks harm peace efforts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Natasha Mozgovaya - August 30, 2010 - 12:00am The United States on Sunday condemned remarks by the spiritual leader of Israel's leading ultra-Orthodox party, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who said the Palestinians should "perish". "We regret and condemn the inflammatory statements by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef," U.S. State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley. "These remarks are not only deeply offensive, but incitement such as this hurts the cause of peace." "As we move forward to relaunch peace negotiations, it is important that actions by people on all sides help to advance our effort, not hinder it." » Read more

The Strip Under Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Abdullah Iskandar - August 29, 2010 - 12:00am The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has been escalating its political discourse against the Palestinian Authority, on the occasion of the latter answering Washington’s call for direct negotiations with Israel. The debate over taking such a step will thus prevail over other issues with the nearing of the date for starting these negotiations on the 2nd of next month. » Read more

Hamas-Islamic Jihad Relations Deteriorating ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Kifah Zaboun - August 29, 2010 - 12:00am Sources within the Islamic Jihad Movement have described relations with the Hamas movement as "tense" to the degree that interaction between the two movements' officials on a political level have ceased. Another high-level source told Asharq Al-Awsat, "They went beyond all limits ... They are acting like a government that owns Gaza, and now nothing is left between us except the media." The sources accused Hamas of escalation against elements of the Islamic Jihad on a daily basis through arrests, attacks, and raiding of the movement's offices. » Read more

Direct talks will fail – is that what the US is planning on? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Tony Karon - (Opinion) August 30, 2010 - 12:00am There is more chance of Saddam Hussein’s elusive weapons of mass destruction suddenly turning up in Iraq than there is of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Mahmoud Abbas agreeing on the terms for a two-state solution in Washington this week. That does not mean the direct talks being orchestrated by President Barack Obama are pointless. On the contrary, they represent a moment of truth, not for the Israelis or the Palestinians, but for Mr Obama, who is creating a crisis by forcing irreconcilable differences between the two sides onto the table. » Read more

Influential Israeli Rabbi calls for Palestinians to 'perish from the world' ahead of crunch peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Daily Mail August 30, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has distanced himself from an influential rabbi after he said Palestinians and their President Mahmoud Abbas should 'perish from the world'. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spiritual head of the religious Shas party in Israel's government, gave a fiery sermon as Middle East peace talks were set to begin next week. The 89-year-old rabbi - founder of the ultra-orthodox Shas Party - said: 'Abu Mazen and all these evil people should perish from this earth. » Read more

PM pulls back from Yosef’s words ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh, Herb Keinon - August 29, 2010 - 12:00am Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu rushed on Sunday evening to distance himself and his government from Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s death wish for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian people, after the flood of angry Palestinian reactions to the comments. “These words do not reflect the approach of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, nor the position of the government of Israel,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. » Read more

Mahmoud Abbas: If talks fail over settlements, only Israel will be to blame ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - August 29, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the upcoming resumption of direct peace talks with Israel in a televised speech on Sunday, saying that "Israel will be held accountable for the failure of the talks if settlement construction should continue." "The negotiations need to bring about serious action that will be able to bring liberation from the occupation and independence," Abbas said. » Read more

Netanyahu: I never promised to extend West Bank settlement construction freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - August 26, 2010 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Likud ministers on Sunday that he had not made any promises to U.S. President Barack Obama or any other American government official regarding an extension of the settlement construction freeze in the West Bank. "We made no proposals to the Americans on extending the freeze," Netanyahu said. "We said that the future of the communities will be discussed as one of the elements of a final-status settlement, along with the other issues. We promised nothing on this issue to the Americans." » Read more

Obama's Mideast push is foreign policy gamble ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Matt Spetalnick - (Analysis) August 30, 2010 - 12:00am When President Barack Obama finally brings Israeli and Palestinian leaders back to the negotiating table this week, it will mark not only his deepest foray into Middle East peacemaking but also his riskiest. In a congressional election year, Obama is putting his presidential prestige on the line with a hands-on push for Middle East peace despite broad skepticism about his chances for success where so many of his predecessors have failed. » Read more

Palestinian traders clear shops of settlement goods ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 30, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian traders have submitted 25,000 applications for a Dignity medal to certify their compliance with the government ban on trading in settlement produce, an official said Sunday. National Dignity Fund director Omer Qabaha said 8,000 traders have already received the medal, following inspections to check their stores are free of settlement goods. Qababa praised merchants for their keenness to commit to the new policy, noting that they voluntarily requested checks on their shops. He urged traders who have not applied yet to do so promptly. » Read more