August 10th

A Talk with Palestinian Negotiator Ahmed Qurei ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Kifah Zaboun - August 9, 2010 - 12:00am Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat- Ahmed Qurei, who is also known by his Arabic Kunya Abu Alaa, is a former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, and a veteran negotiator. In 1968 he joined the Fatah political party, and lived in exile with its founder, Yasser Arafat. After improving the economic fortunes of the party, he became a member of the Fatah central committee in 1989, and subsequently went on to play a prominent role in peace negotiations. He is highly regarded for the instrumental role he played in negotiating the Oslo accords of 1993. » Read more

Barak: Peace process will get world off our back ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Atilla Somfalvi - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am Defense Minister Ehud Barak took advantage of his testimony to the Turkel Committee, probing the deadly Navy raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, to voice political messages as well. "The key for changing Israel's legitimacy, and the ability to get the world off our back, is to restart a comprehensive peace process, to utilize the chance to reach agreements to the fullest, particularly with the Palestinians, despite the difficult price," he said. » Read more

The Mideast ‘peace process’ could end in permanent war ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Shlomo Ben-Ami - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am Twenty years after the Madrid Peace conference, and 10 years after President Bill Clinton’s heroic efforts at Camp David failed to yield a settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, one cannot escape the conclusion that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has become one of the most spectacular deceptions in modern diplomatic history. » Read more

'I take full responsibility,' Barak tells Gaza flotilla probe ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday took "full responsibility" for Israel's deadly raid on Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May, saying the government had foreseen the potential for violence when it decided to launch the operation. Testifying before an Israeli investigative committee - which foreshadows an impending United Nations probe - Barak said he accepted full responsibility for the instructions given to the military over its interception of six Gaza-bound ships. » Read more

Editorial: Crux of the problem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) August 10, 2010 - 12:00am When last week the Arab League backed restarting direct peace talks between the Palestinians Authority and Israel, but only when the Palestinians believe the circumstances are right, the response of Hamas was of angry rejection. The movement’s Damascus-based leader Khaled Mashaal not only said that such negotiations were illegitimate, he denied the Arab League’s right to make such a pronouncement. » Read more

Abbas to reject direct talks before setting peace references ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua August 10, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will tell the visiting U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell that he will not go to direct talks unless peace references are set, a Palestinian official said Tuesday. Abbas will meet Tuesday with Mitchell in the West Bank city of Ramallah to discuss the efforts made to push forward the stalled peace process. "We reiterated in many occasions that we are ready to jump to direct talks," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told the official Voice of Palestine radio. » Read more

Israel weighed all options in Gaza boat raid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters August 10, 2010 - 12:00am Israel exhausted all other options before carrying out its deadly raid on a Turkish aid flotilla enroute to the blockaded Gaza Strip, Defence Minister Ehud Barak told a government-appointed inquiry on Tuesday. Barak also said he was told by Israel's military chief that the operation "won't be simple, but we can get it done". Nine Turks were shot dead when Israeli commandos stormed the lead ship on May 31. Israel says its commandos used live fire only after being attacked with clubs, knives and gunfire by activists who it says were clearly prepared for violence. » Read more

Israel to transfer extra water to Bethlehem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 10, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli authorities have approved an increase in water supplies to the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Palestinian officials said Monday. Dr Shaddad Al-Attili, head of the Palestinian Water Authority, said that following negotiations with the Israeli water company Mekerot, an extra 2,000 cubic meters of water would be delivered daily for a limited period beginning this week. Al-Attili said the Water Authority would launch a campaign with police to punish anyone caught stealing water or using others’ water illegally.

PA official denies reports of Cabinet reshuffle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 10, 2010 - 12:00am The Palestinian Authority Cabinet’s secretary-general denied on Monday that a government reshuffle was imminent. Speaking to Ma’an radio, Na’im Abu Al-Hummus said Prime Minister Salam Fayyad informed the Cabinet that it was not the right time to form a new government Monday’s weekly meeting in Ramallah. The remarks followed Fatah's parliament speaker Azzam Al-Ahmad’s announcement Sunday that a new Cabinet would be formed within two weeks. Reports of a reshuffle first surfaced in February, and were confirmed by President Mahmoud Abbas until May.

Israel, the bomb, and openness ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Micah Zenko - (Opinion) August 10, 2010 - 12:00am It's time for Israel to come out of the closet. After five decades of maintaining a nuclear weapons program without acknowledging its existence, Israel should proactively announce and provide information about its nuclear weapons status. Though Israel's bombs have long been an open secret, unprecedented international scrutiny in coming years will make this "nuclear opacity" increasingly untenable. » Read more