In Lawless Nablus, The Law Changes At Sundown
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Matthew Gutman - November 16, 2007 - 4:05pm

Tawfiq Kalboni fidgets with some wayward bills. A moneylender in this central West Bank city, Kalboni, 42, owed another moneylender about $150,000. When he failed to pay, he said, the creditor collected on the debt, Nablus style. Five weeks ago, masked gunmen kidnapped his 14-year-old son from the doorstep of his house.

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Abbas Calls For Ouster Of Hamas ‘gang’ From Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner, Taghreed El-Khodary - November 16, 2007 - 4:01pm

Three days after Hamas policemen shot and killed at least seven civilians at a rally in Gaza, leading a number of Gazans to express shock and anger at Hamas, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president and the leader of the rival faction Fatah, called for the ouster of Hamas from power in Gaza.

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Annapolis At The Crossroads
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) November 15, 2007 - 6:29pm

This is not the best of months, it seems, for Palestinians to undertake major steps because the record to date has not been very promising. If nothing else, there has been the deadly events in the Gaza Strip when about 250,000 Gazans were commemorating the third death anniversary of Yasser Arafat, last Monday. Seven supporters of Arafat's party, Fatah, were killed when surprisingly the police of its rival party, Hamas which is now in control of Gaza, opened fire on the rally. More than 100 were injured and about 400 Fatah supporters were arrested in this ugly encounter.

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Palestinians Aim For Agreement With Israel Within Year
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Rory Mccarthy - November 15, 2007 - 6:28pm

Palestinian negotiators want to set a timetable to secure a peace agreement with Israel within a year, according to Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior Palestinian official, who yesterday stressed that the bold agenda was "realistic". Abed Rabbo, a senior figure within the Palestine Liberation Organisation and a leading negotiator, said the peace conference expected to be held in Annapolis, Maryland, within a fortnight, was aiming at a renewed peace process based on a fresh approach to the US "road map" of 2003.

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Israelis On Us Mission Ahead Of Peace Meeting
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
by Charly Wegman - November 15, 2007 - 6:26pm

Two top aides to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert flew to Washington overnight ahead of expected peace talks, amid reports of a freeze on construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Olmert plans to freeze the growth of settlements as a concession to Palestinians ahead of the planned US-sponsored meeting.

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Palestinian Security Paradox
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by David Ignatius - (Opinion) November 15, 2007 - 6:20pm

Here's a safe prediction in advance of the Annapolis peace conference scheduled to take place in a few weeks: The Palestinians won't be ready to fulfill their obligation to provide security in the West Bank under the "road map to peace." The Palestinian Authority simply doesn't have the people, the training or the equipment to maintain order in the territories.

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Palestinians Begin Rebuilding Symbols Of Authority
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Wael Al-ahmed, Adam Entous - November 15, 2007 - 6:17pm

Work crews are laying foundations for a Palestinian state, clearing away the twisted ruins of government compounds destroyed by Israel to start a major rebuilding campaign. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's plan calls for rebuilding eight muqatas -- Arabic for headquarters -- and other administrative buildings flattened by Israel across the occupied West Bank after the start of a Palestinian uprising in 2000.

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Israelis Press Plan To Block The Division Of Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - November 15, 2007 - 6:13pm

The Israeli Parliament gave preliminary approval on Wednesday to a bill intended to hinder any division of Jerusalem in a future deal with the Palestinians. The vote came as Israel’s rightist and religious parties started positioning themselves before an American-sponsored peace gathering expected to take place in Annapolis, Md., this month. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he plans to negotiate with the Palestinians after Annapolis on the core issues relating to a two-state solution, including security issues, borders, refugees and the status of Jerusalem.

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More Than Words Needed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Susie Becher - (Opinion) November 14, 2007 - 1:08pm

Hardly a day goes by without some new twist in the preparations for the Annapolis conference, and speculation is rife on whether it will end in success or failure. The Israeli prime minister is trying to lower expectations, emphasizing that it is not a peace conference but a starting point for negotiations toward a peace accord. The Palestinian president has his eye on the day after Annapolis, pushing for a time limit on the negotiations that will follow the event. The truth is that the summit itself cannot fail, because nothing will be left to chance.

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Are Two States Still Viable?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Seth Anziska - (Opinion) November 14, 2007 - 1:05pm

Oxford dons were reeling at their high table dinners late last month, in the wake of a startling controversy over the Middle East. A debate at the Oxford Union on the motion "This house believes that one state is the only solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict" was compromised by external political pressure, generating serious concerns about academic freedom and the principles of free speech.

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