Daily News Issue Date:
August 5, 2013
News:
NEWS:
Israeli officials say the next round of peace talks [1] is scheduled for mid-August. (Xinhua)
Palestinians say [2] Israel's prisoner release [3] will be conducted in four stages [4]. (Ma'an/YNet/Times of Israel)
The prisoner release is not prompting less pessimism [5] among Palestinians. (NBC)
The US extends embassy closures [6] for a second day across much of the Middle East and Africa, but not in Israel and the occupied territories [7]. (Reuters/YNet)
Israel announces [8] wide-ranging new subsidies for settlements [9] in the occupied Palestinian territories as "national priority areas." [10](AP/Xinhua/AFP)
The record number of subsidized settlements includes four formerly regarded as "illegal" and "unauthorized" outposts [11]. (YNet)
Palestinians say Israel's announcement [12] prioritizing development of settlement areas will harm peace talks [13]. (New York Times/Ma'an)
Egypt reportedly cancels [14] PM Erdogan's long anticipated visit to Gaza [15]. (Ma'an/Times of Israel)
Hamas's complaints [16] about Egyptian restrictions are falling on deaf ears in Cairo. (AP)
US military Chief of Staff Martin Dempsey visits Israel [17]. (Xinhua)
For many young Palestinian boys living under occupation, throwing stones at Israeli soldiers is a rite of passage [18]. (New York Times)
FC Barcelona [19] begins its "peace tour" [20] of Israel and the occupied territories in Bethlehem and ends it in Tel Aviv. (Los Angeles Times/AP)
Palestinian Soccer Association head Rajoub welcomes Barcelona [21]'s trip and condemns Israel's policies that impede Palestinian sports. (Times of Israel)
An Israeli occupation soldier is filmed kicking a Palestinian child [22]. (YNet)
Arab MKs strongly protest [23] new Israeli electoral laws. (Al Monitor)
Palestinians fleeing Syria for Lebanon find little support, even from other Palestinians [24]. (Christian Science Monitor)
Two Muslim shrines are damaged [25] in attacks by extremists in Sinai. (Reuters)
Archaeologists find the remains of an ancient Jewish village [26] in the Galilee. (AP)
COMMENTARY:
The Washington Post interviews Egyptian Gen. Abdel Fatah al-Sissi [27]. (Washington Post)
Quartet envoy Tony Blair [28] says there is hope for peace in the Middle East's turmoil. (The Observer)
NPR interviews Marwan Muasher [29] on prospects for a two-state solution. (NPR)
Crispian Balmer [30] says the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no longer the central focus of Middle East strategic relations. (Reuters)
Trudy Rubin [31] says Sec. Kerry is pushing peace talks now because he understands how dangerous the status quo truly is. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Jonathan Freedman [32] says no one should be cynical about peace. (The Guardian)
Harriet Sherwood [33] samples a mix of Israeli and Palestinian opinion on the new negotiations. (The Observer)
Jay Michaelson [34] says Israelis just don't feel any pressing need to make peace. (The Forward)
Ha'aretz [35] says Israel needs to stop heavily incentivizing settlement activity with generous subsidies. (Ha'aretz)
Amira Hass [36] suggests four guarantees American negotiators should offer Israelis and Palestinians in the next round of talks. (Ha'aretz)
Jesse Rosenfeld [37] says drawnout negotiations will only increase Palestinian misery. (The National)
Leonard Fein [38] says peace talks can only succeed when all issues are negotiated and resolved. (The Forward)
The Deseret News [39] says even long-shot negotiations are preferable to none. (Deseret News)
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel [40] says any willingness to talk is a step forward. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
George Friedman [41] says imagination, not past paradigms, could open the door for peace. (EurActiv.com)
Brent Sasley [42] says peace negotiations poll well and seem popular among Israelis. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
Avraham Burg [43] suggests a vertical metaphor for Israeli-Palestinian coexistence. (Ha'aretz)
Danielle Spiegel Feld [44] dismisses comparisons between PM Netanyahu and the late PM Rabin. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
Oudeh Basharat [45] says the expulsion of Arabs in Israel begins in the Knesset. (Ha'aretz)
Herb Keinon [46] says the controversies over the Barcelona visit show how hard peace will be to achieve. (Jerusalem Post)
The National [47] says Barcelona's tour is a helpful reminder of what people have in common. (The National)
Nathan Jeffay [48] says Jewish Israeli attitudes towards Arabs are starting to soften, but the feeling is not reciprocated. (The Forward)
Nathan Guttman [49] asks if US generals have a "pro-Arab" bias. (The Forward)
Geoffrey Aronson [50] says Israel and Hamas are being forced to cooperate because of intensified Egyptian restrictions. (Al Monitor)
Omar Karmi [51] says newly released British documents point to an even larger Israeli role in the Sabra and Shatila massacre than previously thought. (The National)
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