Palestinians Spell Out Their Vision Of The Future In Peace Blueprint
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Donald Macintyre - November 22, 2007 - 10:34pm

Sweeping security, fiscal and political reforms are promised in the most detailed blueprint for the creation of a Palestinian state yet drawn up by the emergency government headed by Prime Minister Salam Fayad.

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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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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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Hamas To Curb Press, Gatherings In Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Sarah El Deeb - November 15, 2007 - 6:12pm

Gaza's Hamas rulers issued an edict Wednesday banning journalists from working in the coastal strip unless they submit to sweeping press restrictions, and it said it would soon impose new restraints on public gatherings. The moves, which follow the arrests of hundreds of opposition activists, appeared to be part of an intensifying clampdown after the Islamic militant group was confronted with a mass demonstration called by the rival Fatah movement that led to violence.

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Volatile City Tests Palestinian Police, And Peace Hopes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - November 14, 2007 - 12:39pm

This lawless city in the northern West Bank is ruled by rival militias and criminal gangs, an especially gritty illustration of why a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the West Bank, as expected under a future peace deal, gives Israelis pause.

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Jerusalem Diary: Monday 5 November
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News
by Tim Franks - November 5, 2007 - 2:32pm

DIRECTING THE POLICE DIRECTING THE TRAFFIC There may not be many well-paid jobs in the occupied territories. But there are plenty of policemen and security officers. They were on the streets of Nablus in the West Bank the other day, waving furiously at the traffic. They were trying to ensure that the path was clear for Gen Keith Dayton, the US point man in the region, whose job is to help knock the Palestinian security forces into better shape.

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Chaotic Nablus: Testing Ground For Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
October 26, 2007 - 5:35pm

The Palestinian president has chosen the West Bank's most chaotic city to show he's in control, winning U.S. praise Thursday for beefing up his security forces here as part of an attempt to reassure Israel that he can implement a future peace deal. However, Mahmoud Abbas' campaign to disarm hundreds of militants in Nablus has had mixed results.

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Getting Hamas Strategy Right
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum
by David Dreilinger - (Opinion) October 23, 2007 - 11:24am

The contours of the ambitious new Bush administration strategy for dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are beginning to take shape. But not everyone is optimistic about the chances for success. According to supporters of the Bush approach, things are right on schedule. Bilateral consultations between Israelis and Palestinians – like the meeting in Jericho between Abbas and Olmert this past Monday – will start bearing fruit in the coming months, as both parties move past confidence-building steps and start to talk about the outlines of a Palestinian state.

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Amnesty Brings Hope To West Bank Fighters
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times
by James Hider - October 22, 2007 - 11:40am

When Ala Sanaqra heard that he was on a list of wanted Palestinian fighters being offered an amnesty by Israel, he was surprised. As a commander of 42 other Fatah fighters, he was not expecting to be pardoned. Cautiously he accepted, hoping to resume a normal life after five tough years as a fugitive.

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Israel Ready To Discuss Creation Of Palestinian State, Says Rice
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times
by James Hider - October 22, 2007 - 10:36am

Israel is willing to discuss “fundamental issues” with the Palestinians about the creation of their future state, Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, said yesterday. With the Palestinian leadership demanding that fresh talks focus on vital issues such as borders, the status of millions of refugees and the status of Jerusalem, Dr Rice held out new hope that talks could go beyond the modest trust-building measures that the Jewish state has so far put on the table.

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