Middle East News: World Press Roundup

The PA pushes a strongly worded UN resolution condemning Israel for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza and provocative steps in Jerusalem, but Ha’aretz argues that the more extreme the resolution is, the better it is for Israel. Prime Minister Fayyad expresses concern that Israel is contemplating a Palestinian “Mickey Mouse state.” 3 Palestinians are wounded in an Israeli air strike on Gaza tunnels. Reports suggest that Fatah officials may already have signed an Egyptian brokered national reconciliation deal. The JTA asks whether or not Israeli ambassador Oren will attend the upcoming J Street conference. In the Washington Post, Former Israeli Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh argues that PM Fayyad’s plan for building de facto Palestinian statehood could bring about “real progress toward a two-state solution.”

---

---

---

Fatah signs reconciliation plan, placing onus on Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 14, 2009 - 12:00am Ramallah – Ma’an – Fatah signed an Egyptian-backed deal for reconciliation with its archrival, the Hamas movement, in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday, senior officials said. Jamal Muheisin, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, told Ma’an that they signed the deal because of the movement’s “positive” outlook on the plan. He also said Fatah official Azzam Al-Ahmad will hand over the signed document Wednesday or Thursday. » Read more

Palestinian UN draft / The more extreme, the better for Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - October 14, 2009 - 12:00am We should not get unnerved by the heartbreaking cries coming from Jerusalem regarding Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to appeal to the UN Human Rights Council with an upgraded Goldstone report. Wise men have said in the past, "the worse it is, the better it is." The more extreme the Palestinian offer gets, the chance of it winning support in the West dwindles. » Read more

Israeli air strike on Gaza tunnels wounds three ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters October 14, 2009 - 12:00am GAZA, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Israeli warplanes attacked two smuggling tunnels along the Gaza Strip border with Egypt on Wednesday, wounding three tunnellers, Palestinian medical sources and the Israeli army said.   An Israeli army spokeswoman said the attack came in response to a rocket fired by Gaza militants into southern Israel late on Tuesday. It landed in an open field causing no casualties, the army said. » Read more

The Third Mideast Option ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Ephraim Sneh - October 14, 2009 - 12:00am The difficulties surrounding preparations for the Obama-Netanyahu-Abbas meeting in New York last month should bring the U.S. administration to one conclusion: There is no sense in pressing for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks now. That is not because there is no urgent need of a negotiated agreement -- there certainly is. It is because the political constraints of both leaders, the Palestinian Authority's Mahmoud Abbas and Israel's Binyamin Netanyahu, prevent any progress at the negotiation table. » Read more

Palestinian PM fears Israeli offer of 'Mickey Mouse' state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) October 14, 2009 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad said on Wednesday he feared Israel intended to create a "Mickey Mouse" Palestinian state on only limited parts of the occupied West Bank.   "You cannot but wonder what it is that Israel has in mind when it talks about a Palestinian state," Fayyad told a press briefing in the West Bank town of Ramallah. "By all appearances, it looks like they have a Mickey Mouse state in mind, and that is not what we are looking for." » Read more

Will Israel’s ambassador attend J street parley? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - October 14, 2009 - 12:00am J Street has lined up plenty of high-profile speakers for its first major conference, but the new and controversial self-described "pro-Israel, pro-peace" lobby is looking to add one more prominent name to the guest list. The organization -- which has backed U.S. pressure on Israel (and the Palestinians), criticized Israel’s invasion of Gaza and criticized more established pro-Israel groups -- wants Michael Oren, the U.S.-born and raised Israeli ambassador to Washington, to attend and address its first major conference at the end of this month. Oren is undecided. » Read more

Palestinians urge Israeli punishment over Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Edith M. Lederer - October 14, 2009 - 12:00am UNITED NATIONS — The Palestinians called Wednesday for global action to punish Israel for alleged war crimes during its military assault on Gaza last winter, warning that the credibility of the United Nations and international human rights law was at stake. The demand was based on the findings of a commission headed by former South African judge Richard Goldstone. » Read more

Fatah official: Abbas' adviser gave him bad advice over Goldstone ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 14, 2009 - 12:00am Those who advised President Mahmoud Abbas to defer the Goldstone report gave him bad advice, Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha’ath told a Paris panel on Wednesday. Sha’ath spoke at an online panel discussion of the issues raised by the recent Palestinian Authority decision to delay the decision on whether or not to adopt the Goldstone report into UN policy. The discussion was organized by the Paris-based Arab European Studies Center. » Read more

Palestinians rescue 2 Israelis who accidentally enter West Bank village ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews October 14, 2009 - 12:00am The Palestinian security organizations have removed two Israeli citizens who accidentally entered the village of Dura, west of Hebron. The two were handed over to the Israel Police through the Civil Administration. The Israel Defense Forces stresses that Israelis are not allowed to enter Area A, and should refrain from entering Area B, which is considered dangerous. (Hanan Greenberg)

Draft UN resolution inserts text on Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 14, 2009 - 12:00am A draft resolution submitted by Palestinian diplomats to the United Nations Human Rights Council calls for a full endorsement of the Goldstone report on Gaza and also condemns Israel for its policies in Jerusalem. The draft was made public on Wednesday on the website of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. President Mahmoud Abbas’ government reportedly submitted the draft after it demanded a new debate on the Goldstone war crimes report. » Read more

---

---