October 24th

Hamas And Fatah Both Accused Of Torturing Their Opponents ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald Macintyre - October 24, 2007 - 2:29pm Gross and illegal abuses against political opponents – including torture or ill treatment of arbitrarily held detainees – have been repeatedly committed by both Fatah and Hamas since last June, according to Amnesty International. » Read more

Feud 'hurting Palestinian Rights' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News October 24, 2007 - 2:27pm Amnesty International says illegal detentions and torture have become commonplace in both Hamas-controlled Gaza and Fatah's West Bank stronghold. It notes that the situation in Gaza has deteriorated sharply since June when Hamas seized control by force. The UK-based group is calling for an independent investigation. According to Amnesty, arbitrary detentions and the torture of opposition supporters have become widespread in the Gaza Strip where there have also been attacks on demonstrators and journalists covering such incidents. » Read more

U.s. Wants Progress Ahead Of Annapolis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - October 24, 2007 - 2:25pm It's an insistent counterpoint audible beneath the U.S. march toward confrontation with Iran: While pledging to stop the Islamic Republic from going nuclear, the Bush administration is determined to walk Israel toward peace with the Palestinians. A battery of Israeli officials, in Israel and visiting the United States, heard the same message from an array of Bush administration officials: The United States stands with Israel on Iran, but expects some progress on Israel-Palestinian talks. » Read more

In Raid's Wake, Syria Turns Defensive ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Julien Barnes-dacey - October 24, 2007 - 2:23pm The peace overtures were nuanced and often veiled. But in the months before Israeli jets struck a Syrian military facility in the northeast of the country, Syria had expressed some interest in sitting down with its enemy to the south, Israel, to strike a deal on the status of the disputed Golan Heights. Rime Allaf of Chatham House, a London-based strategic think tank, points to secret negotiations, reported to have been backed by both governments, that became public in January. » Read more

Internal Divisions Make It A Bad Time For Israeli-palestinian Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Baltimore Sun by Suheir Abu Oksa Daoud - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 2:20pm While Israeli and Palestinian teams seek to iron out conditions for renewed peace talks in Annapolis this fall, deep divisions among the Palestinian and Israeli political leaderships doom any Middle East peace summit to failure. » Read more

Israel Draws Up Plan To Cut Gaza Energy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Laurie Copans - October 24, 2007 - 2:18pm Israeli military experts have formulated a plan to gradually cut off electricity and fuel to the Gaza Strip in response to ongoing rocket fire from the Palestinian area, defense officials said Wednesday. Israel provides more than half of Gaza's electricity, and any power cutoff is sure to make life more difficult for residents of the already impoverished territory. The move is also certain to draw harsh international condemnation. » Read more

The Way To Damascene Conversion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Shlomo Ben-ami - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 11:09am An Arab-Israeli peace requires a comprehensive approach whereby a Madrid-like international peace conference would lay the ground for a resolution of Israel’s conflicts with all its neighbours. Such a regional approach is called for precisely because the problems at stake are so intertwined. Not only are key issues such as Jerusalem and refugees insoluble without an all-Arab consensus, but also any country that is left out of the process is bound to persist in its role as a revolutionary power bent on a strategy of regional destabilization.   » Read more

The Way To Damascene Conversion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from by Shlomo Ben-ami - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 10:52am An Arab-Israeli peace requires a comprehensive approach whereby a Madrid-like international peace conference would lay the ground for a resolution of Israel’s conflicts with all its neighbours. Such a regional approach is called for precisely because the problems at stake are so intertwined. Not only are key issues such as Jerusalem and refugees insoluble without an all-Arab consensus, but also any country that is left out of the process is bound to persist in its role as a revolutionary power bent on a strategy of regional destabilization.   » Read more

Peacemaking Truths And Lies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 10:48am For 60 years Palestinian and Arab leaders have been lying to their people. Creating and sustaining the lie that the Palestinian refugees of 1948 would return to their original homes and lands makes it almost impossible for President Mahmoud Abbas to reach an agreement with Israel on this, the most central issue in the conflict. » Read more

An Arab Initiative To Avoid A Failed Conference ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by James J. Zogby - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 10:46am In the aftermath of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s fourth recent visit to the region to prepare for a Middle East peace conference, only the meeting’s proposed location has been decided. The situation looks quite bleak, with little to show for the efforts made to date. » Read more