March 4th

The Only Alternative To Two States Is Conflict ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) August 18, 2008 - 12:00am With Palestinians facing greater and greater difficulties in their struggle to achieve an independent state in the territories occupied by Israel in the war of 1967, a serious debate has been sparked over the viability of the two-state solution. » Read more

One State Definitely Not An Option ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - August 18, 2008 - 12:00am On both sides of the green line and, indeed, wherever people think about solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a lot of old/new thinking is taking place. Old, because there is really nothing new under the sun when it comes to solutions for Israelis and Palestinians. But new, because after 15 years of concentrated and largely fruitless efforts to solve the conflict with a negotiated two-state solution, we now encounter more and more discussion of alternatives. » Read more

What Happened To The "vision" Of A Two-state Solution? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yisrael Harel - August 18, 2008 - 12:00am A few years ago, at a dialogue meeting between Israelis and Palestinians, the Palestinians were asked what they thought of the idea voiced by Ariel Sharon that Jordan, with more than two-thirds of its population Palestinian, is in fact a Palestinian state. And if that is not today the case, then when Jordan becomes a constitutional monarchy or enjoys some other form of regime that expresses the will of the majority, it will indeed become Palestinian. » Read more

Hamas May Try Fatah General In Absentia ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - August 18, 2008 - 12:00am In the first case of its kind, a Hamas "security court" in the Gaza Strip has issued a warrant for the arrest of Gen. Rashid Abu Shabak, the former commander of the Palestinian Authority's Preventive Security Service. The warrant gives Abu Shabak 10 days to hand himself over to the Hamas security forces in Gaza City or face being tried in absentia. The court ruled that Abu Shabak should be arrested for misusing public funds and abusing his powers. » Read more

Olmert: Barak Blocking Cabinet Debate On Defense Issues ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz August 18, 2008 - 12:00am Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday accused Defense Minister Ehud Barak of blocking cabinet debate on issues of security. "Because of you, it is impossible to conduct a serious discussion on the defense establishment," Olmert told Barak during the cabinet's weekly meeting in Jerusalem. » Read more

Palestinian Pm: Israel Should Free More Than Just 200 Prisoners ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Shahar Ilan - August 18, 2008 - 12:00am Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Sunday welcomed Israel's decision to release close to 200 Palestinian prisoners as a gesture to the Palestinian Authority, but said Israel should release even larger numbers of prisoners. The cabinet approved the release of the Palestinian prisoners, including two prisoners "with blood on their hands," meaning they were directly involved in the killing of Israelis, during the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday morning. » Read more

'we Are Running Out Of Time For A Two-state Solution' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) August 18, 2008 - 12:00am At the end of my conversation with Sari Nusseibeh at the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem, the highly respected president of Al-Quds University - and cosignatory of " The People's Choice" a peace plan that he formulated with former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon - told me he wouldn't be surprised if one of the Palestinian residents of the city ran for mayor in the municipal elections in November. The candidate would not run as a representative of Jerusalem per se, Nusseibeh stressed. Rather, he would be running on behalf of all Palestinians in the occupied territories. » Read more

Israel To Treat Gaza Peace Boats 'like Pirates' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Telegraph by Carolynne Wheeler - August 19, 2008 - 12:00am The SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty, which are sailing from Crete to Cyprus and then on to Gaza after being delayed by a storm, will carry about 40 protesters campaigning against Israel's economic sanctions on the Palestinian territory, including an 84-year-old Holocaust survivor and Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of Tony Blair, who is the international special envoy to the Middle East. The boats, which will also carry a cargo of balloons, musical instruments and thousands of hearing aids, are expected to approach Gaza early next week. » Read more

Israel: Prisoners To Be Released ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times August 19, 2008 - 12:00am Israel said on Monday that it would free two prominent Palestinian prisoners — Said al-Atba, who has served 32 years of a life sentence, and Mohammed Abu Ali, who was elected to the Palestinian Parliament while behind bars — among 199 inmates to be released as a good-will gesture to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. The move drew fierce criticism from some Israeli politicians, who said it could undermine attempts to free a captured Israeli soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was being held in the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by the militant Palestinian organization Hamas.

Israeli Court To Review Palestinian Abuse Case ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune August 19, 2008 - 12:00am Israel's Supreme Court will review the army's proposed punishment for two soldiers who were filmed abusing a Palestinian. The court said it would look at the case Tuesday in response to a request from a human rights group that thinks the army's indictment is too lenient. The video was released by Israeli rights group B'Tselem last month. It shows a soldier firing a rubber bullet toward the foot of a West Bank man whose hands were bound and eyes were blindfolded. The bullet bruised the 27-year-old man's toe. » Read more