January 8th

Bone of contention ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times (Editorial) January 8, 2010 - 1:00am The 2,000-year-old Dead Sea Scrolls have become a serious bone of contention between Jordan, the Palestinians and Israel after the latter seized them in the wake of its occupation of the West Bank in 1967. The legal squabble over which country has jurisdiction over the artefacts, which were recently on display at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, threatens to mushroom into a political controversy where the Canadian government could end up taking centre stage. » Read more

J'lem rejects 2-year peace deadline ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh, Hilary Leila Krieger - (Analysis) January 8, 2010 - 1:00am Israel doesn't want to see deadlines imposed on the negotiating process with the Palestinians, even as the US is endorsing the idea of a two-year time frame. "In the past, attempts to impose time frameworks have not proved either realizable or helpful," Ambassador to Washington Michael Oren told The Jerusalem Post. Oren talked to the Post hours before US Middle East envoy George Mitchell said Wednesday night that "we think that the negotiation should last no more than two years. Once begun we think it can be done within that period of time." » Read more

Dahlan: Talks to resume in coming weeks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Editorial) January 8, 2010 - 1:00am Fatah Central Committee member and former security commander Muhammad Dahlan is optimistic that peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel will resume in the coming weeks, according to an interview with Al-Hayat published on Friday. Dahlan revealed that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have been holding intense contacts with the Quartet (representing the US, the UN Secretariat, the EU and Russia) in efforts to formulate a unified position regarding the resumption of peace talks. » Read more

Pro-Gaza activists under siege - imposed by Egypt and Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Analysis) January 8, 2010 - 1:00am The departure from Ramses Street in Cairo, in about 20 buses, was set for the morning of Monday, December 28. However, the organizers of the Gaza Freedom March knew the buses would not arrive. Just as on Sunday night, the buses hired by a group of French activists never made it to their starting point - Cairo's Charles de Gaulle Street, near the French Embassy and across from the zoo. » Read more

6 weeks into settlement freeze, Barak eases restrictions ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Analysis) January 8, 2010 - 1:00am Defense Minister Ehud Barak decided on Thursday to ease the temporary construction freeze in the West Bank settlements, announced in November by Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayhau, granting local settlement municipalities the authority to hand out building permits to be implemented immediately after the freeze expires. Netanyahu issued the freeze orders on November 26 in efforts to jumpstart stalled peace talks with the Palestinians, who have demanded that Israel cease all construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem before negotiations could resume. » Read more

Israeli jets attack targets across Gaza, killing 3 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Editorial) January 8, 2010 - 1:00am Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli warplanes carried out a series of raids on sites throughout the Gaza Strip late Thursday night, witnesses said and Israel's military confirmed. Three citizens were killed and two others injured in the Israeli raids that targeted a tunnel near Rafah crossing south of Gaza. Medical sources in Abu Yousif An-Najjar hospital identified the dead as Barakat Abu Shalouf, Odai Abu Heesh, 15, and Naser Al-Mahmum, 22. Muawiya Hassanein, the Gaza Health Ministry's director of ambulance and emergency services said the jets struck four areas in total. » Read more

Abbas rallies Arab support for position on peace, unity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Editorial) January 8, 2010 - 1:00am Amman – Ma’an – A strong Arab position on the furtherance of the peace process is essential, President Mahmud Abbas told leaders in Amman, the last stop on his regional tour following visits to Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait and Turkey on Thursday. » Read more

Hamas squeezed between Israel's rocket shield and Egypt's steel tunnel barrier ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Karin Laub - (Editorial) January 7, 2010 - 1:00am GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Gaza's Hamas rulers have suffered back-to-back setbacks with Israel's successful test of a rocket shield and Egypt's push to block smuggling tunnels. The Iron Dome rocket defense system, reportedly to be deployed near Gaza in May, would deprive Hamas of its main leverage against Israel — the threat of rocket salvos. Egypt's underground anti-tunnel barrier of steel beams, now under construction, could eventually cut Hamas' supply of cash and weapons. » Read more

Israel Agrees to Pay U.N. $10.5 Million for Gaza War Damage ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal by Joe Lauria, Joshua Mitnick - (Analysis) January 8, 2010 - 1:00am UNITED NATIONS -- Israel agreed to pay the U.N. $10.5 million in compensation for damage to U.N. property and for the life of a U.N. driver during Israel's war last winter in Gaza, according to two U.N. officials. "Agreement has been reached in principle on the terms of an arrangement under which Israel would make a payment to the United Nations," said Martin Nesirky, the U.N. spokesman. "The United Nations is now waiting for a green light from the government of Israel and we anticipate receiving that green light imminently." » Read more

U.S. Seeks a New Path to Peace in Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal by Jay Solomon - (Analysis) January 8, 2010 - 1:00am WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is taking new steps to restart Arab-Israeli peace talks that broke down last year, and U.S. officials said they hope formal negotiations could resume by February or March. U.S. diplomats said they are talking with Israel and Arab governments about more clearly defining terms for negotiations, which hit an impasse when Israel refused to accept a total freeze on settlements in disputed territories. Arab governments, meanwhile, balked at U.S. calls for them to begin normalizing diplomatic ties with Israel. » Read more