The Washington Post profiles the joint ATFP/APN internship program for Israeli and Palestinian students. George Will says PM Netanyahu and Pres. Obama do not understand each other. The CSM says land is a symbol of identity for Israelis and Palestinians. James Carroll looks at the importance of Jerusalem. Palestinians are pressing to bring the Quartet into efforts to revive direct negotiations. Netanyahu rejects the 1967 borders as a basis for negotiations. Arab leaders will meet in Cairo. Lebanon considers extending more rights to Palestinian refugees. Palestinian officials say the US has approved their proposal for framing direct negotiations, but await Israel's response. Israel's military is taking the narrowest possible interpretation of a court ruling opening a major West Bank highway to Palestinian traffic. Palestinian citizens who do not serve in Israel's military are denied university housing. Larry Derfner says the flotilla raid was ill-conceived. Interior Minister Yishai confirms that building after Sept. 26 will be confined to existing settlement blocs. Michael Young says Tony Judt's embrace of impossible bi-nationalism was a symptom of the lack of any real solution. Mshari Al-Zaydi says many have a stake in not resolving the conflict. Abdullah Iskandar says Pres. Abbas faces an impossible choice on direct talks.

Yishai: PM set to build in blocs only
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gil Hoffman, David Horovitz - August 12, 2010 - 12:00am


Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will resume building only in the settlement blocs Israel will likely keep under an agreement with the Palestinians when the construction freeze in Judea and Samaria ends on September 26, Interior Minister Eli Yishai predicted on Wednesday.


IDF bans Israelis from Palestinian villages along West Bank highway
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson - August 12, 2010 - 12:00am


A new IDF decree bans Israelis from entering Palestinian villages along Route 443, despite these villages being located in Area C, which is under complete Israeli control. The ban was announced yesterday by GOC Central Command Avi Mizrahi. It joins other measures taken by the Central Command as the West Bank road is prepared to be opened to Palestinian traffic, in accordance with a Supreme Court verdict rendered earlier this year.


Netanyahu rejects peace talks based on 1967 borders
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - August 12, 2010 - 12:00am


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday rejected a Palestinian demand that direct negotiations be based on a statement by the Quartet confirming its position that the future Palestinian state will be based on the 1967 borders. Meeting in Jerusalem with U.S. envoy George Mitchell, Netanyahu repeated his demand for the renewal of direct talks without preconditions. Mitchell briefed Netanyahu on his meeting on Tuesday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and gave the prime minister the Palestinian proposal.


Netanyahu rejects '67 borders as basis for talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 12, 2010 - 12:00am


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his request that direct peace talks with Palestinians go ahead without preconditions, during a meeting with US envoy to the peace process George Mitchell on Wednesday. President Mahmoud Abbas, following his Tuesday meeting with Mitchell, told the press that he emphasized the need to base talks on a March statement by the Middle East Quartet, which outlined its position that a future Palestinian state should be based on the 1967 borders.


No place in university dorms for Arabs who didn't serve in IDF
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Jack Khoury - August 12, 2010 - 12:00am


Dozens of Arab students at Tel Aviv University were denied spots in college dormitories for the coming academic year, due to preference given to students with military records, students said a secretary in the dean's office told them. There are fewer beds allocated for Israeli citizens this year because more overseas students, mainly from the United States, have registered for classes, the students said.


US to consult with Quartet over Abbas request
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 12, 2010 - 12:00am


US State Department officials said Wednesday, peace efforts would "press forward in the coming days" despite the latest visit by Middle East envoy George Mitchell characterized as a failure by many media outlets. Mitchell, who left the region on Wednesday evening, met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders during his latest tour, and presented a formula for talks laid out by President Mahmoud Abbas to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which the latter rejected.


Goliath and his paintball gun
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Larry Derfner - August 12, 2010 - 12:00am


How could we have screwed up so badly? This is what no one understands about the navy commandos’ May 31 raid on the Mavi Marmara, and this is what our leaders are twisting themselves into knots this week trying to explain to the Turkel Commission.


Pursuit of the holy land
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Boston Globe
by James Carroll - July 26, 2010 - 12:00am


‘LAND For peace’’ was the early mantra of the Mideast peace process, and it was realized in Israel’s treaties with Egypt and Jordan. The formula has proven to be more problematic between Israel and Palestine because the disputed territory defines core identities of both peoples. Having accepted the principle, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995 by a fellow Jew for whom any surrender of Eretz Israel (the Land of Israel) violated the sacred trust given by God.


Palestinians await Israeli response on involving Quartet in peace discussions: official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
August 12, 2010 - 12:00am


The Palestinian leadership is waiting for Israel's response on the proposal that the international Quartet issues a statement to define the references for direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, a senior Palestinian official said on Thursday. "We are waiting for the Americans to tell us the Israeli response on our proposal," Saleh Ra'fat, a member of the Executive Committee of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) told Radio of Palestine.



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