August 2nd

Israelis and Palestinians unite for peace - and theatre ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Sarfraz Manzoor - August 2, 2010 - 12:00am Nour Shehadah and Chen Alon are both shaven-headed fathers in their forties. Shehadah is Palestinian and he spent five years in an Israeli prison for his activities as a leader of his local Fatah military. Alon is a former combat soldier and major in the Israeli army. » Read more

Israel agrees in principle to UN inquiry ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press August 2, 2010 - 12:00am Israel has agreed in principle to the establishment of a UN flotilla probe committee to investigate the incidents surrounding the IDF raid on a Turkish aid ship in May, Defense Minister Ehud Barak reportedly told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Israel Radio reported Monday that Barak made the announcement during his recent trip to New York. Former New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer was expected to head the committee along with representatives from the US, the UN, Israel and Turkey. » Read more

Ramallah building boom symbolizes West Bank growth ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters August 2, 2010 - 12:00am The din of earth-movers leveling the hilly terrain of Ramallah for construction is unremitting as modern buildings shoot up all over the West Bank city. Once a mere village on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Ramallah has seen its population double in the last 10 years and land prices surge, in part due to the fact it falls within the 40 percent of the West Bank where Palestinians can build without Israeli permission. » Read more

Abbas wants a trilateral meeting between aides before direct talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - August 2, 2010 - 12:00am The Obama administration is attempting to win Israel's agreement to a Palestinian effort to hold a trilateral meeting next week to set the terms of reference, agenda and timetable for direct negotiations with the Palestinians. The Palestinians also want to discuss the future of Israel's freeze on settlement construction, which is scheduled to expire on September 26. If Israel agrees to the meeting, it will be the first significant direct talks with the Palestinian Authority since Benjamin Netanyahu became prime minister last year. » Read more

What will Hamas do if direct Mideast peace talks take off? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - August 2, 2010 - 12:00am The impression from the weekend's events was that neither Israel nor Hamas was interested in escalating the situation, and both are looking for ways to lower the flame and restore the unofficial cease-fire on the Gaza Strip border since the end of Operation Cast Lead about a year and a half ago. On Friday a Grad Katyusha rocket fired from Gaza landed in Ashkelon, causing no injuries. It is not clear who was behind the firing. It is reasonable to assume it was not Hamas but one of the rogue organizations in the Gaza Strip identified with World Jihad or Al-Qaida. » Read more

Abbas, Mitchell's deputy discuss peace process ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua August 2, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met on Monday with David Hale, deputy of U.S. special Middle East envoy George Mitchell, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, state-run Palestinian Wafa news agency reported. During the meeting, Abbas updated the U.S. official with the latest political developments in the region and efforts aiming to push the peace process forward, the report said. » Read more

Israeli army orders officers to protect civilians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press August 2, 2010 - 12:00am The Israeli military says it will assign officers to protect civilians in combat zones during wartime. The move appears to be a response to international criticism of Israel for high civilian death tolls in recent wars in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. The military says an officer in each battalion will be responsible for planning and marking evacuation corridors for civilians in combat areas. Lt. Col. Shuki Shine says the officer will specify where soldiers cannot shoot and will also ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid. » Read more

World Bank group appoints new Palestine rep ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 2, 2010 - 12:00am The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, a member of the World Bank Group, announced the appointment a new local representative for the agency in the West Bank and Gaza on Thursday. Layali Abdeen will be the point of contact for MIGA’s West Bank Gaza Guarantee Trust Fund. She will also focus on business development and work with local and foreign investors to assist them in managing the political risks associated with their projects in the West Bank and Gaza. » Read more

Ashrawi denies saying US threatened PA ties ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 2, 2010 - 12:00am PLO leader Hanan Ashrawi on Sunday denied saying the US had threatened to sever ties with the Palestinian Authority unless it resumed talks with Israel. Ashrawi described a report by the Israeli daily Haaretz quoting an interview she gave an Arabic newspaper as "totally baseless" and said she never made the remark to the press. She called the Haaretz report a "malicious" fabrication. » Read more

Medics: Israeli airstrike injures 42 in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 2, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli warplanes targeted the home of a senior Hamas military leader in the central Gaza Strip early Monday leaving 42 civilians injured, medics said. Al-Qassam Brigades leader Alla Ad-Danaf's home in Deir Al-Balah was destroyed along with five others by a missile from an Israeli F16 fighter jet, military medical services coordinator Adham Abu Salmiyya told Ma'an. At least 42 civilians were injured as a result, he added, with wounds ranging from slight to moderate. » Read more