August 26th

Can peace be still reached? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Daoud Kuttab - August 26, 2010 - 12:00am Under much pressure, Palestinian leaders buckled and accepted to hold direct talks, but most Palestinians believe that the intended talks are nothing but a photo opportunity that aims to create the impression of a peace process while avoiding making any substantive commitments. » Read more

Lawsuit Accuses IRS of Screening Israel-Related Charities ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Josh Nathan-Kazis - August 25, 2010 - 12:00am A hawkish pro-Israel activist group has filed a lawsuit alleging that the Internal Revenue Service is impeding or denying applications for tax-exempt status from nonprofit organizations that oppose the Obama administration’s Israel policies. But experts in nonprofit tax law say that the allegations seem far-fetched. » Read more

Facing jail, the unarmed activist who dared to take on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - August 26, 2010 - 12:00am Baroness Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, yesterday issued an unusually sharp rebuke to Israel over a military court's conviction of a Palestinian activist prominent in unarmed protests against the West Bank separation barrier. Lady Ashton said she was "deeply concerned" that Abdallah Abu Rahma was facing a possible jail sentence "to prevent him and other Palestinians from exercising their legitimate right to protest against the separation barriers in a non-violent manner". » Read more

Israel Refuses Blair Request to Up Electricity to Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by David Miller - August 25, 2010 - 12:00am Israel has balked at a request to boost the amount of electricity it supplies to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on grounds that it didn’t want to cooperate with “a terror organization.” Quartet Representative Tony Blair made the request Monday to Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, Blaire’s spokesman confirmed to The Media Line. » Read more

Washington Watch: An inauspicious beginning ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by D. Bloomfield - (Opinion) August 25, 2010 - 12:00am No sooner had Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the resumption of Mideast peace talks “without preconditions” than the Palestinians threatened to walk out, nearly two weeks before they were even scheduled to begin, unless their conditions were met. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who constantly kvetched that everyone in the world, particularly his Arab brethren, was pressuring him to sit down with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, demanded all Jewish construction in territories he wants for a Palestinian state be frozen before he’d talk. » Read more

Abbas calls peace talks 'historic opportunity' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews August 26, 2010 - 12:00am After being forced to resume direct talks, Palestinians President Mahmoud Abbas called negotiations with Israel "a historic opportunity" to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians. At a reception for diplomats held in Ramallah Wednesday evening, Abbas urged the Israeli government "not to miss this historic opportunity." He stressed that the demand to maintain the settlement construction freeze comes from the entire international community, possibly hinting that the resumption of construction on September 26 could lead to the PA's withdrawal from talks. » Read more

MESS Report / PLO must cease climbing trees too high to climb down ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - (Blog) August 22, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to resume direct negotiations with Israel on September 2 in Washington without any of his preconditions being met. Israel has not promised to end construction in the settlements, and the Quartet's statement does not even mention this issue. Contrary to the demand that the Quartet's announcement would constitute the framework for the talks, U.S. Special Envoy George Mitchell was quick to make it clear this is not the way things will be. » Read more

As Netanyahu prepares for summit, ministers get all heated up over freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jonathan Lis - August 26, 2010 - 12:00am A week before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to depart for the Washington summit during which direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians will be inaugurated, Israeli ministers and MKs are engaging in intense debate over the possibility of continuing the 10-month settlement construction freeze, which expires in late September. » Read more

Palestinians to U.S.: Israeli settlement freeze must include East Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - August 26, 2010 - 12:00am The Palestinian Authority has told the U.S. administration that an Israeli commitment to continuing the freeze on settlement construction must include East Jerusalem. During preparatory talks ahead of the summit due in Washington next week, the Palestinians made it clear they refuse to accept any softer formula on the building freeze. They expect that even after the September 26 deadline, when the 10-month moratorium ends, the United States will support their demand to continue the ban on all construction outside the Green Line, including in the settlement blocs. » Read more

Silwan residents say settlers provoked clash ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 26, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem's Silwan neighborhood said settlers attempted to enter the Al-Ein Mosque early Thursday morning, sparking skirmishes that lasted until after sunrise. Israeli forces arrived as locals said they were attempting to drive the settlers out of the mosque area. Two settler cars were torched, and several windshields smashed in the violence. The incoming border police force was described as "massive," and said to have been firing tear-gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets toward Palestinians. » Read more