August 6th

Saudis coaxing PA to enter direct talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - August 6, 2010 - 12:00am Saudi Arabia is urging Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to enter direct talks with Israel, and can “sweeten a deal” by offering financial assistance for agreeing to negotiations, a top Israeli diplomatic official said on Thursday. According to the official, the US – which is pressing Abbas to enter the talks – was behind a meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday between Abbas and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah. » Read more

American VIP humiliated at airport ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Itamar Eichner - August 6, 2010 - 12:00am This is not how she imagined her visit to Israel. Prof. Donna Shalala, who served as the US Secretary of Health and Human Services for eight years under Clinton and is currently the president of Miami University, was held for two-and-a-half hours at Ben Gurion Airport during which she underwent a humiliating security debriefing because of her Arab last name – all this despite the fact that her hosts notified the airport ahead of time that she is a VIP. » Read more

Take the masks off ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Zeev Sternhell - (Opinion) August 6, 2010 - 12:00am It's hard to know whether in our relations with the Palestinians we have reached a turning point of the kind that is termed "historic," but it's clear we're at a point where the sides have to take off their masks. A peace agreement is apparently closer than ever right now. The Arab states that are united in an anti-Iranian coalition want an agreement, as does Syria, which thirsts for the Golan Heights. » Read more

Hamas leaders in Syria urge West Bank operatives to kidnap Israeli settlers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - August 6, 2010 - 12:00am The Israel Defense Forces West Bank division commander, Brig. Gen. Nitzan Alon, has warned Israeli settlers to be on alert for possible abduction attempts across the territory. In a letter sent to Yesha Council leaders, Alon said that the warning is based on intelligence and interrogations of Palestinians arrested on involvement in plotting such kidnappings. The IDF said intelligence has shown Hamas leaders in Damascus are pressuring followers in the West Bank to abduct Israeli settlers and citizens. » Read more

Three militants injured in Hamas-Islamic Jihad clash in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua August 6, 2010 - 12:00am Three militants were injured in clashes between the Hamas movement and the Islamic Jihad (Holy War) group on Thursday. The Islamic Jihad movement said in a press release that clashes erupted after an argument between one of its fighters and Hamas gunmen in the outskirts of Gaza city. "The argument developed into clashes which left two Hamas militants injured," said the press release, adding "one of our fighters was kidnapped and beaten up by Hamas militants." » Read more

Older Gazans recall Israelis, youth sees only army ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ben Hubbard - August 6, 2010 - 12:00am From his ramshackle Gaza home, Palestinian Sobhi Hamami, 61, fondly recalls the 23 years he worked on an Israeli kibbutz, where he learned Hebrew, swam in the pool with Israeli friends and celebrated holidays with his Jewish boss. His son Mohammed, 21, sees Israelis differently: "They're the enemy," he says, "without exception." » Read more

ANALYSIS-Israel watches two hot borders, and maybe a third ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Douglas Hamilton - August 6, 2010 - 12:00am Israel has Iranian-supported enemies in Lebanon to the north and Gaza to the south. Its back to the sea is safe. But security on its eastern border may be threatened if hostile Iran expands into an unstable Iraq. Israeli analysts differ on the risk of encirclement by enemy forces allied to Tehran, on the degree to which Hamas and Hezbollah will do Iran's bidding, and on the chances of Iran gaining greater leverage in Baghdad via its Shi'ite connections. » Read more

Back to the movies in former West Bank outlaw city ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters August 6, 2010 - 12:00am The big screen is back in Jenin after a 23-year intermission, marking a fresh start for the West Bank city that was a bastion of armed militias at the peak of the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation. Mothballed in the grim atmosphere of 1987, Jenin Cinema was finally reopened on Thursday evening with a screening of "Heart of Jenin", a wrenching documentary that spurred its renovation. » Read more

Business leaders meet at iconic Nablus mansion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 6, 2010 - 12:00am Business leaders from Nazareth in northern Israel met up with their counterparts in the West Bank on Thursday, holding a meeting with Hamas and Fatah officials in a bid to encourage reconciliation. Nablus governor Jibrin Al-Bakri attended the discussion hosted by telecommunications tycoon Munib Al-Masri at his Palladian-style palace atop Mount Gerizim. The talk focused on developing economic ties on both sides of the Green Line. » Read more

Hamas wing welcomes Egyptian resistance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 6, 2010 - 12:00am Hamas' armed wing the Al-Qassam Brigades released a statement late Thursday night attesting total non-involvement with the Monday rocket launches that hit Eilat and Aqaba. "Military acts from the resistance are carried out inside of Palestine," spokesman of the brigades Abu Obeida said, added in a statement that also welcomed "any resistance targeting the occupation, whether from in our outside of Palestine." » Read more