July 19th

Egypt's Mubarak urges Israel, Palestinians to move toward direct talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
July 19, 2010 - 12:00am

Pressure intensified on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to agree to direct talks with Israel as Egypt held separate, back-to-back meetings with the two sides Sunday in search of a compromise. Abbas says he will not negotiate directly with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu unless Israel agrees to recognize its 1967 frontier as a basis for the borders of a future Palestinian state and accepts the deployment of an international force to guard them. Netanyahu has refused to be pinned down on a framework for negotiations.

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Hamas Moves to Enforce Water Pipe Ban in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Fares Akram - July 19, 2010 - 12:00am

In its latest attempt to try to impose a conservative Islamic way of life on Gaza, Hamas started this weekend to enforce a ban on smoking water pipes in public. Palestinians smoked water pipes, a long-standing pastime, at a cafe in Gaza recently while watching a World Cup match. A spokesman for the Hamas police, Ayman al-Batniji, said that the ban applied only to women and that it was in line with “the Palestinian people’s customs and traditions.” But many cafe owners said they had been ordered to ban water pipes for both men and women.

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Foundation of peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
July 18, 2010 - 12:00am

It might seem Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas forgot something when he recently put forth only one condition to resume direct peace talks: That Israel accept its 1967 frontier as a baseline for the borders of a Palestinian state. Abbas did not state the usual prerequisites — the halt of Jewish settlements, that Jerusalem be the capital of the future Palestinian state, the right of return or the return of Palestinian prisoners.

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Ibish, why do you keep talking about what the Israelis will accept?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ibishblog
by Hussein Ibish - July 19, 2010 - 12:00am

It is frequently asked, although rarely directly to my face, “why does Ibish always talk/only seem to care (some version of that) about what Jewish Israelis will accept rather than what Palestinians want?” This question was recently repeated in a tweet, although not, as usual, directly addressed to me. Nonetheless, I do want to answer it because this confusion lies at the heart of a gulf of misunderstanding between the analyses I have been developing in recent years and much conventional wisdom among Arab-Americans and other pro-Palestinian groups.

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House-by-house struggle for East Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by Jeremy Bowen - July 19, 2010 - 12:00am

Sometimes you can see just why it is so difficult to make peace in Jerusalem. This city excites strong passions. Not only is it holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians. It is also a national symbol for Israelis and Palestinians. No piece of ground on the planet is more contested. It has changed hands violently many times. On a dusty, narrow and steep street on the Israeli occupied eastern side of the city stands a battered seven-storey building. Scorch marks smudge the stonework around some of the windows.

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The Fayyad difference
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Alon Ben-meir - July 19, 2010 - 12:00am

When the Palestinian Authority’s Prime Minister Salam Fayyad first introduced his plans to build the infrastructure for a future Palestinian state, many Israelis and Palestinians thought of it as nothing more than another Middle Eastern mirage that will leave no lasting impression. A little more than a year later, the plan is showing not only tremendous promise, but has become indispensable to the emergence of a democratic Palestinian state – one living alongside Israel in peace and security.

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July 16th

Israel's handling of a Libyan aid ship implements lessons from the Gaza flotilla attack, and the committee investigating it demands documents. A crossing in southern Gaza is due to expand. PLO officials reiterate there will be no direct talks without further progress and call other suggestions “an insult.” Occupation forces demolish two Palestinian homes near Hebron. The Arab League chief is optimistic about negotiations. Future applicants for Israeli citizenship may have to swear allegiance to a “Jewish state.” West Bank economic growth is reflected in expanded car dealerships. Settlers are pushing for a one-state solution with the West Bank. FM Lieberman calls for complete Israeli disengagement with Gaza. Settlers in Jerusalem recruit Israeli children to fight police in the event of the enforcement of a long-delayed court-ordered eviction. 46% of Israelis think Pres. Obama is pro-Palestinian. Israel tells the UN the West Bank is outside its boundaries. Seth Friedman says Israel's hand must be forced on home demolitions. The Independent profiles a Gaza travel agent. Support for Israel among Americans remains very strong. George Hishmeh asks if US policy is stuck until the November elections.

FM presents: 2nd disengagement from Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Shimon Shiffer - July 16, 2010 - 12:00am

Five years after Israel's unilateral disengagement from Gaza, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has proposed a new plan aimed at ridding Israel of any responsibility for the coastal enclave, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported Friday. Lieberman is troubled by the fact that despite the evacuation of all Israeli settlements in Gaza and a full IDF withdrawal, the disengagement was not acknowledged by the international community, which still demands that Israel provide the Strip's residents with their basic necessities.

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MESS Report / In the West Bank, new cars signal the good life
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - July 16, 2010 - 12:00am

New car lots and showrooms, offering vehicles of every kind but mainly Korean, have sprung up at the entrances to Nablus, from the Hawara checkpoint in the south and from the west. Similar showrooms have appeared at Jenin's southern and northern entrances. The dealerships, showing brand-new cars, reflect the economic growth in the West Bank. While in the '90s, West Bank cities served as a hideout for cars stolen from Israel, today their streets are lined with just-bought models. A Palestinian journalist in Nablus calls it "the car intifada."

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Turkel committee demands documents
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Atilla Somfalvi - July 16, 2010 - 12:00am

Retired Justice Jacob Turkel, head of the commission probing the events surrounding the Gaza-bound flotilla, has issued letters to military and government officials demanding they turn over to him all correspondence that led to the decision to besiege the Gaza Strip. Letters were issued to Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein and Brigadier General (Res.) Giora Eiland. Turkel also asked for all the documentation pertaining to the takeover of the Turkish flotilla in the end of May.

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