June 24th

On The Contacts Of Defiant Arabs With Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al Hayat by Elias Harfoush - (Opinion) June 24, 2008 - 4:34pm "Indirect" is so far the status of current contacts established between the three defiant sides in the region, namely Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas, with Israel. Despite their indirect nature, such contacts seem to bear promising results regarding issues where positive developments had until recently been difficult to imagine. » Read more

Palestinian Leader Calls For More Eu Support For Peace Process ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Kuwait News Agency (kuna) June 24, 2008 - 4:33pm Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Tuesday for more active support by the European Union (EU) for the Middle Eastern peace process. Speaking at a joint press conference with French President Nicholas Sarkozy in Bethlehem, he said the peace process required a "strong push" by the international community, and by the EU, whose rotating presidency was currently held by France. » Read more

Palestinian Police Chafe At Israeli Limitations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Alastair Macdonald - June 24, 2008 - 4:30pm For Palestinian police chief Radhi Assida, an international fundraising conference in Berlin on Tuesday may provide welcome cash for kit and training. For the aid to help bring peace and security to the Middle East, however, the colonel wants the governments attending to focus on something more -- pressuring Israel to trust his force more and to end what he says are policies that limit its effectiveness and undermine its credibility among Palestinians. » Read more

Countries Commit $242m To Strengthen Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Geir Moulson - June 24, 2008 - 4:23pm Countries at an international conference Tuesday agreed to commit $242 million to strengthen the Palestinian Authority's police and judicial systems, sending what Germany's foreign minister called a "clear signal of support" for building a Palestinian state. The money will go to projects that include police training, building a forensic lab and prisons, installing communications networks, and creation of courthouses. » Read more

Israeli Policeman Kills Self At Sarkozy Ceremony ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Dan Balilty - June 24, 2008 - 4:20pm An Israeli police officer fatally shot himself in the head at an airport farewell ceremony Tuesday for French President Nicolas Sarkozy, prompting bodyguards to whisk the visiting leader and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to safety, officials said. A military band was playing at the time of the shooting, and the dignitaries apparently didn\'t hear anything. Dark-suited security men quickly ushered Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, up the stairs of his plane at Ben-Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv. » Read more

Rockets Hit Israel, Which Says Truce Broken ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Amy Teibel - June 24, 2008 - 4:18pm Palestinian militants on Tuesday fired three homemade rockets into southern Israel, the first such attack since a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza militants took effect last week. Israel condemned the attack as a "gross violation" of the truce, but did not say whether it would retaliate. The barrage wounded two people and capped a day of violence that presented the truce with its first serious test. » Read more

Labour Backs Knesset Dissolution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News June 24, 2008 - 4:14pm Israel's Labour party is to support a motion to dissolve parliament that could bring down embattled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government. The bill will have its first reading on Wednesday. It would have to be put to a further two parliamentary votes before it can be passed. Mr Olmert is under investigation for alleged corruption and Mr Barak has previously called for his resignation. The Labour party is Mr Olmert's main coalition ally. » Read more

Cameras Emerge As A Tool In A Conflict Over Land ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - June 24, 2008 - 4:12pm The conflict between Arabs and Jews over grazing land and water wells in the ancient, arid hills south of Hebron in the West Bank has a distinctly biblical feel, like the flimsy tent encampments and dank caves in which some local Palestinian farming families dwell. » Read more

Remarks En Route Berlin, Germany ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Department Of State by Secretary Condoleezza Rice - June 24, 2008 - 4:10pm SECRETARY RICE: Good morning, everybody. QUESTION: How are you? » Read more

June 23rd

Eu To Expand Police Mission In Palestinian Territories ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Kuwait News Agency (kuna) June 23, 2008 - 3:27pm The European Union announced Monday that it intends to expand its police mission for the Palestinian Territories, called EUPOL COPPS, in the area of the criminal justice system. "Expanding the mission is a decision already taken and has been accepted by all the parties," EU Special Representative for the Middle East peace process, Marc Otte, told a press conference here today. "We are now in the process of working on the administrative elements for the mission and recruiting people," he noted. » Read more