Pro-al Qaeda Fighters Train in Gaza Strip ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters September 1, 2008 - 8:00pm The masked gunmen threw themselves to the ground, rolled over and came up firing their assault rifles at an imaginary target. Jaysh al-Ummah, or the Army of the Nation, a Palestinian Islamist group modelled on the ideology of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda, was training for battle with Israel. "We are coming, Jews," read graffiti daubed on a wall inside its private training base in the Gaza Strip, where Reuters journalists were allowed rare access. "Run, run, take the ground, shoot," Abu Hafss, Jaysh al-Ummah's leader, cried as some 25 gunmen, all clad in black, performed drills. » Read more

Egypt closes Gaza border after thousands cross ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) August 31, 2008 - 8:00pm Egypt on Monday closed the border crossing between Sinai and the Hamas-run Gaza Strip after a brief opening allowed thousands in and out of the besieged territory, a security official said. "The border crossing has been closed and there is no agreement between Hamas and Egypt over a new date to open the crossing," the official told AFP. The crossing was opened for the first time in weeks on Saturday. In that time, "Egypt has allowed 4,545 Palestinians and Egyptians to cross, including 3,437 who came into Egypt and 1,108 Palestinians who headed to Gaza," the official said. » Read more

ISRAEL: Olmert Has a Last Go at a Legacy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Peter Hirschberg - August 28, 2008 - 8:00pm Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert may have announced that he will resign as soon as his ruling Kadima party has chosen a new leader next month, but that doesn't mean the prime minister has given up hope of reaching an agreement with the Palestinians or the Syrians. Details of Olmert's peace proposal to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas were recently leaked to the press, and the prime minister's aides are scheduled to head back to Istanbul for another round of indirect talks with Syrian officials. » Read more

No joy for besieged Gazans during Ramadan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) September 1, 2008 - 8:00pm As most of the rest of the Islamic world welcomes Ramadan with festive treats and family get-togethers, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip wearily brace for another holiday under a crippling Israeli blockade. Israel has sealed off the impoverished territory from all but a trickle of humanitarian aid since the Islamist Hamas movement seized power in June 2007, and it is during the holidays that weary residents say they feel the sanctions the most. » Read more

Olmert Turmoil Slows Mideast Peace Effort ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune September 1, 2008 - 8:00pm Israeli and Palestinian officials on Sunday played down the prospect of any immediate peace agreement as Ehud Olmert, the discredited prime minister of Israel, begins his final phase in office. Mark Regev, a spokesman for Olmert, noted "considerable gaps" in the negotiating positions and said it was unrealistic to expect to resolve all the issues on the table "in the next two or three weeks." » Read more

Boy meets girl - it's a Middle Eastern EastEnders with checkpoints ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by Sheera Frenkel - August 29, 2008 - 8:00pm There's a small but telltale moment in the first episode of Matabb, the new - indeed, first - Palestinian soap opera, when the camera shows a flashy, cherry-red BMW with the yellow licence plate starting to fall off. It is meant to tell you everything you need to know about its slick-haired driver, Abdallah - glossy on the outside, but really a thieving braggart not to be trusted with young ladies. » Read more

Israel plans referendum on land concessions ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Mohammed Mar - September 8, 2008 - 8:00pm A joint panel of the Israeli Knesset House and Law Committees approved a proposal that a national referendum must be held before concessions on any territory under Israeli legal jurisdiction, including Jerusalem, a report said yesterday. The Israeli daily Jerusalem Post said that the proposal, aimed to amend the national referendum bill, had originally called for a referendum only on concessions on the occupied Golan Heights. » Read more

End Palestinian rifts: Saud ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press September 8, 2008 - 8:00pm Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal yesterday urged for an Arab push to help end inter-Palestinian rifts and re-establish moderate Palestinian rule in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Prince Saud?s remarks came during a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo. He appeared to back an Egyptian proposal to send Arab troops to the coastal strip ruled by Hamas. » Read more

UN to review Israel's human rights track ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Tovah Lazaroff - September 8, 2008 - 8:00pm A three-country panel was chosen Monday to examine Israel's human rights record as part of a Universal Periodic Review this year of 64 countries by the United Nations Human Rights council in Geneva. All 192 UN states are subject to review. According to Israel's ambassador to Geneva Roni Leshno Yaar, the review will be conducted by Nigeria, South Korean and Azerbaijan at the council's December session. The council, which opened its September session on Wednesday, offers countries a limited right to replace the panel with alternative countries. » Read more

'Iran is a friend of the Israeli people' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post September 8, 2008 - 8:00pm Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came under pressure from his government about pro-Israel comments made by one of his aides, The Financial Times reported Tuesday. According to the report, parliamentarians demanded that Ahmadinejad explain why Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, vice-president for tourism affairs, said that Iran was "a friend of the Israeli people." In an apparent attempt to explain himself and reverse the effect of his words, Mashaei was quoted by The Financial Times as telling the politicians "I say 'death to Israel' a thousand times." » Read more