September 12th

Palestinian police make a difference in Hebron ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Wafa Amr - September 11, 2008 - 8:00pm A new chapter in the history of Hebron is being inscribed in a Palestinian police blotter. The record shows that in August Palestinian police arrested 139 people on suspicion of crimes ranging from murder, drug dealing and illegal arms trading. Nearly 700 traffic tickets were handed out. After years of rule by gunmen in the Palestinian side of the divided city in the occupied West Bank, some 400 pistol-toting Palestinian policemen in blue uniforms are beginning to make a difference, residents said. » Read more

Abbas vows to pursue talks after Olmert: report ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters September 11, 2008 - 8:00pm Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has vowed to pursue peace talks with Ehud Olmert until the scandal-hit Israeli prime minister's last day in office, and with whoever succeeds him, an Israeli newspaper said on Friday. But Abbas told the Haaretz daily he doubted the sides could meet Washington's expectations of reaching even a limited peace accord before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office in January. Olmert, whom police have recommended indicting for corruption, has said he will resign after his Kadima party chooses a successor in a leadership contest next week. » Read more

Israel accuses Gaza fighters of bombing attack ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) September 11, 2008 - 8:00pm Militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza on Thursday detonated a bomb near an Israeli Army patrol along the border fence, causing no injuries but shaking a fragile truce, an Israeli Army spokeswoman told AFP. "An explosive device was set off against an army force patrolling the fence in central Gaza, south of the Kissufim crossing, causing some damage to the fence but no injuries," the spokeswoman said. A Gaza witness said that an Israeli ambulance had been at the scene, at the border between Israel and the central Gaza Strip, but the army said nobody was injured. » Read more

Abbas: Mid-East deal is far off ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News September 11, 2008 - 8:00pm Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said peace talks with Israel have failed to reach any breakthrough, despite nine months of negotiations. "I can't say that even one issue has been agreed upon," Mr Abbas told Israel's Haaretz newspaper. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have met since talks resumed following a US-sponsored summit last November. But Mr Abbas said the process would continue with whoever replaced Israel's outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Mr Olmert has said he will step down after his Kadima party chooses a new leader next week. » Read more

The Iron Wall That Was ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum by M.J. Rosenberg - (Opinion) September 11, 2008 - 8:00pm Thirty-eight percent of Israelis support the Arab League Initiative (formerly, the Saudi peace plan) while 69 percent of Palestinians do. That is the finding of a September poll conducted jointly by the Harry Truman Institute at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah. » Read more

A West Bank Ruin, Reborn as a Peace Beacon ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - September 10, 2008 - 8:00pm Pessimism is a steady companion these days for advocates of Middle East peace. A lame-duck Israeli government is negotiating with a weak Palestinian leadership in the twilight of an unpopular American administration. Few forecast success. But a quiet revolution is stirring here in this city, once a byword for the extremes of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. In 2002, in response to a wave of suicide bombers from Jenin, Israeli tanks leveled entire neighborhoods. » Read more

September 11th

Nasrallah: No peace in Middle East as long as Israel exists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz September 10, 2008 - 8:00pm Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said in a recent interview that as long as Israel exists, there will be no peace in the Middle East. "The region will not see the light of peace or any stability because of Israel's aggressiveness and militant nature," Nasrallah said. Despite hiding out in a bunker since 2006's Second Lebanon War, Nasrallah recently spoke to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting radio station, Army Radio reported. » Read more

West Bank: 2 soldiers lightly injured in clashes with settlers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Erfat Weiss - September 10, 2008 - 8:00pm During the ensuing clashes with dozens of settlers, the tires of a vehicle belonging to the Civil Administration were punctured and, according to the IDF, one settler unleashed his dog on a soldier, who sustained light injuries. Another soldier broke his finger during the clashes. Police forces dispatched to the scene managed to calm the situation down. 'Commander forgot to leave his politics at home' » Read more

Naalin: 12-year-old arrested over violent riot ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - September 10, 2008 - 8:00pm Large IDF forces arrived Wednesday night at the West Bank village of Naalin in order to arrest 12-year-old Muhammad Hawaja, who is suspected of involvement in violent riots held in protest of Israel's construction of the security barrier. His father, Salah Hawaja, told Ynet that the forces, ?came in from the mountains, surrounded the house and removed Muhammad from his bed. "My wife and I can?t forget the image of IDF soldiers grabbing hold of Muhammad's pajama collar and leading him away as if he were a sheep crying and screaming," said the father, a paramedic. » Read more

In Jerusalem All Politics Isn?t Local ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum by Sadie Goldman - September 10, 2008 - 8:00pm The circus that is Jerusalem local politics is back in the headlines with the kick-off of its mayoral race. » Read more