September 10th

Musa angry with Palestinian Groups ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters September 9, 2008 - 8:00pm The chief of the Arab League said on Tuesday that he was angry with fractious Palestinian political groups and that sanctions against them were being discussed by Arab governments. Egypt, the main mediator between often rival Palestinian groups, has been holding bilateral talks with minor groups in preparation for similar talks with the two main groups-Fateh and Hamas. "I am extremely angry with the Palestinian organisations," Amr Musa, secretary general of the league, told a news conference in an unusually harsh criticism of the Palestinians. » Read more

Israeli official: Militant Hamas ?like cancer? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Steven Gutkin - September 9, 2008 - 8:00pm Israel's point man in indirect, Egyptian-mediated talks with Hamas said Wednesday the Islamic militant group is more powerful than the Western-backed Palestinian government and is "like cancer." Senior Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad said talks with Hamas designed to secure the release of a captured Israeli soldier have gone better since a truce went into effect in June, but he added that a deal is "not close." "Since the truce we are discussing more seriously, but I am impressed only by results," he said. » Read more

Middle East Hamas and Islamic Jihad meet for Damascus talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press September 9, 2008 - 8:00pm Officials from Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have met in Syria to resolve a Gaza flare-up between the two, the groups announced on Tuesday, just days after Hamas-led police forcefully dispersed a gathering by the other group. The two groups issued a joint statement saying they held a "long meeting" on Monday in Damascus, discussed their relations and the situation in the Palestinian territories. » Read more

Every picture tells a story ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Seth Freedman - (Opinion) September 9, 2008 - 8:00pm "It's very easy for the Israeli public to believe that Palestinians are lying when it's just their word against the word of a soldier or settler", explained B'Tselem's spokesperson, Sarit Michaeli. The Israeli human rights group has brought several high-profile cases to the public's attention this summer, providing vital video evidence of the scale of the violence meted out by settlers and soldiers alike. In the process the footage has seriously dented efforts to smear Palestinians complaining of assault. » Read more