Slain US activist's parents face Israeli killer ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Tia Goldenberg - October 21, 2010 - 12:00am The parents of an American protester crushed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer in the Gaza Strip got their first chance Thursday to hear from the man who drove the vehicle that killed her. But they were denied a chance to confront him face-to-face in an Israeli courtroom, dashing a central goal of their civil lawsuit against Israel's Defense Ministry. The unidentified former soldier was shielded behind a wood-and-plastic partition, and his testimony about the events leading up to 23-year-old Rachel Corrie's death floated into the hall over a microphone. » Read more

Settlers torch, vandalize Nablus school ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 21, 2010 - 12:00am A group of Israeli settlers broke into an all girls' school in the Nablus districton Wednesday, setting fire to its storehouse containing furniture and unused sports equipment, the headmistress said. Maysoon Sawalha said the cleaning woman at the school in As-Sawiya village arrived to find the lock on the main door broken as well as that of the storehouse, and all its contents were torched. The fire did not spread to the rest of school because the water main is located in the storehouse, she said, adding that "otherwise the whole school would have been set on fire." » Read more

Netanyahu: Settlements no threat to peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 21, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that construction in existing West Bank settlements "does not contradict the aspiration for peace and an agreement." Addressing the Knesset at a session to mark the 15th anniversary of the assassination of late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Netanyahu said the partial settlement freeze was a temporary "gesture." » Read more

Clinton says no substitute for talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 21, 2010 - 12:00am US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday there was "no substitute for face-to-face discussion" to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Speaking at a Washington dinner for advocacy group the American Task Force on Palestine, Clinton said negotiations were "the only path that will lead to the fulfillment of the Palestinian national aspiration." Clinton reiterated the US administration for a two-state solution, which she said was critical for Israel's long-term future and to end "The indignity of occupation" for Palestinians. » Read more

Palestinians mull alternatives to peace talks, including UN recognition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - October 20, 2010 - 12:00am With Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations in limbo over a dispute regarding settlement expansion, Palestinians are starting to think out loud about possible alternatives to peace talks. After investing all of his political capital in talks with Israel, what would President Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority (PA) do if he concludes there's no chance for a deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? » Read more

Moves to free convicted spy Pollard pick up in U.S. and Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Vita Bekker - October 21, 2010 - 12:00am As convicted spy Jonathan Pollard approaches 25 years behind bars, Israelis and others are renewing efforts to secure freedom for the former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, who is serving a life sentence for relaying military documents to Israel. Pollard's case has been a source of constant friction between Israel and the United States, its staunchest ally. Israeli leaders have failed to persuade Washington to release the 56-year-old American Jew, whom Israelis and some U.S. officials say was given an unduly long sentence for spying for a friendly government. » Read more

Palestinians Shift Focus in Strategy for Statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - October 20, 2010 - 12:00am The Palestinian leadership, near despair about attaining a negotiated agreement with Israel on a two-state solution, is increasingly focusing on how to get international bodies and courts to declare a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. » Read more

Just Knock It Off ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Thomas L. Friedman - (Opinion) October 21, 2010 - 12:00am Some of Israel’s worst critics are fond of saying that Israel behaves like America’s spoiled child. I’ve always found that analogy excessive. Say what you want about Israel’s obstinacy at times, it remains the only country in the United Nations that another U.N. member, Iran, has openly expressed the hope that it be wiped off the map. And that same country, Iran, is trying to build a nuclear weapon. » Read more

Clinton urges Arabs to give more money to Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) October 20, 2010 - 12:00am US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday urged Arab countries to offer greater financial support to the Palestinian Authority. "It takes more than plans and commitments to support making the state of Palestine a reality," Clinton told the annual dinner of the American Task Force on Palestine, a pro-Palestinian group which calls for a Palestinian state. The chief US diplomat paid tribute to the Palestinian Authority's efforts, saying it needs a "larger, steadier, and more predictable source" of financial support. » Read more

Talks the only way forward for Mideast peace: Clinton ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ottawa Times by Andrew Quinn - October 20, 2010 - 12:00am U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Israel and the Palestinians on Wednesday there was no "magic formula" to break an impasse over peace talks, but said hard work could still yield a deal. Clinton, speaking to a Palestinian advocacy group that supports a peaceful end to the conflict, said both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas remained committed to a two-state solution despite a standoff that threatens to torpedo the U.S.-brokered peace talks less than two months after they were launched. » Read more