'Basis for direct talks lacking' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - July 19, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli officials continued to express optimism on Sunday that direct talks with the Palestinians were imminent, even as Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that more needed to be done to bridge the gaps between the two sides. Aboul Gheit’s comments followed a meeting in Cairo between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Hosni Mubarak that were aimed at securing Arab League approval for moving from proximity to direct talks. » Read more

Cheaper Internet: Next Stop, ‘Palestine’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Benjamin Joffe-Walt - July 18, 2010 - 12:00am [Jerusalem] Internet is about to get cheaper for Palestinains. Within weeks, the Palestinian Authority will be taking action which is expected to end the virtual monopoly held by the Palestinian Telecommunication Group PalTel over Internet services in its territory. Palestinian Authority Minister of Telecom and Information Mashhour Abu Daka told The Media Line he will be issuing certificates shortly for telecommunications companies wishing to provide Internet services to the Palestinian market. » Read more

I am not declaring loyalty ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - July 19, 2010 - 12:00am Why is the government requiring only those seeking citizenship to have to declare their loyalty to a Jewish and democratic state? I want to do it too! The time has come that all of us, irrespective of whether we are Jews or Muslims, ultra-Orthodox or secular, declare our loyalty to the only Jewish democracy in the world. On one condition: the declaration ceremony would take place in the courtyard of the Tomb of the Patriarchs, following a tour of the center of Hebron. » Read more

Netanyahu: Illegal African immigrants - a threat to Israel's Jewish character ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - July 19, 2010 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the recent "flood of illegal workers infiltrating from Africa" into Israel was "a concrete threat to the Jewish and democratic character of the country." » Read more

Palestinians, Israelis set to start secret direct talks: analysts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Emad Al-Azrak, Wael Naguib - July 19, 2010 - 12:00am The Middle East region on Sunday witnessed unprecedented meetings focused on promoting the direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held separate talks with Israeli, Palestinian leaders and U.S. Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell. Analysts believe that through these extensive meetings, the two sides will be set to start direct talks, maybe secretly, although the indirect negotiations have not been so fruitful. » Read more

Mother of five killed by Israeli artillery fire close to Gaza buffer zone ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - July 16, 2010 - 12:00am A mother of five was killed by Israeli artillery fire when she went to fetch her two-year-old son from outside her village home close to the "buffer zone" created by Israel along its border with Gaza. Three of her relatives were wounded in the shelling earlier this week, but Red Crescent ambulances were not permitted to reach the family for several hours. » Read more

Netanyahu admits on video he deceived US to destroy Oslo accord ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Jonathan Cook - July 18, 2010 - 12:00am The contents of a secretly recorded video threaten to gravely embarrass not only Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister but also the US administration of Barack Obama. The film was shot, apparently without Mr Netanyahu’s knowledge, nine years ago, when the government of Ariel Sharon had started reinvading the main cities of the West Bank to crush Palestinian resistance in the early stages of the second intifada. At the time Mr Netanyahu had taken a short break from politics but was soon to join Mr Sharon’s government as finance minister. » Read more

Gaza family struggles to survive in a tent ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Karoun Demirjian - July 19, 2010 - 12:00am The few dozen yards (meters) of fraying blue tarpaulin and dirt-stained canvas that define the Awaja family's living space can't keep out the cold in winter, or the dust and heat in summer. And when a strong wind blows at night, the shelter caves in on the six children sleeping inside. The Awajas are among thousands whose houses were destroyed during Israel's three-week military offensive against Hamas-ruled Gaza, launched in December 2008 with the aim of halting Palestinian rocket attacks. » Read more

EU, PA launch program to rebuild Gaza economy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 19, 2010 - 12:00am The EU and the Palestinian Authority officially launched the Private Sector Reconstruction in Gaza program Sunday. The launch coincides with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton’s visit to the besieged Strip, where she saw two of the 203 companies to benefit from the scheme. In total the EU will contribute €22 million to the program initiated by the PA in the aftermath of Israel’s war on Gaza which began December 2008, a statement said. Together, the PA and EU will target businesses which were destroyed by the attack, providing machinery, building materials and office furniture. » Read more

Three minutes of honesty from Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National July 18, 2010 - 12:00am The video should be aired on the evening news throughout the world. It reveals in stunning clarity the breadth of the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s disdain for the peace process, the Palestinians, and even Israel’s foremost ally, the US. Aired in Israel, a video shot in 2001 depicts Mr Netanyahu declaring that he personally destroyed the Oslo Accords. He boasts that it was he who prevented the “galloping to the ‘67 lines”. Given that these events transpired nine years ago, it would be possible that Mr Netanyahu’s views have changed; his actions reveal that they have not. » Read more