February 9th

Hamas leader says U.S. blocking Palestinian unity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Steve Gutterman - February 8, 2010 - 1:00am Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal on Monday accused the United States of undermining Palestinian unity efforts and said he saw no chance for peace in the Middle East under Israel's current leadership. Shunned in the West because his Islamist group refuses to recognise Israel -- a position he said stands -- Meshaal used a hospitable Russia as a platform to blame Washington and Israel's hardline government for a lack of progress. His remarks underscored barriers on the road to Palestinian reconciliation and to renewing Middle East peace talks. » Read more

PA cabinet calls municipal, local elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 9, 2010 - 1:00am The cabinet of the Ramallah-based government decided on Monday to hold municipal and local elections in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on 17 July 2010. Directives were given to the Palestinian Central Elections Committee to begin preparations. » Read more

Sha`ath: Fatah HQ to reopen in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 9, 2010 - 1:00am Hamas will instruct its government in the Gaza Strip to release detainees held on political grounds and reopen the Fatah party headquarters within the next two days, a top Fatah official said on Monday. Speaking days after his first trip since 2007 to the besieged coastal enclave, Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath said Fatah officials were already permitted to visit without any special permit. » Read more

Fayyad: West Bank raids, settlement construction must end ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 9, 2010 - 1:00am Greeting the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Political Affairs Oscar Fernandes on Monday, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad stressed the importance of the UN’s role in compelling Israel to abide by its roadmap obligations. » Read more

Land of landmines ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Batsheva Sobelman - (Blog) February 8, 2010 - 1:00am All Israelis know the iron rule: never stray off the main roads in the Golan Heights, and never ever cross cattle fences. The cows aren't dangerous, but the mines are. There are said to be around 2,000 minefields in the Golan Heights alone, its landscape concealing hundreds of thousands of anti-tank mines and anti-personnel mines. Some are Syrian; many others Israeli, planted around army bases and other places. There are countless other minefields throughout the country, mostly the Jordan Valley and the desert plains of the Arava. » Read more

An ‘Israeli Remix’ of a Palestinian Scarf ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Robert Mackey - (Blog) February 8, 2010 - 1:00am Two years ago, under pressure from conservative bloggers, Dunkin’ Donuts called off an ad campaign featuring Rachael Ray because she was photographed wearing a black and white scarf that looked like a keffiyeh. One of the bloggers, the conservative columnist Michelle Malkin, argued that the scarf was inappropriate because “the keffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad.” » Read more

February 8th

Saudi prince’s handshake with Israeli minister ‘does not change policy’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Caryle Murphey - February 7, 2010 - 1:00am A senior Saudi Arabian prince said yesterday that his public handshake with Israel’s deputy foreign minister after a testy exchange of words in Germany on Saturday does not signal a change in Saudi government policy. “This event should not be taken out of context or misunderstood,” Prince Turki al Faisal said in a statement. “My strong objections and condemnations of Israel’s policies and actions against the Palestinians remain unchanged.” » Read more

Israel satisfied with Ban’s report on Goldstone ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) February 7, 2010 - 1:00am United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's report to the General Assembly "reflected accurately" Israel's response to the Goldstone report, the Foreign Ministry said. "This Israeli document expresses Israel's full commitment to carry out credible independent investigations that meet the standards of international law," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement released shortly after the General Assembly's meeting last Friday on the status of the implementation of the Goldstone report's recommendations. » Read more

Jordan's king: US credibility under question ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yitzhak Benhorin - February 7, 2010 - 1:00am Jordan's King Abdullah believes time is running out for negotiations. In a CNN interview CNN aired Sunday, Abdullah estimated that there was no more than a month to move the peace process forward. He warned of what may take place in the Arab League summit, criticized the American administration and noted that "the credibility of the US is under question." » Read more

Distribution of Beit Yehonatan evacuation orders called off ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ronen Medzini - February 8, 2010 - 1:00am The handing out of evacuation and sealing orders to the Jewish residents of a building in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan has been called off. The Jerusalem Municipality said that it was operating according to police instructions. Inspectors were meant to arrive in the neighborhood on Monday to issue the orders to the residents of Beit Yehonatan, and the residents were meant to receive a seven-day warning before the actual evacuation. » Read more