June 5th, 2008

Abbas Aides Say Hamas Talks Depend On Ceding Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters June 5, 2008 - 6:19pm Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has not softened his position on reconciliation with Hamas and dialogue still depends on the Islamists ceding the Gaza Strip, his aides said on Thursday. Abbas called on Wednesday for reconciliation talks with Hamas leaders without explicitly repeating previous demands they first give up the Gaza Strip, fuelling speculation the two sides could be ready to repair ties. » Read more

Palestinian Girl, Israeli Killed In Gaza Border Fire ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Nidal Al-mughrabi - June 5, 2008 - 6:18pm An Israeli air strike killed a young Palestinian girl in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Thursday after an Israeli died in a militant cross-border mortar attack on a kibbutz. Palestinian medics said a girl of about eight was killed and two women were injured outside their house near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The army said it carried out an air strike in the area, saying it was targeting a militant. The attack in Gaza came after Palestinian militants shelled an Israeli kibbutz, killing one person and wounding three. » Read more

Palestinian Leader Urges Talks With Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - June 5, 2008 - 6:09pm The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, called unexpectedly late Wednesday for a resumption of dialogue with the Islamic militant group Hamas, a move that could herald a breakdown of his peace talks with Israel. In a short televised speech, Mr. Abbas, who is based in the West Bank, expressed his desire to restore national unity. Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007. Mr. Abbas said that if talks with Hamas succeeded, he would call for legislative and presidential elections. His term is supposed to end in January. » Read more

June 4th

Hamas: We'll Accept Truce For Removing Siege ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - June 4, 2008 - 5:42pm srael's position regarding the Egyptian initiative for achieving a truce with the Palestinians is totally unclear, but that does not mean that Hamas does not want a cease-fire, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Tuesday. He said that despite the difficulties in reaching an agreement, the Egyptians were making efforts to achieve a truce between the Palestinians and Israel. "Hamas's position toward the Egyptian initiative is very clear," said Haniyeh. » Read more

Rice Pushes Peace As Olmert Visits Washington ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters June 4, 2008 - 5:41pm US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made clear on Tuesday Washington will press for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal this year despite the corruption scandal dogging Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert, who arrived in Washington on Tuesday at the start of a three-day visit, has rebuffed calls that he leave office over allegations that he took envelopes stuffed with cash from a Jewish-American businessman. » Read more

Palestinians Protest Nearly Year-long Siege On Gaza Strip ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) June 4, 2008 - 5:40pm Around 100 Palestinians gathered outside the UN refugee agency's headquarters in Gaza City Tuesday to protest a nearly one-year-old Israeli blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory. The protesters, including a number of women and children, held signs saying "No more blood" and "Lift the siege from us" as they called on Israel and Egypt to reopen border crossings into Gaza. » Read more

Black Market Soars As Hamas Rations Fuel In Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Khaleej Times June 4, 2008 - 5:38pm For the past five days Abdullah Naqbil has been waiting outside the car he parked at a service station fuel pump, planning to be the first person served when the next shipment of diesel arrives. ‘Sometimes I even sleep in the car,’ he says as he sits on the sidewalk. Barely 20 of Gaza's 160 petrol stations are open, and then only when they receive fuel from Israel, which has blockaded the Gaza Strip in response to Palestinian rocket attacks. » Read more

Olmert's Survival Instinct Rapidly Fading ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times by Joe Macaron - June 4, 2008 - 5:37pm It must be ecstatic for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to be in Washington for three days, a brief escape from a quasi political inferno. Not only haunted by scandals and calls to step down, but by a Palestinian process devoid of substance, an inherently strained Syrian track and a puzzled observation of developments in Lebanon. The man came to power with two enduring complexes: the lack of military heroism and subsequently the guilt to compromise. » Read more

Report: Hamas Using Bigger Rockets ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) June 4, 2008 - 5:35pm A report published Wednesday says Hamas has upped the ante in its rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza by procuring more powerful Iranian-made weapons. Citing unnamed military sources, the Israeli Web site DEBKAfile.com reported that Hamas used the new weapon, a multiple-launch rocket with an eight-kilogram explosive payload, for the first time Tuesday in an attack aimed at Shaar Henegev in Israel. The Web site said it's the same vehicle-launched weapon used against Israel by Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. » Read more

Palestinians Negotiator: Peace Talks Need Miracle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press June 4, 2008 - 5:35pm The lead Palestinian peace negotiator says only a miracle will bring a peace deal with Israel by the year-end target. Ahmed Qureia says the two sides have been discussing all the issues at the heart of their 60-year conflict. But he says gaps still exist. Speaking in the West Bank on Wednesday, Qureia said he thinks progress can be made this year. But he says he doesn't think a deal can be reached this year "unless there is a miracle." » Read more