Daily News Issue Date: 
August 5, 2013
News: 
NEWS:
 
Israeli officials say the next round of peace talks is scheduled for mid-August. (Xinhua)
 
Palestinians say Israel's prisoner release will be conducted in four stages. (Ma'an/YNet/Times of Israel)
 
The prisoner release is not prompting less pessimism among Palestinians. (NBC)
 
The US extends embassy closures for a second day across much of the Middle East and Africa, but not in Israel and the occupied territories. (Reuters/YNet)
 
Israel announces wide-ranging new subsidies for settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as "national priority areas." (AP/Xinhua/AFP)
 
The record number of subsidized settlements includes four formerly regarded as "illegal" and "unauthorized" outposts. (YNet)
 
Palestinians say Israel's announcement prioritizing development of settlement areas will harm peace talks. (New York Times/Ma'an)
 
Egypt reportedly cancels PM Erdogan's long anticipated visit to Gaza. (Ma'an/Times of Israel)
 
Hamas's complaints about Egyptian restrictions are falling on deaf ears in Cairo. (AP)
 
US military Chief of Staff Martin Dempsey visits Israel. (Xinhua)
 
For many young Palestinian boys living under occupation, throwing stones at Israeli soldiers is a rite of passage. (New York Times)
 
FC Barcelona begins its "peace tour" of Israel and the occupied territories in Bethlehem and ends it in Tel Aviv. (Los Angeles Times/AP)
 
Palestinian Soccer Association head Rajoub welcomes Barcelona's trip and condemns Israel's policies that impede Palestinian sports. (Times of Israel)
 
An Israeli occupation soldier is filmed kicking a Palestinian child. (YNet)
 
Arab MKs strongly protest new Israeli electoral laws. (Al Monitor)
 
Palestinians fleeing Syria for Lebanon find little support, even from other Palestinians. (Christian Science Monitor)
 
Two Muslim shrines are damaged in attacks by extremists in Sinai. (Reuters)
 
Archaeologists find the remains of an ancient Jewish village in the Galilee. (AP)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
The Washington Post interviews Egyptian Gen. Abdel Fatah al-Sissi. (Washington Post)
 
Quartet envoy Tony Blair says there is hope for peace in the Middle East's turmoil. (The Observer)
 
NPR interviews Marwan Muasher on prospects for a two-state solution. (NPR)
 
Crispian Balmer says the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no longer the central focus of Middle East strategic relations. (Reuters)
 
Trudy Rubin says Sec. Kerry is pushing peace talks now because he understands how dangerous the status quo truly is. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
 
Jonathan Freedman says no one should be cynical about peace. (The Guardian)
 
Harriet Sherwood samples a mix of Israeli and Palestinian opinion on the new negotiations. (The Observer)
 
Jay Michaelson says Israelis just don't feel any pressing need to make peace. (The Forward)
 
Ha'aretz says Israel needs to stop heavily incentivizing settlement activity with generous subsidies. (Ha'aretz)
 
Amira Hass suggests four guarantees American negotiators should offer Israelis and Palestinians in the next round of talks. (Ha'aretz)
 
Jesse Rosenfeld says drawnout negotiations will only increase Palestinian misery. (The National)
 
Leonard Fein says peace talks can only succeed when all issues are negotiated and resolved. (The Forward)
 
The Deseret News says even long-shot negotiations are preferable to none. (Deseret News)
 
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel says any willingness to talk is a step forward. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
 
George Friedman says imagination, not past paradigms, could open the door for peace. (EurActiv.com)
 
Brent Sasley says peace negotiations poll well and seem popular among Israelis. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
Avraham Burg suggests a vertical metaphor for Israeli-Palestinian coexistence. (Ha'aretz)
 
Danielle Spiegel Feld dismisses comparisons between PM Netanyahu and the late PM Rabin. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
Oudeh Basharat says the expulsion of Arabs in Israel begins in the Knesset. (Ha'aretz)
 
Herb Keinon says the controversies over the Barcelona visit show how hard peace will be to achieve. (Jerusalem Post)
 
The National says Barcelona's tour is a helpful reminder of what people have in common. (The National)
 
Nathan Jeffay says Jewish Israeli attitudes towards Arabs are starting to soften, but the feeling is not reciprocated. (The Forward)
 
Nathan Guttman asks if US generals have a "pro-Arab" bias. (The Forward)
 
Geoffrey Aronson says Israel and Hamas are being forced to cooperate because of intensified Egyptian restrictions. (Al Monitor)
 
Omar Karmi says newly released British documents point to an even larger Israeli role in the Sabra and Shatila massacre than previously thought. (The National)
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