December 2nd

Bethlehem traders still waiting for Christmas cheer ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Erika Soloman - December 1, 2009 - 1:00am The lights are going up and carols are ringing from Manger Square, but Christmas cheer hasn't spread to all of Bethlehem's residents. While calm has returned to the Biblical birthplace of Jesus, scene of heavy fighting during the Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, in the early years of this decade, big-spending foreign tourists have mostly not, say the shopkeepers and restaurant owners who depend on them for their livelihood. » Read more

Report: Barghouti to be freed only if deported ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roee Nahmias - December 2, 2009 - 1:00am Will Israel free Marwan Barghouti but keep him away from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ? London-based Arabic-language al-Hayat newspaper on Wednesday quoted sources involved in the negotiations for a prisoner exchange deal as saying that Israel was willing to discuss the release – and deportation – of the former Tanzim secretary-general in the West Bank. According to the sources, the talks on Barghouti are still going on, but if Israel insists on deporting him from the West Bank, it will be entirely up to him. » Read more

Israel decries proposed E.U. stance on East Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Howard Schneider - December 2, 2009 - 1:00am Israel on Tuesday criticized a proposed statement by the European Union recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state -- part of the country's growing resistance to efforts to pressure it into reaching a peace deal with the Palestinians in the absence of direct, U.S.-sponsored talks. The draft statement, which the Israeli daily Haaretz published Tuesday, is to be considered by E.U. foreign ministers next week. Its first point calls for establishment of a Palestinian state "with East Jerusalem as its capital." » Read more

Jewish Nationalists Clash With Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - December 1, 2009 - 1:00am Jewish nationalists and Palestinians clashed in an East Jerusalem neighborhood on Tuesday after the Israelis took over a house by court order in a predominantly Arab area. The confrontation further strained tensions in this contested city, where competing Israeli and Palestinian claims have become a sticking point in the Obama administration’s efforts to restart peace talks. » Read more