September 3rd

Israeli moves give Blair hope of rebuilding political trust ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am Tony Blair expressed optimism yesterday that Israel and the US would agree on a settlement moratorium sufficient to pave the way for the first political negotiations between Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the moderate Palestinian leadership. The international community's Middle East envoy was speaking after three days of talks with Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Netanyahu. » Read more

Hidden in Olmert Indictment Are Charges That He Swindled U.S. Jews ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - September 2, 2009 - 12:00am Washington — The indictment against former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has riveted Israelis with its allegations that the ex-prime minister took envelopes of cash from supporters for his personal use. But another aspect of the August 30 indictment, one directly relevant to American Jews, has been all but lost amid the fallout: The Israeli leader, prosecutors charge, bilked 17 prominent North American Jewish charities and pro-Israel advocacy groups for his own benefit. » Read more

Israeli Obstacles to the International Conference ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Randa Takieddine - September 2, 2009 - 12:00am The importance of the visit by the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, to France on Thursday and Friday to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner lies in the timing. The visit comes before Sarkozy takes part in the General Assembly of the United Nations on 12 September, and his meeting with the heads of the G-20 in Pittsburgh on the 24th and 25th of the same month. » Read more

At the expense of peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Michael Jansen - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has put the Obama administration in an awkward position by demanding a total halt to Israeli settlement construction and expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. He is simply echoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who initially called for a complete suspension of settlement activity, including completing, to accommodate “natural growth”, the 2,500 units under construction, and housing in East Jerusalem. » Read more

Tell the settlers the truth ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) September 3, 2009 - 12:00am At a time when the Obama administration is seeking a way to impose a construction freeze in the settlements that will be acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians, in order to pave the way for the resumption of the political process, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking common ground with the settlers. According to the minutes distributed by the Prime Minister's Office after Netanyahu's meeting with the heads of the Yesha Council of settlements last month, the prime minister stated that, "We are all interested in the same thing," and then added, "But we must act wisely." » Read more

Israel hints it may retroactively legalize settlement construction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am The state prosecutor's representative twice hinted that construction in West Bank settlements might be retroactively legalized Wednesday, seemingly representing a major policy turnaround. The two responses are a departure from the state's usual response that the structures are illegal and are expected to be demolished. » Read more

Why I Wrote "What's Wrong with the One-State Agenda?" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum by Hussein Ibish - (Blog) September 2, 2009 - 12:00am Israel Policy Forum has very kindly asked me to contribute a blog posting about my new book, published by the American Task Force on Palestine, "What's Wrong with the One-State Agenda? Why Ending the Occupation and Peace with Israel is Still the Palestinian National Goal." It is now available for free download or hardcopy purchase from the ATFP website. » Read more

Israel building in West Bank settlements has dropped, new study finds ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press September 3, 2009 - 12:00am New figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics show that Israel's construction of new homes in West Bank settlements fell by one-third in the first half of 2009, compared to the same period in 2008. The numbers bolster settlers' claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has partially frozen settlement construction under U.S. pressure. The Central Bureau of Statistics said Thursday that housing starts dropped 34 percent to 672 housing units compared to 1,015 for the same period in 2008. » Read more

Israeli soldiers raid West Bank towns, seizing five Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 3, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli forces raided several Palestinians communities and seized five people in the West Bank on Wednesday night, Palestinian and Israeli sources said. In the Jenin area in the northern West Bank, Israeli forces detained three young men. According to Palestinian security sources, Israeli forces raided several houses in the eastern neighborhood of Jenin and seized Aybak Allam Abu Ali, 20. In neighboring Birqin village, Israeli soldiers detained Muhammad Basem Khalouf, 19, during a raid on his house, the security sources said. » Read more

High level PA panel to investigate "organ theft" claims ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 3, 2009 - 12:00am The Palestinian Authority (PA) is forming a high-level panel to investigate allegations that the Israeli military “stole organs” from Palestinian detainees, officials said on Thursday. The secretary general of the PA Council of Ministers, Dr Hassan Abu Libdeh, said that the committee has already started work by collecting all available information about the issue. He said the PA will take a sharp position on this issue, because, if true, the alleged events would constitute violations of human rights. » Read more