October 6th

US denies it pressured Abbas to delay UN action on Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 6, 2009 - 12:00am

The United States denied reports on Monday that it pressured President Mahmoud Abbas to allow the United Nations to delay action to bring alleged Israeli war criminals to justice. At the daily State Department press briefing on Monday, spokesperson Ian Kelly was asked about reports that US officials demanded that Abbas ask the UN Human Rights Council to delay a vote the report of investigator Richard Goldstone.

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Israel After Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) October 5, 2009 - 12:00am

If the agreement that Iran reached with Western states on its nuclear file is real- whereby nuclear enrichment will now take place outside of Iran thus preventing a major crisis- then now it must be Israel’s turn.

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Threats led to deferral of UN Gaza investigation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Jonathan Cook - (Opinion) October 6, 2009 - 12:00am

Israel celebrated last weekend its success at the United Nations in forcing the Palestinians to defer demands that the International Criminal Court investigate allegations of war crimes committed by Israel during its winter assault on the Gaza Strip. The about-turn, following vigorous lobbying from Israel and the United States, appears to have buried the damning report of Richard Goldstone into the fighting, which killed almost 1,400 Palestinians, most of them civilians.

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Palestinians outraged over Abbas bowing to Israel, US
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - October 5, 2009 - 12:00am

Demonstrators descended Monday on this city's most famous traffic circle, Manara Square, which for years was a launching point of Palestinian protests against the Israeli occupation.

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Syria cancels Palestinian leader's visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
October 6, 2009 - 12:00am

Syria has postponed a planned visit by the Palestinian President amid controversy about his decision to suspend efforts to have Israeli officials prosecuted for war crimes over last winter's military offensive in Gaza. A Syrian official refused to specify the exact reason for postponing Mahmoud Abbas's trip, which was scheduled to begin today. Yesterday's decision came a day after Syria criticised Mr Abbas's Palestinian Authority for backing down against Israel.

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Peace must be made on Temple Mount
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
(Opinion) October 6, 2009 - 12:00am

With home demolitions and evictions occurring on a near daily basis, the theft of villagers' land going on round the clock, and the illegal and immoral siege of Gaza still in force years after it began, few would begrudge Palestinians airing their grievances against their oppressors. However, given that there are so many opportunities for legitimate protest against Israeli government policy, it is to certain Palestinians' discredit that they refuse to choose their battles more judiciously.

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Palestinians warn Israel on Jerusalem tensions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Douglas Hamilton - October 6, 2009 - 12:00am

A senior Palestinian official on Tuesday accused Israel of deliberately creating "an extremely dangerous situation" in East Jerusalem, to trigger violence, justify a crackdown and tighten its grip on the disputed city. "Israel is lighting matches in the hope of sparking a fire, deliberately escalating tensions in occupied East Jerusalem rather than taking steps to placate the situation," chief peace negotiator Saeb Erekat said in a statement before meetings later this week with U.S. President Barack Obama's envoy.

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Clashes raise Jerusalem tensions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
October 6, 2009 - 12:00am

Tensions over the complex containing al-Aqsa mosque and the Western wall have boiled over into rioting several times in the past two weeks. Police and rock-throwing Palestinians clashed on Sunday and Monday at the religious site and in East Jerusalem. Palestinian officials accused Israel of trying to "Judaize" Jerusalem. The religious site, known as Temple Mount to Jews and Haram al-Sharif to Palestinians is hotly contested and was the flashpoint that led to the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which broke out in 2000.

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October 5th

The U.N. Human Rights Council postpones its scheduled debate on the Goldstone report into the Gaza war, and Palestinian President Abbas faces an angry backlash for agreeing to the delay. Disturbances between Palestinian worshipers and Israeli police at the Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount continue, but in spite of warnings from Prime Minister Fayyad analysts do not anticipate an eruption of violence. The Washington Post profiles Palestinian mayor and Brewer David Khoury. The Ma'an news agency outlines Egyptian proposals for Palestinian national reconciliation. Ha'aretz reports that Vice Prime Minister Ya'alon recently canceled a trip to the UK fearing possible arrest for war crimes. UNRWA plans to teach Gaza children about the Holocaust. In the Arab News, ATFP President Ziad Asali argues that Palestinians should trust President Obama.

Palestinians should trust Obama
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Ziad Asali - October 4, 2009 - 12:00am

THINGS have changed over the past decade between Palestinians and the United States, and much for the better. Yasser Arafat was enticed to attend the Camp David meeting in 2000 with the promise that he would not be blamed if it failed. It did, and he was. Last week Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was invited to attend the New York meeting without any such promise. He was not blamed, and the meeting was not a failure. The meeting dealt with both an immediate crisis and a long-term strategic goal.

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