November 4th

Despite progress, Obama hesitant about Netanyahu meeting ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - November 3, 2009 - 1:00am With President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to appear at the same convention of Jewish activists, and their governments nearing a deal on the thorny settlements issue, it would seem like a great time for a sit-down. But there's a problem: the reluctance of the Palestinians -- and by extension the Arab world -- to climb on board for renewed negotiations. » Read more

Settlement by stealth belies promises of restraint ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - November 4, 2009 - 1:00am Maysaa Al-Kurd has lived all her life in the home her family moved into in 1956. The pomegranate tree standing in the garden was planted by her father when she was still an infant nearly half a century ago. But that hardly reassured her yesterday when she heard the Jewish settlers break into the next-door extension building her brother Nabil built to house his family in 2001. » Read more

Clinton tries to keep peace alive ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News by Kim Ghattas - November 4, 2009 - 1:00am Hillary Clinton was planning to be home by now after a week-long trip, but instead she took a detour through Egypt for talks with top officials including President Hosni Mubarak, looking for help from a country that is key to any progress in the Middle East peace process. In her discussions she is expected to try to undo some of the damage done by her comments in the past few days while also looking for ways to keep some semblance of movement in the moribund Middle East peace process. The Obama administration is worried that in the absence of any talks, violence might resume. » Read more

BUILDING IN THE WEST BANK: An Interview with Bashar Masri ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Re-Think the Middle East by Michael Lame - (Interview) November 3, 2009 - 1:00am Bashar Masri is a Palestinian, born and raised in Nablus, educated in Egypt and the United States. Trained as a chemical engineer and with a background in management consulting, Bashar moved back to the West Bank from the Washington DC area in the mid-1990s, establishing himself in Ramallah. He was the founder and first publisher of the Palestinian daily newspaper Al Ayyam. A successful businessman, Bashar is CEO of Massar International, which engages in a variety of business activities across the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe. » Read more

Alone in the world ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yigal Sarna - (Opinion) November 4, 2009 - 1:00am To Benjamin Netanyahu’s credit, we should first note that there are no wars during his terms in office. This was the case during his first term, and this may be the case in the second one as well. He is a cautious man. Nahum Barnea referred to it as someone on early retirement. A man who does little and finds it difficult to make decisions. In respects to wars, his hesitation should be lauded. » Read more

Palestinian workers: We're being treated like cattle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Daniel Edelson - November 3, 2009 - 1:00am The 4,500 Palestinian workers who travel through the Eyal checkpoint, near West Bank city of Qalqilya, on their way to work in Israel, are finding it hard to enjoy the long-awaited winter. The checkpoint provides cover for those waiting to cross it, but its little shed can shelter about 100 people at the most, leaving the rest exposed to rain and cold winds. "I usually like the winter, but why do we have to stand here like this?" wondered Majid Nazal, a construction worker who crosses the checkpoint daily. » Read more

UN chief urges Israel to end 'provocative actions' in east Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews November 4, 2009 - 1:00am UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged Israel to end its "provocative actions" in east Jerusalem and to abide by its commitments to freeze all settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. "The Secretary General is dismayed at continued Israeli actions in occupied east Jerusalem, including the demolition of Palestinian homes, the eviction of Palestinian families and the insertion of settlers into Palestinian neighborhoods," a UN statement said. "The eviction today of a Palestinian family in east Jerusalem is just the most recent incident," it added. » Read more

America, stop sucking up to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) November 3, 2009 - 1:00am Barack Obama has been busy - offering the Jewish People blessings for Rosh Hashanah, and recording a flattering video for the President's Conference in Jerusalem and another for Yitzhak Rabin's memorial rally. Only Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah surpasses him in terms of sheer output of recorded remarks. In all the videos, Obama heaps sticky-sweet praise on Israel, even though he has spent nearly a year fruitlessly lobbying for Israel to be so kind as to do something, anything - even just a temporary freeze on settlement building - to advance the peace process. » Read more

A misguided resolution - US Rep. Brian Baird ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Brian Baird - (Opinion) November 4, 2009 - 1:00am Before US House members vote on H.Res. 867, regarding the UN Goldstone report on the Gaza conflict, there are a few questions worth asking. First, why are we bringing this resolution to the floor without ever giving former South African Constitutional Court Justice Richard Goldstone a hearing to explain his findings? » Read more

U.S. House backs resolution to condemn Goldstone Gaza report ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Natasha Mozgovaya, Barak Ravid - November 4, 2009 - 1:00am The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday condemned a UN report that accuses Israeli forces and Palestinian militants of committing war crimes in Gaza early this year as irredeemably biased and unworthy of further consideration or legitimacy. With a 344-36 vote, the House passed a nonbinding resolution that urged President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to oppose unequivocally any endorsement of the report. Twenty-two representatives voted present. » Read more