October 13th

Defiant Abbas Reiterates Conditions Before Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times
by Howard Schneider - October 11, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday seemed to distance himself from U.S. efforts to restart peace talks and defended his recent handling of a report on war crimes in the Gaza Strip in a defiant televised address meant to boost his political standing amid growing criticism.

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New negotiations will test Netanyahu's commitment
In Print by Ziad Asali - The Daily Star (Opinion) - October 13, 2009 - 12:00am

Yasser Arafat was enticed to attend a meeting with Ehud Barak at Camp David during the summer of 2000 with the promise that he would not be blamed if it turned out to be a failure. It did, and he was. Last month the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, was invited to attend a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York without any such promise. He was not blamed and the meeting was not a failure.

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NOTE: due to Thursday's ATFP Gala, the ATFP world news roundup will resume on Monday, October 19.

The Palestine Investment Fund launches a $220 million housing project in the occupied territories. Israel is considering restricting travel by senior officials fearing arrest as a consequence of the Goldstone report. Hamas claims that it always supported the report and that the organization is "praised" in it. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon supports moves by Pres. Abbas to reopen debate on the report in the UN Human Rights Council. US reportedly tells Egypt that Palestinian reconciliation would undermine negotiations with Israel. Kadima leader Tzipi Livni accuses Prime Minister Netanyahu of "humiliating" the Palestinians, while Netanyahu says combating the Goldstone report is Israel's main priority. An Israeli pornographer uses sex to "promote coexistence." An Israeli embassy spokesman says that J Street "could impair Israel's interests." ATFP President Ziad Asali says Netanyahu's commitment to peace will be tested in coming months.

Netanyahu: Our leaders won't be prosecuted in Hague
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Amnon Meranda - October 12, 2009 - 12:00am

The Knesset opened its winter session Monday, amid its members' promise for a stormy winter. The Knesset's factions are set to spend the next several months debating settlement freeze, the forming of a biometric database, a reform in the Israel Land Administration, a controversial budget cut and a referendum bill, to name a few. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dedicated most of his speech to a harsh attack on a United Nations report on the Israeli operation in Gaza, which accused Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes in Gaza.

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Livni accuses Netanyahu of 'humiliating Palestinians'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Amnon Meranda - October 12, 2009 - 12:00am

Opposition Chairwoman Tzipi Livni on Monday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being responsible for the uproar created by the United Nations report into the Israeli operation in Gaza. She hinted that Israel was the one who revealed that the Palestinians had deferred a Human Rights Council vote on the report, because the prime minister "had to boast of his performance." Livni, who spoke during the opening ceremony of the Knesset's winter session, was interrupted several times by Likud Knesset members.

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Students refuse to enlist due to 'occupation'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Daniel Edelson - October 12, 2009 - 12:00am

Dozens of students signed this year's high school seniors' letter, which has traditionally attempted to challenge Israel's mandatory army service policy. Similar letters have circulated every few years since 1979, all calling on teens to object to IDF service.

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Israel sees court rulings on Palestinian land as mere 'recommendations'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - October 13, 2009 - 12:00am

So what if the Supreme Court rules? In Israel those decisions are just recommendations, especially if they deal with Palestinian land. In most enlightened democratic countries, saying that decisions of the courts obligate the state authorities is like stating that the sun rises in the east. But that may not be so for Israel.

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New negotiations will test Netanyahu's commitment
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) October 13, 2009 - 12:00am

Yasser Arafat was enticed to attend a meeting with Ehud Barak at Camp David during the summer of 2000 with the promise that he would not be blamed if it turned out to be a failure. It did, and he was. Last month the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, was invited to attend a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York without any such promise. He was not blamed and the meeting was not a failure.

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The return of 1948
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Shlomo Ben-Ami - (Opinion) October 13, 2009 - 12:00am

The United Nations conference commemorating the 60th anniversary of UNRWA (the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) could not come at a better moment. The restitution of lands occupied in 1967 will obviously continue to be indispensable to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it is the legacy of the 1948 war that both parties to the conflict have now put at the centre of the debate.

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U.S. to Egypt: Fatah-Hamas deal undermines Israel-PA talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - October 13, 2009 - 12:00am

The United States sent a message to Egypt stating it does not support the proposed reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas as it would undermine negotiations with Israel, Haaretz has learned. George Mitchell, the U.S. envoy to the Middle East, met on Saturday night in Cairo with the chief of Egyptian intelligence, Gen. Omar Suleiman, and told him the United States would not support an agreement not aligned with the principles of the Quartet.

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