October 6th

Ministry fails to reimburse West Bank farmers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 6, 2010 - 12:00am

West Bank farmers say they feel betrayed by the Palestinian Authority finance and agriculture ministries, after failing to meet promises of support for farmers whose land lies close to Israel's separation wall. Speaking to Ma'an, farmers from different West Bank areas slated for confiscation for the separation wall said they signed an agreement with the Ministry of Finance, which would reimburse farmers for building water wells for irrigation at their own expense.

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Hamas wing threatens PA leadership
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 6, 2010 - 12:00am

Hamas' military wing on Wednesday threatened to target Palestinian Authority officials "if PA security forces continue to detain and sue resistance activists in the West Bank." Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Ubayda read a statement on behalf of 12 military groups in the Gaza Strip saying "we are fed up with the PA security's behavior in the West Bank. Over the past period, we have preferred to give reconciliation efforts all the time needed, however, we hereby say we will not remain silent for long."

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Can Palestinian police get respect through soccer clinics?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - October 5, 2010 - 12:00am

For years, the Palestinian police force has been considered by many in the West Bank and Gaza to be weak, corrupt, disconnected from the people – not to mention in cahoots with Israel. But, in an effort to win the hearts and minds of the Palestinian grassroots, the West Bank police force has embarked on a community outreach campaign, organizing soccer clinics, town meetings, and antidrug information chats for kids.

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Rabbis replace Korans at burned mosque in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Joel Greenberg - October 5, 2010 - 12:00am

In a rare act of conciliation Tuesday, a group of rabbis from Jewish settlements near the Palestinian town of Beit Fajar visited a mosque there that had been torched by arsonists and brought Korans to replace those burned in the blaze. The attackers, who struck early Monday, left behind Hebrew graffiti and are suspected to be radical Jewish settlers. The rabbis, from the Gush Etzion cluster of settlements south of Bethlehem, arrived in a convoy of Israeli military government jeeps escorted by Palestinian police.

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A key back channel for U.S., Israeli ties
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Glenn Kessler - October 6, 2010 - 12:00am

Dennis Ross, a longtime Middle East expert, has emerged as a crucial, behind-the-scenes conduit between the White House and the Israeli government, working closely with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's private attorney - and also Defense Minister Ehud Barak - to discreetly smooth out differences and disputes between the two governments.

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Netanyahu Examines Offer on Settlement Freeze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - October 5, 2010 - 12:00am

As the Palestinians consider withdrawing from peace talks with Israel unless a freeze on Jewish settlement building in the West Bank is extended, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is engaged in his own calculations about whether accepting an American offer aimed at prolonging the freeze would destroy his political coalition.

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Risks and Advantages in U.S. Effort in Mideast
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Mark Landler - October 5, 2010 - 12:00am

When President Obama reopened face-to-face talks between the Israelis and Palestinians last month, he pledged that his administration would hold their hands but warned, “The United States cannot impose an agreement, and we cannot want it more than the parties themselves.” With the negotiations deadlocked over the issue of Jewish settlements, several veterans of Middle East peacemaking said Mr. Obama’s warning had come true — only weeks after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, agreed to sit down.

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October 5th

Israeli settlers are suspected of torching a West Bank mosque and burning Korans. Palestinians celebrate Oktoberfest with a local brew. A compromise may be brewing over settlements. A Palestinian man is shot by Israeli forces in the West Bank. The PA denounces a new video of occupation forces mocking captured Palestinians. A new study shows both Israelis and Palestinians retaliate against each other. Israel deports an Irish Nobel laureate. Egyptian Pres. Mubarak warns of "global terror" without a peace agreement. A majority of Palestinians don't want talks to continue if settlement activity does. The ADL condemns the mosque arson. A leading Israeli poet says Israel is “an apartheid state.” Ami Kaufman says Israelis should support a Palestinian Declaration of Independence in one year. US opens a new consulate in West Jerusalem. Rock star Roger Waters says he's not anti-Semitic, just opposed to the occupation. Simon Tisdall says Pres. Obama faces humiliation if talks collapse. PM Netanyahu says he's using quiet diplomacy. Tariq Alhomayed says Netanyahu has turned the tables on Pres. Abbas. Christopher Hitchens says it's not offensive to point out the effectiveness of Jewish-American organizations.

Israel deports pro-Palestinian Nobel laureate
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Josef Federman - October 4, 2010 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — Israel on Tuesday expelled an Irish Nobel peace laureate and pro-Palestinian activist who was barred from the country for trying to bust the naval blockade of Gaza. Mairead Corrigan Maguire was placed on an early morning flight to Britain, the Interior Ministry said. She had been banned from Israel for 10 years after trying to sail to Gaza on a blockade-busting ship in June. Still, she landed in Tel Aviv last week as part of a delegation meeting Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.

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Egypt president warns of 'global terror' if Mideast peace talks fail
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff, Natasha Mozgovaya, Barak Ravid - October 5, 2010 - 12:00am

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has warned that a failure in Israel-Palestinian peace negotiations would lead to "violence and terrorism" across the world. In an interview with the journal of the Egyptian armed forces, given to mark the anniversary of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, he said he has told several leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that "if the peace process collapses, violence and terrorism will erupt in the Middle East and all over the world."

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