March 8th

PNA condemns Jewish settlement expansion, backs popular protests
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Saud Abu Ramadan - March 8, 2010 - 1:00am

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Monday condemned the Israeli decision to build 112 housing units in the settlement of Bitar Elit south of Jerusalem, and insisted to continue supporting the popular protests against the Israeli measures in the West Bank. Ghassan al-Khatib, spokesman of the Palestinian government of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, said in a press statement that "this settlement was built on a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel in 1967 war, no matter if it is in the West Bank or near Jerusalem. "

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Palestinians: indirect talks last chance for peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Jeffrey Heller - March 8, 2010 - 1:00am

Israel disclosed on Monday it would build 112 new homes in a Jewish settlement, a plan Palestinians said topped the agenda in talks they held with a U.S. envoy on restarting peace negotiations. Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, described the planned U.S.-mediated, indirect talks with Israel as a "last attempt" to save the Middle East peace process. Both Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to so-called proximity talks, in a boost to U.S. President Barack Obama's quest to end decades of conflict. Negotiations have been suspended since December 2008.

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Palestinian Authority sees lower deficit in 2010
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Mohammed Assadi - March 8, 2010 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank, March 8 (Reuters) - The Western-backed Palestinian Authority said on Monday its recurrent budget deficit will fall to 16 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year from 22 percent in 2009. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's government, which relies on international aid to meet its needs, forecasts its 2010 recurrent deficit falling to $1.21 billion from $1.45 billion in 2009. "This would be the lowest deficit as a share of GDP since the year 2000, and a major step forward towards enhancing financial sustainability," the authority said in a statement.

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Fayyad: Peace process only credible if Israel ends violations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 8, 2010 - 1:00am

Ramallah – Ma'an – Caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Sunday that restoring credibility to the peace process is only attainable if Israel is forced to end violations of international law and resolutions, including the Road Map. Fayyad's remarks were made during a meeting with a Dutch delegation, headed by the speaker of the Dutch parliament, Gerdi Verbeet.

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Mitchell: Israel, PLO accept talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 8, 2010 - 1:00am

Chicago – Ma’an – US envoy George Mitchell formally announced on Monday that both Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization have agreed to begin indirect peace negotiations. "I’m pleased that the Israeli and Palestinian leadership have accepted indirect talks," he in a statement. "We've begun to discuss the structure and scope of these talks and I will return to the region next week to continue our discussions," he also said. "As we've said many times, we hope that these will lead to direct negotiations as soon as possible."

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Vice President Biden on goodwill trip to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Edmund Sanders - March 8, 2010 - 1:00am

Vice President Biden on goodwill trip to Israel Biden is set to arrive Monday, with a goal of mending relations between U.S. and Israel after a tough first year in which Obama's demands in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict alienated many in Israel. By Edmund Sanders March 8, 2010 Reporting from Jerusalem - Vice President Joe Biden was due to arrive Monday in Israel on a mission to mend relations after a rocky first year for new administrations in both countries.

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Palestinian Sees Lesson Translating an Israeli’s Work
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - March 8, 2010 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM — Six years ago, when violence was the order of the day here, Elias Khoury’s 20-year-old son, George, was killed in a Palestinian terrorist attack. The Khourys are Palestinian, so the murder of George — who was out for a jog and shot from behind by gunmen in a car — produced an apology. Sorry, the killers said, we assumed the jogger was a Jew. Mr. Khoury was not only disconsolate, he was appalled. A prominent Jerusalem lawyer who often fights Israeli confiscations of land from Palestinians, he considered violence a toxin corroding his nation’s core.

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Biden Arrives in Israel on Trip to Restart Peace Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - March 8, 2010 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM — Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. arrived in Israel on Monday, culminating a two-month procession of high-ranking Americans seeking to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and persuade Israel to help efforts to impose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program rather than pursue military action. Mr. Biden is due to stay through Friday, meeting Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders and giving a speech at Tel Aviv University aimed at expressing American solidarity with Israel.

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March 5th

Hamas bans male hairdressers from women's salons, accuses the PA of arresting its members, denies Al Qaeda-like groups are operating in Gaza and says negotiations with Israel are a betrayal of the nation. Zion Evrony looks at how the Irish peace process can inform Middle East peace. The PA sends medicine to Gaza. The Irish Foreign Minister calls the Gaza blockade "medieval and inhumane." 60 Palestinians are injured in clashes at holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem. VP Biden may kick off proximity talks next week, but widespread skepticism remains and Ha'aretz reports that the US has agreed to assign blame for any failure. PLO officials accuse Israel of stalling. Yoel Marcus says PM Netanyahu knows what is needed for peace. Yoni Eshpar looks at the track record of boycotts and sanctions in many contexts. Jewish Americans urge VP Biden to reach out to Israelis. Many Palestinian women have become family breadwinners due to the occupation. Ehud Yaari says a Palestinian-Israeli armistice is urgently required before any final agreement. Ziad AbuZayyad says Palestinians must increasingly adopt the tactic of nonviolent resistance.

The power of nonviolence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Ziad Abu Zayyad - (Opinion) March 5, 2010 - 1:00am

There are signs of mounting distress among the Israeli police and other security forces in the way they are dealing with the Palestinians who stage weekly demonstrations in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. These protests, in which Palestinians are joined by foreign sympathizers and activists of the Israeli left, are intended to express opposition to the eviction of Palestinians from their homes, which are then inhabited by Jewish families.

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