May 21st

A state within temporary borders plus ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Shaul Mishal - May 21, 2010 - 12:00am The latest American and Palestinian steps to promote a diplomatic agreement between Israel and the Palestinians confronts Israel with two bad alternatives. The first is conducting negotiations à la U.S. President Barack Obama, which repeats the model for a final-status solution and an end to the conflict that failed in the past decade. The second is Palestinian sovereignty that would be promoted by both Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in the West Bank and the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Israel seeks to halt Palestinian boycott of settlement products ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ora Coren - May 21, 2010 - 12:00am The Manufacturers Association has asked the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry for compensation for its members who have been hurt by the Palestinian boycott against goods produced in the West Bank. Ministry officials have already approached their Palestinian counterparts and international bodies to ask them to act to cancel the boycott, which they say violates international trade rules and policies. Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer raised the issue with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in a recent meeting. » Read more

Palestinian official denies secret contacts to bring NATO forces ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 20, 2010 - 12:00am A senior Palestinian official on Thursday denied reports that the Palestinian National Authority ( PNA) was holding secret talks to persuade the NATO to monitor the borders of the future Palestinian state. "There are in-depth contacts with Jordan and all other Arab countries to brief them on the situation in the region, but there are no secret contacts with international forces," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said. » Read more

Palestinian official accuses Israel of demolishing houses of Arab Jerusalemites ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 20, 2010 - 12:00am A Palestinian official has accused Israel of demolishing houses belong to Arabs in Jerusalem, saying the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem has handed demolition notices to Arab Jerusalemites. "These new procedures against the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem are very dangerous and will lead to a dead end" in newly- launched indirect talks with Israel, Hatem Abdul Qader, a Fatah official in charge of Jerusalem affairs told Voice of Palestine radio on Thursday. » Read more

Water may not be big hurdle to Palestinian-Israeli peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by David Harris - May 20, 2010 - 12:00am U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday, two days after he held talks in Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. No details of the sessions have been made public other than the Israelis' desire to move as soon as possible from indirect to face- to-face meetings and the fact that the talks are initially concentrating on the issues of borders and security. » Read more

Jews in Arab east Jerusalem defy Obama peace push ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Tia Goldenberg - May 21, 2010 - 12:00am When Devorah Adler's children go to school, they pass underneath the gun-toting security officer who stands on their roof 24-hours a day, walk down a path dotted by surveillance cameras and get in a van manned by another armed guard. Adler is one of 2,000 Jews who reside in predominantly Arab neighborhoods in the heart of east Jerusalem, part of a movement that aims to ensure Israel's hold on the sector, which Palestinians seek as the capital of a future state. » Read more

Boycott volunteers say army searching for them ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 21, 2010 - 12:00am Volunteers with the Palestinian Authority's House to House settlement goods boycott campaign said Israeli forces entered the Husan village, west of Bethlehem, searching for them. Volunteer Ahmad Jaz'ul told Ma'an that four Israeli military jeeps "raided the village at 1pm in the afternoon, searching for the campaign's volunteers, stopping passer-bys and asking where we were." "We hid our uniforms and ID cards. Some volunteers stayed hidden in their homes until the Israeli army withdrew," he added. » Read more

Israel blocks mail between Gaza, West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 21, 2010 - 12:00am Israel has halted the flow of government sector mail between Gaza and the West Bank, causing a delay in the receipt of official documents, officials said on Thursday. Maher Abu Ouf, Palestinian director for the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel, said Israel shut-down all mail services last Wednesday after forces detained Gaza-based postal service official Sufian Abu Zubda. "We do not know the reasons for Abu Zubda's detention," Abu Ouf told Ma'an. » Read more

Palestinians Offer Wider Concessions on Land ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal by Charles Levinson - May 21, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian negotiators have surprised Washington with a bold opening offer to White House peace envoy George Mitchell that includes concessions on territory beyond those offered in past Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, according to officials briefed on the current negotiations. » Read more

May 20th

Resources on the American National Security Interest in Israeli-Palestinian Peace Policy Focus by ATFP - May 20, 2010 - 12:00am ATFP was founded in 2003 with a clear, focused mission: to advocate that a negotiated end of conflict agreement that allows for two states, Israel and Palestine, to live side-by-side in peace and security is in the American national interest. Over the past seven years, the Task Force has been gratified by the development of the understanding that this is a vital national interest for our country into a clear policy focus for our government and a growing consensus within the foreign policy establishment. » Read more