August 4th

U.N. says Israel did not violate border in clash with Lebanon
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Janine Zacharia - August 4, 2010 - 12:00am

A deadly exchange of fire between Israeli and Lebanese forces Tuesday shattered a tenuous calm that has persisted along the border since Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah waged a month-long war four years ago that killed hundreds and displaced thousands. In the most serious border confrontation since then, two Lebanese soldiers and one Lebanese journalist were killed. A 45-year old Israeli lieutenant colonel was also killed, and an Israeli platoon commander was critically wounded.

»

517,774 Jewish settlers live in West Bank: report
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
August 4, 2010 - 12:00am

Around 517,774 Jewish settlers live in settlements in the West Bank, according to a report published Tuesday by Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). According to the report, settlements in the West Bank were distributed into four strips, namely the eastern strip including 28 settlements, mountain strip including 31 settlements, western hills strip including 48 settlements and the greater Jerusalem strip including 37 settlements.

»

The lie behind the right wing's truth
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Shlomo Avineri - (Opinion) August 4, 2010 - 12:00am

Some people are surprised at recent expressions of support on the right for a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, through what appears to be a readiness to grant Israeli citizenship to Palestinians living in territories that would be annexed. I'm surprised they're surprised, because that has been the right wing's position since 1967. It's just that it hasn't been easy to openly advocate an explicitly annexationist stance.

»

The Implications of the Fayyad-Plan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from ISN Security Watch
by Andrin Hauri - August 4, 2010 - 12:00am

With the security situation in the West Bank improving, Benjamin Netanyahu promoted the idea of an “economic peace” with the Palestinians during the last Israeli parliamentary election in 2008 and again in his foreign policy speech to the nation in June 2009, arguing that economics, not politics, is the key to peace. Underlying this talk is the logic that “economic peace will support and bolster the achievement of political settlements down the line.”

»

August 3rd

The NYT says Israel is right to cooperate with the UN investigation into the flotilla attack. Rocket attacks show how militants could use Sinai. Andy Zelleke and Robert Dujarric say the price of an Israeli attack on Iran may be a Palestinian state. Occupation forces shoot a Palestinian worker in Gaza. The PA says growth is dependent on international donors. Three Lebanese soldiers and a journalist are killed by Israeli troops at the border. Israel approves 40 new settlement apartments in occupied East Jerusalem. Pres. Abbas declines to set a date for direct talks. PM Netanyahu says he made no commitments to the US on direct talks. Palestinian activists ask female protesters to dress modestly. Americans for Peace Now launches a video campaign against settlement construction. Building in Gaza is focusing more on recreation than reconstruction. Israel allows a convoy of 250 trucks into Gaza. Gershon Baskin says hope must continue for peace. The last Palestinian kaffiyeh factory struggles to survive. Daphna Baram says liberal Israelis may soon face prosecution. Leslie Susser says “one-state” proposals from the Israeli right are a ploy to prevent ending the occupation. Joseph Mayton says Gaza's plight also presents opportunities.

The NYT says Israel is right to cooperate with the UN investigation into the flotilla attack. Rocket attacks show how militants could use Sinai. Andy Zelleke and Robert Dujarric say the price of an Israeli attack on Iran may be a Palestinian state. Occupation forces shoot a Palestinian worker in Gaza. The PA says growth is dependent on international donors. Three Lebanese soldiers and a journalist are killed by Israeli troops at the border. Israel approves 40 new settlement apartments in occupied East Jerusalem. Pres. Abbas declines to set a date for direct talks. PM Netanyahu says he made no commitments to the US on direct talks. Palestinian activists ask female protesters to dress modestly. Americans for Peace Now launches a video campaign against settlement construction. Building in Gaza is focusing more on recreation than reconstruction. Israel allows a convoy of 250 trucks into Gaza. Gershon Baskin says hope must continue for peace. The last Palestinian kaffiyeh factory struggles to survive. Daphna Baram says liberal Israelis may soon face prosecution. Leslie Susser says “one-state” proposals from the Israeli right are a ploy to prevent ending the occupation. Joseph Mayton says Gaza's plight also presents opportunities.

Five killed in Lebanese-Israeli border clash
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
August 3, 2010 - 12:00am

Israeli and Lebanese troops fought a rare cross-border skirmish on Tuesday that killed four Lebanese and an Israeli officer in the most serious violence along the frontier since a 2006 war. The Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah group, which battled Israel in the war four years ago, took no part in the exchange of fire. There was no sign of any extensive Israeli preparations for a large-scale operation -- an early indication the clash might not trigger a wider conflict.

»

New Gaza leisure projects focus on fun not hardship
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
August 2, 2010 - 12:00am

New leisure projects and restaurants have been springing up in the Gaza Strip, some partially funded by Hamas Islamists ruling a territory long seen as a symbol of Palestinian hardship. The construction boom in recreational facilities has prompted some Palestinians in the enclave to complain that Hamas should have channelled such investment into rebuilding homes and infrastructure destroyed in conflict with Israel. Some 800 visitors a day flock to Al-Bustan, a resort built by a Hamas-linked charity, to enjoy its swimming pools, restaurants and cafes.

»

U.S. group launches campaign against West Bank settlement construction
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Natasha Mozgovaya - August 2, 2010 - 12:00am

Americans for Peace Now, a sister group to the dovish Israeli group Peace Now, has announced the launching a unique campaign on Monday, meant to sway public opinion against containing settlement construction. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the construction freeze West Bank settlements, due to expire on September 26, in last November, after months of pressure from the Obama administration, and following a Palestinian refusal to begin talks without one.

»

Pro-Palestinian activists welcome, but leave the tank tops at home
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Tsafi Saar - August 3, 2010 - 12:00am

Tank tops, it turns out, can be the focus of a raging debate, both feminist and nationalist. The setting: an impressive protest that takes place every Friday in the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem. Palestinians and Jews demonstrate together against the eviction of Palestinian families and attempts to evict even more residents from the site where they have lived for generations, in order to replace them with Israeli settlers.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017