October 5th

New US consulate to open in west Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Melanie Lidman - October 5, 2010 - 12:00am After six years of construction, the American Consulate in Jerusalem will open its new facility for consular services on Rehov David Flusser in the southern Arnona neighborhood next Tuesday. The office that previously dealt with consular services, located on Nablus Road in east Jerusalem, will remain open for consulate programs, along with the facility in west Jerusalem on Rehov Agron, and America House, a cultural outreach center in east Jerusalem. » Read more

PA: Latest Israeli soldier video 'deeply offensive' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 5, 2010 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A personal film showing an Israeli soldier dancing around a Palestinian woman uploaded to YouTube on Monday "is a disgusting illustration of the sick mentality of the occupier," a Palestinian Authority statement said. The video, showing an Israeli soldier belly-dancing next to a woman who is a blindfolded and handcuffed, head leaning against a concrete wall, sparked outrage for Palestinians and embarrassment for the Israeli military, as Tel Aviv papers branded the incident "Another YouTube embarrassment for IDF." » Read more

Roger Waters: I'm not anti-Semitic, I'm anti-occupation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Lahav Harkov - October 5, 2010 - 12:00am Pink Floyd's Roger Waters denied being anti-Semitic in an open letter to the UK newspaper The Independent on Monday, after the Anti-Defamation League slammed him for using "imagery long associated with steretotypes about Jews and money." In Waters' The Wall Live tour, during performances of the song "Goodbye Blue Sky," a animated B52 bomber plane is shown dropping bombs shaped like the Star of David, dollar signs and logos for Shell Oil and Mercedes. The ADL released a statement saying Waters "cross[ed] the line into anti-Semitism." » Read more

Qalqiliya checkpoint shooting leaves 1 injured ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 5, 2010 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – A young Palestinian man was shot and injured by Israeli forces near a military checkpoint in Qalqiliya on Tuesday morning. Israeli sources said the young man was from the village of Habla, a Palestinian area inside Israel, while a military spokeswoman told Ma'an that three young men driving a car identified as stolen were driving from Israel into the West Bank. » Read more

Obama faces humiliation over Middle East talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Simon Tisdall - (Opinion) October 4, 2010 - 12:00am Barack Obama has barely a week to save the Middle East peace process from collapse, only months after he relaunched it amid optimistic predictions that a solution would be reached within a year. The consequences of failure will be serious for the US president; for the region and the wider world, they are potentially disastrous. » Read more

Deadline extended in bid to keep Israel-Palestinian talks alive ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - October 4, 2010 - 12:00am Tel Aviv, Israel — Sputtering Israeli-Palestinian peace talks received another reprieve over the weekend when a key Arab League meeting was postponed until Friday. It was the second delay for the meeting, which Palestinians said could mark their withdrawal from negotiations if Israeli settlement expansion continued. » Read more

Bibi pushing quiet diplomacy in bid to restart talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) October 4, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is "in the midst of sensitive diplomatic contacts with the U.S. administration" in the effort to continue peace talks with the Palestinians. In a statement Sunday at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu called the direct peace negotiations begun one month ago "a vital interest for the State of Israel." He urged his ministers to "be patient, act responsibly, calmly and -- above all -- quietly." » Read more

How Did Netanyahu Turn the Tables on Abbas? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) October 5, 2010 - 12:00am The story revealed by our newspaper yesterday on the new conditions proposed by the Israeli Prime Minister to the US administration for a freeze on settlement construction for a specific period of time – thus leading to a resumption of the peace talks – demonstrates why we had been calling on the Palestinian President to continue negotiations and not fall into Netanyahu's trap. » Read more

Did militant Israeli settlers burn mosque near Bethlehem? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - October 4, 2010 - 12:00am Tel Aviv, Israel — Israel is worried that Jewish militants torched a West Bank mosque overnight Monday in a bid to undermine peace negotiations with the Palestinians. A mosque in the Palestinian village of Beit Fajar, just south of Bethlehem, became the fourth in the last two years to be the target of an arson attempt, according to human rights workers. The attack is believed to be part of a campaign by vigilante settlers to ignite violence by attacking Muslim holy sites. » Read more

Not So Hidden Influences ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Slate by Christopher Hitchens - (Opinion) October 4, 2010 - 12:00am I wasted a little time before writing this article, to see if I could produce a satire or a parody. This would have consisted of a fundraising letter from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to a potential donor. "Dear Leo," it might begin. "We are asking you, even in these straitened times, to make the largest contribution you can afford. The security of the state of Israel is threatened as never before, and your help is urgently required. Alas, we can offer you nothing in return for your donation. » Read more