November 22nd

Israeli press is censoring the truth away ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) November 21, 2010 - 1:00am We’re meeting in Eilat this week for our annual conference; let’s use it for some soul-searching. There are many reasons to be proud of what we write, broadcast, uncover and express. Not everywhere can you find such a lively press, especially such a free press. But this freedom of ours is in great danger, friends, a freedom we don’t take proper advantage of. A dangerous fire is burning around us, and even if it hasn’t reached us, it’s on the way, yet we are complacent. The monster is coming, and there is no one to stop it. » Read more

MI chief: Tel Aviv may be target in next war against Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - November 21, 2010 - 1:00am Israel should not be misled by a recent lull in regional violence, outgoing Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin said Sunday, adding that Jerusalem's enemies were continually building up their military power. Giving farewell remarks during his final cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Yadlin said that "Israel's deterrence is very strong but the lull shouldn't mislead anyone, the opposite is true. Our enemies are strengthening and arming." » Read more

Netanyahu: No settlement freeze vote without U.S. offer in writing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - November 21, 2010 - 1:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told lawmakers on Sunday that he had not yet received a written draft from the United States over a proposed package of incentives in exchange for a freeze on West Bank construction. "We still have not received from the Americans a written summary of the principle understandings," Netanyahu told eight MKs from his Likud party, adding that he would not bring the offer for cabinet vote until he saw the proposal in its entirety. » Read more

PNA slams Israel for "soft" verdict on soldiers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua November 21, 2010 - 1:00am The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Sunday slammed Israel for handing down "soft" sentences against two soldiers accused of using a child as a human shield during the Gaza war. "Israel deliberately go easy with its soldiers who commit international law's violations against the Palestinian civilians," said Ghassan Al-Khatib, spokesman for the PNA. The two soldiers forced a nine-year-old boy to open a bag believed to have contained bombs. The incident happened during Israel's ground operation in January 2009 which followed a week of intensive airstrikes on Gaza. » Read more

Israel approves millions of dollars for Western Wall facelift ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua November 22, 2010 - 1:00am JERUSALEM, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Sunday approved a plan to develop Jerusalem's Western Wall plaza which will cost 85 million shekels (about 23 million U.S. dollars), citing preservation of archaeological sites and the need to upgrade aging infrastructure as its main goals. The plan, slated to stretch from 2011 to 2015, is a "direct continuation of a plan that was approved in 2004," the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement following the cabinet' s weekly meeting on Sunday. » Read more

Interview: Possibility of inter-Palestinian reconciliation within coming months slim: official ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Saud Abu Ramadan, Emad Drimly - (Interview) November 22, 2010 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Wassel Abu Yousef, secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) and member of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview that he rules out the possibility of a reconciliation to be reached within the coming months amid the current situation. » Read more

Interview: Possibility of inter-Palestinian reconciliation within coming months slim: official ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Saud Abu Ramadan, Emad Drimly - (Interview) November 22, 2010 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Wassel Abu Yousef, secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) and member of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview that he rules out the possibility of a reconciliation to be reached within the coming months amid the current situation. » Read more

Israeli bill seen sinking future peace deals ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Ben Hubbard - November 21, 2010 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — Israel's hawkish parliament is voting on legislation that could sink future peace deals with the Palestinians and Syria. Lawmakers are expected to approve Monday a bill that would make it harder for the government to cede east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights in any future accords. The legislation would require a two-thirds majority in Israel's 120-seat parliament for territorial concessions to win approval. Without that super majority, the government would need to win approval in a national referendum. » Read more

Palestinian price index continues to rise ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 15, 2010 - 1:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Consumer Price Index for October rose by 0.52 percent over the month, a report issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said. Occupied East Jerusalem saw the strongest growth, experiencing a 0.83 percent rise in CPI, while in the West Bank the CPI rose by 0.36 percent. In the Gaza Strip however the CPI fell by 0.14 percent. The CPI across the occupied Palestinian territories stood at 131.36 in October, which was at 100 at its base year in 2004. » Read more

Settlers begin expanding settlement near Nablus ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 21, 2010 - 1:00am NABLUS (Ma’an) -- Israeli settlers on Sunday started expanding the Rechalim settlement, illegally built on lands confiscated from farmers of the northern villages of Yatma and As-Sawiya south of Nablus, officials said. Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma’an that bulldozers began digging this morning. He explained that settlers from Rechalim occupied hundreds of acres. » Read more