January 19th

Settlers to teach school kids about 'evils' of moratorium ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Akiva Novick - November 25, 2010 - 1:00am A new Yesha Council initiative will bring the movement opposing the West Bank construction moratorium into the classroom: Elementary and high schools in Judea and Samaria will hold a special lesson next week on the "damage and consequences of the construction freeze." Tens of thousands of students attending 60 Judea and Samaria schools are set to take part in the project. Schools in the Ariel and Ma'aleh Adumim settlements and in haredi towns will not participate. Homeroom teachers in charge of the lesson will independently convey to the students their own opinions on the moratorium. » Read more

Zionism is not an ideology ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by A.B. Yehoshua - November 26, 2010 - 1:00am Recently there has been exaggerated, misleading and perhaps even harmful use of the concept of "Zionism." The problem is prevalent both in Israel and outside the country; in the nationalist camp, the religious camp and the Labor movement; among liberals and ultra-nationalists; among Diaspora Jews as well as non-Jews; and mainly among Arabs. » Read more

A Dangerous Link ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Forward (Editorial) November 24, 2010 - 1:00am The Obama administration’s offer of a package of advanced weaponry and military assistance worth billions of dollars in return for an Israeli commitment to freeze settlement construction for just three months marks a troubling development in the relationship between the two allies. There’s a reason that this deal has drawn criticism from an unusual chorus on both the left and the right among Americans who care about Israel’s security. It’s not beneficial to either nation. » Read more

Left standing: Signs of life in Israel's peace camp ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Shay Fogelman - November 26, 2010 - 1:00am The road to the settlement of Kedumim passes through the center of the village of Al-Funduq. There's hardly any traffic there; the few cars that have to pass through the village drive very fast. It's only 8 P.M., but there's not a soul to be seen. The road that cuts through the village provides a livelihood for those who own or work in shops along it, but once darkness falls, it becomes dangerous for locals, too. A person could get run over, or stopped for inspection by a military patrol, and in the past there have also been violent raids by settlers there. It's best to stay home. » Read more

Awaiting the final step ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by George S. Hishmeh - November 26, 2010 - 1:00am The longer the standstill in the peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority the further both are from a fair settlement and the more complex the terms will be in the future, especially now that Israel manages to up the ante almost daily. In the meantime, a war of words has emerged, among former US officials, some known to be sympathetic to Israel, and well-known commentators who regularly echo the Zionist position. » Read more

Israel allows Gaza flowers, strawberries export ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua November 25, 2010 - 1:00am Palestinian farmers in the Gaza Strip could ship flowers and strawberries to Europe though Israel starting from Sunday, Palestinian officials said Thursday. Gazans would be allowed to export their produce, by far only flowers and strawberries, through a commercial crossing between the Hamas-controlled territory and Israel, said Mahmoud Khalil, a representative of the farmers. It is the second year that Israel allows Gaza flowers and strawberries to be sold overseas since it imposed a nearly total blockade on Gaza in June 2007. » Read more

Israeli defense minister mulls unity government ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua November 25, 2010 - 1:00am Israel's Labor Party chairman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday suggested that the current Israeli government should be widened so as to move forward the peace process. "If this government can't move towards peace talks, we must consider widening it and making a national unity coalition," Barak said in a speech before the Pensioners' Union in Tel Aviv. "We joined the government so it would go in this direction, but we still haven't reached the goal," he added. » Read more

U.S. efforts to restart Mideast peace process stumbling ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Adam Gonn - November 26, 2010 - 1:00am Two months after the direct Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations broke down, effort by the U. S. to restart them seems stumbling. When Israel's 10-month freeze on Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank ended in September, so did the U.S.-sponsored peace talks between the two parties. The Palestinians insist that the negotiations can only be continued after settlement construction halts. » Read more

Gaza boy used as human shield: I'll always remember ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Jared Malsin - November 23, 2010 - 1:00am Majid Rabah, 11, says he will always remember the "black day" that Israeli soldiers ordered him to open bags they thought were rigged with explosives. "Every moment I remember what happened," he said in his home in Gaza City's Tel Al-Hawwa neighborhood Tuesday. An Israeli military court gave a suspended sentence and a demotion Sunday to the two soldiers who used Majid as a human shield, in a ruling he and his family said did not do justice to the trauma. » Read more

Islamist group angered over PA 'discrimination' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 26, 2010 - 1:00am Officials from the Islamist movement Hizb Ut-Tahrir (Liberation Party) in the West Bank accused the Palestinian Authority of carrying out politically-motivated arrests targeting members, a statement said Friday. PA assertions that security forces do not target Islamist parties are untrue, the statement said, adding that claims of non-bias by the Fatah-run government "are falsified by the realities on the ground." » Read more