January 19th

Arabs submit settlement resolution to Security Council ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News January 18, 2011 - 1:00am Arab nations have formally submitted a resolution to the UN Security Council condemning Jewish settlement building in the occupied West Bank. They did so despite objections from the US, which many expect would veto the resolution if it was brought to a vote. The Palestinians say they are turning to the Security Council because US attempts to get a settlement building freeze have so far failed. They pulled out of direct talks with Israel over the issue in October. » Read more

Palestinians raise flag at Washington diplomatic mission ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press January 18, 2011 - 1:00am The Palestine Liberation Organization for the first time hoisted its flag above its Washington mission Tuesday, saying the symbolic step shows progress in the US-Palestinian relationship. “It’s about time that this flag that symbolizes the struggle of the Palestinian people for self-determination and statehood be raised in the United States,” said PLO chief of mission Maen Areikat. “I think it indicates the willingness of the American administration to deal with the realities on the ground.” » Read more

Palestinian bid to take Israeli settlement row to UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Barbara Plett - January 18, 2011 - 1:00am Arab nations have formally submitted a resolution to the UN Security Council that condemns Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which the United States will almost certainly veto if it is brought to a vote. The initiative starkly illustrates not only the failure of America's Mid-East policy, but the Palestinian dilemma over which strategy to pursue in the quest for statehood. » Read more

Netanyahu to attend AIPAC conference in DC this May ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Hilary Leila Krieger - January 18, 2011 - 1:00am Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will attend this year’s American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in May, his office confirmed on Tuesday. Netanyahu conveyed his acceptance of the annual invitation to the Israeli premier during a meeting he had with the organization in Israel on Monday, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. He will be making his second straight in-person appearance at the AIPAC policy conference, set to take place in Washington from May 22 through 24. » Read more

Abbas urges Quartet to put pressure on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - January 18, 2011 - 1:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday urged the Quartet members, who are scheduled to meet in Munich next month, to issue decisions that would oblige Israel to return to the negotiating table with the Palestinians. Abbas, who was speaking during a joint press conference in Jericho with visiting Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, said there were only two options: Negotiations or violence and terrorism. » Read more

A requiem for Israel’s Labor Party ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Daniel Levy - (Opinion) January 17, 2011 - 1:00am The parliamentary faction representing the party that founded and built the state of Israel and that dominated its governments for decades was today reduced to mere single digits -- Israel's Labor Party now has eight members in the Knesset. This latest dilution resulted from a move that took everyone by surprise, enacted by its now-erstwhile leader, still the country's defense minister, Ehud Barak. » Read more

Foreign Ministry talks break down; sanctions to intensify ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - January 19, 2011 - 1:00am Talks between the Finance Ministry representatives and Foreign Ministry workers broke down in a late night session Tuesday. The Foreign Ministry workers were expected to announce an intensification of sanctions as part of the labor dispute, Channel 10 reported. The meeting convened Tuesday night focused on trying to put an end to the workers sanctions that claimed another victim – cancellation of a large UN meeting planned for Israel in March. Representatives of the ministry’s workers were meeting for the third time in as many days with Ilan Levin, the Treasury’s wages director. » Read more

Hamas launches Gaza rebuilding program ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews January 18, 2011 - 1:00am Hamas launched a program on Tuesday to rebuild 1,000 homes in the Gaza Strip destroyed during an Israeli offensive two years ago, a project that could boost the Islamist group's standing in the enclave it controls. Hamas, shunned by the West for refusing to renounce violence, declined to disclose the project's cost or the source of its funding. International donations towards reconstruction in Gaza have been held up by Hamas' split with the Palestinian Authority controlling the West Bank. » Read more

Palestinian U.S. mission raises flag in Washington for first time ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Natasha Mozgovaya - January 18, 2011 - 1:00am In a symbolic gesture, the Palestinians raised their flag over their diplomatic mission in Washington for the first time on Tuesday, as they continue in their quest for recognition by the international community. At a brief ceremony, the Palestinians' chief envoy to the United States, Maen Rashid Areikat, hoisted the red, green, white and black banner outside the PLO General Delegation office. "This is a historic day," Areikat said, adding that it brought him "much pride" to raise his flag. "I will remember this moment for the rest of my life." » Read more

Hariri Tribunal will be Hezbollah's Goldstone Report ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ibishblog by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) January 18, 2011 - 1:00am Despite the understandable anxiety about the collapse of the Lebanese government—and the reaction of Hezbollah to the increasing likelihood that some of its operatives may be indicted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri—the most probable scenario is that, for now, things in Lebanon will stay much as they have been. » Read more