December 4th

Mr. Netanyahu’s Strategic Mistake ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times (Editorial) December 3, 2012 - 1:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel seems determined to escalate a crisis by retaliating against the Palestinians after the United Nations General Assembly voted to elevate Palestine to observer state status. Instead of looking for ways to halt a downward spiral, Mr. Netanyahu on Monday defiantly dug in on his plans to build 3,000 more housing units in contested areas east of Jerusalem and in the West Bank, and to continue planning a development in the most contentious area known as E1. » Read more

The E1 emergency ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) December 4, 2012 - 1:00am You can't say Israel and United States didn't warn each other, or that they didn't see this coming. The Americans anticipated a potential Israeli overreaction to the Palestinian United Nations status upgrade to "nonmember observer state." And there was one measure they particularly wanted to prevent: new Israeli settlement construction in the hypersensitive E1 corridor near Jerusalem.  » Read more

ATFP Asks US to Ensure No Israeli Building in E1 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from ATFP December 4, 2012 - 1:00am Dec. 3, Washington, DC -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) today urged the Obama administration to use all its good offices with Israel to ensure that settlement expansion reportedly being considered in the highly sensitive “E1 corridor" not take place. » Read more

UN chief accuses Syria of violating Golan accord with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press December 4, 2012 - 1:00am United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is accusing the Syrian government of serious violations of the 1974 agreement that separated Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights and is calling on both countries to halt firing across the cease-fire line. Ban urged Syria to stop deploying troops and military equipment in the disputed zone. » Read more

Hamas' Al-Zahar urges Fatah members to join armed resistance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 4, 2012 - 1:00am GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar on Monday urged Fatah members to join the armed resistance. "Come to the program of resistance and stop wasting time and efforts, let’s put our hands together and carry the gun," al-Zahar said at a ceremony to honor the victims of Israel's war on Gaza. » Read more

UN calls on Israel to open nuclear facilities ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Edith M. Lederer - December 4, 2012 - 1:00am UNITED NATIONS —The U.N. General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling on Israel to quickly open its nuclear program for inspection and backing a high-level conference to ban nuclear weapons from the Middle East which was just canceled. » Read more

Israel arrests settlers suspected of W.Bank attacks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Allyn Fisher-Ilan, Dan Williams - December 3, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Israeli police arrested three Jewish settlers on Monday whom they suspect of arson and other attacks on Palestinian property in the occupied West Bank. At a time of heightened diplomatic tension over claims to the land, the men were found carrying fuel and spikes shortly after a car was torched in a Palestinian village near Hebron. A police spokesman said they had appeared to be about to conduct a second attack in another village nearby when they were detained. » Read more

Palestinians ready to resume peace talks after UN bid: chief negotiator ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua December 3, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said in a special interview with Xinhua on Monday that the Palestinians are ready to resume the peace talks with Israel based on new references after the United Nations granted the Palestinians the status of a non-member observer state. » Read more

Israel to advance east Jerusalem building plans ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Amy Teibel - December 4, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM —Israel is moving forward with plans for two major settlement projects in east Jerusalem, a spokeswoman said Tuesday, even as a senior Palestinian official warned that his government could pursue war crimes charges if Israel doesn't halt such construction. International anger over Israeli settlement construction has snowballed in recent days, following last week's U.N. recognition of a state of Palestine — in lands Israel occupied in 1967 — as a non-member observer in the General Assembly. » Read more

U.S. intensifies criticism of Israel on settlement plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Andrew Quinn, Matt Spetalnick - December 3, 2012 - 1:00am WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday ratcheted up criticism of Israel over plans to expand Jewish settlement building on occupied land, urging it to reconsider despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to back down. The Obama administration's tougher-than-usual words for close ally Israel came after five European governments summoned Israeli ambassadors in their capitals to express concern over the new settlement projects. But Washington stopped short of threatening any concrete measures against the Jewish state. » Read more