September 4th, 2009

Israel 'to back settlement work'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
September 4, 2009 - 12:00am

The prime minister is expected to back work on hundreds of new homes next week in addition to 2,500 units already being built, a senior aide said. He will then consider a temporary halt to settlement building, as requested by the US in a bid to restart peace talks. The news angered the Palestinians who said it was "absolutely unacceptable". "The only thing suspended by this announcement will be the peace process," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told the AFP news agency. 'Moratorium'

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Israel to Approve Flurry of West Bank Building
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - September 4, 2009 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will approve the construction of hundreds of new housing units in Israeli settlements in the West Bank in the coming days as a prelude to a building freeze of six to nine months aimed at restarting peace talks with the Palestinians, senior Israeli officials said on Friday. The plan is an attempt to ease pressure on Mr. Netanyahu from within his own Likud Party, which wants settlements to continue unimpeded, and from Washington, the Palestinian Authority and the rest of the Arab world, which want a total halt to such construction.

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If you build it, the state will come
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) September 4, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad's blueprint for what he has called "de facto Palestinian statehood" offers a new and important element to the quest for peace in the Middle East.

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If you build it, the state will come
In Print by Ziad Asali - The Guardian (Opinion) - September 4, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad's blueprint for what he has called "de facto Palestinian statehood" offers a new and important element to the quest for peace in the Middle East.

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September 3rd

US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell reportedly holds constructive talks with Israeli diplomats while US officials say US-Israel relations depend on a settlement agreement, and there is a growing confidence about the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The PA has established a committee to look into allegations of "organ harvesting" by Israeli troops. Reports suggest a steep drop in Israeli settlement construction, but Ha'aretz reports that the Israeli government is considered recognizing the legality of some unauthorized settlement activity. Israel is attempting to rebuild its diplomatic ties to a number of African states. Former Prime Minister Olmert stands accused of swindling Jewish Americans. On the Israel Policy Forum blog, Hussein Ibish explains why he wrote ATFP's new book on the one-state agenda.

Blair: Israel thinks its time for talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Roni Sofer - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

Mideast Quartet envoy Tony Blair expressed optimism on a settlement freeze agreement in the near future, that will pave the way for renewed regional peace talks. Followings talks with Israeli officials in recent days, Blair told the British Independent: "I hope and believe... we can get a political negotiation launched on satisfactory terms."

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US officials: Netanyahu at pivotal moment
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yitzhak Benhorin - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's envoys to US talks on the freezing of construction in settlements, Attorney Yitzhak Molcho and Brig. Gen. Mike Herzog, met US special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, on Wednesday. The US State Department reported that it was a "good meeting," and that Mitchell will visit the region in the second half of next week.

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Beware Palestinian plot
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Gadi Taub - (Opinion) September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

The “two-state vision” is no longer only endorsed by the Left or Center, but rather, it is backed by the Zionist consensus – ranging from Meretz to Likud.

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Israel rekindles its African ties
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by Will Ross - September 2, 2009 - 12:00am

Avigdor Liberman begins his trip in Ethiopia, where he will be accompanied by 20 business people. Officials say the trip is about building business links with Africa and also countering the influence of Iran on the continent. Israel hopes closer ties with Africa will help at the UN where African countries often vote in blocks. Ethiopia has strong links with Israel. During the 1980s and 90s tens of thousands of Ethiopian Jews were airlifted to Israel to resettle in what they considered to be their homeland.

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Israeli moves give Blair hope of rebuilding political trust
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Donald MacIntyre - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

Tony Blair expressed optimism yesterday that Israel and the US would agree on a settlement moratorium sufficient to pave the way for the first political negotiations between Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the moderate Palestinian leadership. The international community's Middle East envoy was speaking after three days of talks with Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Netanyahu.

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