October 13th

Palestinians launch $220 million housing project ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Mohammed Assadi - October 12, 2009 - 12:00am The Palestine Investment Fund (PIF) on Monday announced the establishment of the Palestinian territories' most ambitious real estate project to date, with initial capital of $220 million. The goal is to create 30,000 new housing units in the next five to 10 years, PIF Chairman Mohammad Mustafa said. "We want to see projects on the hilltops other than (Jewish) settlements," Mustafa told reporters. "The aim is to participate in building Palestine in the coming period, to create jobs and economic opportunities." » Read more

October 9th

What is at stake in Palestine: a third intifada and the parade of horribles ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ibishblog by Hussein Ibish - (Blog) October 8, 2009 - 12:00am As the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially East Jerusalem, is balanced on a knife edge and could erupt at any moment into a new explosion of violence or even a third intifada, it is crucial to review what is at stake for all parties should such a catastrophic turn of events occur. Far too many actors and commentators are casually viewing the present extremely dangerous situation, and even welcoming the prospect of a third intifada or the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority, or are calling for less dramatic but also extraordinarily dangerous scenarios. » Read more

Goldstone fall-out plagues Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Heather Sharp - October 9, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinians sometimes joke about the fact that, when written in Arabic, "Palestinian National Authority" looks the same as "Palestinian National Salad". And to many here, the PA's handling of Richard Goldstone's UN report on the conflict in Gaza has been mixed up and limp. What began as the publication of a damning report on Israel's military conduct - although it also condemned Hamas - has turned into an embarrassing debacle for Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president and Fatah leader. » Read more

Peace an illusion, says Israel FM ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News October 8, 2009 - 12:00am Israel's foreign minister has said there is no chance of an early solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and told people to "learn to live with it." Avigdor Lieberman does not lead Israeli peace negotiations, but his statement casts a pall over latest US diplomatic efforts to revive negotiations. Envoy George Mitchell is in the region, spearheading Obama administration efforts to relaunch negotiations. Talks are stalled over the issue of Jewish settlements on occupied land. » Read more

Arab from the North? You can't enter Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post October 9, 2009 - 12:00am The heavy security around Jerusalem in the wake of the recent Arab riots appeared to get a little bit out of hand on Thursday when Al-Jazeera's bureau chief in Israel, Walid al-Omari, and two of his crew members were initially denied entrance to Jerusalem, because "Arabs from the North aren't allowed into the capital." » Read more

Jerusalem set for al-Aqsa protest ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News October 9, 2009 - 12:00am Thousands of Israeli police have been deployed in Jerusalem as Palestinian groups call for protests over tensions at the al-Aqsa mosque. The Islamist group Hamas called for a "day of rage", local media said, while its rival Fatah urged peaceful protests over access to the key holy site. Sporadic clashes in recent weeks are apparently due to Palestinian fears of extremist Jews gaining entry. The tensions come as US envoy George Mitchell visits the region for talks. » Read more

Fears of third intifada as tension grows in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Telegraph by Adrian Blomfield - October 8, 2009 - 12:00am After two weeks of mounting tension and sporadic clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters, a showdown is expected when Friday prayers are called at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's old city. Thousands of Israeli soldiers and policemen are being deployed around the site after the Palestinian Authority called a one-day general strike and a leading Islamic cleric in Egypt urged the Arab world to rise up in "a day of anger". » Read more

Palestinian FM urges UN to ease Jerusalem tension ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) October 9, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki called on UN chief Ban Ki-moon Thursday to intervene to prevent further escalation in Jerusalem. He said he asked for Ban's "immediate intervention to prevent Israel from escalating the situation in Jerusalem." Also Thursday, the High Court of Justice rejected a petition filed by the Temple Mount Human Rights group, headed by Yehuda Glick, who demanded that Jews receive access to the holy site on Friday and Saturday. IThe judge said police were responsible for making the decision and that the court could not become involved. » Read more

The implications of Fayad's two-year path to Palestinian statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Dan Diker, Pinhas Inbari - (Analysis) October 9, 2009 - 12:00am In August, Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayad announced a unilateral plan to establish a de facto Palestinian state in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem following a two-year state-building process. Fayad's plan is the first serious Palestinian outline of a state-building effort since the PLO was founded in 1964 and replaces the traditional PLO position of armed struggle to "liberate Palestine." » Read more

Lose-lose situation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - (Opinion) October 9, 2009 - 12:00am Two weeks of continuous incitement by the Islamic Movement's northern branch, members of the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian clerics has generated a particularly volatile mixture. The escalation in Jerusalem surrounding the Temple Mount and its Al-Aqsa Mosque has led the world's most important Sunni cleric, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, to declare today "Al-Aqsa Day." In addition, there are no diplomatic negotiations under way with Israel. » Read more