October 6th

Peace must be made on Temple Mount ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian (Opinion) October 6, 2009 - 12:00am With home demolitions and evictions occurring on a near daily basis, the theft of villagers' land going on round the clock, and the illegal and immoral siege of Gaza still in force years after it began, few would begrudge Palestinians airing their grievances against their oppressors. However, given that there are so many opportunities for legitimate protest against Israeli government policy, it is to certain Palestinians' discredit that they refuse to choose their battles more judiciously. » Read more

Palestinians warn Israel on Jerusalem tensions ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Douglas Hamilton - October 6, 2009 - 12:00am A senior Palestinian official on Tuesday accused Israel of deliberately creating "an extremely dangerous situation" in East Jerusalem, to trigger violence, justify a crackdown and tighten its grip on the disputed city. "Israel is lighting matches in the hope of sparking a fire, deliberately escalating tensions in occupied East Jerusalem rather than taking steps to placate the situation," chief peace negotiator Saeb Erekat said in a statement before meetings later this week with U.S. President Barack Obama's envoy. » Read more

Clashes raise Jerusalem tensions ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News October 6, 2009 - 12:00am Tensions over the complex containing al-Aqsa mosque and the Western wall have boiled over into rioting several times in the past two weeks. Police and rock-throwing Palestinians clashed on Sunday and Monday at the religious site and in East Jerusalem. Palestinian officials accused Israel of trying to "Judaize" Jerusalem. The religious site, known as Temple Mount to Jews and Haram al-Sharif to Palestinians is hotly contested and was the flashpoint that led to the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which broke out in 2000. » Read more

October 5th

Palestinians should trust Obama ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Ziad Asali - October 4, 2009 - 12:00am THINGS have changed over the past decade between Palestinians and the United States, and much for the better. Yasser Arafat was enticed to attend the Camp David meeting in 2000 with the promise that he would not be blamed if it failed. It did, and he was. Last week Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was invited to attend the New York meeting without any such promise. He was not blamed, and the meeting was not a failure. The meeting dealt with both an immediate crisis and a long-term strategic goal. » Read more

Why Obama's critics are wrong ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Adel Safty - (Opinion) October 5, 2009 - 12:00am In parallel with the United Nations General Assembly meetings held in New York last month, US President Barak Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas. » Read more

UN to teach children about Holocaust in Gaza schools ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - October 5, 2009 - 12:00am The United Nations' refugee agency is planning to include the Holocaust in a new human-rights curriculum for pupils in its Gaza secondary schools despite strident opposition to the idea from within Hamas. John Ging, the UN Relief and Works Agency's (UNRWA) director of operations in Gaza, told The Independent that he was "confident and determined" that the Holocaust would feature for the first time in a wide-ranging curriculum that is being drafted. » Read more

Fresh clashes at Jerusalem shrine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News October 5, 2009 - 12:00am The protesters threw stones and bottles at the police, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades. Several Palestinians are reported to have been detained, including a former minister, Hatem Abdulqader. The Israeli police said they had closed the compound because Palestinians had planned a mass gathering there. Palestinians say they are trying to protect the site, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount, from Jewish hardliners, who they fear intend to desecrate it. » Read more

Diplomacy: Regional forecast: A thaw between Israel and the Gulf ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yoel Guzansky - (Opinion) October 5, 2009 - 12:00am As part of its attempt to jumpstart Israeli-Palestinian discussions, the US administration has in recent months put forth a significant effort to persuade different Arab nations, headed by the Gulf states, to make certain gestures toward Israel. While in geopolitical terms the Arab-Israeli arena and the Persian Gulf arena are separate, the Persian Gulf states are nonetheless directly or indirectly involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict and are influenced by Israeli-Palestinian relations. » Read more

Analysis: US backs Israel, but leaves door open for external Cast Lead probe ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Dan Izenberg - (Analysis) October 5, 2009 - 12:00am The address last week by US Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner to the UN Human Rights Council on the Goldstone Report must have been music to Israel's ears. Posner said almost exactly what Israel has been trying to say, without much success, ever since the report was published last month. Here are some of those statements: • We believe that the document is deeply flawed and disagree sharply with its methodology and many of its recommendations, including their extraordinarily broad scope. » Read more

Arab reporter wounded during Jerusalem riots slams police conduct ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Sharon Roffe-ofir - October 5, 2009 - 12:00am A reporter for the Arab-Israeli news website PLS48.net was injured during the riots that broke out Sunday morning at the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem's Old City. He claims a police officer struck him with a baton and disappeared. Police reject the claims. Reporter Abdallah Zidan arrived at the Temple Mount at dawn to cover the prayers for his website, which is sponsored by the Islamic Movement's northern branch. » Read more