Israeli settlers scuffle with govt inspectors ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) December 1, 2009 - 1:00am Residents of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday scuffled with government inspectors who had come to enforce a moratorium on construction, a military official said. "There were several scuffles between residents of various Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and site inspectors," a senior military official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "But the authorities will continue to work to apply the decision." » Read more

We have the building blocks for Mideast peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The San Francisco Chronicle by Akiva Tor - (Opinion) December 2, 2009 - 1:00am Israel and the Palestinian Authority need to renew negotiations immediately to achieve permanent peace between our peoples. Considering the fundamental points of agreement between us, it is frustrating that for the better part of a year we have not managed to sit down and move forward toward peace: -- We both believe that Israel and a Palestinian state should live alongside each other in peace, security and economic well-being. -- We both understand that the best future for our children requires that we make painful concessions to accommodate each other's essential national aims. » Read more

Israel rejects European Union plan to divide Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ilene Prusher - December 1, 2009 - 1:00am Israel's foreign ministry said Tuesday that a Swedish-led push for the European Union to call for the division of Jerusalem and the recognition of East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state would trip up Europe's own efforts to play a role in Middle East peacemaking. » Read more

Public building in W. Bank down 60% ATFP World Press Roundup Article from CBS News December 2, 2009 - 1:00am Public building starts in the West Bank have dropped some 60 percent since Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu took office, according to Central Bureau of Statistics figures quoted in an Israel Radio report Wednesday. The data showed that between the months of April and September 2009, only 132 housing units were approved, compared to 330 in the same period last year, during former prime minister Ehud Olmert's term in office. Between April and September 2007, the figure was 370. » Read more

Bethlehem traders still waiting for Christmas cheer ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Erika Soloman - December 1, 2009 - 1:00am The lights are going up and carols are ringing from Manger Square, but Christmas cheer hasn't spread to all of Bethlehem's residents. While calm has returned to the Biblical birthplace of Jesus, scene of heavy fighting during the Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, in the early years of this decade, big-spending foreign tourists have mostly not, say the shopkeepers and restaurant owners who depend on them for their livelihood. » Read more

Report: Barghouti to be freed only if deported ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roee Nahmias - December 2, 2009 - 1:00am Will Israel free Marwan Barghouti but keep him away from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ? London-based Arabic-language al-Hayat newspaper on Wednesday quoted sources involved in the negotiations for a prisoner exchange deal as saying that Israel was willing to discuss the release – and deportation – of the former Tanzim secretary-general in the West Bank. According to the sources, the talks on Barghouti are still going on, but if Israel insists on deporting him from the West Bank, it will be entirely up to him. » Read more

Israel decries proposed E.U. stance on East Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Howard Schneider - December 2, 2009 - 1:00am Israel on Tuesday criticized a proposed statement by the European Union recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state -- part of the country's growing resistance to efforts to pressure it into reaching a peace deal with the Palestinians in the absence of direct, U.S.-sponsored talks. The draft statement, which the Israeli daily Haaretz published Tuesday, is to be considered by E.U. foreign ministers next week. Its first point calls for establishment of a Palestinian state "with East Jerusalem as its capital." » Read more

Jewish Nationalists Clash With Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - December 1, 2009 - 1:00am Jewish nationalists and Palestinians clashed in an East Jerusalem neighborhood on Tuesday after the Israelis took over a house by court order in a predominantly Arab area. The confrontation further strained tensions in this contested city, where competing Israeli and Palestinian claims have become a sticking point in the Obama administration’s efforts to restart peace talks. » Read more