March 4th

Housing Min. slams 'baseless' report of 73,000 new settlement homes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz March 4, 2009 - 1:00am Housing Minister Ze'ev Boim on Wednesday called a report released earlier this week over a government plan to build more than 73,300 new housing units in the West Bank "delusional and baseless." "There are a total of 11,530 housing units in Judea and Samaria that were approved by Housing and Construction institutions," Boim told Knesset. "The report about 73,000 housing units is delusional and baseless." » Read more

Clinton: Israel's demolition of East Jerusalem homes harms peace efforts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - March 4, 2009 - 1:00am U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday blasted Israel's plans to demolisg Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem as a violation of its international obligations and "unhelpful" to Middle East peace efforts. "Clearly this kind of activity is unhelpful and not in keeping with the obligations entered into under the 'road map'," Clinton said, referring to the long-stalled peace plan. » Read more

The monumental folly at Sharm el-Sheikh ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) March 4, 2009 - 1:00am The international pledges at Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday of some $4.5 billion in aid to the Palestinians to rebuild the Gaza Strip and promote the development of the West Bank seem like a monumental folly in view of the surrounding political context of this gesture. The financial generosity of the donors was largely offset by their political cowardice on two fronts: in challenging Israel to live according to the norms of law in its treatment of the Palestinians under its occupation; and in coming to grips with Palestinian political realities, especially the legitimacy and role of Hamas. » Read more

Clinton meets Palestinian leaders ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Jazeera English March 4, 2009 - 1:00am Leaders of the Palestinian Authority have urged Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, to push Israel to freeze settlement construction in the West Bank and open the borders of the Gaza Strip. Clinton met Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, and Salam Fayyad, the prime minister, on Wednesday in Ramallah, the administrative headquarters of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA). At the start of the talks Clinton reaffirmed Washington's commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. » Read more

Build on Bush's Middle East progress ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Robert Zelnick - March 4, 2009 - 1:00am George W. Bush made his greatest Middle East mistake before becoming president. Had he embraced rather than disowned Bill Clinton's desperate efforts to secure an agreement, Israeli and Palestinian leaders might have gone the extra mile to accommodate the new administration. The tragedy of the second intifada might have been averted. The seizure of Gaza by Hamas might never have occurred. » Read more

What Bibi faces in liberated Washington ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gershom Gorenberg - March 4, 2009 - 1:00am Washington at the beginning of the Obama era has the feel of a city that has just been liberated from foreign occupation, or of a person who just snapped out of an inexplicable psychotic episode. The paranoia of the Bush days has passed. The world is no longer divided into children of light and children of darkness. » Read more

Boundaries For Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post August 15, 2008 - 12:00am Early this week Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly handed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Israel's detailed proposal for a "shelf agreement." Olmert offered an Israeli pullback from 93 percent of Judea and Samaria, "compensating" the Palestinians with territory from the Negev. A 40-km. link would provide unfettered passage between Gaza and the West Bank. The Palestinian state would be demilitarized and "right of return" for refugees would be exercised almost entirely within "Palestine." The Jerusalem issue would be put off by mutual consent. » Read more

2 Police Officers Hurt In Naalin Riots ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Erfat Weiss - August 15, 2008 - 12:00am More violence in Naalin: Two Border Guard police officers and an Israeli photographer were hurt Friday during riots at the West Bank village of Naalin, near Ramallah. Officials said the policemen were hurt after being stoned by demonstrators protesting the construction of the West Bank security fence. Meanwhile, the protestors said seven of them sustained light injuries in clashes with forces at the site. » Read more

Jordan Restores Relations With Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - August 15, 2008 - 12:00am The Hamas movement on Friday released a statement welcoming the restoration of its ties with Jordan, following a series of meetings held over the past weeks between a Hamas delegation and representatives of the Jordanian government. The Hamas delegation, headed by member of the group's political bureau Mohammed Nazzal, met Thursday with Jordanian Intelligence Director Mohammed Zahabi in order to discuss the relations between the parties and the restrictions on the movement's activity in Jordan. » Read more

Idf Investigating Whether Troops Injured Youth ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Erfat Weiss - August 15, 2008 - 12:00am The Military Prosecution is looking into an incident that occurred nearly a fortnight ago, in which IDF troops allegedly severely wounded a 13-year-old Palestinian youth. The B'Tselem human rights group says that on Friday, August 1st, soldiers fired a tear gas canister to disperse a crowd of Palestinians who were throwing rocks. The incident took place in the Jilazun refugee camp, located north of Ramallah. The organization says the army also fired rubber-coated steel bullets towards the youths, in addition to the tear gas. » Read more