September 3rd

Israel building in West Bank settlements has dropped, new study finds ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press September 3, 2009 - 12:00am New figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics show that Israel's construction of new homes in West Bank settlements fell by one-third in the first half of 2009, compared to the same period in 2008. The numbers bolster settlers' claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has partially frozen settlement construction under U.S. pressure. The Central Bureau of Statistics said Thursday that housing starts dropped 34 percent to 672 housing units compared to 1,015 for the same period in 2008. » Read more

Israeli soldiers raid West Bank towns, seizing five Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 3, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli forces raided several Palestinians communities and seized five people in the West Bank on Wednesday night, Palestinian and Israeli sources said. In the Jenin area in the northern West Bank, Israeli forces detained three young men. According to Palestinian security sources, Israeli forces raided several houses in the eastern neighborhood of Jenin and seized Aybak Allam Abu Ali, 20. In neighboring Birqin village, Israeli soldiers detained Muhammad Basem Khalouf, 19, during a raid on his house, the security sources said. » Read more

High level PA panel to investigate "organ theft" claims ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 3, 2009 - 12:00am The Palestinian Authority (PA) is forming a high-level panel to investigate allegations that the Israeli military “stole organs” from Palestinian detainees, officials said on Thursday. The secretary general of the PA Council of Ministers, Dr Hassan Abu Libdeh, said that the committee has already started work by collecting all available information about the issue. He said the PA will take a sharp position on this issue, because, if true, the alleged events would constitute violations of human rights. » Read more

In Israel's Sderot, a reprieve from rockets, but not fear ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am During nearly a decade of intermittent attacks from Gaza, Mivtzah Kadesh Street became infamous in this battered town as a frequent target for rockets as well as a bombed-out backdrop for visits from foreign VIPs expressing solidarity. Now, eight months after Israel's Gaza offensive to punish Hamas for attacks, Sderot's wrecked homes have been largely rebuilt. But after eight years of being on constant alert for unpredictable rocket attacks, it has not been as easy for Sderot's 19,000 residents to restore their peace of mind. » Read more

Israelis and Palestinians talking again after months-long freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Richard Boudreaux - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am Reporting from Jerusalem - In a limited thaw of a frosty relationship, Israeli and Palestinian officials held their first high-level meeting in months Wednesday and discussed ways to bolster a promising economic recovery in the West Bank. The encounter was part of a shift by the West Bank-based Palestinian leadership, which previously shunned contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. That position was out of step with the Obama administration, which is seeking to bring the sides together. » Read more

Low Expectations May Be Helpful for Mideast Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am For a process that evokes little optimism on either side, there is an awful lot of diplomatic activity just now aimed at restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Two high-level Israeli officials are in Washington trying to finalize a modified settlement freeze with the American Mideast envoy George Mitchell. The Israeli national security adviser just visited the Jordanian capital to meet with King Abdullah. Hamas officials are in Cairo talking about what they want to release an Israeli soldier they are holding. » Read more

Low Expectations May Be Helpful for Mideast Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am For a process that evokes little optimism on either side, there is an awful lot of diplomatic activity just now aimed at restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Two high-level Israeli officials are in Washington trying to finalize a modified settlement freeze with the American Mideast envoy George Mitchell. The Israeli national security adviser just visited the Jordanian capital to meet with King Abdullah. Hamas officials are in Cairo talking about what they want to release an Israeli soldier they are holding. » Read more

U.S., Israel Grow More Confident of Talks with Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal by Charles Levinson, Jay Solomon - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am Optimism is growing within the U.S. and Israeli governments that direct peace talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the Palestinian Authority could begin as early as this fall, said diplomats involved in the process. Negotiations between the U.S. and Israel over freezing Israel's settlements in Palestinian territories remain contentious, and it isn't certain a compromise will emerge that will allow the three parties and Israel's Arab neighbors to move forward on other issues. » Read more

September 2nd

From Arab to Palestinian Israeli: One family's changing identity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Moment Magazine by Dina Kraft - September 2, 2009 - 12:00am It’s been almost three years since Shams Kalboni renamed herself. She grew up with the modern Hebrew name Revital, which means “quenched thirst.” It was given to her by her Arab parents in the hope it would pave her way to an easier life in Israeli society. And as Shams walks past blossoming purple bougainvillea plants, up the stairs and onto the veranda of her grandmother’s house in Jaffa, calls of “Revital” and “Revi” still greet her as she is embraced by aunts and cousins. » Read more

Moment of truth for Obama ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Osama Al-Sharif - September 2, 2009 - 12:00am The moment of truth is approaching for President Barack Obama’s much hyped initiative to re-launch the Middle East peace talks with the objective of creating an independent Palestinian entity based on the two-state solution. He is expected to present the outline of his plan at the UN’s General Assembly meetings in New York this September. » Read more