December 4th

Gaza borders closed Friday; fuel situation remains critical ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 4, 2009 - 1:00am Israeli authorities informed Palestinian crossing officials that all transfer points would be closed Friday, continuing the five-day-a-week opening trend at the terminals. Raed Fattouh, Palestinian crossings liaison, said he was told that all crossings would be closed Friday, although they are scheduled to be open. Crossings have not been open Fridays since summer. The closure means food and fuel waiting to enter the Strip will continue to wait in storage containers. Fuel crisis » Read more

UAE donates 2.5 million to struggling UNRWA ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 4, 2009 - 1:00am Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan of the UAE ordered the donation of 2.5 million dollars to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, marking the donation for Palestine refugees in the Near East, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported Thursday. In his statement accompanying the donation, Al-Nahyan said it represented his government's unwavering and continuous support to the Palestinian people. » Read more

IDF fears settlers may attack Palestinians in response to freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson, Anshel Pfeffer, Barak Ravid - December 4, 2009 - 1:00am Israel Defense Forces officers in the West Bank have expressed concerned that settlers may escalate their acts of opposition to the freeze on settlement construction by targeting the Palestinian population. In recent days, inspectors delivering freeze orders to the settlements have been met with acts of violence, yet the troops from the Judea and Samaria Division and the Central Command - who are responsible for their safety - are nowhere to be found. Instead, the brunt of the security work has been carried out by police and Border Police troops. » Read more

The fruits of chronic mistakes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ziad Abu Zayyad - (Opinion) December 4, 2009 - 1:00am When Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad announced his two-year plan for building the institutions of a Palestinian state, in August, it was received warmly and favorably in international forums. They viewed it as the first serious institution-building blueprint, one that could pave the way to a declaration of the political independence of a Palestinian state. It was assumed at the time that, while creation of the institutions proceeded, the negotiation process would be put to the test under the new American administration. » Read more

An-Nasser Brigades: Israeli force attacked near Al-Bureij ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 4, 2009 - 1:00am The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees announced their launch of a projectile aimed at Israeli forces in central Gaza on Thursday night. An An-Nasser Brigades statement said a mortar shell was launched at a force of Israeli soldiers as they attempted to penetrate the Gaza Strip east of the Al-Bureij Refugee Camp. » Read more

Hamas may not be moderate, but it's cracking down on extremism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - December 4, 2009 - 1:00am Many Israeli commentators have argued recently that Hamas is eager to complete the deal to free Gilad Shalit because of the lack of achievements it has to show its public in the Gaza Strip. However, quite a number of Palestinian commentators there claim that the status of the Islamic movement has stabilized of late, in particular because of its ability to help distressed residents of the Strip by means of its network of charitable organizations. » Read more

Obama delays moving US Embassy to Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press December 4, 2009 - 1:00am American President Barack Obama is delaying moving the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. A 1995 US law recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital and ordered that the embassy be relocated there. But the law also permits the president to delay the move for six-month periods, based on national security grounds. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush invoked the clause during their presidencies. Obama notified Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton of his decision on Thursday. He first delayed moving the embassy in June. » Read more

In Israel, sentiment mixed on negotiations for Gilad Shalit release ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ilene Prusher - December 4, 2009 - 1:00am Yossi Zur's son was on his way back from school on a March day in 2003. But Asaf, then 16, never made it home. The Haifa city bus he was on was blown up by a Hamas suicide bomber, in an attack that killed 17 people and wounded 53. » Read more

Report: Israel, Hamas reject mediator's proposals ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roee Nahmias - December 4, 2009 - 1:00am A senior Hamas source told the London-based Arabic-language al-Hayat newspaper in an interview published Friday morning that the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian organization on a prisoner exchange deal are facing three major obstacles: Israel's refusal to release 50 prisoners out of 450 demanded by Hamas, its insistence on deporting 130 prisoners, and its refusal to include Israeli Arabs in the deal. » Read more

Settlers gird for battle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Efrat Weiss - December 4, 2009 - 1:00am The Yesha Council is planning several steps in an effort to avert the settlement construction freeze recently announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. » Read more