November 30th

Costa Rican president: Palestinians don't need army ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Netanel Shlomovich - November 30, 2009 - 1:00am The recipe for peace between Israel and the Palestinians includes negotiations, honesty, immediate talks on the core issues, and the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state – this is the vision presented by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias in a special interview with Ynet. Arias, who is currently visiting Israel and the Palestinian Authority, boasts extensive experience in mediating peace agreements; his efforts prompted his Nobel Peace Prize win in 1987. » Read more

Israel: 980 Palestinians slated for release ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 30, 2009 - 1:00am Israel will release 980 Palestinians in exchange for a soldier captured in 2006, its State Attorney's Office said Sunday. The office said Hamas will select 450 names and Israel will choose the rest. The announcement came after an activist group petitioned the country's Supreme Court against a swap deal, according to the Hebrew-language daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. » Read more

Report: German mediator arrives in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 30, 2009 - 1:00am A German mediator arrived in Gaza City on Monday to deliver Israel's final response to Hamas' demands over an impending prisoner swap deal, the Dubai-based satellite network Al-Arabiyya reported. Meanwhile, other Hamas sources ruled out the possibility that the movement would issue a response before sending a delegation of its own to Damascus to consult with leadership there. Israel will release 980 Palestinians in exchange for a soldier captured in 2006, its State Attorney's Office said Sunday. The office said Hamas will select 450 names and Israel will choose the rest. » Read more

‘Arab women need not apply’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Jonathan Cook - November 30, 2009 - 1:00am Israel’s finance minister was accused last week of trying to deflect attention from discriminatory policies keeping many of the country’s Arab families in poverty by blaming their economic troubles on what he described as Arab society’s opposition to women working. A recent report from Israel’s National Insurance Institute showed that half of all Arab families in Israel are classified as poor compared with just 14 per cent of Jewish families. » Read more

UN chief stresses importance of creating Palestinian State ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua November 29, 2009 - 1:00am UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday expressed concern over the deadlock in Israeli-Palestinian talks and stressed the importance of creating the right conditions for the two sides to build sufficient mutual trust to resume negotiations. "It is vital that a sovereign State of Palestine is achieved," the UN chief said in a message marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which is observed annually on Nov. 29. » Read more

El-Baradei and George Mitchell ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Elias Harfoush - (Opinion) November 30, 2009 - 1:00am How can diplomacy succeed, even when managed by men like Mohamed El-Baradei or George Mitchell, when they have to deal with Benjamin Netanyahu or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? » Read more

If Mahmoud Abbas steps down, Hamas official next in line ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ilene Prusher - November 27, 2009 - 1:00am If Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of the mainstream Fatah party makes good on his threat to resign, the man constitutionally assured his post is from the rival Hamas faction. His name is Aziz Dweik, a leading member of Hamas who was released from Israeli prison this summer after being held for three years. » Read more

We should call Israel's bet, then raise ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) November 30, 2009 - 1:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement a few days ago, that Israel would suspend all new housing construction in the occupied West Bank for 10 months, while other building and colonial ventures continued, reminds us that we are passing through another episode of a long-running tale of biblical proportions: Arabs and Israelis reject or stall American peace-making efforts; stalemate ensues amid mutual accusations of insincerity; Israel takes a unilateral initiative that many hail as a positive step, but that the Arabs see as not enough and mostly deception; and the conflict and » Read more

Devious ways ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) November 30, 2009 - 1:00am Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t really believe the Palestinians would thank him for deciding to temporarily freeze settlements in the West Bank. The Israeli prime minister received the Palestinian reply immediately after he announced a 10-month settlement freeze in the West Bank: Any temporary halt that did not include East Jerusalem is a nonstarter. The really important question, which interests Netanyahu more than anything else, is how US President Barack Obama will view his proposal. » Read more

Israel to Recruit More Building Inspectors to Enforce a Freeze on West Bank Construction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - November 29, 2009 - 1:00am Israel’s defense minister, Ehud Barak, instructed his staff on Sunday to recruit dozens of new building inspectors to supervise the government’s temporary construction freeze in West Bank settlements, while some settler leaders vowed to defy the building ban. Mr. Barak’s hurried efforts and the settler threats illustrated both the government’s seriousness and the difficulty it could face in carrying out its decision to halt new housing starts in the settlements over the next 10 months. » Read more