November 24th

Palestinian Children Face Daily Settler Attacks Getting to School ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Mel Frykberg - November 23, 2009 - 1:00am Being able to travel to school in relative safety is something children all over the world take for granted. But, for Palestinian children living in the shadow of the ubiquitous and illegal Israeli settlements dotting the West Bank, simply walking to school can be a terrifying experience. "It is really scary walking to school. We never know when the settlers will attack us and beat us," says Rima Ali, 10, from the village of Tuba in the southern West Bank, about two hours drive south of Jerusalem. » Read more

Exclusive Sit-Down with Palestinian P.M. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Fox News by Michael Tobin - (Blog) November 23, 2009 - 1:00am The proposals of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salem Fayyad seem simple and obvious from a Western Perspective; build the institutions of a working Palestinian government first, make the move for statehood second. However, coming from a population that has focused for decades on the conflict with Israel, his proposals are radical. » Read more

Gilad Shalit release: Hamas, Israel prisoner swap said to be imminent ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ilene Prusher - November 24, 2009 - 1:00am Jerusalem Israel and Hamas appear to be moving closer to a prisoner swap in which Israel would release up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. » Read more

Netanyahu Says Swap of Prisoners Is Uncertain ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner, Isabel Kershner - November 24, 2009 - 1:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought Tuesday to temper expectations about a deal to exchange a captured Israeli soldier for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, saying “There is still no deal, and I do not know if there will be one.” Addressing the fears of some Israelis that a swap would boost the standing of Hamas, Mr. Netanyahu said the authorities would “not be sparing with a public discussion. We will not do it as a fait accompli,” news reports said. » Read more

November 23rd

Israel & Palestine: Can They Start Over? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Review Of Books by Hussein Agha, Robert Malley - (Analysis) November 23, 2009 - 1:00am 1. The idea of Israeli–Palestinian partition, of a two-state solution, has a singular pedigree. It has been proposed for at least eight decades. Jews first accepted it as Palestinians recoiled; by the time Palestinians warmed to the notion in the late 1980s, Israelis had turned their backs. Still, its proponents manage to portray it as fresh, new, and capable of leading to peace. International consensus on a two-state agreement is, today, stronger than ever. Meanwhile, interest among the two parties most directly concerned wanes and prospects for achieving it diminish. » Read more

Apathy, as Mahmoud Abbas abandons an irrelevant presidency ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) November 23, 2009 - 1:00am A political leader’s decision not to seek re-election usually triggers fervent discussion about potential heirs. Yet, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ withdrawal from the presidential election scheduled for January 24, 2010, has produced nothing of the kind in Palestine – not because of a dearth of leadership or a reluctance to mention possible successors, but because the presidency of the Palestinian Authority (PA) has become irrelevant. » Read more

Hamas at a Loss ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) November 23, 2009 - 1:00am Palestinian President [Mahmoud Abbas] announced that Hamas secretly negotiated with Israel on the establishment of a provisional Palestinian State, until Mahmoud al-Zahar, a [senior] member of the Hamas Political Bureau denied this with a vehemence that we have become all too familiar with. » Read more

For the Palestinians, all roads now lead to the UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Tony Karon - (Opinion) November 23, 2009 - 1:00am It is hard to take seriously the threat by the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to declare a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza and demand recognition by the UN Security Council. The cool response from the US and the European Union made clear that no such recognition would be forthcoming; and, as Hamas asked, what is the point of unilaterally declaring a state while those territories remain ultimately under Israeli control? Yasser Arafat already did that, in 1988. » Read more

Editor's Notes: Salam Fayyad builds Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by David Horovitz - November 23, 2009 - 1:00am To one side stood Sen. Joe Lieberman, the former vice presidential candidate. To the other stood Rep. Howard Berman, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. And as these two staunch Jewish supporters of Israel nodded their encouragement, the Palestinian Authority's Prime Minister Salam Fayyad explained at a press conference in Ramallah on Sunday precisely how he was preparing the Palestinians for statehood. » Read more

A thorn in the world’s side ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Sever Plocker - November 23, 2009 - 1:00am I’ve been invited to deliver a lecture about Israel’s economy and society at Oxford University. As it is a short lecture, and a respectable forum, I gladly accepted the offer. The invitation was extended about six months ago. Yet now, as my trip approaches, I feel concern. I’m hesitating. My acquaintances are warning me: Don’t go. Hostile elements will cause disturbances, protest, shout and interfere. The atmosphere at British universities is anti-Israel to an extent unseen in the past. Israel is perceived as a thorn in the civilized world’s side. » Read more