November 23rd

A new way to embitter Palestinian lives ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz November 23, 2010 - 1:00am Settlers in the occupied territories have found a new way to embitter Palestinians' lives: converting springs and other water sources into memorials and tourism sites, as Zafrir Rinat reported in yesterday's Haaretz. As if it were not bad enough that Palestinians have no access to most of these springs since they are barred from using roads near the settlements, Israeli flags now fly over these water sources and they are walled off by fences and guards. » Read more

Netanyahu has no choice but to freeze East Jerusalem building ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) November 23, 2010 - 1:00am "There is no way we will give Bibi [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] a license to build in East Jerusalem," the American official said with unconcealed anger. "Our letter will not mention, or even hint at, the explicit word 'Jerusalem.'" » Read more

Palestinians evicted from East Jerusalem home claimed by Israelis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Nir Hasson - November 23, 2010 - 1:00am Israel Police forces on Tuesday evacuated a Palestinian family from their home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber, after right-wing activists claimed to have purchased the building. The non-profit group Elad, which intervened on behalf of the settlers, said that the family had agreed to evacuate after selling their home. East Jerusalem. The 16 residents of the home say that the sale was illicit as the name of the landlord written on the deal is no longer alive. They also claim that the landlord left the house to the family in his will. » Read more

Israeli referendum bill could hinder peace moves ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Josef Federman - November 22, 2010 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — Israel's parliament passed a bill Monday that could complicate peace efforts with the Palestinians and Syria by making it very difficult for any government to make territorial withdrawals. The bill requires a two-thirds Knesset majority to cede land in east Jerusalem to the Palestinians or in the Golan Heights to Syria. Failing that, either withdrawal would become subject to a referendum, and polls show winning public approval would be an uphill battle. » Read more

Nablus governor speaks about assassination plot ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 23, 2010 - 1:00am NABLUS (Ma’an) -- Nablus Governor Major General Jibrin Al-Bakri spoke out Monday for the first time about a plot revealed by PA security forces which aimed at assassinating the official. Delivering a public address in the municipality building to a visiting delegation of peace activists, joined by local officials and religious figures, Al-Bakri confirmed the media reports around the planned assassination, saying it aimed at "creating chaos in the region." » Read more

Palestinians slam Israeli referendum law ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 23, 2010 - 1:00am JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- Palestinian leaders in Israel and the West Bank slammed Monday, the passing of a Knesset bill mandating a national referendum ahead of any pullout from zones occupied by Israel, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. Palestinian citizen of Israel and member of the Knesset Jamal Zahalqa called the law “an Israeli invention which is unprecedented in world history,” while chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said with the passing of the bill “the Israeli leadership, yet again, is making a mockery of international law.” » Read more

View from Middle East: President Obama is a problem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico by Ben Smith - (Analysis) November 23, 2010 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — Vowing to change a region that has resisted the best efforts of presidents and prime ministers past, Barack Obama dove head first into the Middle East peace process on his second day in office. He was supposed to be different. His personal identity, his momentum, his charisma and his promise of a fresh start would fundamentally alter America’s relations with the Muslim world and settle one of its bitterest grievances. » Read more

Israel Enacts Bill to Force Referendum on a Treaty ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - November 22, 2010 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — Israel’s right-leaning Parliament approved legislation late Monday that could hamper the leadership’s ability to seal future peace deals with the Palestinians or Syria. The measure requires that any peace deal involving the ceding of territory annexed by Israel — namely East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights — must be put to a national referendum. The West Bank, which Israel never annexed, does not fall within the scope of the legislation, but it would include other pieces of sovereign Israeli territory that might be ceded in the context of land swaps in a peace agreement. » Read more

November 22nd

Diplomacy’s darkest hours ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Shlomo Ben-Ami - (Opinion) November 22, 2010 - 1:00am Diplomacy is not having its finest hour nowadays. Quite the contrary: resistance to diplomatic solutions is a common thread in most of today’s major conflicts. Afghanistan will continue to bleed until the allies finally recognise that only by engaging the Taliban do they stand a chance of ending the war. But the West will also have to recognise that conflicts with a potent cultural and religious component are simply not susceptible to a military solution - a realisation that points towards ending the ostracism of political Islam - Hamas and Hizbollah, for example. » Read more

The Meaning of Peace in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Hussein Shobokshi - (Opinion) November 21, 2010 - 1:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making a mockery of the entire world, by feigning to succumb to the pressure exerted upon him, and announcing his acceptance of a temporary freeze on settlement construction. According to the deal, Israel will only continue the construction process in the West Bank, with the exception of Jerusalem. At the same time, Netanyahu has received a substantial reward, in the form of significant military equipment, estimated to be worth billions of dollars, from the United States. This incentive has been financed by U.S. » Read more