Israeli PM rejects calls for east Jerusalem freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Amy Teibel - April 22, 2010 - 12:00am Israel's prime minister has rejected U.S. calls to halt construction in disputed east Jerusalem, clouding a new peace mission by Washington's Mideast envoy. Benjamin Netanyahu's made the comments to Channel 2 TV, shortly after the arrival of envoy George Mitchell on Thursday. Netanyahu declared: "There will be no freeze in Jerusalem." Netanyahu was repeating a long-standing position, but the timing of the statement threatened to undermine Mitchell's latest efforts to restart peace talks. » Read more

Rockets fired at Israel fall in Jordan-source ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters April 22, 2010 - 12:00am Two rockets were fired from the Jordanian port of Aqaba towards Israel on Thursday but landed on an empty warehouse in Jordan, a Jordanian security source said. Jordanian Minister of State for Information Nabil al-Shareef told the state news agency Petra: "A limited explosion took place in the early hours of the morning at a refrigration warehouse at the northern edge of the city that caused minor damage." Aqaba is adjacent to the Israeli city of Eilat. » Read more

US Mideast envoy launching new mission--officials ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Mohammed Assadi - April 22, 2010 - 12:00am A White House envoy planned to begin a new Middle East peace mission on Thursday that could determine whether Israel and the United States sink deeper into discord over Jewish settlement policy. George Mitchell's visit to Jerusalem and the West Bank will be his first since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned a month ago from low-profile talks with U.S. President Barack Obama that underscored a rift between the two leaders. » Read more

PA: Palestinian work in settlements will stop this year ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 22, 2010 - 12:00am By the end of the calendar year there will be no Palestinians working in Israeli settlements, Ramallah-based Minister of Labor Ahmad Majdalani announced Thursday. The move comes amid a government campaign to boycott settlement products, following the prohibition of such goods in Palestinian markets, and the implementation of a ban on the sale of phone cards and SIM chips for Israeli cellphone providers with mobile towers in settlements. » Read more

Israeli army to investigate human shield report ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 22, 2010 - 12:00am The Israeli army said Wednesday it would investigate allegations that a 14-year-old boy was used as a human shield by Israeli forces in Beit Ummar, a Hebron village, following a Ma'an inquiry. The Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP) said at 11am on Friday 16 April four jeeps entered the main street of Beit Ummar as local children responded by throwing stones. » Read more

Palestinian official denies report that President Mahmoud Abbas is ailing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - April 21, 2010 - 12:00am President Mahmoud Abbas has undergone weeks of medical treatment after a fall in the bathroom left him with a "major bruise" on his back, says Palestinian peace negotiator and PLO member Saeb Erekat. He denied a report in Arabic daily Al Quds Al Arabi and also in Israeli media that Mr. Abbas is in declining health. » Read more

New peace campaign uses version of Israeli flag; not everyone's happy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Batsheva Sobelman - (Blog) April 19, 2010 - 12:00am Tired of hearing only Avigdor Lieberman? It's time to sound another voice, says Peace Now, the veteran left-wing NGO. In a campaign timed for Israeli independence day starting Monday evening, the organization invites people to "wave the flag of peace" this year and call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "change direction and say 'yes' to the diplomatic process." The "peace flag" has replaced the Star of David with the word "peace." Not everyone's happy. » Read more

Attacking Richard Goldstone ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Daniel Terris - (Opinion) April 21, 2010 - 12:00am The worldwide Jewish community can be thin skinned about criticism of the policies of the state of Israel, but the vitriol reached a new low last week. After members of the South African Jewish community threatened to disrupt the ceremony if he attended, Justice Richard Goldstone, author of a controversial United Nations report on the conflict in Gaza, canceled plans to attend his grandson's upcoming bar mitzvah ceremony in Johannesburg. » Read more

U.S.: Israel-Palestinian peace failures strengthening Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Natasha Mozgovaya - April 22, 2010 - 12:00am U.S. President Barack Obama's administration said on Wednesday that progress toward Middle East peace would help thwart Iran's ambitions by preventing it from "cynically" using the conflict to divert attention from its nuclear program. Drawing an explicit link between Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and Washington's drive to isolate Iran, Obama's national security adviser, Jim Jones, urged bold steps to revive long-stalled Middle East negotiations. » Read more