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Only the Palestinians have been serious
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) July 13, 2010 - 12:00am Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has just finished another trip to the US, this time including an important meeting with US President Barack Obama. |
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‘Cultural intifada’ as Costello, Meg Ryan and others cancel Israel plans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Marcy Oster - July 13, 2010 - 12:00am JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Actress Meg Ryan's decision to cancel her appearance at this week’s Jerusalem Film Festival didn’t garner the same attention in Israel as British rocker Elvis Costello when he nixed his Israel concert this spring. Both, however, were a reminder to Israelis that in the eyes of much of the world, Israel’s politics and culture are inseparable. |
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East J'lem building approved
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Benjamin L. Hartman - July 13, 2010 - 12:00am The Jerusalem building and planning committee on Monday approved plans for 32 new housing units in the northeast Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Ze’ev. Kobi Kahalon, chairman of the building and planning committee, had postponed a hearing on the building plan set for last week, so that it would not coincide with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House. |
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Palestinian village to be encircled by barrier
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Karin Laub - July 10, 2010 - 12:00am Israel has started construction on a new section of its West Bank separation barrier that Palestinian residents say could sound a death knell for their hamlet. The barrier, running much of the length of the West Bank, has already disrupted lives in many Palestinian towns and villages in its path. But it threatens to outright smother Walajeh: The community of about 2,000 on the southwest edge of Jerusalem is to be completely encircled by a fence cutting it off from most of its open land, according to an Israeli Defense Ministry map. |
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U.S. asks Syria to support Palestinian-Israeli direct talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 12, 2010 - 12:00am The U.S. administration demanded Syria not to hinder the Palestinian National Authority's (PNA) tendency towards direct negotiations with Israel, local news website Syria Now reported on Monday. A well-informed source confirmed that Washington asks Damascus, through U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, not to hinder the PNA tendency towards direct negotiation at a time when the Palestinian side showed hesitation over the results of the indirect talks and Arab League chief Amr Moussa declared that those talks have failed. |
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Senior Palestinian calls Jerusalem a "time bomb"
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters July 12, 2010 - 12:00am A senior Palestinian figure said on Sunday that rising tension with Israel over settlement building in the Jerusalem area was a "time bomb" that was eroding trust between the two sides. Ahmed Qurei, a former prime minister and negotiator, joined Tsipi Livni, a former Israeli foreign minister and now opposition leader in parliament, in calling on both sides to work harder to achieve a two-state solution. |
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Israel failed in ship interception planning-reports
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Ori Lewis - July 12, 2010 - 12:00am Israel's military failed to prepare adequately for what turned into a deadly raid on a Gaza aid flotilla, according to findings of a military inquiry quoted by the Israeli media on Monday. The official report into the May 31 incident, in which nine pro-Palestiniam Turkish activists were killed, was set to be released later in the day by a military commission led by Giora Eiland, a retired Israeli general. |
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IDF to probe death of Palestinian protester at West Bank rally
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Anshel Pfeffer - July 12, 2010 - 12:00am The Military Advocate General on Monday ordered the army's criminal investigations unit to investigate the death of a Palestinian protester who was killed by a tear gas canister at a demonstration in Bil'in in April 2009. The Military Advocate General had refused to open a criminal investigation into the death of Bassem Abu-Rahma, but on Monday changed its mind after expert testimony showed that the tear gas canister was aimed directly at Abu-Rahma and was fired in violation of military orders. |
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The Palestinians' chance to win a moral victory
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Salman Masalha - July 12, 2010 - 12:00am In an era of political correctness, there are those who think it appropriate to adjust the message to the audience to which it is directed. I don't agree. In my view, political correctness is a defilement - sweet talk that obscures blatant racism. There is a universal morality that transcends religions, peoples and nations, and is binding on anyone who belongs to the community of humankind. |
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Abbas: No direct talks until progress on borders, security
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 12, 2010 - 12:00am Direct talks will not be resumed with Israel until progress is made during US-brokered proximity talks on the issues of borders and security, President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday evening. “We hope to make progress that will enable us to launch serious negotiations leading to a two-state solution before it is too late,” Abbas said during a celebration at the the Cultural Palace in Ramallah, marking the Prophet Mohammad’s Night Journey. |