September 24th

Israeli navy kills Gaza fisherman - Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Dan Williams - September 24, 2010 - 12:00am The Israeli navy fired on a Palestinian boat off the northern Gaza Strip on Friday, killing a fisherman, the territory's Hamas administration said. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed that naval vessels shot at a fishing boat after it approached the limits of waters where Israel, which keeps Gaza under blockade, permits Palestinian maritime traffic. "We fired warning shots to turn them back, and when they did not respond, we fired at the boat," the spokeswoman said. "We are checking the claim that there was a casualty." » Read more

Palestinian-Americans reassured by Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 24, 2010 - 12:00am President Mahmoud Abbas met with Palestinian-Americans from across the 50 states on Thursday, for an hour-long meeting where he reasserted his position on a resumption of settlement construction. "I will say this once in front of you, if they want negotiations, then they will continue with settlement freeze otherwise the negotiations will stop, and we are sorry to waste the opportunity," Abbas told assembled guests. » Read more

Israel's Palestinian partner is ready and waiting ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Libby Lenkinski Friedlander - (Opinion) September 24, 2010 - 12:00am For most Israelis, who have had little or no interaction with Palestinians for at least the past decade, the "Palestinian partner" remains an abstract concept. As a result, we spend a lot of time seeking a clear definition of what that ideal partner for ending the occupation would be: Who would be acceptable? What is the ideal profile? As a civil society worker, I have a face for the Palestinian partner that I want to see, in the abstract and in flesh and blood. I have met him. » Read more

Jerusalem remains on lockdown following clashes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 24, 2010 - 12:00am Checkpoints were erected at the entrances to several Jerusalem neighborhoods on Friday, with soldiers preventing residents from leaving the areas in several cases, witnesses said. Hundreds of police and border officers were deployed around the Old City, with 3,000 in total across East Jerusalem, officials estimated. Israeli Police Commander in Chief Dudi Cohen reportedly decided to maintain the state of alert declared Friday morning in the city, extending it through the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. » Read more

A Test of Israel’s Character ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Roger Cohen - (Opinion) September 23, 2010 - 12:00am At a dinner hosted by American Jewish leaders for the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, I was seated with a senior U.S. diplomat to my left, the secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization to my right, and Abbas opposite. It was like listening to a rousing peace overture as an ominous leitmotif of disaster keeps returning with ever greater insistence. » Read more

The Daily Show is listening to King Abdullah. Is anyone else? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Tom A. Peter - September 23, 2010 - 12:00am "hipness" points count in politics, the international standing of Jordan’s King Abdullah II is about to go through the roof: Tonight he'll be appearing on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” And King Abdullah is pretty cool to begin with. He’s married to Queen Rania, one of People Magazine’s 50 most beautiful people. Before becoming king, he appeared as an extra on Star Trek. An amateur race-car driver, he also personally drove President Barack Obama to the airport when he visited Jordan prior to being elected. Obama later joked: “I won't tell you how fast [Abdullah] was going.” » Read more

Survey: Palestinians Believe Peace Talks Are Best Strategy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Voice of America (Analysis) September 23, 2010 - 12:00am A new survey shows a majority of Palestinians believe peace negotiations are the best way to achieve their goals. The survey released Thursday by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center showed 53 percent of those polled said peace talks were the best strategy.  That compares with 26 percent who said violent resistance is the best method, and 16 percent who supported non-violent resistance. » Read more

UNITED NATIONS: Israel's absence during Obama speech draws attention ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - (Blog) September 23, 2010 - 12:00am President Obama's call Thursday in an address before the U.N. General Assembly for Israel to extend its West Bank construction moratorium got little reaction from the Israeli delegation. That's because they weren't there. As Obama spoke about the importance of supporting U.S.-brokered peace talks, television cameras panned to empty chairs at Israel's U.N. desk. » Read more

Obama calls on Arab nations to support peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Christi Parsons, Paul Richter - September 24, 2010 - 12:00am President Obama on Thursday pushed Arab nations to provide more political and financial support for the Middle East peace effort, warning that they should not risk the failure of the latest initiative if they truly seek an independent Palestinian state and stability across the region. Obama deplored efforts — assisted by some Arab and Muslim countries — to isolate or "delegitimize" Israel. » Read more

Israel plays down scope of future settler projects ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Dan Williams - (Analysis) September 24, 2010 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Israel urged the Palestinians on Friday not to abandon recently resumed peace negotiations over the imminent expiry of a West Bank settlement moratorium, saying any new construction projects would be limited in scope. The scheduled end on Sunday of the 10-month partial halt to building in Jewish settlements has drawn Palestinian threats to quit the talks sponsored by U.S. President Barack Obama, who has repeatedly called on Israel to extend the freeze. » Read more