December 22nd

Holy Land Patriarch voices hope for peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Danielle Cheslow - December 22, 2010 - 1:00am The top Roman Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land lamented the stalemate in Mideast peace efforts on in his annual pre-Christmas address Tuesday but said he still sees reason for hope. In his annual pre-Christmas address, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal urged his followers not to give up, despite a deadlock in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that has extended for nearly three months. "We suffer from the failure of direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority," Twal said, but added, "This should not lead us to despair." » Read more

Israel sees new anti-tank missile threat from Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet by Dan Williams - December 22, 2010 - 1:00am Militants in Gaza used an advanced Russian-designed missile against an Israeli tank this month, Israel's military chief said on Tuesday, underscoring how smuggled weaponry has improved Palestinian combat capabilities. » Read more

PA Cabinet: Setting new date for local elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 22, 2010 - 1:00am The appointed government cabinet said Monday that it intended to enforce last week's Supreme Court decision which called the decision to postpone municipal elections illegal, and mandated that new elections be held immediately. "In accordance with the law," a statement following the regular Tuesday cabinet meeting said, ministers "discussed the required procedures for setting a new date to hold the elections," and appointed the Minister of Local Government "to provide an integrated visualization to the Cabinet in this regard." » Read more

UN has 'serious concerns' over home demolitions ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 22, 2010 - 1:00am The UN's Humanitarian Coordinator in Jerusalem told reporters Wednesday that the displacement of a Jerusalem family whose home was demolished the day before "raises serious concerns with regard to Israel’s obligations under international law.” The UN's Maxwell Gaylard, issued a statement after visiting the family of 13 whose home in the Ras Al Amud neighborhood of East Jerusalem was torn down on Tuesday by order of the municipality of Jerusalem, under the Israeli government. » Read more

Israel Plans Public Appeal to Ask U.S. to Free a Spy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - December 22, 2010 - 1:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel will officially and publicly appeal to President Obama in the coming days for the release of Jonathan Jay Pollard, the American serving a life term in a North Carolina prison for spying for Israel, Mr. Netanyahu’s office announced Tuesday. A public request, as opposed to Israel’s discreet efforts in the past, would constitute a new approach in the campaign for Mr. Pollard’s release and an additional twist in a long and painful chapter in Israeli-American relations. » Read more

December 21st

“Annoying” Palestine is on the right track ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) December 21, 2010 - 1:00am Last week the US House of Representatives adopted a resolution threatening a potential cutoff of aid to the Palestinians if they unilaterally declared statehood. It was essentially meaningless bluster, taking a strong stance against something the Palestinians aren’t currently pursuing or even seriously considering. » Read more

Arabs’ priorities ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Hassan Barari - (Opinion) December 21, 2010 - 1:00am Aquestion Westerners often ask is whether solving the Arab-Israeli conflict constitutes a priority for Arab regimes. No matter how one answers this question, a majority of them are convinced that political survival for the ruling regimes is the number one priority, and not the Palestinian cause. Some in our part of the world wonder if there is a contradiction between the two matters in the first place. » Read more

Avigdor Lieberman's home is a virtual fortres ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - (Opinion) December 21, 2010 - 1:00am Of Israel's roughly 120 West Bank settlements, why, one might ask, would Avigdor Lieberman choose to live in Nokdim? The isolated community, about a 20-minute drive from Jerusalem, lacks a single shop or restaurant to entertain Israel's foreign minister and his wife, Ella. State-provided armoured vehicles and bodyguards must shuttle Israel's top diplomat through a labyrinth of Palestinian villages and checkpoints for his 20-minute commute into Israel proper. » Read more

Israel must grant Gaza justice ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Raja Abdulrahim - (Opinion) December 21, 2010 - 1:00am The reality of life in the Gaza Strip is hard to convey. Systematic violations of international human rights law have created abject poverty and reduced approximately 1.7 million people to "beneficiaries" of international aid, forced into dependency as the result of a human-made, and completely preventable, humanitarian crisis. » Read more

Encountering Peace: Wanted: A progressive leader ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) December 21, 2010 - 1:00am The gathering of the leadership of the Israeli “peace camp” on Sunday in Ramallah under the auspices of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and almost the entire leadership of the PLO was its largest get-together in the past 10 years. What is left of the Left is a small group of dedicated individuals divided into splinter groups of political initiatives and non-government organizations sharing a very similar platform with a common sense of urgency and a total inability to work together. » Read more