May 11th

FM: Israel will talk with PA, but won’t freeze settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Hilary Leila Krieger, Tovah Lazaroff - May 11, 2011 - 12:00am Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Tuesday called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to reject the unity deal Fatah made with Hamas and to resume direct talks with Israel – even though Israel has no intention of ceding to Abbas’s demand that it freeze settlement activity. » Read more

Israel to invest millions in real-time satellite capacity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Yaakov Katz - May 11, 2011 - 12:00am The Defense Ministry is set to invest millions to upgrade Israel’s space communication capabilities, to enable reconnaissance and surveillance satellites used by the IDF to provide real-time intelligence. As things stand, Israeli satellites can only download their data when they fly directly over Israel – which can mean a delay of up to 90 minutes, a critical handicap in times of conflict. » Read more

Barak presents plan for Palestinian accord ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews May 11, 2011 - 12:00am Defense Minister Ehud Barak revealed his plan for an accord with the Palestinians on Tuesday, hinting at the points Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to present in his upcoming speech before the US Congress and President Barack Obama. Speaking at a reception held traditionally for combat soldiers at IDF Headquarters in Tel Aviv, Barak said Israel was prepared to take "courageous steps" to bring about peace. "On the eve of this Independence Day, Israel is the strongest country within a radius of 1,500 km from Jerusalem," Barak said. » Read more

Court protects Palestinian homes, for now ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ronen Medzini - May 11, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian homes in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of al-Bustan are not to be demolished until plans are finalized and approved for the park that is to be established in their stead, the Jerusalem District Court ruled Wednesday. Mayor Nir Barkat is promoting the plans, which require the demolition of 22 illegally-built homes. In exchange, the Arabs who reside in these homes will receive permits to build new homes legally on the other side of the neighborhood, at their expense. In addition, the 66 other homes in the neighborhood will be legalized retroactively. » Read more

Mideast peace requires Palestinian self-criticism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Shlomo Avineri - (Opinion) May 11, 2011 - 12:00am Efforts by members of Israel's far right to forbid the country's Arab citizens from commemorating the Nakba are mean, foolish and destined to fail. But initiatives by the extreme left to turn Nakba Day into a joint memorial day for all of Israel's citizens are also doomed. Israel is not a binational state, and with all due liberalism and humanism, it is hard to treat victory and defeat in the same way. » Read more

Israel is getting away with robbing Palestinian taxes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Opinion) May 11, 2011 - 12:00am Once again, Israel is showing everyone who the real man is here. It is busy carrying out (yet another ) robbery in broad daylight of $105 million from the Palestinians. And as usual, it is going off without a hitch. » Read more

Report: Israel freezes West Bank fence near major settlement bloc ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz May 11, 2011 - 12:00am Israel has frozen the construction of the West Bank separation fence near the Gush Etzion settlement bloc over budget concerns, Army Radio said on Wednesday, adding that Defense Ministry documents showed construction could resume in late 2012. According to a Defense Ministry document quoted in the Army Radio report, the defense establishment "realizes the importance of erecting the fence and retains all of the claims to its construction despite a lack of funding." The cost of completing the said section is estimated at around NIS 5 billion. » Read more

Palestinian leadership condemns Israeli finance minister on revenues ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 11, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian leadership on Wednesday condemned remarks by Israeli finance minister that withholding Palestinian money was an initial warning to the Palestinian National Authority. The statements by the minister, Yuval Steinitz, were "racial," said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the PLO's Executive Committee. "They indicate that collective punishment is the easiest policy Israel resorts to." » Read more

France considers int'l meeting on Israeli-Palestinian peace: official ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 10, 2011 - 12:00am France plans to hold an international conference on peace by the end of June, a Palestinian official said Tuesday. Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian negotiator, said that France has informed the Palestinian leadership about its intention to host the peace conference on the sidelines of a meeting for international donors to the Palestinians in Paris next month. » Read more

Hamas, Fatah delegates to meet in Cairo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 11, 2011 - 12:00am Delegations from Palestinian rivals will visit Cairo Saturday to start discussions on forming a unity government, a Hamas official said Wednesday. The delegations will represent Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party, said Salah Al-Bardawil, a Hamas official in Gaza. Last week, the two movements signed a reconciliation agreement brokered by Egypt. The pact is sought to end political split between the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the West Bank, where Fatah holds sway. » Read more