September 15th

Israeli-Arab militant cell held ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News September 15, 2011 - 12:00am A statement from internal security service Shin Bet said the Israeli-Arabs wanted to attack a police post, as well as a soldier and a policeman. It alleged that the attacks were planned in their village of Daburiyya, just east of Nazareth, in Galilee. A lawyer for the men was quoted as dismissing the allegations. Shin Bet said the men were part of "the Salafist jihadist stream", and had been looking at materials on how to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs). » Read more

Israel okays PA's acquisition of anti-riot gear ahead of UN vote ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel - September 15, 2011 - 12:00am Israel has given approval for the Palestinian Authority to equip its security forces with riot-control gear, such as tear gas grenades and rubber bullets. The PA has approached Israeli firms to buy such equipment in advance of expected demonstrations on the West Bank around the Palestinians' request for United Nations recognition as an independent state. » Read more

UN report lauds PA state-building progress ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 14, 2011 - 12:00am A new UN report lauds Palestinian Authority state-building achievements but warns of a widening gap between institutional progress and a stagnant political process. Prepared by the office of the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, the report follows previous UN assessments that the PA’s state-building progress is on track to deliver the goals it set out to achieve. "The PA has completed what it set out to achieve two years ago to prepare its institutions to be able to assume the responsibilities of statehood," the report, released on Wednesday, states. » Read more

Israel clears embassy staff from Amman ahead of Jordan protest ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - September 15, 2011 - 12:00am Concerned about a demonstration planned outside its embassy in Amman, the Israeli government brought its ambassador and most embassy staff back to Israel late Wednesday night. The move reflected concern about a possible repeat of an incident last Friday in Cairo, in which protesters stormed the Israeli Embassy, and Israel’s ambassador in Egypt and his staff were airlifted back to Israel. After intervention by top U.S. officials, Egyptian police and military broke up the protest and commandos extricated six Israeli security guards who were trapped in the embassy. 83 Comments » Read more

Palestinians to seek full UN membership Sept. 23 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Mohammed Daraghmeh - September 15, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinians will ask the Security Council next week to accept them as a full member of the United Nations, the Palestinian foreign minister said Thursday, a move that would defy Washington's threat to veto the statehood bid. The remarks by Riad Malki came just ahead of the arrival in the West Bank of a senior U.S. diplomatic team that was in the region in a last-ditch effort to persuade the Palestinians to drop the U.N. bid. Although Malki did not close the door on compromise, his comments signaled the chances of breakthrough were slim. » Read more

EU's Ashton extends mediation trip to Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet by Justyna Pawlak - September 14, 2011 - 12:00am European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton extended a Middle East trip on Wednesday to hold more talks aimed at averting a Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations, officials said. Ashton is in the region to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders as well as diplomats from Arab countries, part of an intense international effort to revive peace talks. » Read more

Palestinians express doubts and fear over UN statehood bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - September 15, 2011 - 12:00am If you think all West Bank Palestinians are enthusiastic about next week's vote at the United Nations for Palestinian statehood, just ask Hurriyah Ziada. Ms Ziada, a 22-year-old sociology student at Birzeit University in the West Bank, insists UN recognition of a Palestinian state is a mistake because it also represents a tacit acknowledgement of Israel's permanence as a Jewish state. » Read more

Anxieties mount over Palestinian statehood bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - September 15, 2011 - 12:00am The countdown to a Palestinian bid next week for membership and recognition as a state in the United Nations brought a stark warning from Israel on Wednesday that approval would result in “harsh and grave consequences” for the Palestinians. The threat by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was the sharpest yet in an escalating cycle of rhetoric on all sides of the conflict. While the Palestinians say they will go ahead with the move, the Obama administration dispatched two senior envoys to the region Wednesday to restate the American case against the statehood bid. » Read more

Palestinians Say a U.N. Gamble on Statehood Is Worth the Risks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - September 15, 2011 - 12:00am It is far from clear what will happen when the Palestinians go to the United Nations next week to seek recognition of statehood. But the initiative is engaging a Palestinian public that had become deeply cynical after 20 years of intermittent Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. » Read more

Palestinians Say a U.N. Gamble on Statehood Is Worth the Risks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - September 15, 2011 - 12:00am It is far from clear what will happen when the Palestinians go to the United Nations next week to seek recognition of statehood. But the initiative is engaging a Palestinian public that had become deeply cynical after 20 years of intermittent Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. » Read more