September 14th

Rise in terror activities by Jewish extremists worries Israel's Shin Bet ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Vita Bekker - September 14, 2011 - 12:00am Israel is growing concerned about a rise in terror activities by Jewish extremists against Palestinians and Israeli left-wing activists as it anticipates violence ahead of a possible United Nations recognition of Palestinian statehood. » Read more

Abbas aide: PA will renew talks if 1 of 2 conditions met ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post September 14, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian Authority will agree to return to peace negotiations with Israel if only one of two criteria they had previously set as pre-conditions for talks are reached: an immediate halt to all settlement construction or an Israeli declaration that the borders of the Palestinian state will be based on the pre-1967 lines with mutually agreed upon land swaps, a senior aide to PA President Mahmoud Abbas told Army Radio on Wednesday. » Read more

Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen tells Haaretz: We must stop Palestinians' ‘dangerous scheme’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Natasha Mozgovaya - (Blog) September 14, 2011 - 12:00am Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Representative for Florida and chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is one of the loudest voices in Congress opposing the Palestinian plan to secure United Nations recognition for statehood. A bill she introduced earlier this month would cut funding to any UN body that supports the Palestinian bid. The initiative was criticized by Obama administration officials and Ros-Lehtinen’s Democratic colleagues in Congress, but the Congresswoman made it clear on Tuesday that she has no intentions of backpedalling on the issue. » Read more

Palestinians trying to dodge pre-UN vote face-off with Obama ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - September 14, 2011 - 12:00am Statements made Tuesday by Mohammad Shtayyeh, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, regarding the Palestinian Authority's intention to address the UN Security Council, in addition to its General Assembly, were not surprising. Just three days ago Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas himself said that the Palestinians will turn to the Security Council, and will not be content to deal with the General Assembly. » Read more

Palestinians on statehood: 'We want action, not votes at the UN' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - September 14, 2011 - 12:00am Mohammed Hassan al-Atrash, a man whose life story is a microcosm of all that has befallen the Palestinian people over the past 63 years, smiles ruefully at the prospect of a Palestinian state winning the support of most countries in the world at the United Nations next week. "I am a simple man," he says, leaning on his sturdy walking stick. "I don't know about politics. But from my life experience, I don't think we will gain anything. What is left, after the settlements, the military zones, the wall, the bypass roads? You think you can build a state on a few scattered villages? » Read more

Gazans have mixed feelings over Abbas U.N bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet by Nidal al-Mughrabi - September 14, 2011 - 12:00am President Mahmoud Abbas's bid to seek U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state is not generating much enthusiasm in the isolated Gaza Strip, where internal political divisions run deep. The Islamist Hamas movement, which seized the territory from forces loyal to Abbas's Fatah group in 2007, sees the move as an exercise in futility in a quest for statehood. » Read more

Pro-Israel groups defend US aid to Palestinian Authority ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 14, 2011 - 12:00am Worried about possible US aid cuts to the Palestinian Authority, some American Jewish groups find themselves in the peculiar position of defending the funding, particularly money that supports PA security forces. The US Congress has threatened to review the roughly $500 million in annual aid to the PA if the Palestinians seek full membership at the United Nations, a step opposed by Israel and the United States. » Read more

PLO official voices criticism of UN membership plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 14, 2011 - 12:00am PLO central council member Nabil Amr said Tuesday that the Palestinian request for full UN membership is not a "bid" but rather a diplomatic activity. The former ambassador to Egypt expressed reservations over the plan to seek state membership of the United Nations at the annual General Assembly meeting in New York, which opens on Monday. Speaking at a seminar in Hebron, Amr said vows by the US President Barack Obama and the Middle East Quartet to establish a Palestinian state were nothing more than promises. » Read more

Israel warns of 'harsh' consequences of Palestinian UN bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 14, 2011 - 12:00am Hardline Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned Wednesday there will be "harsh and grave consequences" if the Palestinians persist with their plan to seek UN membership as a state. Speaking shortly before a scheduled meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, Lieberman did not elaborate on the possible consequences. "The moment has not yet come to give details of what will happen," he said. In the past he has called for Israel to sever all relations with the administration of President Mahmoud Abbas should it press on with its UN bid. » Read more

18 years after Oslo, Palestinians try a new tack ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Maher Abukhater - (Blog) September 13, 2011 - 12:00am On Sept. 13, 1993, current Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and current Israeli President Shimon Peres signed at the While House the so-called Oslo Accords, ushering in a new era and hopes of peace in the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The agreement was signed in the presence of President Bill Clinton, former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. » Read more