Barak to Left: Tone down criticism
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Atilla Somfalvi - September 10, 2009 - 12:00am

Defense Minister Ehud Barak urged Israel's leftist camp to tone down its criticism of his recent decision to approve the construction of hundreds of housing units in the West Bank so as not to hurt the efforts to jumpstart the negotiations with the Palestinians. Ynet learned Thursday that one of Barak's senior advisors told Peace Now Secretary-General Yariv Oppenheimer that the approval of building permits for projects beyond the Green Line was actually meant to advance the peace process.

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Arabs in Israel plan to strike on October 1
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Jonathan Cook - September 9, 2009 - 12:00am

The increasingly harsh political climate in Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government has prompted the leadership of the country’s 1.3 million Arab citizens to call the first general strike in several years. The one-day stoppage is due to take place on October 1, a date heavy with symbolism because it marks the anniversary of another general strike, in 2000 at the start of the second intifada when 13 Arab demonstrators were shot dead by Israeli police.

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Israeli Right tries to stop freeze on settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Vita Bekker - September 9, 2009 - 12:00am

Israeli right-wing politicians and settler leaders have launched a last-minute campaign this week to pressure the government to reject the US call for a freeze on construction of Jewish homes in occupied Palestinian territory. The efforts by the Right come just days before Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, is expected to reach a compromise with the United States on a temporary halt to settlement activity. Israeli media reported yesterday that he is likely to agree to a lull of six to nine months in the occupied West Bank.

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Israel's settlement charade makes mockery of peace, curbs Palestinians' options
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
(Editorial) September 9, 2009 - 12:00am

The Israeli government’s approval this week of plans to construct hundreds of new settler homes on occupied Palestinian Territory may well be remembered as the hammer that drove the final nail into the coffin of President Barack Obama’s peace efforts. All Israeli settlement construction on occupied Palestinian land is viewed as a “breach of international law,” according to a 2004 ruling by the International Court of Justice.

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Haaretz probe: 'New' settlement permits aren't really new
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson - September 8, 2009 - 12:00am

At the West Bank city of Ariel's adventure park, whose construction Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved, nothing special was going on yesterday. Children were trying out the climbing wall and the mayor was walking around, proud as a groom on his wedding day. The facility was actually only approved yesterday, but has been in existence for a year and a half before receiving construction permits. In fact, a demolition order was issued against it.

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Infrastructure Minister Landau: Arabs are the occupiers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yuval Azoulay - September 8, 2009 - 12:00am

National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau on Monday lashed out at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan for a partial construction freeze in the West Bank, deeming the Palestinians "occupiers" and declaring any bounds on settlements a "violation of human rights." Right-wing lawmakers on Monday joined the crowds celebrating the establishment of a new neighborhood in the E-1 corridor connecting Jerusalem to its settlement suburbs. The ceremony was also attended by Supreme Court Judge Eliyakim Rubinstein and Information Minister Yuli Edelstein.

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IDF general: Israel incapable of West Bank pullout
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson - September 8, 2009 - 12:00am

Almost seven years after he was introduced to Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, initiated the establishment of the Sela disengagement administration to aid evacuees from Gaza and northern Samaria, and became one of the central figures behind the scenes in carrying out the plan - the head of the National Security Council at the time of the 2005 disengagement, Maj. Gen (res.) Giora Eiland, is convinced that Israel is incapable of evacuating settlements on the West Bank.

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New neighborhood launched in disputed E1 area
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
September 8, 2009 - 12:00am

"This is our answer to the international community's demand that Israel halt construction in the West Bank," Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism) said Monday during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new residential neighborhood in E1, a sprawl of land connecting Jerusalem to Maaleh Adumim. The US is opposed to any construction in the area, claiming that it hinders peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

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Lieberman: Despite settlement freeze, Right won't topple gov't
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
September 8, 2009 - 12:00am

The Right will not bring down Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's government, and Israel Beiteinu will not leave the coalition in the face of the anticipated six-month moratorium on new construction in the West Bank, Foreign Minister and Israel Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman said on Tuesday.

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The rise of Israel's military rabbis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by Katya Adler - September 8, 2009 - 12:00am

Military rabbis are becoming more powerful. Trained in warfare as well as religion, new army regulations mean they are now part of a military elite. They graduate from officer's school and operate closely with military commanders. One of their main duties is to boost soldiers' morale and drive, even on the front line. This has caused quite some controversy in Israel. Should military motivation come from men of God, or from a belief in the state of Israel and keeping it safe? The military rabbis rose to prominence during Israel's invasion of Gaza earlier this year.

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