Barkat to suspend Silwan plan at PM's request
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Roni Sofer - March 2, 2010 - 1:00am

About an hour before Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat intended to present his full plan for the al-Bustan neighborhood in Silwan, which is in the city's east, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked him Tuesday to allot more time to try and reach an understanding with the Silwan residents regarding demloshing their houses for the project. Barkat heeded the prime minister's request.

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Palestinians on Silwan: Barkat responsible for potential flare up
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - March 2, 2010 - 1:00am

In a conversation with Ynet on Tuesday, Hatem Abdel Kader, who holds the Jerusalem portfolio in the Fatah movement, said, "Nir Barkat will bear the responsibility for the conflagration that will occur in the city if his plan is carried out." According to Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat's plan, 20 buildings scattered throughout the western section of the Silwan neighborhood will be demolished so that an archeological park can be built in their stead. In exchange, the evacuated buildings' residents will receive permits to rebuild up to four-storeys in the eastern section of Silwan.

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US slams new east Jerusalem homes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
March 2, 2010 - 1:00am

The United States criticized Israel on Monday for authorizing 600 new housing units in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Ze'ev, describing the move as "counter-productive." "We've relayed our strong concerns to the government of Israel, that this kind of activity, particularly as we try to relaunch meaningful negotiations is counter-productive and undermines trust between the parties," said State Department spokesman Philip Crowley.

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Dubai cracks down on Israelis after killing of Hamas operative
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Howard Schneider - March 2, 2010 - 1:00am

In Israel's quest for normal ties with the Arab world, the United Arab Emirates has been among the few countries to offer a slight opening. It allowed an Israeli cabinet minister to attend an energy conference, let an Israeli tennis star play in a recent tournament, and offered a wink and a welcome to Israelis arriving with U.S., European or other third-country passports.

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Israel has its faults, but apartheid isn't one of them
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Richard Cohen - (Opinion) March 2, 2010 - 1:00am

Toward the end of last year, Jimmy Carter apologized for some of his very harsh statements about Israel. In an "open letter to the Jewish community" -- and with a vagueness that ill becomes him -- he airily mentioned criticisms that "stigmatize Israel" but omitted his own contribution: the implication that Israel is, like the racist South Africa of old, an "apartheid" state.

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In Hebron, PA cabinet criticizes Israeli heritage list
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 2, 2010 - 1:00am

In what was billed as a move to support the city, the Palestinian Authority cabinet held its weekly session in the Hebron Municipality Hall on Monday, protesting Israel's decision to include the Ibrahimi Mosque on the list of its national heritage sites. Under pressure from settlers, Israel listed Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque and Bethlehem’s Rachel’s Tomb as national “heritage sites” slated for renovation last week, sparking Palestinian protests.

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EU: Israeli heritage list 'hinders peace efforts'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 2, 2010 - 1:00am

The EU criticized on Monday Israel’s decision to list shrines in Bethlehem and Hebron as national heritage sites. The spokesperson of Catherine Ashton, the EU’s high representative for Foreign Affairs and security policy said in a statement, "The High Representative regards the recent decision by the Government of Israel to add sites in Hebron and Bethlehem to the list of Israeli national heritage sites as detrimental to attempts to relaunch peace negotiations.” “The European Union calls on Israel to refrain from provocative acts,” the statement added.

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Supreme Court abetting, not curbing, illegal settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - March 1, 2010 - 1:00am

Next week will be five years since the publication of the report on the outposts by former top prosecutor attorney Talia Sasson at the request of prime minister Ariel Sharon. That report was released in the wake of the government's decision to adopt the road map for peace, according to which it undertook to "immediately dismantle" all the illegal outposts established after March of 2001. The document listed 24 such outposts and noted that the vast majority of them are located, at least in part, on private Palestinian land.

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Will Israel heritage sites spark next Palestinian intifada?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - March 1, 2010 - 1:00am

Amid spreading Palestinian protests against Israel's decision to declare shrines in two West Bank cities as Israel heritage sites, the Palestinian cabinet held a solidarity meeting Monday in the city of Hebron near one of the sites while some here worried about a new Palestinian intifada. Clashes on the Temple Mount plaza in Jerusalem's Old City Sunday capped a week of violence since the declaration of Hebron's Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem as official Israel heritage locations.

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US answers not yet enough for Mideast talks-Dahlan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Ali Sawafta - March 1, 2010 - 1:00am

A Palestinian official said on Monday the United States had yet to give adequate answers to Palestinian queries on a proposal for indirect negotiations with Israel. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, facing U.S. and Israeli calls for an immediate resumption of peace talks, had asked the United States to clarify its proposal for indirect negotiations. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week she hoped talks would start "shortly". But Mohammed Dahlan, senior official in Abbas's Fatah party, said the U.S. clarifications received so far were not enough.

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