Arab homes in East Jerusalem to be demolished: Israeli minister
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 13, 2010 - 12:00am

"Illegally built" Arab homes in East Jerusalem will be razed "in the coming days," Israeli Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said Wednesday. Aharonovitch revealed the plan in response to an inquiry by a Likud legislator during a plenary session of the Knesset, or Israeli parliament.

»

Israeli ministers squabble over East Jerusalem construction
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 13, 2010 - 12:00am

Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Eli Yishai said on Thursday that he would continue approving construction plans in contested areas of Jerusalem, including the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood. "There is not and never has been a freeze on construction in Jerusalem, nor will there ever be," Yishai told his Shas Party newspaper, "day by day." Concerning the Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks, American officials on Thursday asked both sides to refrain from what they termed "provocative" moves, but Yishai said that Israel would not accede to U.S. demands.

»

Hypocrisy Now!: The Pro-Israel Crowd's Sins of Omission
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Sasha Polakow-Suransky - (Opinion) May 12, 2010 - 12:00am

I have always admired Jeffrey Goldberg and Jonathan Chait for their generally thoughtful commentary on the Middle East and their refusal to follow in the footsteps of more knee-jerk pro-Israel commentators. Until now. On Friday and over the weekend, Goldberg and Chait responded to a Yediot Ahronoth story claiming to have unearthed evidence of Richard Goldstone's past as an apartheid-era judge, digesting it almost completely uncritically.

»

Olmert speaks out against proximity talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Atilla Somfalvi - May 11, 2010 - 12:00am

While under investigation over his alleged involvement in the Holyland affair, Former Prime Minster Ehud Olmert on Tuesday questioned the effectiveness of proximity talks with the Palestinians and said that "anything less than direct talks – is not as good." During a speech at the Social Economic Forum named after Benny Gaon in Tel Aviv, Olmert said that "there was no need for a referee between us and the Palestinians.

»

Obama asks Abbas to prevent anti-Israel incitement
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from
by Yitzhak Benhorin - May 11, 2010 - 12:00am

US President Barack Obama Tuesday asked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to prevent anti-Israeli incitement during indirect peace talks and said he would welcome him at the White House "soon." During a phone conversation between the two leaders, Obama also expressed appreciation for Abbas' recent decision to appear on Israeli television, and said he would hold both the Palestinians and the Israelis accountable for any actions that undermine the proximity talks.

»

Israel gets accepted into OECD after unanimous vote
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - May 10, 2010 - 12:00am

The 31 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Monday unanimously voted in favor of accepting Israel as a member of the group, a senior Jerusalem source said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene a special press conference at 4 P.M. to discuss Israel's admittance into the Paris-based international economic group. Israeli officials have said acceptance would be an important stamp of approval for the country's economy, boosting its credit rating and strengthening ties with foreign investors.

»

'Ruling others erodes our global status'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
May 10, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel’s continued control over the Palestinians is eroding Israel’s global standing, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday. “We won’t give up anything connected to security, but it’s important to say that continuing to control another nation is very problematic,” he said at the Labor faction meeting. “We can reach an agreement to end this without sacrificing our security. “ Saying that ruling over the Palestinians “causes our erosion internationally,” Barak called for Israel to present a peace plan “on all diplomatic issues.”

»

Gold stones, glass houses
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Sasha Polakow-Suransky - (Opinion) May 10, 2010 - 12:00am

The Israeli government has it in for Richard Goldstone. Ever since Goldstone, a Jewish South African judge, issued a report in September charging Israel (and Hamas) with war crimes during the January 2009 invasion of Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attacked him -- and his report -- as a grave threat to Israel's legitimacy. On Thursday, leading Israeli government officials escalated their campaign against Goldstone, accusing him of sending 28 black South Africans to their deaths while serving as a judge during the apartheid years.

»

A PALESTINIAN VIEW: The price of indirect talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Mkhaimar Abusada - May 10, 2010 - 12:00am

The PLO Executive Committee's decision to approve so-called proximity talks between the Palestinians and Israelis marked a shift in Palestinian politics. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had previously stated that there would be no talks with Israel until it halts all settlement expansion, including in East Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, has not veered from his vow that building in Jerusalem is just like building in Tel Aviv.

»

AN ISRAELI VIEW: The best of a bad lot?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Gilead Sher - May 10, 2010 - 12:00am

The good news first: after more than a year wasted over trial and error in United States foreign policy, President Barack Obama has set the Israeli-Palestinian process back on track. The bad news is that for the first time in close to two decades, Israelis and Palestinians will be talking indirectly to one another.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017