Israeli settlements an economic choice, says study
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
March 23, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel builds thousands of homes in the West Bank each year, with settlers drawn mainly by economic benefits, according to an analysis published on Tuesday by the Tel Aviv Macro Center for Political Economics and conducted by Dr. Roby Nathanson. The United States and European Union consider the settlements illegitimate and an obstacle to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. But Israelis are attracted by their offer of affordable housing in a pleasant landscape.

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Under blockade, coastal Gaza now a fish importer
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Karin Laub - March 2, 2010 - 1:00am

Under a sea blockade, the coastal Gaza Strip has now become a seafood importer. Its desperate fishermen — cut off from plentiful fishing grounds by Israeli patrol boats — have turned to sneaking into Egyptian waters in tiny motorboats to buy their catch and bring it home. Others bring in fish by land, in ice-packed plastic foam boxes pulled through smuggling tunnels from Egypt. And even though the Mediterranean is right on Gaza's doorstep, locals are creating fish ponds to provide Gaza's 1.5 million people their key source of protein.

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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 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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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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Are serious negotiations around the corner?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) February 25, 2010 - 1:00am

Palestinians and many others around the world are trying to figure out whether the current US-backed push to restart Mideast talks will lead to serious negotiations or will it be just another act that leads nowhere.

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‘Two-State Solution’ Faces a Patchwork of Challenges
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Jeffay - February 24, 2010 - 1:00am

As the Obama administration struggles to restart negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, a two-state solution remains the final goal, supported by governments in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Washington and Moscow. It enjoys at least lip service from everyone from Benjamin Netanyahu on the right to Noam Chomsky on the left. It is a term that has become as much mantra as policy.

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Jordan condemns Israel's plans to annex West Bank sites
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 22, 2010 - 1:00am

Jordan on Monday condemned Israel's plans to annex historical sites located in the West Bank to its heritage list, the state-run Petra news agency reported. On Sunday, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhau announced that Israel would annex Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi and Rachel's Tomb in Hebron in the West Bank. Al Haram Al Ibrahimi is one of the holiest shrines in Islam and Rachel's Tomb is known to the Muslim world as Belal Mosque. The two sites are scared to both Jews and Muslims.

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UN official "concerned" as Palestinians outraged over West Bank shrines
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 22, 2010 - 1:00am

A senior UN official on Monday voiced his concern over the Israeli government's decision to include two West Bank shrines into the Jewish state's list of heritage sites. In a statement sent to the media, Robert Serry, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said he was " concerned" since the two sites are located "in occupied Palestinian territory and are of historical and religious significance not only to Judaism but also to Islam, and to Christianity as well."

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Israel: Gaza crossing to stay shut as long as Hamas in power
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel - February 10, 2010 - 1:00am

The Israel Defense Forces has sharply cut back its activity around the Karni border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, and defense officials told Haaretz that the crossing, which was closed after Hamas took over the Strip in June 2007, is not slated to reopen in the future. Due to the structure of the crossing, it is at high risk for terror attacks, said an official. This, combined with the inability to coordinate operations with Hamas, led to its abandonment. "The Karni crossing won't resume operating," said one. "At least not as long as Hamas controls the Strip."

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