July 14, 2009

Middle East News: World Press Roundup

The American Charities for Palestine reports on the progress of a major public works project in the West Bank village of Beit ur al Tahta (1). Middle East Progress features a piece by Ian Bomberg examining the importance of economic growth in the West Bank (2). The Christian Science Monitor looks at visits being made by locally based U.S. diplomats to Israeli settlements (3). Quartet envoy Tony Blair praises recent steps taken by the Israeli government to ease the quality of life in the West Bank (6). The World Bank pledges $12.5 million for Palestinian Authority reconstruction operations in Gaza (7). Haaretz speculates on the slowed construction of the West Bank barrier wall (12).

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Phase I of Beit Ur Al Tahta Project Complete

American Charities for Palestine (ACP) is pleased to announce the completion of phase one of a joint infrastructure project in the West Bank village of Beit Ur al Tahta. CHF International is implementing the construction work in the area, which includes sidewalk and road electrification projects funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with ACP and funding from the Sheikh Mohammed Shami Foundation. USAID provided $250,000 through the Emergency Jobs Program (EJP) to the project.

One Piece of a Larger Puzzle

As the new U.S. administration lays the groundwork for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict, it is worth considering how such a process might unfold. On a recent visit to the West Bank and Israel, I witnessed the importance of an integrated approach that combines progress on political negotiations, implementation of Road Map obligations and day-to-day realities. Economic progress is a key component in this strategy and must be fostered, but development will only be sustainable and help bring an end to the conflict if it is carried out in concert with advancement on other fronts.

Why US diplomats are visiting Israeli settlers

While the Obama administration keeps up pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cap Jewish settlement expansion, locally based US diplomats are cultivating ties with the very communities they consider an obstacle to the creation of a Palestinian state.

Avigdor Lieberman: Politically Incorrect

For a man reputed to be Israel's biggest loudmouth, Avigdor Lieberman speaks softly. His flat, Russian-accented baritone rarely rises above a murmur. He's not a shouter. But when Lieberman talks, people listen — less because he is Israel's top diplomat than because of his knack for saying decidedly undiplomatic things. Lieberman believes that Israel's Arab citizens, who make up nearly 20% of the population, should be forced to sign oaths of loyalty. He has advocated the death penalty for Arab members of parliament who meet with members of Hamas.

Will EU Penalize Exports from Israeli Settlements?

The Israeli settlement known as Maale Adumim sits fortress-like atop a red stone plateau. In the Bible, the road to the plateau was known as the "steep red road."

As the largest Israeli settlement in the Palestinian-administered areas of the West Bank, Maale Adumim is home to 40,000 people. Bulldozers are clearing lots for new houses on its outskirts. Its population is growing by the week and, in recent years, it has grown faster than any other settlement.

Blair praises Israeli gestures to PA

Recent steps taken by Israel to improve the quality of life for Palestinians are not getting enough credit, Mideast envoy Tony Blair said.

Blair made the statements at a meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Silvan Shalom, minister of Regional Development in Jerusalem, Monday evening, Maariv said Tuesday.

Blair praised the recent removal of West Bank checkpoints and roadblocks by Israel and recent steps taken to boost the Palestinian economy, the paper said.

Gaza to Get $21.5 Million From World Bank to Rebuild

The World Bank pledged an additional $21.5 million for Palestinian Authority operations in the Gaza Strip, including the reconstruction of areas damaged during an Israeli military offensive in December and January.

The funds will be administered by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s staff under assessment by the bank, which has encouraged donors to channel funds through the Palestinian Authority’s budget and Central Treasury Account.

Israel rejects EU call for Palestinian state deadline

Israel on Monday rejected a European Union call for the United Nations to recognise a Palestinian state by a certain deadline even if Israel and Palestinians fail to agree on a peace deal.

"A peace agreement can come only following direct negotiations and cannot be imposed," Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told public radio.

Lieberman was commenting on a speech by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana in London on Saturday in which he called for the international community to set a deadline for recognising the state of Palestine.

Trading a settlement freeze for action on Iran, Arab ties

The fact that Israel and the United States have yet to reach an agreement on Jewish settlement growth in the West Bank is as much a question of wider Middle East concerns as about the settlement issue itself.

Israeli ships may have crossed Suez

Two Israeli navy ships made a rare crossing of Egypt’s Suez Canal today, headed from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea a source at the port said.

One of the ships, the Hanit, already crossed the canal both ways in June, in what the source said was the first case of a large Israeli warship using the strategic waterway, although this was not possible to confirm officially.

After fighting several wars since Israel’s foundation in 1948, Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979.

IDF thinks Israelis fabricated stone throwing incident

Three Israelis were wounded in car accident in the West Bank Monday night. One sustained serious injuries and the other two were lightly wounded. The men told security forces Palestinians in the village of Kifl Hares near the town of Ariel pelted their car with stones, but the police believe they were lying, because no signs of violence were found on their vehicle.

West Bank fence not done and never will be, it seems

Seven years after construction work began on the West Bank separation fence, the project seems to have run aground. Work has slowed significantly since September 2007, and today, after the state has spent about NIS 9.5 billion, only about 60 percent of the more limited, revised route has been completed.

Obama tries to allay US Jews' concerns

In their first official White House meeting, US President Barack Obama tried to reassure American Jewish leaders that there was a mistaken perception that the United States is pressuring Israel more than the Palestinians or Arab countries.

Obama considers visiting Israel

Instead, he spoke of the need for Palestinian and Arab leaders to take steps toward Israel, suggesting that effort would become more pronounced in the coming weeks and emphasizing his bedrock commitment to Israel's security, according to participants.

'Settlements aren't Obama's problem'

The Peace Now movement launched a new campaign on Tuesday, calling on Israelis to push for a freeze on settlement construction.

The campaign focuses around the slogan: "Settlements are not Obama's problem, not the world's problem, but your problem."

At a press conference held in Jerusalem Tuesday morning, Peace Now chair Yariv Oppenheimer said, "The Israeli public has been brainwashed, first by the Labor party, and then by Kadima, Likud and obviously the right-wing parties, that settlement building is in the nation's interest."

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