Settlements | The American Task Force on Palestine

Palestinian sees no serious talks with Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Tom Perry - October 7, 2010 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Oct 7 (Reuters) - A senior Palestinian official said on Thursday he saw no hope of a serious peace process with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in some of the darkest comments to date on the U.S.-mediated talks. Yasser Abed Rabbo's remarks signalled deep Palestinian skepticism about the outlook for the talks, which began on Sept. 2 but have been on hold since an Israeli moratorium on new settlement building in the West Bank expired last week. The United States wants the talks to continue and has been trying to find a formula to save the negotiations.

News Analysis: What if current round of Israeli-Palestinian talks fail?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Adam Gonn, Geng Xuepeng - October 7, 2010 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The direct Palestinian-Israeli peace talks will remain at a standstill until Friday's meeting of the Arab League (AL) in Libya. The organization is due to decide whether or not to back Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' position not to continue with the negotiations until Israel extends its moratorium on construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, a 10-month freeze that expired on Sept. 26.

U.S. Believes Arab States Won’t Scuttle Mideast Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner, Mark Landler - October 7, 2010 - 12:00am

The Obama administration believes it has persuaded Arab states not to scuttle the fledgling Middle East peace negotiations, officials said Thursday, despite the Israeli government’s refusal to freeze Jewish settlements and a vow by the Palestinians to walk away if Israel did not. With the Arab League’s meeting on Friday expected to deliver a pivotal decision on the future of the talks, the United States has appealed to Jordan and other Arab nations to stop short of pushing the Palestinians to break off the negotiations.

No easing of Palestinian demand seen at Arab League
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Douglas Hamilton - October 7, 2010 - 12:00am

Arab League foreign ministers meet in Libya on Friday to hear Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's case for suspending peace talks with Israel until it extends a moratorium on settlement building in the West Bank. Launched in Washington just five weeks ago, the talks veered into a cul-de-sac on Sept. 26, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nentayhu refused to extend a halt to construction of Jewish settlements, which he had said would last 10 months.

Palestinians open to US proposal on settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Josef Federman - October 7, 2010 - 12:00am

The Palestinians said Thursday they have accepted a U.S. proposal calling on Israel to extend a West Bank settlement slowdown for two months, the latest indication that a deal is emerging to keep peace talks from collapsing. Israel has so far declined to extend the slowdown, despite American pressure and pledges. Negotiator Nabil Shaath said the period would be used to try to hammer out an agreement on a border between Israel and a future Palestinian state and another extension would be required if the sides failed to reach agreement.

Palestinians: Settlers picked our olives
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - October 6, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinians and settlers continue to clash over olive picking in the West Bank: The residents of a Palestinian village adjacent to Ramallah claimed that settlers trespassed onto their lands and picked their olive trees. The Palestinians also claimed they took pictures of the perpetrators during the act, reported official Israeli sources that confirmed the allegations. Opinion What about Jewish farmers? / Orit Struck Op-ed: Police protect Arab olive harvesters, but do almost nothing for Jewish farmers Full story

10 days after settlement freeze expires, 350 new units under construction
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson - October 6, 2010 - 12:00am

A Haaretz investigation reveals that since the building freeze in the West Bank was lifted ten days ago, bulldozers have been working furiously on the construction of 350 new housing units in various settlements. As the end of the freeze approached, the settlements have made great efforts to launch a massive building campaign in response. The Yesha Council has expressed satisfaction at the large amount of construction that has taken place so far.

Washington Watch: Israel needs a real foreign minister
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by D. Bloomfield - (Opinion) October 6, 2010 - 12:00am

It appears that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will once more be dragged kicking and screaming to the peace table. In exchange for briefly extending the settlement moratorium, he is expected to get a generous package of American military aid, weapons systems, security guarantees, and political backing for years.

Netanyahu, Abbas and the legitimacy deficit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Shlomo Ben-Ami - (Opinion) October 6, 2010 - 12:00am

Since its inception in Oslo almost two decades ago, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been stymied by the dysfunctional political systems of both sides. Hostage of an impossible coalition and of a settlement movement of freelance fanatics, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu's leadership is seriously compromised. His Palestinian counterparts are hardly in a better position.

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