Hillary Clinton headed to Mideast for talks
Media Mention of ATFP In Politico - September 14, 2010 - 12:00am

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launches an intense week of Middle East diplomacy in Egypt Tuesday, joining Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for their next round of face-to-face peace talks. She begins in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, then plans to move on to Jerusalem on Wednesday and the West Bank and Jordan on Thursday.

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Mitchell: Settlement freeze must continue
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Atilla Somfalvi - (Analysis) September 14, 2010 - 12:00am

SHARM EL-SHEIKH – US special envoy George Mitchell said Tuesday that the West Bank settlement construction freeze must continue, despite being a sensitive political issue in Israel. Speaking at a press conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Mitchell said the new round of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations was moving in the right direction, but offered no evidence of progress on the hard issue of Jewish settlements. He clarified that the parties must continue the negotiations, which would remain discreet, adding that the direct talks were crucial for both sides.

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Settlers receive 22% more budget grants than other Israelis, probe shows
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson<br /> - (Analysis) September 14, 2010 - 12:00am

Every Israeli settlement in the West Bank, including those that are relatively well-off, is entitled to receive a "balancing grant" from the Interior Ministry to help it balance its budget, even though such grants mainly exist to help less well-off communities.

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Israeli-Palestinian talks in Egypt address key issues of conflict
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - September 14, 2010 - 12:00am

Meeting in Egypt for their second peace summit in two weeks, Israeli and Palestinian leaders began discussing for the first time Tuesday some of the issues at the heart of a possible treaty, even as a dispute over settlement expansion clouds the future of the talks. Both Israeli and US officials sounded upbeat about the atmosphere at the talks in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. US peace envoy George Mitchell, who accompanied Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the summit, said the discussions of those core issues were "serious, detailed, and extensive."

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Palestinian 'all or nothing' strategy paralyzing peace talks, Israeli officials warn
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid<br /> - September 14, 2010 - 12:00am

The Palestinians' "all or nothing" strategy of insisting on a total freeze on West Bank settlement construction risks paralyzing Middle East peace talks in their infancy, officials close to the heart of negotiations warned Tuesday. As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Egypt for a second round of negotiations, senior officials inside Netanyahu's office said they expected the Palestinians to avoid extreme responses that could derail the U.S.-sponsored peace process.

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East Jerusalem housing plans cast new shadow over Israel-Palestinian peace talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Nir Hasson<br /> - September 14, 2010 - 12:00am

In a move that could strike a blow at already fragile peace talks, Jerusalem city planners will in the coming weeks discuss a scheme to build over a thousand housing units beyond the Green Line, Haaretz learned on Tuesday. At a U.S.-mediated summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said talks were being conducted in a "good atmosphere".

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Netanyahu and the freeze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Nahum Barnea<br /> - (Opinion) September 13, 2010 - 12:00am

You screwed up, Netanyahu can say to Barack Obama following the president’s call over the weekend to extend the settlement construction freeze. The construction was frozen for a limited period of time – 10 months. The American Administration chose to accept this timeframe. It cannot show regret as this period draws to an end and ask for more. It’s not serious or credible.

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Bedouin village razed for 5th time
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ilana Curiel - (Analysis) September 13, 2010 - 12:00am

Authorities are determined to demolish an unrecognized Bedouin village in The Negev – residents of the Bedouin village al-Arakib rebuilt their houses four times, after they were razed by The Israel Land Administration. 

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Hillary Clinton headed to Mideast for talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico
by Laura Rozen<br /> - September 13, 2010 - 12:00am

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launches an intense week of Middle East diplomacy in Egypt Tuesday, joining Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for their next round of face-to-face peace talks. She begins in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, then plans to move on to Jerusalem on Wednesday and the West Bank and Jordan on Thursday.

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Israeli enclave thrust into debate
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Joel Greenberg<br /> - September 13, 2010 - 12:00am

From the four-lane highway linking central Israel to this sprawling settlement town on the West Bank, drivers can see the distant towers of Tel Aviv and, beyond them, the shimmering sea. The enclave of Ariel, with its red-roofed homes, state-of-the art sports complex and tidy streets and parks, looks like an ordinary Israeli town, and feels that way to many of its 19,000 residents.

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