Israelis: No halt to east Jerusalem construction
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Amy Teibel - May 13, 2010 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hawkish coalition partners vowed Thursday to keep building Jewish settlements and demolishing unauthorized Palestinian homes in contested east Jerusalem — despite indications the Israeli leader has put the brakes on both. The United States opposes both at this delicate time, when indirect talks between Israelis and Palestinians have just begun. The remarks by Netanyahu's partners show the thin tightrope he has to walk in trying to address the conflicting demands of his political allies at home and Israel's strongest ally abroad.

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PNA accuses Israel of putting obstacles before Mideast peace process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 13, 2010 - 12:00am

A senior Palestinian official on Wednesday accused Israel for putting new obstacles before the Middle East peace process, saying that Israel is not serious in resuming peace talks. Nabil Abu Rdeina, spokesman of the Palestinian president, slammed the earlier statement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he said that Israel will go on with settlement activities in East Jerusalem.

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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.

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Israel has broken another promise
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) May 13, 2010 - 12:00am

As Palestinians and Israelis take their first steps in resuming much-delayed peace negotiations, there is strong evidence emerging that the hawkish government of Benjamin Netanyahu is about to break its promise to hold off on its illegal expansionist plans in the Occupied Territories.

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Incitement Day in Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) May 13, 2010 - 12:00am

For a long time now, Jerusalem Day has served as an excuse for the far right to excoriate Arab residents of the city's eastern part and violently demonstrate their presence in their neighborhoods. But this year, the baton of incitement has passed from the delusional fringes to the very heart of the political arena - the government.

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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.

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Thus spoke the dairy farmer
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yoel Marcus - May 13, 2010 - 12:00am

Many years ago, the incumbent chief of staff spoke at a prestigious club that used to host a prominent government figure every Friday. Mostly, reporters were also invited, and if there were no scoops to be had, at least they got a nice free lunch. I was present at that luncheon, and the CoS spoke such a lot of nonsense that I wrote a critical piece about his speech. Astonishingly, the military censor blue-penciled the whole article.

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Fatah: Israel planning mall in East Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 12, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel is planning to build a shopping mall in East Jerusalem on three dunums of land owned by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Endowments, behind the US Consulate, Fatah Jerusalem Affairs official Hatem Abdul Qader said Tuesday. The land's trustee was handed down administrative orders, including eviction notices, from the director of the Israel Lands Administration, claiming the land as government owned rather than residential, Abdul Qader said.

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Jerusalem residents attack writer Elie Wiesel over appeal to Barack Obama
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Chris McGreal - May 12, 2010 - 12:00am

An extraordinary row has broken out between Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor, author and Nobel peace prize winner, and a group of Jewish residents of Jerusalem over who speaks for the future of the disputed city.

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Israel to demolish West Bank construction freeze violations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson - May 11, 2010 - 12:00am

The Civil Administration is planning to raze buildings in 46 locations in the northern West Bank where violations of the freeze on settlement construction were found to have occurred. According to a document obtained by Haaretz, the plan includes razing six foundations for buildings in the settlement of Yitzhar. A law enforcement source told Haaretz that efforts to raze structures erected in violation of the freeze will be expedited in the near future, due to Israel's desire to show that it is serious about the freeze now that proximity talks with the Palestinians are beginning.

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