Israel to Approve Flurry of West Bank Building
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - September 4, 2009 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will approve the construction of hundreds of new housing units in Israeli settlements in the West Bank in the coming days as a prelude to a building freeze of six to nine months aimed at restarting peace talks with the Palestinians, senior Israeli officials said on Friday. The plan is an attempt to ease pressure on Mr. Netanyahu from within his own Likud Party, which wants settlements to continue unimpeded, and from Washington, the Palestinian Authority and the rest of the Arab world, which want a total halt to such construction.

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Israel 'to back settlement work'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
September 4, 2009 - 12:00am

The prime minister is expected to back work on hundreds of new homes next week in addition to 2,500 units already being built, a senior aide said. He will then consider a temporary halt to settlement building, as requested by the US in a bid to restart peace talks. The news angered the Palestinians who said it was "absolutely unacceptable". "The only thing suspended by this announcement will be the peace process," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told the AFP news agency. 'Moratorium'

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Israel to approve hundreds of new settler homes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
by Marius Schattner - September 4, 2009 - 12:00am

Israel will approve construction of West Bank settlement homes before it considers a freeze sought by Washington, a top government official said on Friday, sparking Palestinian outrage. The plan is also certain to anger the US administration, which has pushed for a freeze of Jewish settlements in an effort to restart the stalled Middle East peace process. "In the next days the prime minister will approve construction starts and then he might consider a freeze for a limited time under certain conditions," the official told AFP, asking not to be identified.

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Aide: Netanyahu considering settlement freeze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Matti Friedman - September 4, 2009 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be willing to consider suspending construction in the West Bank for several months — but first plans to authorize hundreds of new apartments there, an aide said Friday. The U.S. has been pressing Israel to agree to a settlement freeze, and the Palestinians have said they would not resume peace talks unless Israel suspends construction on lands they want for a future state. Friday's statement was the first time an aide has said in the name of the prime minister's office that such a move could be imminent.

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Abbas sees Israeli settlement freeze by October
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
September 4, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Thursday that he hopes for Israel to agree to a settlement freeze on occupied Palestinian land by the end of September. "Concerning the peace process, we reaffirmed that we were entirely disposed to go forward with negotiations for the (Palestinian territories') final status if Israel stops settlement building," Abbas said. "This is the main concern of the American administration and of all of our European friends with France leading," he told a press conference alongside French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner as he began a visit to France.

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U.S., Israel Grow More Confident of Talks with Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal
by Charles Levinson, Jay Solomon - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

Optimism is growing within the U.S. and Israeli governments that direct peace talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the Palestinian Authority could begin as early as this fall, said diplomats involved in the process. Negotiations between the U.S. and Israel over freezing Israel's settlements in Palestinian territories remain contentious, and it isn't certain a compromise will emerge that will allow the three parties and Israel's Arab neighbors to move forward on other issues.

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Israel building in West Bank settlements has dropped, new study finds
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

New figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics show that Israel's construction of new homes in West Bank settlements fell by one-third in the first half of 2009, compared to the same period in 2008. The numbers bolster settlers' claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has partially frozen settlement construction under U.S. pressure. The Central Bureau of Statistics said Thursday that housing starts dropped 34 percent to 672 housing units compared to 1,015 for the same period in 2008.

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Israel hints it may retroactively legalize settlement construction
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

The state prosecutor's representative twice hinted that construction in West Bank settlements might be retroactively legalized Wednesday, seemingly representing a major policy turnaround. The two responses are a departure from the state's usual response that the structures are illegal and are expected to be demolished.

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Tell the settlers the truth
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

At a time when the Obama administration is seeking a way to impose a construction freeze in the settlements that will be acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians, in order to pave the way for the resumption of the political process, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking common ground with the settlers. According to the minutes distributed by the Prime Minister's Office after Netanyahu's meeting with the heads of the Yesha Council of settlements last month, the prime minister stated that, "We are all interested in the same thing," and then added, "But we must act wisely."

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At the expense of peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Michael Jansen - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has put the Obama administration in an awkward position by demanding a total halt to Israeli settlement construction and expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. He is simply echoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who initially called for a complete suspension of settlement activity, including completing, to accommodate “natural growth”, the 2,500 units under construction, and housing in East Jerusalem.

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