UN Secretary General: Israel must halt settlement building
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
July 22, 2009 - 12:00am

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon joined international pressures on Israel to freeze building in West Bank settlements. He said that he calls upon the government of Israel to fulfill its obligations to place a moratorium on the building, according to a letter read in his name at the UN session on Palestinians in Geneva. In his letter, Ban added that Israel must desist from unilateral moves in Jerusalem, such as destroying houses.


Report says Israel is subsidising settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Vita Bekker - July 22, 2009 - 12:00am

In another sign of Israel’s continuous support for Jewish settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, a new report yesterday showed that the settlements obtain a significantly higher share of government funds than municipalities in Israel overall.

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EXCLUSIVE: U.S., Israel at odds over 2003 settlements accord
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times
by Eli Lake - July 22, 2009 - 12:00am

Israeli officials Tuesday accused the Obama administration of failing to abide by an agreement allowing settlement construction, but a key Israeli negotiator said the deal was never implemented. The unfinished negotiation between the administrations of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President George W. Bush has contributed to rising tensions between the two allies since the Obama administration took office.

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EXCLUSIVE: U.S., Israel at odds over 2003 settlements accord
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In The Washington Times - July 22, 2009 - 12:00am

Israeli officials Tuesday accused the Obama administration of failing to abide by an agreement allowing settlement construction, but a key Israeli negotiator said the deal was never implemented. The unfinished negotiation between the administrations of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President George W. Bush has contributed to rising tensions between the two allies since the Obama administration took office.

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U.S. Pressure On Jewish Settlements Spurs Sales
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from National Public Radio (NPR)
by Peter Kenyon - July 22, 2009 - 12:00am

Relations between the Obama administration and the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continue to worsen over Israel's refusal to halt new construction in Jewish settlements. But as the Obama administration continues to press for a freeze to all new units, real estate agents are reporting a rush to buy apartments both in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. Real Estate Boom

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'Gov't spent 22.3% more on settlements'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Tovah Lazaroff - July 22, 2009 - 12:00am

In past years, the government has spent 22.3 percent more on municipal budgets in the settlements than it has on such budgets within the Green Line, according to a new report issued Tuesday by the Israel European Policy Network. It explained how in 2002, the state provided 34.7% of the municipality budget for communities within the Green Line, and 57% of settlements' municipal budgets. Roby Nathanson, who coauthored the report for the policy forum, told The Jerusalem Post that the breakdown was similar in 2007. The Finance Ministry could not be reached for comment.

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IDF: No plans for lightning evacuation of outposts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Hilla Medalia - July 21, 2009 - 12:00am

The Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday that it had received no orders from the political echelons for a lightning evacuation of West Bank outposts, and denied having begun preparatory operations for such a move. Amid the increased tension between the United States and Israel surrounding construction in the settlements, Haaretz learned that the Israel Defense Forces was drafting a plan to evacuate 23 illegal outposts in one day.

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Amar: US settlement policy contravenes Torah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Matthew Wagner - July 21, 2009 - 12:00am

In his first public declaration on Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, Chief Sephardi Rabbi Shlomo Amar called this week on American Jews to explain to the Obama administration the religious obligation of every Jew to live in every part of the Land of Israel.

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Is Israel serious about closing 23 fringe settlements?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - July 21, 2009 - 12:00am

A reported Israeli plan to forcibly evacuate 23 unauthorized settler outposts in a single day could finally fulfill a promise that successive Israeli governments have made to Washington, while minimizing the violence and bad public relations that have marred previous evacuations.

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'No difference to U.S. between outpost, East Jerusalem construction'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar, Barak Ravid - July 20, 2009 - 12:00am

The United States views East Jerusalem as no different than an illegal West Bank outpost with regard to its demand for a freeze on settlement construction, American sources have informed both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

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