Jerusalem in the Here and Now
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Robert Blecher - (Opinion) February 12, 2013 - 1:00am

The brouhaha over Israel's recent settlement announcements faded as suddenly as it emerged. After the United Nations General Assembly vote on November 29, 2012 that granted Palestine non-member observer status, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized an aggressive push in and around East Jerusalem.

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Ahead of Obama’s visit to region, Israel advances plan to build in West Bank settlement
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
February 11, 2013 - 1:00am

An Israeli official says the government has given final approval for construction of 90 new homes in a West Bank settlement, a move that could cause tensions with the U.S. ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to the region. The official says the homes were first announced last year in an agreement with Jewish settlers in exchange for evacuating an unauthorized West Bank outpost. The government published its final approval on Sunday.

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Palestinian leadership condemns Israeli settlement plans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 11, 2013 - 1:00am

The Palestinian leadership said Monday Israel was signaling "negative" indications by planning more settlement constructions ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama 's visit. "This is another negative message to the U.S. administration," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said, speaking of Obama's upcoming visit to the region in March. "This is a deliberate declaration by the Israeli government that it insists to destroy what has been left of the peace process, " Erekat told Xinhua.

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Only by fear of international sanctions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yitzhak Laor - (Opinion) February 11, 2013 - 1:00am

It's doubtful if there was such foolishness in global politics since World War II as the settlement enterprise. The fact that the Israeli political leadership has engaged in it since 1967 makes the pill all the more bitter.

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Israeli troops block Palestinian protest camp near Hebron
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
February 9, 2013 - 1:00am

The Israeli military prevented Palestinians from setting up an encampment on Saturday to protest at Jewish settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, land where they seek statehood.

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Netanyahu aides deny he is considering settlement freeze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - February 8, 2013 - 1:00am

  Sources in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bureau denied Thursday that he is considering another freeze on settlement construction in an effort to jump-start negotiations with the Palestinians.

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Lapid and Bennett – a love story
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Ben Caspit - (Opinion) February 8, 2013 - 1:00am

The only thing that I can do better than being foreign minister, says Yair Lapid, is to be chairman of the opposition. Lapid does not fear the opposition. In fact, the opposite might be true. If he were to join the government, it would be hard to meet expectations. He has made promises, and now he would need to follow through with them. In Binyamin Netanyahu’s government, so far not one person has actually kept his or her promise (including Netanyahu himself).

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By ignoring international law, Israel is only hurting itself
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Ruth Gavison - (Opinion) February 8, 2013 - 1:00am

Israeli government officials are absolutely correct to point out that the UN Human Rights Council is a biased, anti-Israeli body. Nevertheless, one shouldn’t ignore the recent report on West Bank settlements which was written on its behalf, since it reflects the maturation of a prolonged process, typical of international law.

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Who Did the Jewish Settlers Vote For?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Ori Nir - (Opinion) February 8, 2013 - 1:00am

How did Benjamin Netanyahu do in West Bank settlements? Considering his party’s pro-settlement policies and the staunch pro-settlement positions of its leading Knesset members, you’d expect Netanyahu’s Likud-Beiteinu list to perform better among West Bank settlers than it did in Israel proper. It didn’t. Surprising as it may be, overall, only 19 percent of the settlers’ vote went to Likud-Beiteinu, compared to 23 percent of the overall Israeli national vote, according to official Israeli data.

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Netanyahu's top security adviser: Settlements impede Western support of Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson, Barak Ravid - February 7, 2013 - 1:00am

The construction in West Bank settlements is causing Israel to lose the support even of its best friends in the West, National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror was quoted as warning in recent weeks.

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