Settlements | The American Task Force on Palestine

U.S. "deeply disappointed" at Israeli housing plans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico
by Laura Rozen - (Analysis) November 8, 2010 - 1:00am

The United States expressed deep disappointment over Israeli government plans to build 1,300 new housing units in contested East Jerusalem, the State Department said Monday. "We were deeply disappointed by the announcement of advanced planning for new housing units in sensitive areas of East Jerusalem," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told journalists Monday. "It is counterproductive to our efforts to resume direct negotiations between the parties."

Netanyahu pushes East Jerusalem settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Americans For Peace Now
by Lara Friedman - November 8, 2010 - 1:00am

Netanyahu's undeclared period of self-restraint in Jerusalem appears to have come to an end. No new tenders for construction in East Jerusalem had been issued since Vice President Biden's fateful visit to Jerusalem last March, nor had any new construction plans been deposited for public review since that time. Until now. On Thursday of last week new tenders were for the construction of an additional 238 residential units in Pisgat Zeev and Ramot.

After GOP victory, emboldened Israel declares new building in East Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - November 8, 2010 - 1:00am

Israel has published plans to build about 1,300 new housing units in East Jerusalem neighborhoods, a move that highlights US-Israeli differences just as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the United States to huddle with Obama administration officials. Skip to next paragraph View gallery: Israeli settlements Related Stories Israelis launch their own tea party ahead of US elections As stonethrowing escalates, Israeli police round up Arab children in E. Jerusalem Oil and gas discoveries produce potential Israel-Lebanon flash points

Netanyahu strikes a deal on Israeli settlements – could it freeze peace, too?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - November 5, 2010 - 12:00am

Tel Aviv Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, long caught between intensifying US demands and the restlessness of his right-wing allies, appears to have struck a deal to delay Israeli settlement expansion without unsettling his government. Mr. Netanyahu's security cabinet is expected to narrowly approve a three-month Israeli settlement freeze in the West Bank, in exchange for US promises of $3 billion in military aid and a commitment not to support any United Nations resolution recognizing Palestinian sovereignty.

Israelis mull leaving settlers in Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Amy Teibel - November 5, 2010 - 12:00am

It has become an article of faith in the Israeli-Palestinian equation: Israel's withdrawal from occupied lands must be accompanied by a removal of Jewish settlers. But perhaps there's another option. Although it's hardly mainstream thinking, voices on both sides are quietly contemplating an alternative: Perhaps some Jews can live in a future Palestine, even if only in small numbers, the way Arabs live in Israel.

PA court to hear first settlements case
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 4, 2010 - 12:00am

The first case of smuggling goods from settlements into West Bank shops was filed in a Bethlehem court Wednesday, in a move that will test a new Palestinian Authority law prohibiting the sale of such products. Although customs officers have patrolled West Bank shops and detained several people since the law went into effect over the summer, the case of the Bethlehem merchant will be the first to see the inside of a courtroom.

Egypt intelligence chief to visit Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 3, 2010 - 12:00am

Egyptian intelligence chief Omer Suleiman will arrive in Israel on Thursday in an attempt to break an impasse in Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, news reports say. Suleiman is to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to discuss ways of resuming negotiations, Egyptian reports said. Suleiman is expected to explain to Israeli officials that the impasse will result in violence that will harm both Palestinians and Israelis. News of Suleiman's visit was first reported Monday by Israeli media.

Interview: Palestinians prepare to discus with AL on peace standstill
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Omer al-Othmani, Osama Radi - November 3, 2010 - 12:00am

A senior Palestinian official said Tuesday that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) planed to discuss with the Arab League the stalled peace process. Nabil Shaath, a Palestinian negotiator and a member of the Fatah party's central committee told Xinhua in an interview that the worst option of this plan is to resolve the PNA and the resignation of PNA President Mahmoud Abbas.

PLO official: Dissolving PA an option
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 2, 2010 - 12:00am

PLO negotiator Nabil Sha'ath said Tuesday that dissolving the Palestinian Authority would be considered as a last resort if efforts to end Israel's occupation failed. The Fatah official told Ma'an radio that if the PA was unable to meet its responsibilities, it would be shameful to retain authority. "Its decisions are shot down by the occupation, as the people of the West Bank can’t visit Gaza and Gazans can’t live in the West Bank. It is not permitted for anyone to build a new Palestinian village or city, which is unacceptable."

Video: Inside ATFP Gala 2013

Photo Gallery: ATFP Gala 2013

Recent News