Settlements | The American Task Force on Palestine

Clinton: Talks only way forward
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
October 21, 2010 - 12:00am

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Israel and the Palestinians on Wednesday there was no "magic formula" to break an impasse over peace talks, but said hard work could still yield a deal. Clinton, speaking to a Palestinian advocacy group that supports a peaceful end to the conflict, said both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas remained committed to a two-state solution despite a standoff that threatens to torpedo the US-brokered peace talks less than two months after they were launched.

Clinton: We promise not to 'turn our backs' on Palestinians or Israelis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Paul Rogin - October 21, 2010 - 12:00am

In a rousing 30-minute speech Wednesday night, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton implored attendees at the annual gala for the American Task Force on Palestine not to give up on the struggling Middle East peace process, despite past, current, and future obstacles.

Settlers Race to Build Units in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - October 21, 2010 - 12:00am

Less than four weeks since the end of Israel’s building freeze in the West Bank, hundreds of units are under construction in dozens of settlements there, settler leaders and anti-settlement advocates said Thursday. Foundations have been dug for 300 units and work is under way on a couple of hundred more, they report, many of the units in smaller settlements that would be most unlikely to remain as part of Israel in any future two-state deal with the Palestinians.

Just Knock It Off
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Thomas L. Friedman - (Opinion) October 21, 2010 - 12:00am

Some of Israel’s worst critics are fond of saying that Israel behaves like America’s spoiled child. I’ve always found that analogy excessive. Say what you want about Israel’s obstinacy at times, it remains the only country in the United Nations that another U.N. member, Iran, has openly expressed the hope that it be wiped off the map. And that same country, Iran, is trying to build a nuclear weapon.

Netanyahu: Settlements no threat to peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 21, 2010 - 12:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that construction in existing West Bank settlements "does not contradict the aspiration for peace and an agreement." Addressing the Knesset at a session to mark the 15th anniversary of the assassination of late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Netanyahu said the partial settlement freeze was a temporary "gesture."

Settlers torch, vandalize Nablus school
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 21, 2010 - 12:00am

A group of Israeli settlers broke into an all girls' school in the Nablus districton Wednesday, setting fire to its storehouse containing furniture and unused sports equipment, the headmistress said. Maysoon Sawalha said the cleaning woman at the school in As-Sawiya village arrived to find the lock on the main door broken as well as that of the storehouse, and all its contents were torched. The fire did not spread to the rest of school because the water main is located in the storehouse, she said, adding that "otherwise the whole school would have been set on fire."

Clinton: Talks absolutely necessary for Middle East peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
October 21, 2010 - 12:00am

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that the direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians are "absolutely necessary" to achieve Middle East peace. Clinton made the remarks as she addressed a pro-Palestinian group, the American Task force on Palestine, in Washington. "Negotiations are not easy, but they are absolutely necessary. It is always easier to defer decisions than it is to make them," Clinton said. She admitted that there is no "magic formula" to break the current impasse of the talks regarding the settlement issue.

Settlers have broken ground on nearly 550 West Bank homes since end of freeze, survey shows
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
October 21, 2010 - 12:00am

Israeli settlers have begun building new homes at a quick pace since the government lifted its moratorium on West Bank housing starts - almost 550 in three weeks, more than four times faster than the last two years. And many homes are going up in areas that under practically any peace scenario would become part of a Palestinian state, a trend that could hamper U.S.-brokered peace talks. According to an Associated Press count, ground has been broken on 544 new West Bank homes since September 26, when Israel lifted its 10-month freeze on most new settlement building.

However wonderful they may be, settlers are an insurmountable obstacle to peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - (Analysis) October 20, 2010 - 12:00am

Last week I was invited to visit the Hayovel neighborhood in the West Bank settlement of Eli (erected on the 50th anniversary of Israel's establishment). This neighborhood includes several structures that were likely built on Palestinian land and are slated for demolition, pending a court ruling.

Clinton urges Arabs to give more money to Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
October 20, 2010 - 12:00am

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday urged Arab countries to offer greater financial support to the Palestinian Authority. "It takes more than plans and commitments to support making the state of Palestine a reality," Clinton told the annual dinner of the American Task Force on Palestine, a pro-Palestinian group which calls for a Palestinian state. The chief US diplomat paid tribute to the Palestinian Authority's efforts, saying it needs a "larger, steadier, and more predictable source" of financial support.

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