September 23, 2008 | The American Task Force on Palestine

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September 23, 2008

The Palestinian government receives pledges of almost $300 million in new aid (1). Yesterday?s incident in Jerusalem raises Israeli concerns over attacks in the city (2). The Angus Reid Global Monitor features a poll of Palestinian expectations for statehood (3), and an op-ed by Ali Jarbawi supports the results, calling for a new approach to state building (10). Israeli President Shimon Peres asks Kadima election winner Tzipi Livni to form a new government following Ehud Olmert?s resignation (7). Meanwhile, Livni assures the Palestinian Authority that peace talks will continue throughout this process (8).

Cash-strapped Palestinians get more aid pledges
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Haitham Haddadin, Sue Pleming - September 21, 2008 - 8:00pm

The cash-strapped Palestinian government on Monday received pledges of nearly $300 million in new aid on top of more than $7 billion promised last year, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said. "We are grateful for the expressions of additional support over and beyond the Paris pledges," Fayyad told a news conference following a meeting that discussed aid to the Palestinians on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

Israel fears rise of attacks from East Jerusalemites
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
September 22, 2008 - 8:00pm

Israeli media on Tuesday raised fears of a growing trend of attacks by Palestinians from east Jerusalem after a man rammed his car into a group of soldiers, injuring 13 people before being shot dead. Monday's was the latest incident involving vehicle attacks in the Holy City by Palestinians, sparking calls for stepped-up security and harsher punitive measures. The incident took place near Tzahal Square, just outside the 400-year-old walls of Jerusalem's Old City and a few hundred metres (yards) from Jaffa Gate, a major tourist thoroughfare.

Few Palestinians Expect to Form Own State
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Angus Reid Global Monitor
September 19, 2008 - 8:00pm

Few people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip expect to see the creation of a Palestinian state within the next five years, according to a poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research. 27.5 per cent of respondents believe the chances for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state next to Israel are medium to high, while 69.2 per cent are more skeptical.

Retrial of Hamas financing case begins in Dallas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Paul J. Weber - September 21, 2008 - 8:00pm

Federal prosecutors Monday started a second attempt to convict leaders of a Muslim charity on charges of financing terrorism after the first trial last year ended with a mistrial on most of the allegations. The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development is accused of funneling more than $12 million dollars to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which the U.S. government considers a terrorist organization.

Everyone Loses in the War of Silencing
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Mohammed Omer - September 22, 2008 - 8:00pm

So much is missing as you walk down the street along the shops of Gaza. Food and medicines kept out by the blockade enforced by Israel; but also newspapers once a part of the street landscape. Al-Hayat-Al-Jadeeda and Al-Ayyam, two newspapers loyal to Fatah, are not around any more. And for once, you couldn't blame the Israelis for censorship. Of the two big Palestinian territories, Gaza is ruled by Hamas, and the West Bank by Fatah. Fighting between the two groups has led to a silencing of voices on both sides.

A Strong Palestinian State Would Benefit Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times
(Editorial) September 22, 2008 - 8:00pm

The murderous attack in East Jerusalem by a man who deliberately crashed his car into a crowd of pedestrians near Jerusalem's Old City around 11 p.m., Monday night, wounding 19 people before being shot and killed by an off-duty policeman, underlines the urgency in finalizing peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Israel?s Livni Asked to Form New Government
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
September 22, 2008 - 8:00pm

Israel's President Shimon Peres asked Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Monday to form a new government, a day after scandal-plagued Prime Minister Ehud Olmert officially stepped down. Livni, 50, a former Mossad spy who replaced Olmert as head of the centrist Kadima party in a leadership vote on Wednesday, is hoping to become Israel's second woman prime minister after Golda Meir, who served from 1969 to 1974. "After consultations with the political parties, the president has asked Kadima party leader Tzipi Livni to form a government", public radio quoted an official statement as saying.

Livni assures PA talks will continue while she builds gov?t
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
December 31, 1969 - 8:00pm

Foreign Minister and new Kadima leader Tzipi Livni on Tuesday held her first meeting with chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala) since she was entrusted with the task of forming a government. Qurei said that in their Jerusalem meeting, Livni assured him that talks would continue while she puts together her coalition. "She stressed that she'll continue the peace process, and that if she forms the new Israeli government, there will be no conditions or obstacles to continue the peace process," Qurei told The Associated Press.

Israel may reduce goods entering Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Hanan Greenberg - September 22, 2008 - 8:00pm

The defense establishment is currently assessing the possibility of reducing commodities transferred daily to the Gaza Strip in an effort to press Hamas to proceed with negotiations on the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai confirmed this report in an interview with Ynet Tuesday, in which he said the matter would be discussed and possibly carried out in the coming weeks. Before the ceasefire the siege on the Strip was an important factor in halting the rocket fire towards Sderot and the Gaza vicinity towns.

A Precarious Coexistence?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ali Jarbawi - (Opinion) September 21, 2008 - 8:00pm

It is difficult to conceive of two more natural enemies than Hamas and the Zionist movement that dominates Israeli politics. In their different ways, each is rhetorically committed to the destruction of the other. However, their relationship is much more complex and symbiotic than a casual observer might expect.

Voluntary Evacuation and Compensation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Progress
by Colette Avital - September 23, 2008 - 12:00am

What challenges do settlements present and what is their impact on the peace negotiations?

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