Middle East News: World Press Roundup

Departing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announces that Israel will cut off all direct or indirect government financing of illegal settlement outposts in response to rising violence by settler extremists (1). The International Herald Tribune profiles Israeli politician Yossi Beilin, who is set to retire from politics after February’s elections (2). An op-ed in the Economist surveys the prospects for peace talks under a new Israeli prime minister (3). The United Nations’ Middle East envoy condemns Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank (5). On the eve of United States elections, an op-ed by Ben Fishman in Al-Hayat assesses the future of U.S.-Middle East relations (8).

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Israel Acts to Cut Off Funds to Illegal Settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - November 2, 2008 - 8:00pm Ehud Olmert, the departing prime minister of Israel, announced a series of measures on Sunday in response to a rise in violence by extremist Jewish settlers in the West Bank, including a halt to all direct or indirect government financing of illegal outposts. The announcement amounted to an acknowledgment that public funds were still being spent on the outposts, contrary to government policy and despite a longstanding pledge to the United States to remove at least two dozen settlements immediately. » Read more

An Israeli dove's descent from politics ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Ethan Bronner - November 1, 2008 - 8:00pm For the last two decades, the easiest way to invoke dovishness in Israel has been to utter the words "Yossi Beilin." The politician who navigated mutual recognition between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in the early 1990s and has never stopped believing, Beilin has a unique place in the Israeli political galaxy, both admired and reviled for his relentlessness. » Read more

Tzipi or Bibi? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Economist October 29, 2008 - 8:00pm IT SEEMS to happen every time. The moment Israel comes close to getting a prime minister serious about making peace with the Palestinians, fate steps in to block the way. Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated; Shimon Peres was rejected by the voters; no sooner had Ariel Sharon come round to ceding (far too little) land for peace than he was felled by a stroke. » Read more

13 years after Rabin killing, Israeli spy chief warns of political murder by Jewish extremists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Matti Friedman - November 1, 2008 - 8:00pm The head of Israel's internal security service said Sunday he is "very concerned" that Jewish extremists could assassinate an Israeli leader in an attempt to foil peace moves with the Palestinians. There has been a recent increase in violence by hardline Jewish settlers in the West Bank, and this week, Israel marks the 13th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by an Israeli opponent of his negotiations. » Read more

UN envoy condemns Israeli resumption of Palestinian house demolitions in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press October 31, 2008 - 8:00pm The U.N.'s Mideast envoy said Saturday he was "alarmed" by Israel's decision to resume house demolitions in the West Bank. Earlier this week, Israel knocked down dozens of shacks in two West Bank villages, leaving dozens of Palestinians homeless. U.N. envoy Robert Serry said Israel agreed in April to halt the demolitions and he urged it to reinstate the moratorium. Israel's actions "send a discouraging signal" about Israeli support for efforts to improve living conditions in the West Bank and to build Palestinian backing for peacemaking, Serry added in a statement. » Read more

Abbas sees no peace deal with Israel this year ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters November 2, 2008 - 8:00pm Israel and the Palestinians will not be able to reach a peace agreement before Washington's target date of the end of this year, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday. "I don't think it's possible to clear an accord by the end of this year as both the U.S. and the Israeli administrations are now busy with other matters and the very short time does not allow for striking such a deal," Abbas said at the start of a two-day visit to Romania. » Read more

Hamas uneasy over Egyptian plan for unity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) November 2, 2008 - 8:00pm The Islamist Hamas movement expressed reservations Sunday over an Egyptian plan for reconciliation with the Fateh Party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. "The Egyptian plan is a document suggested for discussion and Hamas will not treat it as a final draft to be signed," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told reporters in Gaza City days before the factions were to meet in Egypt. » Read more

A New Era for America in the Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Ben Fishman - October 31, 2008 - 8:00pm No one knows exactly what will happen on November 4th when Americans vote for a new president, but all signs suggest that Senator Barack Obama will win the election. He is competing in several traditionally Republican states like Virginia and North Carolina and only needs to win one out of a number of swing states to secure victory. The Obama campaign has benefited from record-breaking fundraising and is reported to be outspending the McCain campaign on advertising by more than four times in Florida alone. » Read more

Yesh Din report: Only 8% of Palestinian complaints against settlers result in indictment ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz November 2, 2008 - 8:00pm The human rights group Yesh Din on Monday slammed the government for its "faulty" methods of dealing with settlers violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Only 8 percent of Palestinian complaints of settler violence results in indictment, according to the report, which was released on Monday. The report charges that the Appeals Department of the State Prosecution's office tends to "sweepingly accept the decisions of the police and district attorneys to close cases." Often cases are discounted due to lack of reliable evidence, said the report. » Read more

Fire in Hebron: Rightists burn Palestinian flag ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - November 2, 2008 - 8:00pm Several right-wing activists have been documented Sunday burning a Palestinian flag and trampling on it, while threatening Palestinian residents in the West Bank town of Hebron. The incident took place upon the beginning of a Palestinian Authority campaign aimed at "removing the siege from the heart of Hebron." The campaign aims to protest the roadblocks faced by residents within the city. Palestinians are upset that many roads are blocked to Palestinian movement and can only be used by Jewish settlers. » Read more

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