Daily News Feed

Stream ATFP's Middle East News: World Press Round up and stay up to date with the latest news concerning the Isareli-Palestinian issue.

Browse the World Press Round Up Archives


Proximity talks begin. PM Netanyahu appoints an Arabic-language spokesperson. Israel bombs two Gaza tunnels. Palestinian refugees say UN food aid is greatly reduced. Palestinians claim new settlement activity is the first violation of negotiation conditions. Kadima leader Livni hints at a possible coalition with Netanyahu. Israel is unanimously accepted into the OECD. Akiva Eldar says everyone should by Palestinian and not settlement products. Daoud Kuttab says Israeli maps obliterate Palestine. The US says Israel has agreed to delay the Ramat Shlomo project for at least two years. Israelis worry Americans support for their nuclear policy is eroding. Ha'aretz requests official documents on the 1948 Deir Yassin massacre. Asharq Al-Awsat interviews Pres. Abbas. The Jordan Times is skeptical about indirect initiations, but the Arab News says low expectations may be useful. Moshe Yaroni says Israeli democracy is threatened by the Kamm affair and the secret arrest of Palestinian-Israeli activist Ameer Makhoul, which Israeli media is banned from reporting.
Roger Cohen says Israelis are trapped between security and anxiety. The Washington Post profiles Israeli settlement activity in Jerusalem. In a new poll, 60% of Palestinians favor proximity talks, huge leads for Fatah over Hamas. The Arab Bank closes two out of three Gaza branches due to Hamas policies. Bethlehem prepares for the second Palestine Investment Conference. Special Envoy Mitchell meets PM Netanyahu. Hamas condemns Pres. Abbas for opposing violence. Ha'aretz analyzes the list of goods banned from Gaza by Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry is working closely with an ultra-right wing organization on Palestinian "incitement." Israel's Vice-Premier says talks are doomed to failure. Avi Shlaim and Simon Mohun say the OECD must put conditions on Israel's membership. An Israeli general is accused of a cover-up in the death of Rachel Corrie. Patrick Seale says the US extracted valuable concessions from Israel but Palestinians may squander them. Rami Khouri looks at the debate on the pro-Israel lobby. George Hishmeh says Walt and Mearsheimer disagree about the viability of a two-state solution. Daoud Kuttab says Arabs are pessimistic about Israel but see hope in the US. Alon Ben-Meir says Arab states should re-prioritize the Arab Peace Initiative.
The American Jewish community and its leadership are at odds on Israel. The Washington Post warns against "blunt pressure" on Israel. Israeli authorities say a fire at a West Bank mosque was deliberately set, bolstering Palestinian claims of settler arson. Settlers plan to disrupt negotiations, set to begin in days. PLO officials accuse Israel sabotaging talks, and say US credibility is at stake. Ha'aretz says time is not on the side of Israel as a Jewish, democratic state. President Abbas accuses Hamas of smuggling arms to the West Bank. Gideon Levy says with friends like Elie Wiesel, who only want to perpetuate the occupation, Israel does not need enemies. Settlers wish destruction on DM Barak's home. Judge Goldstone says his loyalty was to truth, justice, but Deputy FM Ayalon compares him to a Nazi. The National profiles the PA boycott of settlement products, which is also being taken up by Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the Jordan Times praises the boycott and says Arab states should work to extend it to Europe.
Mohammad Mustafa says the international community, and particularly the Quartet, must show more political will to promote Palestinian state building and development. Palestinians angrily accuse settlers of torching a West Bank mosque. As proximity talks are set to begin, Israel is highlighting Palestinian "incitement," but Yossi Alpher says this campaign is hypocritical. The PA says all Palestinian laborers must stop working in settlements by the end of 2011. Palestinian nonviolent protesters, including children, face Israeli prison terms. PLO factions struggle to form a united list for municipal elections. An Israeli court asks why an unauthorized outpost has not been dismantled. Amira Hass says ordinary Israelis are perpetuating the occupation. Israel says it's planning a new West Bank train network linked to Israeli railways. David Axelrod says Pres. Obama agrees negotiations should not start with Jerusalem. Giora Eiland says talks are bound to fail. Two Israeli soldiers are indicted for using a 10-year-old boy as a human shield during the Gaza war. Warm relations have apparently been restored between the White House and major Jewish groups. Rami Khouri lists 10 reasons why proximity talks should not be dismissed. Osama al-Sharif says the region cannot continue suspended between no war and no peace.
Proximity talks are set to begin, but Israeli intelligence says Pres. Abbas is preparing for their failure. Israelis harshly criticize a PA ban on settlement goods, but the PA insists on the legitimacy of the ban and the Palestinian Economy Minister defends the ban in the Jerusalem Post. PA security officers are arrested in Jerusalem by Israel. Israel considers expanding areas of Palestinian control in the occupied West Bank. Palestinians accuse settlers of setting fire to a mosque. Hamas fears an economic crisis could spark a revolt in Gaza. Settlers continue to expand unauthorized outposts. The UK has refused to accept the new Mossad representative after expelling its predecessor. Six Palestinian MKs who traveled to Libya are under heavy criticism after returning to Israel. Emile Hokayem says the one-state agenda is a romantic but dangerous fantasy. Adel Safty says PM Netanyahu's stated positions do not allow for any progress.

American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017