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President Abbas reportedly tells President Obama he may not run in scheduled Palestinian elections if Israel does not begin to cooperate on peace talks, and PLO officials complained that Israel is portraying the Palestinians as "untrustworthy bastards." The New York Times highlights isolation and despair among professionals in Gaza, while the PA tries to prevent Israel's closing of Gaza's main fuel terminal.Hamas reportedly eases strict enforcement of religious social conservatism. Two Israeli soldiers are injured in the process of demolishing a Palestinian home. Reuters' Alastair Macdonald explains the intense restriction of movement in the West Bank. Israeli settlers begin their annual attacks on the Palestinian olive harvest. Amnesty International accuses Israel of withholding water from Palestinians in the West Bank. An Israeli army judge claims that all Jews have a religious right to West Bank land and Palestinians have none. The Guardian profiles Palestinian American comedienne Maysoon Zaid who performed at the ATFP Gala earlier this month.
Tensions again mount in occupied East Jerusalem as Israeli police clash with Palestinian demonstrators, and Jewish extremists call for building a "Third Temple." Lally Weymouth of the Washington Post separately interviews Prime Ministers Fayyad and Netanyahu, as well as President Peres. President Abbas says his decision to schedule Palestinian elections for January is "irrevocable," leading to considerable speculation in the Arab press about the consequences. J Street's first annual conference opens amid controversy. The Israeli cabinet sets up a team to consider responses to the Goldstone report. Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan claims that Israeli Foreign Minister Lieberman "threatened to use nuclear weapons against Gaza." Jordan and Israel mark 15 years of cold but stable peace.
Judge Goldstone asks the United States to clarify its concerns about his report into the Gaza war. Secretary of State Clinton reports modest progress on Middle East peace to President Obama, but Special Envoy Mitchell says he is "not in the slightest discouraged." The LA Times profiles a new Palestinian version of Sesame Street. Israel confirms increased settlement activity including in outposts. Protesters assail former Prime Minister Olmert in San Francisco after a similar incident in Chicago. Foreign Minister Lieberman complains that the PA cannot negotiate with Israel locally and combat it on the international stage simultaneously. The Israeli High Court of Justice orders the IDF to allow Palestinians to drive on some "Jewish-only" roads in the West Bank. The BBC profiles costs to the people of Gaza from Hamas rule. In Foreign Policy, Rebecca Abou-Chedid says Arab and Jewish Americans can and should work together to promote Middle East peace.
A new poll of Palestinian public opinion finds strong support for Fatah, Pres. Abbas, Prime Minister Fayyad, new elections and the West Bank police. Israel launches another attack on Gaza smuggling tunnels, but the border area has become a shopping hub. US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice says that Israel must do more than pay "lip service" to the peace process. Egypt continues to press Hamas to sign a national reconciliation agreement, with the PA vowing to call new elections. The Independent profiles the plight of Palestinian refugees in Arab states. The Forward examines Robert Wexler's surprise move from Congress to the think-tank world. In the Daily Star, Ghassan Rubeiz highlights innovations in Arab and Jewish American activism being pioneered by J Street and ATFP.
Israel hardens its stance on the Goldstone report and will seek to change the international laws of war, although its cabinet is split on an internal independent inquiry. China joins Russia and the US in pledging to block consideration of the report at the Security Council. Goldstone writes that Israel could defuse the crisis by launching its own internal investigation. Pres. Abbas says that he will announce elections for Jan. 24, despite objections from Hamas. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat says the US should blame Israel for stalled peace talks. Prime Minister Fayyad reiterates that the occupation must end. The JTA analyzes the tense Obama-Netanyahu relationship. An original ATFP translation of an article printed in several Arab newspapers by Khairallah Khairallah and another from the Arab News profile last week's ATFP Gala.
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