Israel hints it may retroactively legalize settlement construction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am The state prosecutor's representative twice hinted that construction in West Bank settlements might be retroactively legalized Wednesday, seemingly representing a major policy turnaround. The two responses are a departure from the state's usual response that the structures are illegal and are expected to be demolished. » Read more

Why I Wrote "What's Wrong with the One-State Agenda?" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum by Hussein Ibish - (Blog) September 2, 2009 - 12:00am Israel Policy Forum has very kindly asked me to contribute a blog posting about my new book, published by the American Task Force on Palestine, "What's Wrong with the One-State Agenda? Why Ending the Occupation and Peace with Israel is Still the Palestinian National Goal." It is now available for free download or hardcopy purchase from the ATFP website. » Read more

Israel building in West Bank settlements has dropped, new study finds ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press September 3, 2009 - 12:00am New figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics show that Israel's construction of new homes in West Bank settlements fell by one-third in the first half of 2009, compared to the same period in 2008. The numbers bolster settlers' claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has partially frozen settlement construction under U.S. pressure. The Central Bureau of Statistics said Thursday that housing starts dropped 34 percent to 672 housing units compared to 1,015 for the same period in 2008. » Read more

Israeli soldiers raid West Bank towns, seizing five Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 3, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli forces raided several Palestinians communities and seized five people in the West Bank on Wednesday night, Palestinian and Israeli sources said. In the Jenin area in the northern West Bank, Israeli forces detained three young men. According to Palestinian security sources, Israeli forces raided several houses in the eastern neighborhood of Jenin and seized Aybak Allam Abu Ali, 20. In neighboring Birqin village, Israeli soldiers detained Muhammad Basem Khalouf, 19, during a raid on his house, the security sources said. » Read more

High level PA panel to investigate "organ theft" claims ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 3, 2009 - 12:00am The Palestinian Authority (PA) is forming a high-level panel to investigate allegations that the Israeli military “stole organs” from Palestinian detainees, officials said on Thursday. The secretary general of the PA Council of Ministers, Dr Hassan Abu Libdeh, said that the committee has already started work by collecting all available information about the issue. He said the PA will take a sharp position on this issue, because, if true, the alleged events would constitute violations of human rights. » Read more

In Israel's Sderot, a reprieve from rockets, but not fear ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am During nearly a decade of intermittent attacks from Gaza, Mivtzah Kadesh Street became infamous in this battered town as a frequent target for rockets as well as a bombed-out backdrop for visits from foreign VIPs expressing solidarity. Now, eight months after Israel's Gaza offensive to punish Hamas for attacks, Sderot's wrecked homes have been largely rebuilt. But after eight years of being on constant alert for unpredictable rocket attacks, it has not been as easy for Sderot's 19,000 residents to restore their peace of mind. » Read more

Israelis and Palestinians talking again after months-long freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Richard Boudreaux - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am Reporting from Jerusalem - In a limited thaw of a frosty relationship, Israeli and Palestinian officials held their first high-level meeting in months Wednesday and discussed ways to bolster a promising economic recovery in the West Bank. The encounter was part of a shift by the West Bank-based Palestinian leadership, which previously shunned contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. That position was out of step with the Obama administration, which is seeking to bring the sides together. » Read more

Low Expectations May Be Helpful for Mideast Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am For a process that evokes little optimism on either side, there is an awful lot of diplomatic activity just now aimed at restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Two high-level Israeli officials are in Washington trying to finalize a modified settlement freeze with the American Mideast envoy George Mitchell. The Israeli national security adviser just visited the Jordanian capital to meet with King Abdullah. Hamas officials are in Cairo talking about what they want to release an Israeli soldier they are holding. » Read more

Low Expectations May Be Helpful for Mideast Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am For a process that evokes little optimism on either side, there is an awful lot of diplomatic activity just now aimed at restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Two high-level Israeli officials are in Washington trying to finalize a modified settlement freeze with the American Mideast envoy George Mitchell. The Israeli national security adviser just visited the Jordanian capital to meet with King Abdullah. Hamas officials are in Cairo talking about what they want to release an Israeli soldier they are holding. » Read more

U.S., Israel Grow More Confident of Talks with Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal by Charles Levinson, Jay Solomon - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am Optimism is growing within the U.S. and Israeli governments that direct peace talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the Palestinian Authority could begin as early as this fall, said diplomats involved in the process. Negotiations between the U.S. and Israel over freezing Israel's settlements in Palestinian territories remain contentious, and it isn't certain a compromise will emerge that will allow the three parties and Israel's Arab neighbors to move forward on other issues. » Read more