May 4th

Jewish settlers blamed for West Bank mosque fire
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Mohammed Assadi - May 4, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinians accused Jewish settlers of setting fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, an incident that raised tensions as a U.S. envoy began a mission to get peace talks going. Israeli security officers were at the scene investigating the fire but have not determined its cause. Evidence was taken for forensic examination, an Israeli police spokesman said. The mosque in the village of Libban al-Sharqia, near the Palestinian city of Nablus, was gutted overnight by the blaze that also burned holy books.

»

Israel mulls wider Palestinian control in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Allyn Fisher-Ilan - May 4, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel is considering handing over security responsibilities to Palestinians in additional West Bank towns under U.S.-backed plans for resuming peace talks, Israeli and Palestinian security sources said. The sources named Abu Dis, a town at the edge of Jerusalem once seen as a possible Palestinian seat of government, as one of the more significant sites where Israel is weighing whether to soon permit armed Palestinian police to patrol.

»

Government backs settlement goods ban
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 4, 2010 - 12:00am

Following Israeli complaints about the Palestinian Authority ban on settlement goods in the West Bank, the Government Media Center issued a statement confirming that the "campaign is implementing the rule of law." In the statement, PA officials reiterated their commitment to "all economic agreements with Israel," but said authorities would not back down from efforts to replace the "illegal products of Israel’s settlement [with] legal Palestinian and other imported products."

»

PA security officials detained in Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 4, 2010 - 12:00am

Israeli forces detained seven Palestinian locals from several neighborhoods in Jerusalem on Tuesday at dawn, after they were accused of affiliation to the Palestinian Authority security forces. The seven detainees were at an Israeli court in Jerusalem on Tuesday afternoon, and are accused of affiliation to PA security. They were expected to be detained for nine days, but attorney Saleh Ayoub sought a shorter remand.

»

Framework Set in Mideast for Indirect Peace Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - May 3, 2010 - 12:00am

The prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, met on Monday with Egypt’s president, Hosni Mubarak, in the Sinai resort of Sharm el Sheik, and the Obama administration’s envoy arrived in the region amid final preparations for the start of indirect Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. The talks, expected in days, will be the first in more than a year. But the atmosphere in the region was hardly enthusiastic, with Israeli officials expressing skepticism about the prospects of a breakthrough and Palestinian officials warning Israel against taking any steps that could torpedo the talks.

»

Road to a one-state solution is paved with good intentions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Emile Hokayem - May 4, 2010 - 12:00am

An idea is gaining ground in the Arab world and beyond that the Palestinians are better off opting out of a frustrating peace process and that they should embrace the vision of a one-state solution. The emotional and intellectual appeal of a binational state of both Israelis and Palestinians is undeniable, especially for well-intentioned but distant academic and cultural elites. The argument speaks to a higher sense of justice and human dignity – that peoples can transcend their suffering and narratives to live side by side, forging a new identity.

»

Peace products
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
May 4, 2010 - 12:00am

The issue of settlements and their illegality under international law should dominate debate surrounding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and a return to negotiations. Israel’s refusal to adhere to international law or its previous commitments, particularly its obligation to freeze all settlement construction as stipulated under the 2003 road map, has led to a low point in relations with Washington. Israel’s policy of building settlements on occupied Palestinian land undermines prospects for peace, and continues at the expense of all Palestinians.

»

May 3rd

Kai Bird says Sheik Jarrah has come to symbolize everything that has gone wrong between Israelis and Palestinians. The LA Times looks at Israeli censorship policies, and at Pres. Obama's continuing popularity with Jewish Americans. The US is seeking to keep Israel's nuclear weapons off the table at the UN. Israel reportedly wants upcoming proximity talks to be "discreet." Hamas is short on cash. Settlers use new tactics against Palestinians. Shaul Arieli says PM Netanyahu must explain negotiations to the Israeli public. Pres. Abbas confirms negotiations will tackle all permanent status issues and seeks to expand "Area A." Israel says the PA boycott of settlement products will be raised in the talks. The BBC obtains key documents on the siege of Gaza. The Financial Times says Obama must insist on the outcome of negotiations. Walid Salem says despite obstacles, PA State building is moving forward. Omar Baddar profiles "Sleepless in Jerusalem and Gaza." John Mearsheimer says Israel will never allow Palestinian statehood and will turn into an apartheid state that will ultimately become dominated by a Palestinian majority, but Hussein Ibish says Mearsheimer is wrong and is using Palestinians as a foil in his feud with the pro-Israel lobby.

Mearsheimer's unhelpful, unrealistic and disempowering message to the Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ibishblog
by Hussein Ibish - May 3, 2010 - 12:00am

For the past couple of years Professor John J. Mearsheimer has spoken at many Arab and Muslim American events, and in most of them he sensibly urged Arab and Muslim Americans to seek a working coalition with Jewish Americans in favor of a two-state solution. In fact, he has been a strong advocate of a two-state solution. Until yesterday, that is. Speaking at the Palestine Center in Washington, Mearsheimer suddenly reversed himself with astounding claims of prescience bordering on clairvoyance. He flatly declared:

»

"The Future of Palestine: Righteous Jews vs. the New Afrikaners" with Professor John J. Mearsheimer
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Palestine Center
May 3, 2010 - 12:00am

Edited Transcript of Remarks by Professor John J. Mearsheimer Transcript No. 327 (29 April 2010) To view the video of this briefing online, go to http://www.palestinecenter.org The Palestine Center/Washington, D.C. 29 April 2010 Professor John Mearsheimer: It is a great honor to be here at the Palestine Center to give the Sharabi Memorial Lecture. I would like to thank Yousef Munayyer, the executive director of the Jerusalem Fund, for inviting me, and all of you for coming out to hear me speak this afternoon.

»


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