May 19th

Report: 1,500 new settler homes ready for approval ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 19, 2011 - 12:00am The Planning and Building Committee for the Jerusalem municipality will discuss Thursday plans to build 1,500 new Jewish-only housing units in illegal settlements of Har Homa and Pisgat Ze'ev. Both settlements are built on lands occupied by Israel in 1967, and are at least partially constructed on privately owned Palestinian property. » Read more

Settlement Row May Steal Obama's Thunder ATFP World Press Roundup Article from SkyNews by Dominic Waghorn - May 19, 2011 - 12:00am A new settlement row threatens to overshadow a key speech on the Middle East by US President Barack Obama and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to America. Har Homa The settlement of Har Homa on the outskirts of east Jerusalem Controversial plans to approve 1,608 new homes in east Jerusalem will be discussed as Mr Netanyahu boards a plane to fly to Washington DC. One plan involves carving into a picturesque hillside overlooking the West Bank town of Bethlehem to create 1,000 new homes for Jewish settlers near to the settlement of Har Homa. » Read more

Arab Spring Spurs Israel to Ice Peace Plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Jonathan Ferziger - May 19, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been preparing to greet President Barack Obama at the White House tomorrow with a proposal to resurrect Middle East peace talks, advisers said. That was until Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas this month signed a reconciliation accord with Hamas -- classified as a terrorist group by Israel and the U.S. -- and dozens of Palestinians from Syria breached a border May 15, with similar efforts on three other fronts. Netanyahu decided, his advisers said, that peace talks can wait. » Read more

The Middle East mess ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times (Editorial) May 19, 2011 - 12:00am The solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is really not so far out of reach. The outlines of a reasonable two-state compromise have long been known, and a couple of reasonable people could work out the remaining details tomorrow. But for stubbornness, cynicism, fear and violence, it probably would have happened years ago. » Read more

Abbas taking greater risks as he tries again to unify Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - May 18, 2011 - 12:00am The last time he tried a high-stakes balancing act with rival Hamas, he famously plunged off the wire. After the militant group won parliamentary elections in 2006 and was promptly boycotted by Israel, the U.S. and Europe, an attempt at a unity government unraveled into open warfare between the rival Palestinian factions. » Read more

Israel's Barak says Netanyahu must take 'daring' steps toward peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - May 19, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Wednesday that a "daring" peace initiative by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vital to his country's security and international standing, and that without one, Israel could face increased isolation and mass popular protests. His comments came as Netanyahu embarks on a diplomatic mission Thursday to the United States, though American and Israeli officials alike have sought to lower expectations that the visit would lead to a breakthrough restarting of U.S.-brokered peace talks. » Read more

Mahmoud Abbas’s formula for war ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Jackson Diehl - (Opinion) May 18, 2011 - 12:00am Middle East diplomacy is settling into a familiar pattern. Desperate to jump-start an Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the Obama administration and its European allies are piling pressure on Israel’s Binyamin Netanyahu, demanding that he offer a plan, concessions — something — that will provide the basis for starting negotiations with Palestinians. » Read more

Making the Land of Israel Whole ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Danny Danon - (Opinion) May 18, 2011 - 12:00am OVER the past few months, analysts in Israel and abroad have warned that Israel will face what Defense Minister Ehud Barak has termed a “diplomatic tsunami.” In September, the Palestinian Authority plans to bring the recognition of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 boundary to the United Nations General Assembly for a vote. The Palestinians’ request will almost certainly be approved. » Read more

Making the Land of Israel Whole ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Danny Danon - (Opinion) May 18, 2011 - 12:00am OVER the past few months, analysts in Israel and abroad have warned that Israel will face what Defense Minister Ehud Barak has termed a “diplomatic tsunami.” In September, the Palestinian Authority plans to bring the recognition of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 boundary to the United Nations General Assembly for a vote. The Palestinians’ request will almost certainly be approved. » Read more

Welcome Palestinian Unity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Mustafa Barghouthi - (Opinion) May 19, 2011 - 12:00am The Israeli government regrettably does not seem to realize what a unique opportunity the Palestinian unity agreement provides. This agreement presents, for the first time in decades, a unified, moderate Palestinian consensus, which includes Fatah, Hamas and the democratic camp. From a Palestinian perspective, this fruit of the Arab Spring and a post-Mubarak Egypt is a vital development as we seek to move beyond internecine strife and focus on the need to end the Israeli occupation and secure our freedom. » Read more