August 3rd

Dozens of MKs to Netanyhu: Solve Israel housing crisis by building in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Jonathan Lis - August 2, 2011 - 12:00am


Forty-two cabinet ministers and MKs, all members of the Eretz Yisrael Lobby, signed a petition addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, calling on him to solve the housing crisis that has swept up the country by building in the West Bank and Jerusalem.


Netanyahu's latest peace initiative not to bear fruits: analysts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Adam Gonn - August 3, 2011 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be willing to renew peace talks with his Palestinian counterpart in an effort to stave off a Palestinian bid for UN- backed statehood. The new negotiations would focus on a formula to set borders of an independent Palestinian state, Israeli officials told local media. They would also include Netanyahu's demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state, a demand that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has so far rejected.


Israel, US race to avert Palestinian UN bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Josef Federman - August 2, 2011 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM — Israel is working with the United States to find a way to revive peace negotiations with the Palestinians in a desperate attempt to avert a diplomatic showdown at the U.N. next month, an Israeli official confirmed Tuesday. The talks, meant to provide a framework for negotiations, are focusing on two of the most sensitive issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: the borders between Israel and a future Palestine, and Israel's demand that the Palestinians recognize the country as the Jewish homeland.


Court convicts Palestinian of settler family murder
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Maayan Lubell - August 3, 2011 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM, Aug 3 (Reuters) - An Israeli military court found a Palestinian man guilty of murdering five Israeli family members in the occupied West Bank in March, an army spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Hakim Awad, 18, was convicted on Tuesday after he admitted that he and his brother, who is also on trial for murder, had killed a Jewish couple and three of their children, one a three-month-old baby, in their home in the settlement of Itamar.


UNRWA: Clear link between settlements and demolitions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 2, 2011 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- The link between Israel's settlement expansion in the West Bank and the displacement of Palestinians from their homes is now "abundantly clear," UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said Tuesday. "Many displacements are taking place where settlements are expanding and with it we are seeing an upturn in vicious attacks by Jewish settlers. Palestinians are being thrown off their ancestral lands to make way for settlers," Gunness told Ma'an.


PA announces schedule for local elections in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 3, 2011 - 12:00am


RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Central Elections Committee on Tuesday announced its schedule for the upcoming local council vote, which will be held in the West Bank on October 22. The ministry said in a statement that registration would take place between August 13 - 17. A 10-day candidacy period would begin on September 6, the ministry added. The electoral campaign is scheduled for October 8 - 20, and results of the election will be announced 24 hours after voting closes, the statement added.


August 2nd

NEWS: The US and Israel say they are working on a new framework for negotiations. Israel bombs targets in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli museum in Jerusalem highlights work by artists from the Islamic world. Settlers are issued restraining orders to prevent planned attacks on Palestinians. Palestinian officials say mass protests are planned to coincide with a possible UN initiative in September. Occupation authorities worry about possible Palestinian use of arson. Palestinian police establish a radio station. The EU says it's contributing €22.5 million to help the PA pay salaries. Israel’s supreme court orders the dismantling of the largest settlement outpost. The UN says occupation zoning policies are driving Palestinians out of “Area C.” COMMENTARY: Gershon Baskin says Israel’s economic health depends on peace with its neighbors. Ben White says the Israeli left needs to wake up. Daniel Seidemann says the two-state solution is hanging on by its fingertips in Jerusalem. Mousa Qous says Israel takes a settler mentality in Jerusalem. The Daily Telegraph says PM Netanyahu is offering nothing new. Amos Oz says fanaticism is the underlying problem. Bloomberg looks at Middle Eastern commentary on possible Palestinian UN initiatives. Lara Friedman says Israeli protests highlight the costs of the occupation. Bradley Burston says the protests leave Netanyahu with only pursuing peace

U.N.: Zoning laws driving Palestinians out
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI)
August 1, 2011 - 12:00am


RAMALLAH, West Bank, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Restrictive zoning and planning rules by Israel are forcing Palestinians out of an area in the West Bank, a U.N. report released Monday indicated. The report said factors forcing Palestinians from "Area C" include difficulty in obtaining building permits, construction of a barrier, home demolitions and difficulty in accessing services such as schools and water, among other things, the United Nations said in a release.


Middle East peace process: Netanyahu offers much and nothing
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Telegraph
by Anthony Billingsley - (Blog) August 2, 2011 - 12:00am


Israel's Prime Minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, is reported to have offered to resume negotiations with the Palestinians to address the borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state. These negotiations would be based on the borders that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. According to media reports, Netanyahu would be willing to consider a formula on borders "that would be difficult for Israel to accept".


Israel's Supreme Court orders state to dismantle largest West Bank outpost
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson - August 2, 2011 - 12:00am


Israel's Supreme Court on Tuesday issued an unprecedented ruling ordering the state to dismantle the largest illegal settlement outpost in the West Bank by April 2012. The decision follows a petition filed by Peace Now movement. Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch harshly criticized the Israeli government for failing to dismantle the outpost of Migron, which is home to some 50 families, despite earlier promises it would do so and after it had admitted that it was in fact built on lands belonging to Palestinians.



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