January 20th, 2011

Israeli army to discharge soldier in mistaken killing of Palestinian
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Joel Greenberg - January 19, 2011 - 1:00am

The Israeli army said Wednesday that it will discharge a soldier for fatally shooting a 66-year-old Palestinian man in his bed in the West Bank city of Hebron during an early-morning roundup of Hamas militants on Jan 7. The man, Omar al-Qawasmeh, was killed by special forces troops who apparently mistook him for a militant who lived in the same building. Qawasmeh's wife said he had been sleeping and she was praying when soldiers came to their bedroom and immediately opened fire.

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Israeli Soldier Discharged Over Killing of Unarmed Palestinian
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - January 19, 2011 - 1:00am

The Israeli military announced Wednesday night that a soldier’s military career had been terminated after the fatal shooting of an unarmed 65-year-old Palestinian man in his bed during an arrest last week in the West Bank city of Hebron. Soldiers apparently mistook the man, Omar al-Qawasmeh, for a Hamas militant whom they had come to arrest, and who lived in an apartment in the same building.

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January 19th

Israel has a mixed blessing in the GOP midterm successes. Palestinians issue a report questioning the history of the Western Wall. Israel refuses to allow Palestinians to use a road they have built in Area C. Italian officials call for easing restrictions in Gaza. Occupation forces seize parts of Nablus. Islamists claim the PA is discriminating against them. A Gaza boy recalls being used as a human shield by Israeli troops. Israeli plans for a train line deep into occupied territory spurs Palestinian concerns. US efforts to restart peace talks stumble. DM Barak says the Israeli cabinet may have to change. Israel will allow limited exports from Gaza. Activists try to reenergize the Israeli left. AB Yehoshua says Zionism is not an ideology. Settler schools agitate against any settlement freeze. Israeli scholars say Jews are now a minority between the river and the sea. Two new books look at the refugee issue. Khaled Diab says the EU should pressure Israel on peace. The Forward says the proposed settlement freeze deal is bad for both Israel and the US. George Hishmeh says it's high time for the UN to include Palestine as a member state.

Memories and maps keep alive Palestinian hopes of return
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Ian Black - November 26, 2010 - 1:00am

Refugees remain the most intractable issue of the Middle East conflict, as two new books show A Palestinian girl at a refugee camp in Jordan. 1948 is a key date in Palestinian collective memory. Memories and maps feature prominently in the experience of Palestinians – a people scarred by dispossession, dispersion, occupation and profound uncertainty about their future. So amid the latest wrangling over the stalled peace talks with Israel come two sharp reminders of the depth of the conflict and how difficult it will be to resolve.

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'Jews now a minority between the River and the Sea'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gil Shefler - November 26, 2010 - 1:00am

Jews no longer constitute a majority in the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, according to an expert on Jewish demographics. Prof. Sergio DellaPergola of the Hebrew University told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that Jews – as defined by the government – now number less than half of the total population in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

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How the EU could entice Israel to seek peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Khaled Diab - November 26, 2010 - 1:00am

Making Europe's cosiness with Israel dependent on commitment to fair peace would be more effective than a blunt boycott In Israel, the European Union is often regarded as too pro-Palestinian. But it would be a mistake to see the occasional criticisms of Israel delivered by European politicians as a sign of anti-Israeli sentiment. It may come as a surprise, for instance, to learn that the EU – not the United States – is Israel's main trading partner, with a relationship worth a handsome €20bn (£17bn) per year.

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Settlers to teach school kids about 'evils' of moratorium
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Akiva Novick - November 25, 2010 - 1:00am

A new Yesha Council initiative will bring the movement opposing the West Bank construction moratorium into the classroom: Elementary and high schools in Judea and Samaria will hold a special lesson next week on the "damage and consequences of the construction freeze." Tens of thousands of students attending 60 Judea and Samaria schools are set to take part in the project. Schools in the Ariel and Ma'aleh Adumim settlements and in haredi towns will not participate. Homeroom teachers in charge of the lesson will independently convey to the students their own opinions on the moratorium.

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Zionism is not an ideology
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by A.B. Yehoshua - November 26, 2010 - 1:00am

Recently there has been exaggerated, misleading and perhaps even harmful use of the concept of "Zionism." The problem is prevalent both in Israel and outside the country; in the nationalist camp, the religious camp and the Labor movement; among liberals and ultra-nationalists; among Diaspora Jews as well as non-Jews; and mainly among Arabs.

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A Dangerous Link
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Forward
(Editorial) November 24, 2010 - 1:00am

The Obama administration’s offer of a package of advanced weaponry and military assistance worth billions of dollars in return for an Israeli commitment to freeze settlement construction for just three months marks a troubling development in the relationship between the two allies. There’s a reason that this deal has drawn criticism from an unusual chorus on both the left and the right among Americans who care about Israel’s security. It’s not beneficial to either nation.

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Left standing: Signs of life in Israel's peace camp
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Shay Fogelman - November 26, 2010 - 1:00am

The road to the settlement of Kedumim passes through the center of the village of Al-Funduq. There's hardly any traffic there; the few cars that have to pass through the village drive very fast. It's only 8 P.M., but there's not a soul to be seen. The road that cuts through the village provides a livelihood for those who own or work in shops along it, but once darkness falls, it becomes dangerous for locals, too. A person could get run over, or stopped for inspection by a military patrol, and in the past there have also been violent raids by settlers there. It's best to stay home.

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