January 19th, 2011

Awaiting the final step ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by George S. Hishmeh - November 26, 2010 - 1:00am The longer the standstill in the peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority the further both are from a fair settlement and the more complex the terms will be in the future, especially now that Israel manages to up the ante almost daily. In the meantime, a war of words has emerged, among former US officials, some known to be sympathetic to Israel, and well-known commentators who regularly echo the Zionist position. » Read more

Israel allows Gaza flowers, strawberries export ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua November 25, 2010 - 1:00am Palestinian farmers in the Gaza Strip could ship flowers and strawberries to Europe though Israel starting from Sunday, Palestinian officials said Thursday. Gazans would be allowed to export their produce, by far only flowers and strawberries, through a commercial crossing between the Hamas-controlled territory and Israel, said Mahmoud Khalil, a representative of the farmers. It is the second year that Israel allows Gaza flowers and strawberries to be sold overseas since it imposed a nearly total blockade on Gaza in June 2007. » Read more

Israeli defense minister mulls unity government ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua November 25, 2010 - 1:00am Israel's Labor Party chairman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday suggested that the current Israeli government should be widened so as to move forward the peace process. "If this government can't move towards peace talks, we must consider widening it and making a national unity coalition," Barak said in a speech before the Pensioners' Union in Tel Aviv. "We joined the government so it would go in this direction, but we still haven't reached the goal," he added. » Read more

U.S. efforts to restart Mideast peace process stumbling ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Adam Gonn - November 26, 2010 - 1:00am Two months after the direct Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations broke down, effort by the U. S. to restart them seems stumbling. When Israel's 10-month freeze on Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank ended in September, so did the U.S.-sponsored peace talks between the two parties. The Palestinians insist that the negotiations can only be continued after settlement construction halts. » Read more

Gaza boy used as human shield: I'll always remember ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Jared Malsin - November 23, 2010 - 1:00am Majid Rabah, 11, says he will always remember the "black day" that Israeli soldiers ordered him to open bags they thought were rigged with explosives. "Every moment I remember what happened," he said in his home in Gaza City's Tel Al-Hawwa neighborhood Tuesday. An Israeli military court gave a suspended sentence and a demotion Sunday to the two soldiers who used Majid as a human shield, in a ruling he and his family said did not do justice to the trauma. » Read more

Islamist group angered over PA 'discrimination' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 26, 2010 - 1:00am Officials from the Islamist movement Hizb Ut-Tahrir (Liberation Party) in the West Bank accused the Palestinian Authority of carrying out politically-motivated arrests targeting members, a statement said Friday. PA assertions that security forces do not target Islamist parties are untrue, the statement said, adding that claims of non-bias by the Fatah-run government "are falsified by the realities on the ground." » Read more

Israeli forces re-take Nablus during op ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 26, 2010 - 1:00am Following an official hand over of military control to Palestinian Authority Security forces one week earlier, Israeli military vehicles were reported moving near the former government compound toward Joseph's Tomb. Informed Palestinian security sources said the Israeli military had informed the appropriate officials ahead of what was described as a "security activity" in the eastern sector of Nablus, in the region of the Balata refugee camp mid-morning on Friday. » Read more

GAZA STRIP: Italian minister calls for Israel to relax border restrictions ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Rushdi Abu Alouf - November 24, 2010 - 1:00am Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini toured the Gaza Strip on Wednesday and called on Israel to facilitate more movement of goods and people between the seaside enclave and the West Bank. During a visit to a U.N. school in northern Gaza Strip, Frattini said Israel must do more to open the crossings. "It is true that there have been improvements on the situation, but this is not enough." The Italian minister arrived after meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and a number of Palestinian officials, as well as leaders of Israel. » Read more

WEST BANK: Israel bulldozes Fayyad’s Freedom Road ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Maher Abukhater - November 25, 2010 - 1:00am On Sept. 1, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad celebrated with the residents of Qarawat Bani Hassan the inauguration of a mile-long road linking the small West Bank village to a spring its residents consider the lifeline of the community. It was called Freedom Road. While Fayyad was on a trip to Japan this week, hoping to get more funding for his two-year “Palestine: Ending the Occupation, Establishing the State” program, of which building that road was one project, Israel on Wednesday destroyed the road, which is located in Area C of the West Bank. » Read more

Western Wall Feud Heightens Israeli-Palestinian Tensions ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - November 25, 2010 - 1:00am The prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Thursday strongly denounced a Palestinian Authority paper that denies any Jewish connection to the Western Wall, the iconic holy site and place of Jewish worship in the Old City of Jerusalem, describing the report as “reprehensible and scandalous.” The episode appeared to signal a worsening atmosphere after a two-month hiatus in peace talks. » Read more