December 3rd

Shattering Israel's image of 'democracy'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Ben White - (Opinion) December 3, 2009 - 1:00am

A struggle over land, home demolitions, and an Israeli government working with Jewish agencies to "develop" the land for the benefit of one group at the expense of another. It could be a picture of the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, but in fact, it's inside Israel – in the Negev. The Negev, or al-Naqab in Arabic, is an area that since the inception of the state has been targeted by Israeli governments, along with agencies like the Jewish National Fund (JNF), for so-called "development".

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Crisis Spurs Migration to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal
by Sarah Toth Stub - December 3, 2009 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM -- Immigration into Israel and the Palestinian West Bank is surging after the financial crisis and economic downturn evaporated jobs elsewhere. After years of a brain drain from the region, and despite the lack of a peace settlement, by the end of this month about 4,000 North American Jews will have immigrated to Israel this year, an increase of 33% over 2008 and the most in one year since 1973, according to Nefesh B'Nefesh, an organization that oversees and assists with immigration to Israel from North America.

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War zone 2.0
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gwen Ackerman - December 3, 2009 - 1:00am

A new IDF unit formed to help fight the nation's public-relations war is recruiting and training soldiers for the virtual battlefields of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. "The Internet, and especially social networks, Web 2.0 and bloggers, are an increasingly important and powerful way to disseminate information," said Sgt. Aliza Landes, who heads the unit, which was formed in September. "Facebook has the same number of subscribers as the entire population of the US and provides a new opportunity for us to reach audiences we wouldn't reach otherwise," she said.

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Boycott revival?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Jon Haber - December 2, 2009 - 1:00am

After a three year slumber, the divest-from-Israel "movement" in the US is making an attempt at self-resurrection. It remains to be seen if history will repeat itself this time as tragedy or farce.

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Progress Requires Patience, Compromise and Courageous Leadership
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Progress
(Interview) December 1, 2009 - 1:00am

What is the significance of the Israeli government’s announcement on a settlement construction freeze in the West Bank? What are your next steps now that the Israeli government has made this announcement?

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There’s no turning back
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Shimon Shiffer - (Opinion) December 2, 2009 - 1:00am

It was hard to believe the prime minister Tuesday evening when he declared that the settlement freeze is a temporary one-time move, to be followed by resumed construction; a statement he made in a bid to mitigate the anger of the settlers. However, it appears that nothing is more permanent than the temporary: This assumption may turn out to be accurate in respect to the cabinet’s decision to freeze settlement construction for 10 months.

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Barak: Settlements are part of Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Tal Rabinovsky - December 3, 2009 - 1:00am

Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with four West Bank council heads in his office on Wednesday, and stressed to them that "the settlement blocs are an inseparable part of Israel in all future negotiations with the Palestinians. The Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea are regions that are dear to my heart." Present at the meeting were Alfei Menashe Council head Hasdai Eliezer, Megilot Council head Mutzi Dahman, head of the Jordan Valley Regional Council David David Elhayani, and Oranit Council head Shumi Langer.

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Israel forces detain Jewish settlement mayor
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Richard Boudreaux - December 3, 2009 - 1:00am

Israeli security forces arrested the mayor of a Jewish settlement Wednesday as he and other residents tried to prevent government inspectors from entering the community to enforce new restrictions on building in the West Bank. The skirmish in Beit Aryeh was the most serious in five days of confrontations across the territory between a government that appears intent on limiting settlement growth over the next 10 months and a settler movement determined to defy the effort.

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Israel Arrests Settlers Fighting Freeze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - December 2, 2009 - 1:00am

EFRAT, West Bank — The Israeli police made their first arrests on Wednesday as part of the state’s effort to enforce a temporary construction freeze in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, briefly detaining the mayor of a settler council and at least two Jewish protesters. Both sides are trying hard to show how determined they are — the state in enforcing the moratorium, and the settlers in thwarting the state’s plans.

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December 2nd

Clashes occur in occupied East Jerusalem as Jewish settlers continue to evict Palestinian families, and a new report finds that Israel canceled Jerusalem residency for thousands of Palestinians in 2008. The EU has proposed recognizing East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital and strengthening Palestinian institutions in the occupied city. Bethlehem shopkeepers are hoping for a more prosperous Christmas. Israel's consul general to the Pacific Northwest says his country wants peace. Israeli settlers continue to vow to defy the building moratorium and scuffle with building inspectors and Palestinians. Public building in the West Bank has dropped 60% since Netanyahu took office. Speculation continues about the potential inclusion of jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti in a possible Israel-Hamas prisoner exchange, with the possibility that he also may be exiled. Hamas says one of its fighters has been killed. Foreign Policy magazine has included PM Salam Fayyad in its list of 100 leading global thinkers. David Makovsky argues that both Netanyahu and Abbas need to be strengthened in order for peace to proceed. The JTA profiles the "Islamic Movement" organization among Palestinian citizens of Israel.

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