December 4th

Middle East conflict: it's time for Europe to suggest its own path to peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Ian Black - (Opinion) December 3, 2012 - 1:00am Israel's ambassadors to Britain and France must have spent an uncomfortable few minutes on Monday as they were called in to hear of official displeasure in London and Paris at their government's decision to expand settlements in a key area of the occupied West Bank. Sweden, Denmark and Spain also summoned Israeli envoys for a slap on the wrist. Even Germany, often cautious about criticism of Israel, issued a public protest. » Read more

Encountering Peace: The stage is set for the final act ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) December 3, 2012 - 1:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech at the UN was a bad one. I could explain that he was speaking to his own public after a war in which Palestinians were killed, and his people were angry. I could point out that throughout the world experts noted that the one real loser of the Gaza war was Abbas and his Palestinian Authority. » Read more

Both sides at fault ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Emanuel Rosen - (Opinion) December 4, 2012 - 1:00am Remember November 2012. Remember the month in which Bibi and Lieberman gave Hamas the seal of approval and essentially affixed the state of Hamastan in Gaza. » Read more

Netanyahu's missed opportunity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Shlomo Avineri - (Opinion) December 4, 2012 - 1:00am Following is the speech that the prime minister of Israel should have delivered at the UN General Assembly after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' address: "I would like to congratulate the president of the Palestinian Authority on the courageous step you took. In coming to the UN General Assembly seeking recognition of Palestine as a nonmember state, you have embarked on the path toward a historic compromise between the Jewish national movement - Zionism - and the Palestinian national movement. » Read more

Reckless behavior ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) December 4, 2012 - 1:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to freeze the transfer of funds to the Palestinian Authority and build 3,000 housing units in the West Bank is nothing less than reckless behavior. The decision to punish the PA has provoked a confrontation with the international community, which voted overwhelmingly to accept the Palestinians as a nonmember observer state at the United Nations. » Read more

Why did Israel kill Jabari? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Reuven Pedatzur - (Opinion) December 4, 2012 - 1:00am The real story behind Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza has not yet been investigated, but now that the explosions have stopped, we are obligated to delve into the truth. The decision to kill Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari, which was the opening shot of the operation, was made even though he was involved in negotiations on signing a long-term cease-fire agreement. » Read more

Mr. Netanyahu’s Strategic Mistake ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times (Editorial) December 3, 2012 - 1:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel seems determined to escalate a crisis by retaliating against the Palestinians after the United Nations General Assembly voted to elevate Palestine to observer state status. Instead of looking for ways to halt a downward spiral, Mr. Netanyahu on Monday defiantly dug in on his plans to build 3,000 more housing units in contested areas east of Jerusalem and in the West Bank, and to continue planning a development in the most contentious area known as E1. » Read more

The E1 emergency ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) December 4, 2012 - 1:00am You can't say Israel and United States didn't warn each other, or that they didn't see this coming. The Americans anticipated a potential Israeli overreaction to the Palestinian United Nations status upgrade to "nonmember observer state." And there was one measure they particularly wanted to prevent: new Israeli settlement construction in the hypersensitive E1 corridor near Jerusalem.  » Read more

ATFP Asks US to Ensure No Israeli Building in E1 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from ATFP December 4, 2012 - 1:00am Dec. 3, Washington, DC -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) today urged the Obama administration to use all its good offices with Israel to ensure that settlement expansion reportedly being considered in the highly sensitive “E1 corridor" not take place. » Read more

UN chief accuses Syria of violating Golan accord with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press December 4, 2012 - 1:00am United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is accusing the Syrian government of serious violations of the 1974 agreement that separated Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights and is calling on both countries to halt firing across the cease-fire line. Ban urged Syria to stop deploying troops and military equipment in the disputed zone. » Read more