December 11th

U.s. Jews Must Be Ready
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Kenneth Bob - (Opinion) December 11, 2007 - 1:41pm

My first visit to Israel was in 1969, only two years after the Six-Day War, and soon after my arrival I was walking through narrow Jerusalem streets on my way to the Western Wall.

»

Utility Cuts Increase Misery In Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from World Peace Herald
by Erica Silverman - December 11, 2007 - 1:39pm

Israeli cuts in fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip are hitting home, affecting schools, hospitals and businesses as officials from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority exchange blame for the suffering. Utility cuts are intended to pressure Hamas to halt rocket fire into Israel. Filling stations across this seaside territory have shut down, crippling public transportation systems.

»

The Pro-israel Consensus Shifts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum
by M.J. Rosenberg - (Opinion) December 11, 2007 - 1:36pm

Good news. Some of the more conservative American Jewish institutions are coming around to acceptance of the two-state solution, ending the occupation, and sharing Jerusalem. It’s about time. The overwhelming majority of Israelis and Jewish Americans favor those positions and eventually the more status quo-oriented organizations had to catch up—especially now that the Israeli government asserts that it finally has a genuine Palestinian partner.

»

Palestinians To Urge Settlement Freeze At Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Wafa Amr - December 11, 2007 - 1:34pm

Palestinians will attend peace talks this week despite a plan by Israel to build new homes on occupied land, but will focus on demanding a settlement freeze, senior Palestinian officials said on Tuesday. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are due to meet on Wednesday two weeks after their leaders relaunched long-stalled peace talks at a U.S.-hosted conference in Annapolis, Maryland.

»

Starting The Peace Process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
(Editorial) December 11, 2007 - 1:33pm

Israelis and Palestinians are supposed to begin serious negotiations tomorrow after last month’s long-on-optics, short-on-specifics Annapolis peace meeting. Despite all the smiles and handshakes, both sides went home and fell back into some familiar, counterproductive patterns.   If this effort has any chance of success, everyone who attended Annapolis — including the Americans and Arab leaders — are going to have to work a lot harder at breaking those patterns.

»

Gazans’ Passage To Mecca Seen As An Insult To Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - December 11, 2007 - 1:33pm

What appeared to have been a decision by Egypt and Saudi Arabia to cooperate with Hamas rather than with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, in allowing 2,000 people to leave Gaza last week for a pilgrimage to Mecca is causing friction in Palestinian, Israeli and Western circles. Some officials said the move was an insult to Mr. Abbas, a moderate. Only two weeks ago, Egyptian, Saudi and other international representatives gathered in Annapolis, Md., to support him and the embryonic Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

»

December 10th

A New York Times editorial urges Israelis and Palestinians to begin the work necessary to break out of old patterns detrimental to peace negotiations (2.) In Israel Policy Forum, MJ Rosenberg takes heart in growing indications that the more conservative American Jewish institutions are adopting the two-state solution paradigm (4.) A Jewish Telegraphic Agency opinion by AMEINU president Kenneth Bob calls on U.S. Jews to support Israeli government decisions on the future of Jerusalem (6.) The New Statesman (UK) reports on the critical shortages affecting Gaza and its civilian population (7.) The Australian (Australia) reports on an open letter from Hamas to Secretary of State Rice asking that the sanctions against Gaza be lifted (8.) In Haaretz (Israel) Amira Haas reports on how the takeover of three institutions in Gaza by Hamas has deepened the Gaza-West Bank split (9.) Also in Haaretz are the results of a survey of the Israeli public post-Annapolis (10.) A Jordan Times (Jordan) editorial is critical of the reported Israeli offer of a provisional Palestinian state made at Annapolis (13.)

Let Them Leave
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yariv Oppenheimer - (Opinion) December 10, 2007 - 7:16pm

The recent announcement by Labor Party Chairman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak regarding his support for “evacuation-compensation” legislation revived the public debate on the question of isolated settlements located beyond the separation fence.

»

The Har Homa Test
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) December 10, 2007 - 7:12pm

t is difficult to think of a place more suitable than Har Homa for holding the first test in the spirit of Annapolis. The comparison between Har Homa Crisis No. 2 and the development of Har Homa Crisis No. 1 can teach us whether the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has indeed started a new track or whether all the players are stuck on the old line.

»

Simply Lies
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
(Editorial) December 10, 2007 - 7:11pm

It is impossible to announce the beginning of a new settlement at the end of Annapolis and say you truly desire peace. The good intentions of Israel, as it has pronounced them with regards to peace, are simply lies. Just because Israel’s decision to build more homes on occupied land comes on the heels of the Annapolis summit does not make the move any more appalling. Building more settlements on Palestinian land is against the law, pure and simple, regardless of Annapolis.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017