October 12th, 2011

Israel razes Jordan Valley mosque for third time ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Agence France Press (AFP) - October 12, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli forces have demolished for the third time a mosque in a remote Bedouin village in the Jordan valley, Palestinian security forces said. The demolition took place in the village of Khirbet Yarza, some five kilometres east of Tubas in the northeastern corner of the West Bank. The mosque has been demolished twice before, once in February and in November 2010, when troops razed the mosque, its much larger extension, and various animal stables. » Read more

Barak apologizes for deaths of Egyptian officers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yoav Zitun - October 11, 2011 - 12:00am On the backdrop of reports on a possible breakthrough in a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas that would see the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday issued an apology to Cairo for the deaths of Egyptian border guard patrol officers from IDF fire during the terror attack in southern Israel in August. » Read more

Implications of a Shalit Deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Council On Foreign Relations by Robert Danin - (Opinion) October 11, 2011 - 12:00am As of this posting, the Israeli cabinet is still meeting in an emergency session to discuss a deal aimed at securing the release of Gilad Shalit, abducted by Hamas in June of 2006 on the Israeli-Gaza border. Details remain scant. Initial reports suggest more than 1,000 Palestinians, currently held by Israel, would be exchanged in return for Corporal Shalit. While it is early to speculate too widely with so little still known, I will nonetheless venture a few initial conclusions on what such a deal would mean. » Read more

US: Mideast Quartet seeks October 23 talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 12, 2011 - 12:00am The Mideast Quartet seeking a peace settlement in the Middle East has called for Israel and the PLO to resume their talks on October 23 in Jordan, a US official said Tuesday. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said envoys for the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union met on Sunday and called for "a first preliminary meeting of the parties" on that date. » Read more

Prisoner Swap Shows Abbas Weakness ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Dan Ephron - (Opinion) October 12, 2011 - 12:00am For most Palestinians, the prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas is a cause for celebration. For President Mahmoud Abbas, it’s shaping up as political blow and a security headache. » Read more

Abbas falls short of Colombian support for UN bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 12, 2011 - 12:00am President Mahmoud Abbas left Colombia empty-handed Tuesday after failing to secure support from President Juan Manuel Santos for his bid to gain state recognition at the United Nations. "We want the Palestinian state to exist. But this can only come as the result of a (UN) vote or resolution. It must be the product of negotiations (between Israelis and Palestinians) because this is the only way to achieve peace," Santos said after meeting Abbas in Bogota. » Read more

Who Gains, Who Loses in Israel-Hamas Prisoner Swap to Free Gilad Shalit? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Time by Tony Karon - (Opinion) October 11, 2011 - 12:00am Win-win outcomes are all too rare in the Middle East, but the agreement that will see Hamas free captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for a reported 1,000 Palestinian prisoners will allow each of its stakeholders to claim victory. » Read more

Israel’s West Bank General Warns Against Radicals ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - October 11, 2011 - 12:00am The Israeli general in charge of most of the West Bank has a message for members of Congress who want to end American aid to the Palestinian Authority because of its bid to join the United Nations: Don’t do it. Brig. Gen. Nitzan Alon, commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, said that such a step would lead to instability and insecurity for both Palestinians and Israelis. » Read more

Whatever else happens, this represents a massive shake-up in the conflict ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - (Opinion) October 12, 2011 - 12:00am The prisoner swap foreshadowed in the deal approved by Israel's Cabinet last night is a huge shake of the kaleidoscope through which the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has long been viewed. For the majority of Israelis, including the parents of Gilad Shalit, the return of the young soldier after his five-year ordeal will be a cause of unalloyed celebration. So too – assuming the deal is realised as proposed – will it be for hundreds of families of Palestinian prisoners. But in terms of raw politics, its effect will be no less dramatic. » Read more

Gilad Shalit release: Why Israel and Hamas agreed to a prisoner swap ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - (Analysis) October 11, 2011 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced tonight that Israel and Hamas have agreed to an historic prisoner swap deal that will release Sgt. Gilad Shalit, who has been held for five years in the Gaza Strip, in return for some 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. After thanking the Egyptian government for mediating the deal, Mr. Netanyahu said that if everything goes according to plan, Mr. Shalit would return home in the coming days. "Today I am bringing the cabinet a proposal that will bring Gilad home healthy and in one piece," he said. » Read more