November 23rd

Fayyad: We won't accept fragmented state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 23, 2009 - 1:00am “We will not accept a fragmented state, and we refuse all interim and transitional solutions. The eastern border of the state of Palestine is Jordan," said caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Sunday. Fayyad's comments follow former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz's initiative to announce a Palestinian state on temporary borders, a proposal staunchly rejected by Palestinians officials. » Read more

Israeli expert: World would recognize Palestinian state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 23, 2009 - 1:00am More than 130 United Nations member states would recognize a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, Israeli international law expert Moshe Hersh told Israeli TV on Saturday evening. According to Hersh, “Mahmoud Abbas can declare a Palestinian state nowadays because 100 countries will certainly support his decision, in addition to 30 others who are likely to vote for the decision. “Furthermore, there will be European support, even though it will not be overwhelming. The US intends to oppose the Palestinian decision, yet the limited European support will be embarrassing to the US.” » Read more

Israel air strikes in Gaza: Will Hamas rocket truce hold? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Erin Cunningham - November 23, 2009 - 1:00am Israeli warplanes carried out air strikes against targets across the Gaza Strip Sunday morning, just one day after Hamas announced it had reached an agreement with all Gaza-based militant factions to halt rocket fire into the Jewish state. » Read more

Palestinian panel to sidestep vote ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Howard Schneider - November 23, 2009 - 1:00am To keep the Palestinian Authority government working after its term expires in January, Palestinians are turning to an unelected group of political insiders instead of holding new elections, according to Palestinian officials and outside analysts. » Read more

Israeli bombs follow Palestinian rockets ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press November 23, 2009 - 1:00am Israeli aircraft attacked two suspected weapons-making factories and a smuggling tunnel in the Gaza Strip early Sunday in what the military said was retaliation for Palestinian rocket fire into southern Israel. The airstrikes wounded at least seven people, including one seriously, and came despite an announcement by Gaza's Hamas rulers that the territory's military factions had agreed to stop firing rockets. The Hamas announcement came late Saturday, after the rocket attack. » Read more

Palestinians looking to U.S.-style suburban housing, financing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Howard Schneider - November 23, 2009 - 1:00am The hills around this city have seen plenty of construction, often the distinctive red-roofed homes favored by Israeli settlers. But the bulldozers and laborers active here recently are laying foundations and building roads for a different type of development -- planned communities targeted to middle-income Palestinians, including one billed as the first "new city" for Palestinians in modern memory. » Read more

November 20th

Palestinian MK: 15,000 settlement homes awaiting approval in Jlem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 20, 2009 - 1:00am Palestinian Member of the Knesset Ahmad Tibi said Israel's Jerusalem municipality is preparing to build 15,000 new housing units around the city, mainly in areas beyond the Green Line in occupied Palestine. “These plans are larger and more dangerous than the recent plans to build 900 housing units in Gilo,” Tibi said during a phone interview on Friday. The MK called the plans common knowledge, saying “Everyone who follows up these issues knows that these plans exist," and explained they were just waiting for approval from the government, just like "what happened in Gilo," Tibi said. » Read more

Palestine set to take control of own postal system ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 20, 2009 - 1:00am Palestine was allocated a postal code by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) following successful talks with the International Bureau in Berne, Switzerland, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced Wednesday. » Read more

'Fatah officials warn of third Palestinian intifada' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jack Khoury - November 20, 2009 - 1:00am Fatah had made a strategic decision to declare a third intifada against Israel, movement officials told Nazereth-based newspaper Hadith Anas, citing the failed peace talks as the reason for their resolution. The newspaper report quoted Fatah Central Committee members as saying that the movement wished to implement a decision made during its sixth convention, which assembled last August in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. » Read more

USA steps in, expresses concern over Israeli arrest of PA officers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 20, 2009 - 1:00am Israeli forces detained six Palestinians from Nablus and Salfit overnight including the commander and four officers of the Palestinian Authority Intelligence Services. High-level negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli officials have been ongoing since dawn in an effort to have the men released, with American officials entering the debate shortly after 11am local time, expressing "concern" over the Israeli actions, reportedly approved by Israeli government officials before the raids took place, Palestinian security sources said. » Read more