Fayyad: Literal PA institution building underway ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 15, 2009 - 1:00am The Palestinian caretaker government intends to undertake the construction of its institutions rather than depending on renting buildings that were originally designed for residential purposes, said the Ramallah-based government's Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Monday. Whilst pointing out that several PA institutions owned the buildings they worked in, such as the Ministry of Finance, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Palestinian National Forces, the majority of headquarters of public sector institutions were rented, Fayyad said. » Read more

Poll: 57% back Abbas not running ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 15, 2009 - 1:00am A majority of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip support President Mahmoud Abbas' decision not to run in the next elections, results of an independent poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) showed Monday. From its findings, PSR concluded, "While the balance of power between Fatah and Hamas remains as it was before the eruption of the Goldstone report crisis, the majority do not blame Hamas for the continued split between the West Bank and Gaza Strip or for the failure to hold national elections. » Read more

Abbas: Israel remains intransigent ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 15, 2009 - 1:00am President Mahmoud Abbas told Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leaders that the Palestinian Authority (PA) will return to negotiations once Israel abides by its previous commitments, as well as reiterated that he will not seek reelection. “The PA will restart peace negotiations once Israel halts all settlement construction and recognizes the 1967 borders as the official borders of the future Palestinian state,” Abbas said. » Read more

A Year of Stalemate, Dashed Hopes in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Voice of America by Luis Ramirez - December 14, 2009 - 1:00am 2009 saw no resumption of the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. Both sides are beginning the New Year at a stalemate over Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, and rising tensions over the status of Jerusalem. 2009 began with bombs and rockets as Israel launched a massive assault, Operation Cast Lead, aimed at stopping militants from firing rockets at Israel. During the assault, militants from Gaza continued to fire homemade missiles over the border, exploding in communities of southern Israel. » Read more

Israel: Who will soldiers obey on settlements – Netanyahu or rabbis? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - December 14, 2009 - 1:00am In an unprecedented move, Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday cut ties with one of the dozens of religious seminaries that feed students to the military amid concerns that its ideologically driven students might refuse orders to evacuate settlements. The military was concerned that the chief rabbi of the school, known as a “hesder” yeshiva and located in the West Bank settlement of Har Bracha, was educating students to become insubordinate soldiers. » Read more

Gaza border: Why Egypt is building a steel underground wall ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Sarah A. Topol - December 14, 2009 - 1:00am Reports that Egypt is building a steel underground wall along its border with the Hamas-run Gaza Strip have fueled speculation about what exactly Cairo intends to accomplish with the project, which British newspapers claim is being carried out with the help of the US Army Corps of Engineers. » Read more

The Palestinians' opposite poles ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Howard Schneider - December 15, 2009 - 1:00am Sami and Tayseer Barakat grew up together in the concrete warrens of this refugee camp in Gaza, but the common thread ends there. As young adults, Tayseer moved to the West Bank while Sami remained in Gaza. The choices have shaped the brothers' lives, values, prosperity and opportunities, and they have placed the two at very different points in what is now a three-way feud among Israelis and Palestinians. » Read more

Abbas Sets Terms for Resuming Stalled Peace Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times December 15, 2009 - 1:00am President Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday the Palestinians would only resume peace talks if Israel fully halted settlement building in the occupied West Bank, but ruled out any return to violence. Addressing a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's central council, which is expected to extend his term as president, Abbas dismissed Israel's partial settlement freeze and said the Israelis did not want negotiations. » Read more