June 25th

Israel army to curtail operations in four West Bank cities ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Adam Entous - June 25, 2009 - 12:00am JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Thursday it would curtail its military activities in four West Bank cities to help a U.S.-backed move to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The announcement, that will give Palestinian security forces a free hand to operate in the cities, coincided with efforts by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ease tensions with U.S. President Barack Obama over stalled peacemaking with the Palestinians. » Read more

Israeli settlements vs.Tuscan towers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) June 25, 2009 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, June 25 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu says constructing towers like those in a Tuscan village would solve the natural growth needs in West Bank settlements. A reporter from the Maariv newspaper who accompanied Netanyahu on his European trip, said Thursday Netanyahu revealed his vision to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, citing the Tuscan village of San Geminano as an example. The report said Berlusconi told Netanyahu the towers in the village are empty, to which Netanyahu retorted, "With us they will be full." » Read more

Hillary Is Wrong About the Settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal by Elliott Abrams - June 25, 2009 - 12:00am Despite fervent denials by Obama administration officials, there were indeed agreements between Israel and the United States regarding the growth of Israeli settlements on the West Bank. As the Obama administration has made the settlements issue a major bone of contention between Israel and the U.S., it is necessary that we review the recent history. » Read more

Landmark Fatah leadership conference set for 4 August in Bethlehem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 25, 2009 - 12:00am Ramallah – Ma’an - After 37 rounds of talks Fatah leaders pegged 4 August as the date for the sixth Revolutionary Council meeting to be held in Bethlehem. It will be the first Fatah leadership meeting in twenty years. The decision was made at the government headquarters in Ramallah on Wednesday, in a two-day long meeting that set out the final details for the conference. There will be 1,550 active Fatah members attending the conference, and organizers asked Palestinian President and Fatah’s leader Mahmoud Abbas to ensure that members from abroad were included in the conference. » Read more

The Price of Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Common Ground News Service by Carlo Strenger - (Analysis) June 18, 2009 - 12:00am TEL AVIV - Israel has very real reasons to be afraid. But the Netanyahu-Lieberman politics of fear that is supposed to justify occupation of the West Bank has catastrophic consequences, and the world no longer wants to listen to the cries, “The wolf, the wolf.” Here is how the dynamics works: » Read more

June 24th

Israel mulls temporary freeze on settlement construction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - June 24, 2009 - 12:00am Israel is considering enacting a temporary freeze on settlement construction, excluding projects already underway, if the United States agrees to continued construction for natural growth once the freeze ends, an Israeli government source has told Haaretz. U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell has been conducting low-profile talks with Israel in a bid to reach an agreement on the settlement issue, the government official said. » Read more

Israel removes dozens of West Bank roadblocks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - June 24, 2009 - 12:00am Recent weeks have seen a dramatic change in Israel's roadblock policy in the West Bank. Right under the nose of the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israel Defense Forces has lifted some of the main, permanent roadblocks in the West Bank, which have played a central role in restricting the movement of Palestinians, mostly between the main Palestinian cities. » Read more

US-Israel talks in Paris aborted ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News June 24, 2009 - 12:00am A meeting between Israel's prime minister and a senior US envoy has been cancelled amid growing differences over settlement building in the West Bank. Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot said the US put off the meeting in response to Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to heed US demands to halt settlement activity. But Mr Netanyahu's aides say it was the prime minister who cancelled Thursday's meeting with George Mitchell in Paris. They said "more professional work" was needed, without adding further details. » Read more

PM: J'lem, US working on settlement deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - June 24, 2009 - 12:00am Israel and the US are continuing to negotiate the parameters of a settlement construction freeze, diplomatic officials said Tuesday, soon after it was announced that a scheduled meeting Thursday in Paris between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US Middle East envoy George Mitchell to discuss the matter had been postponed. » Read more

Mitchell calls off meeting with Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yitzhak Benhorin - June 24, 2009 - 12:00am The dispute between Jerusalem and Washington over the settlement issue continues in full force: Special US envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell has called off a meeting scheduled for Thursday in Paris with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the backdrop of the ongoing dispute over West Bank settlements. Defense Minister Ehud Barak is expected to leave for Washington for an unplanned meeting with Mitchell on Monday in order to mediate. The Prime Minister's Office. however, clarified Wednesday morning that Israel was the one to cancel the meeting. » Read more