Abbas sees Israeli settlement freeze by October ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) September 4, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Thursday that he hopes for Israel to agree to a settlement freeze on occupied Palestinian land by the end of September. "Concerning the peace process, we reaffirmed that we were entirely disposed to go forward with negotiations for the (Palestinian territories') final status if Israel stops settlement building," Abbas said. "This is the main concern of the American administration and of all of our European friends with France leading," he told a press conference alongside French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner as he began a visit to France. » Read more

Aide: Netanyahu considering settlement freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Matti Friedman - September 4, 2009 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be willing to consider suspending construction in the West Bank for several months — but first plans to authorize hundreds of new apartments there, an aide said Friday. The U.S. has been pressing Israel to agree to a settlement freeze, and the Palestinians have said they would not resume peace talks unless Israel suspends construction on lands they want for a future state. Friday's statement was the first time an aide has said in the name of the prime minister's office that such a move could be imminent. » Read more

Israel to approve hundreds of new settler homes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) by Marius Schattner - September 4, 2009 - 12:00am Israel will approve construction of West Bank settlement homes before it considers a freeze sought by Washington, a top government official said on Friday, sparking Palestinian outrage. The plan is also certain to anger the US administration, which has pushed for a freeze of Jewish settlements in an effort to restart the stalled Middle East peace process. "In the next days the prime minister will approve construction starts and then he might consider a freeze for a limited time under certain conditions," the official told AFP, asking not to be identified. » Read more

Checkpoints become friction points as Palestinians throng Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 4, 2009 - 12:00am Israel deployed police heavily in Jerusalem as tens of thousands of Palestinians headed to the city for noon prayers on the second Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Armed police and border guards were seen in what seemed like every street and alley of Old City surrounding cities. For Palestinians from the West Bank, Friday was a rare chance to visit their capital and pray at Islam’s third holiest site: the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Thousands of Palestinians from Jerusalem and communities inside Israel were also expected. » Read more

Following night airstrike, Israeli bulldozers invade Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 4, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli warplanes bombed a tunnel allegedly linking the southern Gaza Strip with Israel early on Friday morning. Also on Friday, witnesses in Gaza said Israeli military vehicles, including three armored bulldozers, razed farmland about 100 meters east of Gaza City. Israeli forces also reportedly fired on houses in the area. » Read more

Israel 'to back settlement work' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News September 4, 2009 - 12:00am The prime minister is expected to back work on hundreds of new homes next week in addition to 2,500 units already being built, a senior aide said. He will then consider a temporary halt to settlement building, as requested by the US in a bid to restart peace talks. The news angered the Palestinians who said it was "absolutely unacceptable". "The only thing suspended by this announcement will be the peace process," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told the AFP news agency. 'Moratorium' » Read more

Israel to Approve Flurry of West Bank Building ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - September 4, 2009 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will approve the construction of hundreds of new housing units in Israeli settlements in the West Bank in the coming days as a prelude to a building freeze of six to nine months aimed at restarting peace talks with the Palestinians, senior Israeli officials said on Friday. The plan is an attempt to ease pressure on Mr. Netanyahu from within his own Likud Party, which wants settlements to continue unimpeded, and from Washington, the Palestinian Authority and the rest of the Arab world, which want a total halt to such construction. » Read more

If you build it, the state will come ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) September 4, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad's blueprint for what he has called "de facto Palestinian statehood" offers a new and important element to the quest for peace in the Middle East. » Read more