Israeli actions are turning Jerusalem into a settlement
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Zeev Sternhell - (Opinion) April 16, 2010 - 12:00am


Thanks to an attempted settler takeover of the Sheikh Jarrah quarter, that quiet neighborhood of East Jerusalem has turned into a kind of microcosm of the illnesses that are poisoning relations between Jews and Arabs. The worst of these is the refusal to recognize the finality of the situation that was created at the end of the War of Independence. It is possible to understand the settler right, whose existential aim is the continued conquest of the land. But how is it possible that state institutions will lend a hand to an act that destroys the very land under our feet?


Palestinians see return of Israeli military rule in eviction order
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
April 15, 2010 - 12:00am


A senior Palestinian official on Thursday said the recent Israeli decision to evict people from the West Bank aimed to exert Israeli military rule on the Palestinian- controlled territory again. "The real context of the decision is the return of the Israeli military rule, which has ended according to Oslo peace accords between Israel and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1993, " said Tayeb Abdul Rahim, secretary general of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).


Gaza executions condemned
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 16, 2010 - 12:00am


Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups have denounced Thursday's executions of two collaborators in Gaza. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights reiterated in a statement its position rejecting the death penalty, which it called "a grave and unjustified violation of the right to life and a form of torture and cruel and inhumane treatment." The Ministry of the Interior in Gaza executed by firing squad Nasser Salama Abu Fraih, 35, from Jabaliya and Mohammed Ibrahim Isma'il (As-Sabe), 36, from Rafah.


Israeli fire kills 1 east of Gaza City
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 16, 2010 - 12:00am


Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian operative in the Gaza Strip on Friday morning, Palestinian and Israeli security sources said, following witness accounts of heavy fire. Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades said its operatives clashed with Israeli forces along the Gaza-Israel border on Friday. In a statement, the armed wing reported that at 6am, its forces acted defensively against an undercover Israeli force that entered Gaza. Israeli forces reportedly opened fire at the Al-Aqsa fighters, killing one. Another affiliate remained missing Friday afternoon, the group said.


'Collaborator' executions heighten political tensions in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Janine Zacharia - April 16, 2010 - 12:00am


The Gaza Strip's Hamas-led government on Thursday executed two Palestinians convicted of aiding Israel in the assassination of Palestinian militants, a move that highlighted the deep divisions that endure between the two main Palestinian political factions.


King Abdullah II of Jordan with Chicago Tribune Editorial Board
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Chicago Tribune
April 16, 2010 - 12:00am


King Abdullah II of Jordan visited the Tribune's editorial board Thursday to discuss challenges in the Middle East and the peace process. Excerpts: Tribune: What should the United States be doing to advance the Middle East peace process?



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