September 24th

For peace, there may be no time like the present ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) September 23, 2010 - 12:00am When the moratorium on Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank expires is somewhat unclear. Some say it ends on September 26; others at the end of the month. What is absolutely clear, however, is that the moratorium must be extended. » Read more

Is Gideon Levy the most hated man in Israel or just the most heroic? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Johann Hari - (Interview) September 24, 2010 - 12:00am Gideon Levy is the most hated man in Israel – and perhaps the most heroic. This “good Tel Aviv boy” – a sober, serious child of the Jewish state – has been shot at repeatedly by the Israeli Defence Force, been threatened with being “beaten to a pulp” on the country’s streets, and faced demands from government ministers that he be tightly monitored as “a security risk.” This is because he has done something very simple, and something that almost no other Israeli has done. » Read more

Eitan urges ‘partial territorial agreement’ to boost talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by David Horovitz - September 24, 2010 - 12:00am In a proposal aimed at giving positive momentum to Israeli- Palestinian direct talks following the imminent end of the 10-month settlement freeze, Likud Minister Michael Eitan is urging the two sides to try to reach a “partial territorial agreement” in the next few months, under which Israel would transfer authority and security responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority in the overwhelming proportion of the West Bank, while Israel would resume building in the major settlement blocs. » Read more

Olmert urges ‘int’l trusteeship’ for Holy Basin ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post September 24, 2010 - 12:00am Israel should agree to an international trusteeship in Jerusalem’s Holy Basin, should allow non-Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem to serve as the capital of a Palestinian state, and should offer to solve the Palestinian refugee problem within the framework of the Arab peace initiative, former prime minister Ehud Olmert urges in an op-ed article in today’s Jerusalem Post. “If [Israel] takes a clear stance on these issues and presents them as its position for the negotiations,” Olmert writes, it would “transform the atmosphere” surrounding the direct talks with the Palestinian Authority. » Read more

'Palestine new UN member in 2011 if talks succeed' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Jordana Horn - September 24, 2010 - 12:00am In his address to the UN General Assembly Thursday, US President Barack Obama called for a continuation of the settlement freeze and expressed the hope that by next year, current Israeli-Palestinian negotiations will have resulted in “an independent, sovereign state of Palestine. “We believe that the moratorium should be extended. We also believe that talks should press on until completed,” Obama said, adding later that “now is the time for this opportunity to be seized, so that it does not slip away.” » Read more

Rightist MKs slam Obama remarks at UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews September 23, 2010 - 12:00am Rightist Knesset members slammed American President Barack Obama Thursday over his remarks during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly. Responding to the president's call for an extension of the West Bank settlement freeze, Likud MK Danny Danon said "Obama is invited to turn on CNN Sunday and watch the bulldozers resuming construction in Eretz Yisrael." "A person who presents the freeze as a condition for peace is completely detached (from reality,) and will apparently not get to be a partner for peace in the Middle East," he said. » Read more

Settlement construction to be resumed, limited ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Atilla Somfalvi - September 24, 2010 - 12:00am Only two days are left before the end of a 10-month moratorium on new settlement construction in the West Bank, and the Israelis and Palestinians have yet to reach a compromise which would allow the peace talks to continue. The American administration is leading hectic efforts to come up with a creative solution, as representatives of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas continue the talks in Washington. US President Barack Obama on Thursday called on Israel once again to continue the building freeze. » Read more

Settlers plan burst of quick, 'light' construction as freeze nears end ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - September 24, 2010 - 12:00am As settlers prepare to resume construction in full force on Monday, in an effort to preempt a possible last-minute extension of the settlement freeze, the star of the day is "light construction" - cheap, environmentally friendly methods that enable building a house in two months or less. Monday is expected to be a big day for contractors, after nine months of no work. There are an estimated 2,000-2,200 housing units in the territories that have all the necessary approvals in order to begin construction. » Read more

The government must stop funding zealotry in Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) September 24, 2010 - 12:00am The circumstances under which a private security guard fired at demonstrators in Silwan in East Jerusalem, killing a local man, Samar Sirhan, still need to be clarified. The police are investigating the guard's version of events, that he had to fire at people throwing stones who were endangering his life. Presumably the police will also look into the rules of engagement the security company gives its guards, and whether it properly trains them to deal with such situations. » Read more

Israeli leaders condemn Clinton immigrant comments ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Aron Heller - September 23, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli leaders have sharply criticized Bill Clinton over comments the former U.S. president made this week calling Russian immigrants in Israel an obstacle to peace. Clinton, who is generally a well-loved figure in Israel for his efforts to broker a Mideast peace deal in the 1990s, also said at a round-table group this week in New York that the most recent arrivals in Israel have the hardest time agreeing to share the land with the Palestinians. » Read more