May 14th

Israeli ministers squabble over East Jerusalem construction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 13, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Eli Yishai said on Thursday that he would continue approving construction plans in contested areas of Jerusalem, including the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood. "There is not and never has been a freeze on construction in Jerusalem, nor will there ever be," Yishai told his Shas Party newspaper, "day by day." Concerning the Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks, American officials on Thursday asked both sides to refrain from what they termed "provocative" moves, but Yishai said that Israel would not accede to U.S. demands. » Read more

Qrei'a: Negotiations will bring nothing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 14, 2010 - 12:00am PLO's Jerusalem Affairs department chief and former prime minister Ahmad Qrei'a said Thursday that he expected very little from the next four months if indirect negotiations. Speaking with journalists in Amman, the PLO leader said that beyond his expectation for a fruitless series of talks, that he anticipates real problems, noting the necessity to have a joint track that pulls peace with Syria onto the field. The official said he had advised President Mahmoud Abbas on his suggestions, but said the leader had so far not heeded his advice.

J'lem woman says broken nose from settler assault ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 14, 2010 - 12:00am Following her release from hospital, a 32 year old Palestinian woman from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah reported being assaulted by a settler on Wednesday afternoon. Mother of five and Sheikh Jarran resident Hamlat Al-Mughrabi was admitted to the Augusta Victoria Hospital on Wednesday evening with a broken nose, saying a settler had hit her in the face with a heavy tool and run away. » Read more

Palestinian boy shot, sources say by settlers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 14, 2010 - 12:00am A Palestinian boy was shot dead by settlers, security sources confirmed late on Thursday, saying the child was targeted after throwing stones at his attackers' car. Military sources told Israeli media that the boy's body was found, but did not confirm that the cause of death was shooting and said an investigation would be launched into the incident. However, the sources did confirm shots fired in the area, as well as reports that children were throwing rocks at settler cars. » Read more

Analysts befuddled by Israeli leaders' claims on Jerusalem on eve of peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by David Harris - May 14, 2010 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, May 13 (Xinhua) -- As Israelis celebrated Jerusalem Day on Wednesday, the country's leaders outraged Palestinians by pledging that Jerusalem would remain Israel's indivisible capital. The comments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several of his cabinet colleagues and MPs from his Likud party came on the eve of the commencement of indirect talks with the Palestinians, befuddling some analysts. » Read more

Boycott Blues ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Newsweek by Dan Ephron - May 14, 2010 - 12:00am By presidential decree, Palestinians this month began boycotting products manufactured in Israeli settlements—part of the nonviolent campaign to end Israel's 43-year occupation of the West Bank. Considering the numbers involved and the overall strength of Israel's economy, the direct effect of the ban will probably be negligible. About 2 or 3 percent of the $44 billion in goods Israel exports are made in the settlement areas, according to estimates by economists (Israel does not break down manufacturing data by region). » Read more

Beyond negotiations: Palestinian strategies for advancing peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Common Ground News Service by Hussein Ibish - May 14, 2010 - 12:00am WASHINGTON, DC - The Obama administration was successful in arranging for the resumption of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations through “proximity talks”, which began last week, but expectations in all quarters are correctly low for any near-term breakthrough. Consequently, Palestinians have been systematically developing a new set of peaceful strategies to achieve independence and advance a resolution to the conflict. » Read more

May 13th

'Fayyad is a partner for peace' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by David Horovitz - May 13, 2010 - 12:00am Alan Dershowitz, the Harvard law professor who has become one of Israel’s most committed and articulate advocates, on Wednesday emphatically hailed Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad as a potential partner for peace, calling him “the best that Israel has, and probably the best that Israel has ever had.” Speaking to The Jerusalem Post immediately after a 90-minute meeting with Fayyad in Ramallah, their first meeting, Dershowitz said Fayyad “genuinely would like to bring peace and a two-state solution, based on his conception of what a two-state solution would look like.” » Read more

GAO faults Israel for limits on Palestinian security ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) May 13, 2010 - 12:00am The U.S. congressional auditor says Israeli restrictions and Palestinian limitations are hampering the effectiveness of an American-led mission to train Palestinian security forces. The General Accounting Office published a report on the $392 million that the U.S. State Department has spent to train and equip Palestinian Authority security forces. » Read more

Jerusalem residents attack writer Elie Wiesel over appeal to Barack Obama ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Chris McGreal - May 12, 2010 - 12:00am An extraordinary row has broken out between Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor, author and Nobel peace prize winner, and a group of Jewish residents of Jerusalem over who speaks for the future of the disputed city. » Read more