May 13th

Barak: Ministers' provocations over Jerusalem harming Israel's interests ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz May 13, 2010 - 12:00am Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday lambasted several cabinet ministers whose "provocative" comments he said were harming Israel's relations with the United States amid efforts to get the peace process going through indirect proximity talks with the Palestinians. "I recommend everyone, both we and the Palestinians, avoid rash and provocative statements," said Barak, responding to a slew of comments made by ministers over the last few days regarding the contentious issue of construction in Jerusalem. » Read more

Regulator says Gaza banking OK despite closures ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Karin Laub - May 12, 2010 - 12:00am The top Palestinian financial regulator sought to assure an anxious public Wednesday that the Gaza Strip is not facing a banking crisis after the Palestinian territories' largest lender closed two of its three Gaza branches last week. The decision by the Jordan-based Arab Bank to shutter the shops set off jitters among its Gaza customers. On Wednesday, dozens of clients lined up at the bank's sole remaining branch in Gaza City, some of them in order to close their accounts. » Read more

Gazan man says Hamas beat him for alleged affairs ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Diaa Hadid - May 12, 2010 - 12:00am A Gaza art gallery owner said Wednesday that Hamas police repeatedly beat and abused him over allegations that he had had sexual relations with women who are not his wife, which is forbidden by Islamic law. Gaza human rights activists say the rare admission by Jamal Abu Qumsan, who is unmarried, is the clearest evidence yet of a quiet but persistent Hamas morals crackdown in Gaza, as part of an attempt to implement strict Islamic law. » Read more

Limited construction goods to enter Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 13, 2010 - 12:00am Two of the Israel/Gaza terminals will open on Thursday, what will likely be the final day of crossings operations for the week, Palestinian liaison officials were informed early the same morning. Crossings officer Raed Fattouh said he was told to expect approximately 130 truckloads of goods, including 5 truckloads of plastic pipes for the coastal waters, one truckload of goods for the power authority, one truckload of cement for aid agencies and 2 truckloads of iron girders and gravels. » Read more

US raises issue of settler violence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - May 13, 2010 - 12:00am A senior US official expressed concern on Wednesday with the violence of some settlers, and – alluding to the recent burning of a West Bank mosque attributed to settlers – said the US would like to see better results in Israeli law enforcement and prevention of these types of activities. » Read more

May 12th

The lesser known settlement freeze deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Michael Sfard - May 10, 2010 - 12:00am Proximity talks between the Israeli government and the Palestinian leadership have just begun. It took Barack Obama's administration almost 15 months to obtain the consent of the parties to talk to each other indirectly, through George Mitchell's team. For the 19-year-old peace process (if counted from the Madrid summit) it is doubtful whether this new phase deserves even the modest "small step" label. » Read more

AN ISRAELI VIEW: The best of a bad lot? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Gilead Sher - May 10, 2010 - 12:00am The good news first: after more than a year wasted over trial and error in United States foreign policy, President Barack Obama has set the Israeli-Palestinian process back on track. The bad news is that for the first time in close to two decades, Israelis and Palestinians will be talking indirectly to one another. » Read more

A PALESTINIAN VIEW: The price of indirect talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Mkhaimar Abusada - May 10, 2010 - 12:00am The PLO Executive Committee's decision to approve so-called proximity talks between the Palestinians and Israelis marked a shift in Palestinian politics. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had previously stated that there would be no talks with Israel until it halts all settlement expansion, including in East Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, has not veered from his vow that building in Jerusalem is just like building in Tel Aviv. » Read more

Jerusalem: Still Relevant After 2000 Years ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post by Ed Koch - (Opinion) May 11, 2010 - 12:00am Here's my advice on how Israel and the Palestinian Authority should proceed with their so-called "proximity" talks mediated by George Mitchell. Instead of putting the hot-button issue of Jerusalem last on the agenda, the issue should be addressed first. If the Jerusalem question is solved, everything else should fall into place more easily. I believe there is a way to keep Jerusalem unified. I am talking not only of the old walled city, which is a very small part of the city of Jerusalem, but the whole city, east, west, north and south. » Read more

Palestinian Terror Wanes, but Fear Remains ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by J.J. Goldberg - May 5, 2010 - 12:00am On May 3, just two days before Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations were to resume through American mediation, Israel’s deputy foreign minister appeared alongside the head of a right-wing research organization at a press conference in Jerusalem to release new evidence that the Palestinians are not, in fact, ready for peace. It’s what you might call a confidence-building measure, Middle East style. » Read more