October 24th

United States needs to reevaluate its assistance to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Walter Pincus - (Opinion) October 17, 2011 - 12:00am As the country reviews its spending on defense and foreign assistance, it is time to examine the funding the United States provides to Israel. Let me put it another way: Nine days ago, the Israeli cabinet reacted to months of demonstrations against the high cost of living there and agreed to raise taxes on corporations and people with high incomes ($130,000 a year). It also approved cutting more than $850 million, or about 5 percent, from its roughly $16 billion defense budget in each of the next two years. » Read more

Egypt envoy: Palestinian reconciliation a top priority ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Analysis) October 24, 2011 - 12:00am Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian Authority Yasser Othman said Sunday that reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah is a top priority for the Egyptian leadership. President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Egypt on Friday to discuss implementation of the deal reached on May 4 and brokered by Egypt, but which has yet to be carried out. The Egyptian leadership is willing to focus its efforts on carrying out the reconciliation deal, Othman said, noting that the leadership places great importance on its implementation. » Read more

Hamas: Israel will not release top figures or criminals ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Analysis) October 24, 2011 - 12:00am Israel will not release top security prisoners or common criminals in the second phase of the prisoner swap deal with Hamas, senior movement official Mahmoud Zahhar said Sunday. Under the second phase of the deal reached last week, 550 Palestinians -- who remain unnamed -- will be freed from Israeli jails within two months, coming after the release of 477 prisoners in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit on Tuesday. » Read more

With Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange finished, attention turns to security ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - (Analysis) October 18, 2011 - 12:00am The unprecedented prisoner exchange today between Israel and Hamas will shift attention in the coming months to undermining the possibility of an upsurge in violence in the West Bank, where hundreds of Palestinian prisoners returned today after being released in return for Gilad Shalit. » Read more

New York mayor visits Jerusalem, dedicates first aid station, meets Israeli premier ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Associated Press - (Analysis) October 23, 2011 - 12:00am New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is in Jerusalem to dedicate a first aid station and meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Bloomberg dedicated the station, built with the help of donations from him and other Americans and named for his father, in a ceremony Sunday. Meeting with Netanyahu, Bloomberg gave the Israeli leader a U.S. flag and asked him to pass it on to the family of Gilad Schalit, the Israeli soldier freed last week in a prisoner swap with Hamas. » Read more

Palestinian Bid for Full Unesco Membership Imperils American Financing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Steven Erlanger - October 23, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian bid for full membership in Unesco — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — has put both Washington and the organization into an urgent bind. United States legislation dating back more than 15 years mandates a complete cutoff of American financing to any United Nations agency that accepts the Palestinians as a full member. Unesco depends on the United States for 22 percent of its budget, about $70 million a year. » Read more

October 21st

Palestinian Chances at UN Will Worsen After Council Elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Flavia Krause-Jackson - October 21, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinians seeking membership in the United Nations won’t be able to count on the newly elected Security Council members to better their chances. When the 193-country General Assembly today picks five countries to replace a third of the 15-member body on Jan. 1, support for the Palestinians will drop by one as Guatamala, running unopposed, succeeds Brazil in the Latin American seat. » Read more

Hamas Gains From Prisoner Swap Likely to Fade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by David Rosenberg - October 18, 2011 - 12:00am On the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, Prime Minister Ismail Haniya and other Hamas officials greeted some 280 freed prisoners on Tuesday, giving each a long embrace amid a cacophony of horns honking and masked gunmen struggling to keep order as friends and families crowded into the ceremony. » Read more

Netanyahu agrees to partially freeze West Bank construction in bid to resume talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - October 21, 2011 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's willing to freeze government construction in West Bank settlements as well as all construction on government land there. In return, he needs an agreement by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to resume direct peace talks. According to a senior Israeli official, Abbas has not yet responded, but he has been threatening to resign if there is no diplomatic progress in the next three months. » Read more

Palestinians plan "other options" if UN bid fails ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet October 20, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinians want the Security Council to decide on their bid for full U.N. membership soon so they can pursue "other options," the Palestinian U.N. envoy said, repeating charges that Washington is procrastinating to avoid a vote. Riyad Mansour, in comments to a Palestinian newspaper, did not say what the Palestinians would do once their bid for U.N. membership reached its conclusion. It is widely expected that the bid will fail because of U.S. opposition. » Read more