January 19th

Palestinian, Russian leaders urge settlement freeze to resume negotiations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Fares Akram - January 19, 2011 - 1:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and visiting Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday called on Israel to stop building settlements in order to resume stalled peace talks. "There are two options: negotiations and peace, or violence and terrorism," Abbas told a news conference after his talks with Medvedev in the West Bank city of Jericho, "The Palestinian side will never choose the second option." » Read more

Mideast quartet to hold Munich talks in Feb-Germany ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters January 14, 2011 - 1:00am The quartet of Middle East mediators will meet at the annual Munich Security conference next month to mull how to resuscitate peace talks between Israel and Palestinians, a German government official said on Friday. Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said Germany hoped an "urgently needed boost" could be given to the talks when representatives from the European Union, the United Nations, Russia and the United States come together in Munich. » Read more

Fayyad: Taxes must rise to reduce aid dependency ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 19, 2011 - 1:00am Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Sunday that taxes must rise to reduce dependence on donors. Fayyad, a former World Bank economist, faced a barrage of questions on the state of the economy during a meeting with journalists in Ramallah. Reporters asked Fayyad what support his government would offer to assist struggling families and the unemployed, and whether taxes would rise. The PA premier said in order to provide support for citizens, Palestinians faced a choice between aid dependency and increased taxes. » Read more

1 killed as Israeli troops raid Gaza Strip ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 19, 2011 - 1:00am Israeli forces killed one Palestinian and injured two others on Tuesday in the northern Gaza Strip. Medics and witnesses said the three men were civilians, and that soldiers in an Israeli military post launched five shells towards the mainly agricultural area. Gaza medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya identified the slain as Amjad Sami Az-Za’aneen, 20, and said two others were moderately injured and transported to the Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for treatment. An Israeli military spokeswoman said forces opened fire at a group of men who were handling a detonation device. » Read more

Arab League praises PA's diplomatic efforts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 19, 2011 - 1:00am Arab League chief Amr Mussa on Tuesday praised the Palestinian Authority's diplomatic efforts to secure international recognition of a Palestinian state. PA Foreign Affairs Minister Riad Al-Malki updated Arab foreign ministers on diplomatic developments in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh, where leaders gathered ahead of an Arab League summit on Wednesday. Foreign ministers praised Palestinian diplomatic achievements, and promised to support President Mahmoud Abbas' political strategy. » Read more

ISRAEL: Israeli citizen suspected of involvement in Bosnia war crimes arrested ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Batsheva Sobelman - January 18, 2011 - 1:00am An Israeli citizen was arrested Tuesday in connection with a 1995 massacre in Bosnia, and Israel’s Justice Ministry launched extradition proceedings against him. A Sarajevo court issued a warrant for Alexandar Cvetkovic's arrest in April, stating that he was wanted for genocide and crimes against humanity. In August, Bosnia-Herzegovina filed a formal request to Israel for his extradition to stand trial at a war-crimes tribunal. » Read more

Medvedev Visits West Bank, Lifting Palestinian Spirits ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - January 18, 2011 - 1:00am President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia met on Tuesday with the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank oasis town of Jericho and reaffirmed his country’s support for a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem. Palestinian leaders hailed the visit as historic, noting that this was the first time such a high-profile international figure had gone to Palestinian territory independently of a visit to Israel. » Read more

January 18th

Israel finds no rebuttal to Russian immigrant rhetoric ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Tony Karon - January 18, 2011 - 1:00am Snap quiz: Which was the first country to recognise Israel at the United Nations? No, not the United States, nor any other western country. It was, in fact, the Soviet Union. » Read more

UN director in Gaza quits for new post ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - January 17, 2011 - 1:00am John Ging, the high-profile director of the UN relief agency in Gaza, is to quit his current post to take up a senior UN job in New York. Ging, 45, who has worked in Gaza since 2006, has been an enthusiastic and effective advocate for the rights of the Gazan population and a vocal critic of Israeli government policy. He has been the target of assassination attempts and death threats in Gaza, and Islamist opponents have attacked projects he has promoted. » Read more

Israel's 'disobedient women' questioned over illegal trips for Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - January 18, 2011 - 1:00am In a small village between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, I joined a remarkable group of women and children for lunch last weekend, a noisy and cheerful crowd enjoying plates of chicken, fish, rice and salad. All of them were breaking the law. The party consisted of around 20 mostly middle-aged Israeli women, slightly fewer and younger Palestinian women and a handful of the latter's children. » Read more