December 2nd

Israeli forces kill Palestinian in Nablus ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters November 30, 2008 - 8:00pm Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man during a raid in the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday, the Israeli army said. Such killings have become less frequent in the Israeli-occupied West Bank since Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas launched a security campaign with U.S. backing. An Israeli army spokesman said troops entered Nablus to arrest what he described as a "wanted man". When the man attempted to get away, the troops fired warning shots and then fired at his lower body, the spokesman said. » Read more

Two Palestinians killed in IAF strike on southern Gaza Strip ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press December 1, 2008 - 8:00pm An Israel Air Force strike in the southern Gaza Strip killed two Palestinians Tuesday, dealing a new blow to efforts to restore a fraying cease-fire. The army said it attacked a group of militants who had fired mortar shells at Israel Defense Forces troops from the area. But Palestinian medical officials said the dead were civilians - a pair of teenage brothers who were struck outside their house. The identities of four people wounded were not immediately known. The ruling Hamas militant group said its fighters had used the area to fire shells at Israeli targets earlier Tuesday. » Read more

UN accuses Israel of punishing aid workers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Anne Penketh - November 30, 2008 - 8:00pm The UN official responsible for the welfare of 4.6 million Palestinian refugees has accused Israel of extending its punishment of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip to include international humanitarian staff. Karen AbuZayd, who is based in Gaza City, said that Israeli authorities have within the past month stopped UN staff based in Gaza from using the diplomatic pouch. They gave no reason for the move, which is a clear breach of international law. » Read more

Try Tough Love, Hillary ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Roger Cohen - November 30, 2008 - 8:00pm Imagine Ehud Olmert, the outgoing Israeli prime minister, saying this to Barack Obama: » Read more

December 1st

Hebron settlers ask public for concrete info on IDF eviction plans ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Nadav Sharagi - November 30, 2008 - 8:00pm Supporters of settlers who refuse to vacate a disputed house in the West Bank city of Hebron are calling on the public to disclose "any information" possible regarding concrete Israel Defense Forces' plans to evacuate the premises. "In light of media reports regarding the intentions of the defense minister to evacuate the house under strictly secret methods, we have decided to call out to lovers of the Land of Israel for their help and alertness in gathering information on plans for the evacuation, which could take place any day now - heaven forbid," reads the public notice. » Read more

Israel alarmed by EU bid to reopen Orient House as part of peace plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - November 30, 2008 - 8:00pm Israeli officials are deeply concerned over an internal European Union document outlining the EU's plans for advancing an Israeli-Palestinian deal in 2009. Inter alia, it calls for increased pressure on Israel to reopen Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem, including Orient House, which formerly served as the Palestinian Authority's headquarters in the city. The document, a copy of which was obtained by Haaretz, was written by the French Foreign Ministry, as France currently occupies the EU's rotating presidency. » Read more

PA, Hamas praise prisoner release ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - November 29, 2008 - 8:00pm Senior PA negotiator Saeb Erekat on Sunday afternoon praised the cabinet's approval of a pledge made by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to release 250 Fatah prisoners as a goodwill gesture to mark the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Erekat said the prisoners' issue was a top priority for the Palestinian people, Army Radio reported. He added that Israel had not yet notified the Palestinian Authority whether jailed Fatah-Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti would be released. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum also approved of the decision. » Read more

A mockery, not a compromise ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Americans For Peace Now by Lara Friedman, Hagit Ofran - November 27, 2008 - 8:00pm As a new American president prepares to take office, and as Israel prepares for national elections, the government of Israel has announced a "compromise" on the illegal West Bank outpost of Migron. The deal makes a mockery of government pledges to deal seriously with illegal settler activity. It also challenges the seriousness of Israel's commitment to achieving peace with the Palestinians. Understanding why requires a closer examination of the details hidden behind the announcement. » Read more

Looking ahead to a Clinton State Department, Israelis and Arabs retool their expectations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Richard Bourdreaux, Jeffrey Fleishman, Paul Richter - November 30, 2008 - 8:00pm Nearly a month after Barack Obama's election, his decision to nominate Hillary Rodham Clinton for secretary of State is causing Arabs and Israelis to readjust expectations of his administration's policies toward the Middle East. During the campaign, Obama carried the hopes of many Arabs for a new brand of diplomacy more open to their views, one that would revive America's power and prestige in the region and end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. » Read more

Israeli court rebukes state over illegal outposts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - November 27, 2008 - 8:00pm An Israeli government effort to make good on a five-year-old commitment to the US and Palestinians to rein in settlement expansion in the West Bank is coming under legal fire at home. Under the 2003 "road map" peace plan, Israel promised to remove about two dozen or so unauthorized hilltop outposts as a way to build confidence in Palestinian peace talks, but has so far avoided dismantling the outpost communities for fear of violent clashes with settlers. » Read more