Israel faces lowest point in Europe relations in decades
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Christian Science Monitor
by Christa Case Bryant - December 4, 2012 - 1:00am

Jerusalem-The unusually strong European rebuke of Israel’s plans to tighten its grip on land sought for a Palestinian state marks at least a 30-year low point in relations, say Israeli foreign policy scholars. While the nature of Europe’s complaint is not new, the tone reflects both heightened urgency about salvaging the two-state solution, and accumulated impatience with a government seen as diplomatically tone deaf.

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Australia summons Israel ambassador over settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
December 4, 2012 - 1:00am

CANBERRA (Reuters) -- Australia summoned the Israeli ambassador on Tuesday to protest against Israel's decision to expand Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank and withhold tax revenue from the Palestinian Authority. Australia's move followed similar actions in Europe including Spain, France, Britain, Sweden and Denmark in the wake of the Palestinians winning de facto UN recognition of statehood.

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Palestinians warn Israel must be held accountable over settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
December 4, 2012 - 1:00am

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -- The Palestinians accused Israel in a letter to the United Nations of planning to commit further "war crimes" by expanding Jewish settlements after the Palestinians won de facto UN recognition of statehood and warned that Israel must be held accountable.

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Israel to advance east Jerusalem building plans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - December 4, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM —Israel is moving forward with plans for two major settlement projects in east Jerusalem, a spokeswoman said Tuesday, even as a senior Palestinian official warned that his government could pursue war crimes charges if Israel doesn't halt such construction. International anger over Israeli settlement construction has snowballed in recent days, following last week's U.N. recognition of a state of Palestine — in lands Israel occupied in 1967 — as a non-member observer in the General Assembly.

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ATFP Asks US to Ensure No Israeli Building in E1
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from ATFP
December 4, 2012 - 1:00am

Dec. 3, Washington, DC -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) today urged the Obama administration to use all its good offices with Israel to ensure that settlement expansion reportedly being considered in the highly sensitive “E1 corridor" not take place.

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Israel takes a harder line
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Los Angeles Times
(Editorial) December 4, 2012 - 1:00am

When Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced that he would seek recognition from the United Nations for a Palestinian state, Israel complained that Abbas should have pursued that objective in face-to-face peace negotiations and warned of grave consequences, threatening to expand

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The E1 emergency
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon
by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) December 4, 2012 - 1:00am

You can't say Israel and United States didn't warn each other, or that they didn't see this coming. The Americans anticipated a potential Israeli overreaction to the Palestinian United Nations status upgrade to "nonmember observer state." And there was one measure they particularly wanted to prevent: new Israeli settlement construction in the hypersensitive E1 corridor near Jerusalem. 

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Israeli settlers occupy 5-story house in Palestinian neighborhood of East Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Nir Hasson - December 3, 2012 - 1:00am

Five Israeli settlers entered a five-story building in the Jabal Mukaber neighborhood of East Jerusalem early Monday morning, apparently in an effort to establish a new settlement in this Palestinian area. The building, which was erected in recent years, has remained largely empty, except for one Palestinian family living on the top floor.

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ATFP Asks US to Ensure No Israeli Building in E1
Press Release - Contact Information: Ghaith al-Omari - December 3, 2012 - 1:00am

 


U.S. intensifies criticism of Israel on settlement plan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Andrew Quinn, Matt Spetalnick - December 3, 2012 - 1:00am

WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday ratcheted up criticism of Israel over plans to expand Jewish settlement building on occupied land, urging it to reconsider despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to back down. The Obama administration's tougher-than-usual words for close ally Israel came after five European governments summoned Israeli ambassadors in their capitals to express concern over the new settlement projects. But Washington stopped short of threatening any concrete measures against the Jewish state.

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American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017