Giving up Jerusalem would mean end of Zionism
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Ronen Shoval - (Opinion) April 4, 2012 - 12:00am

Former prime minister Ehud Olmert said a few days ago: "It breaks my heart to initiate relinquishing sovereignty over the Temple Mount but there is no other choice." However, conceding the Temple Mount means opting for a one-way road that leads straight to the annihilation of Zionism. And the heart that will be broken will not be that of Olmert but rather that of the Jewish people. There is only one meaning to giving up the Temple Mount: the end of the State of Israel.

»

Israeli mayor 'plans new East Jerusalem settlement'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 3, 2012 - 12:00am

TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- Israel's Jerusalem Mayor plans to establish a new Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem, according to news reports Tuesday. Around 200 new homes are planned for the area, which lies between Abu Dis and Jabal al-Mukkabir, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. The settlement, referred to as Kidmat Zion, will be built on land purchased by Irving Moskowitz, a Florida businessman and patron of Jewish settlers.

»

Jerusalem is at the heart of the Palestinian struggle
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Sarah Colborne - (Opinion) March 27, 2012 - 12:00am

Jerusalem is a city that embodies the cultural heritage of three religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Yet Palestinians – both Christian and Muslim – are being driven out of Jerusalem. Just one example of this ethnic cleansing is taking place in Silwan, where 1,000 residents are facing imminent eviction as their homes make way for the King David tourist park. In response to the urgency of the situation, an international alliance is mounting a series of peaceful protests worldwide on 30 March to call for an end to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians living in Jerusalem.

»

‘Reel freedom’ helps make Jerusalem more livable
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Khaled Diab - (Opinion) March 12, 2012 - 12:00am

In East Jerusalem, the Israeli occupation has affected the city’s cultural landscape. Chronic underinvestment, expanding settlements and a massive wall – which Israel says it has constructed for security purposes and Palestinians allege is a land grab – have had the effect of squeezing the life out of Palestinian quarters and shifting the cultural center of gravity to Ramallah in the West Bank. In addition, it seems many Palestinian Jerusalemites have not been able to shake off the curfew mentality of the intifada, which ended almost seven years ago.

»

JNF should plant trees, not uproot families
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Jill Jacobs - (Opinion) March 2, 2012 - 1:00am

As a child, I proudly brought my spare change to Hebrew school to drop in the little blue boxes. With this money, my teachers told me, the Jewish National Fund would plant trees in Israel. I never imagined that these nickels and dimes would also help to evict Palestinians from their homes. Last week, Rabbis for Human Rights-North America called on the Jewish National Fund and its partner organizations to issue a public statement that they will no longer evict Palestinians from their homes in eastern Jerusalem.

»

PA urges top cleric to annul Jerusalem fatwa
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 28, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority minister of religious affairs on Tuesday urged a top Muslim cleric to annual his recent fatwa which ruled that non-Palestinian Muslims should not visit Jerusalem while it remains under occupation. Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi, a respected Sunni Muslim cleric, gave the decree after President Mahmoud Abbas urged Arabs and Muslims worldwide to visit the city at the Jerusalem conference in Qatar on Sunday.

»

Is it late to save East Jerusalem?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Osama Al-Sharif - (Opinion) February 28, 2012 - 1:00am

In the frustrating pursuit of Palestinian-Israeli peace settlement, based on the concept of a two-state solution, one particular issue emerges as the most cumbersome and, in the view of most Israelis, non negotiable. It is the fate of Arab East Jerusalem, occupied along with the rest of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

»

The Jerusalem Conference in Doha: Day 2
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Lara Friedman - (Opinion) February 28, 2012 - 1:00am

Yesterday I posted at the Forward with some of my concerns at the end of day one of the Arab League conference on Jerusalem in Doha. Below are my comments at the end of day two. ?Given my frustrations over day one's speeches and discussion, I steeled myself today to speak up. I did so in the closing round of comments in the committee I was attending (the Civil Society Group). When the moderator called on me I introduced myself as follows (not verbatim, but close):

»

Abbas: Israel carrying out 'ethnic cleansing' in Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
February 27, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel on Sunday of trying to erase any Arabic identity from Jerusalem, drawing a strong response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Abbas, speaking at a conference in Qatar, said that for the past few years Israel has been waging a "final battle" aimed at erasing the Arab, Muslim and Christian character of East Jerusalem, which Israel captured from Jordan during the 1967 Middle East war.

»

Israel to promote east Jerusalem project on area claimed to be future Palestinian airport
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 27, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Jerusalem municipality Building and Planning Committee last week started bureaucratic arrangements for building an industrial zone in north Jerusalem's Atarot area, where the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) plans to establish its international airport in future state, The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday. Meir Margalit, a Jerusalem council member from Meretz party who holds the east Jerusalem portfolio slammed the municipality's plans.

»


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