Legitimate Expectations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
(Opinion) October 11, 2007 - 2:57pm

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has laid out his clearest vision yet for what he expects any final agreement with Israel to give Palestinians. There is nothing truly new in it: as expected, it simply outlines the traditional Palestinian demands for a complete end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sovereignty over the natural resources of that land as well as its borders, and a just resolution to the Palestinian refugee problem.

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Abbas Lays Out Territorial Demand
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Conal Urquhart - October 11, 2007 - 2:41pm

The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, insisted yesterday that Israel must give up 2,400 square miles of territory under its control for a Palestinian state, as he set out his demands before a US-sponsored peace conference next month. The area is the sum of territory of the West Bank and Gaza which Israel conquered in 1967, and which the Palestine Liberation Organisation has argued should be set aside for a Palestinian state.

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Us Silent On Israel Grab Of Arab Land
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
October 11, 2007 - 2:40pm

The United States refused to immediately comment Wednesday on Israel's decision to confiscate Arab land near Jerusalem, one day before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was to head to the region. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters that Washington had not yet determined what its official reaction would be. "(I'm) still looking into it," he said. "I want to understand better the facts on the ground from our people in the field." "As soon as I have those, I'll be happy to provide you with a reaction."

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Palestinians Set To Trade Away Parts Of West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Karin Laub - October 11, 2007 - 2:37pm

The Palestinians are ready to yield parts of the West Bank to Israel if compensated with an equal amount of Israeli territory, the lead Palestinian negotiator said in an interview yesterday. Ahmed Qureia, a former prime minister who has dealt with five Israeli prime ministers during 14 years of failed peacemaking, is trying again with No. 6, Ehud Olmert.

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ATFP Expresses Deep Concern about Proposed New Jerusalem Road
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - October 11, 2007 - 12:00am

Washington, D.C., October 12 -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) today voiced deep concern regarding reported plans by the government of Israel to construct a new road that would connect occupied East Jerusalem with the West Bank city of Jericho. The new road would set the stage for the development of a new area of settlement known as “E-1” that could cut off Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank.


What Israel Wants, Israel Gets
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Miftah
by Joharah Baker - (Opinion) October 10, 2007 - 2:06pm

There is a consistent thread, a pattern, which designs Israel’s policies in the Palestinian territories. Any scrutinizing observer will notice how Israel first pitches an idea to the public – however preposterous – then allows the Palestinians and the international community to absorb it before putting it into action. This way, policies and measures are less shocking and seem more acceptable once the dust has been allowed to settle.

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Israeli Army Orders Confiscation Of Palestinian Land In West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Conal Urquhart - October 10, 2007 - 1:49pm

The Israeli army has ordered the seizure of Palestinian land surrounding four West Bank villages apparently in order to hugely expand settlements around Jerusalem, it emerged yesterday. The confiscation happened as Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met to prepare the ground for a meeting hosted by President George Bush in the United States aimed at reviving a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

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Pressure In Israel For Missile Defense
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - October 10, 2007 - 1:44pm

The firing of a long-range Katyusha rocket into Israel from Gaza on Sunday has ratcheted up concerns here for the increased threat of missiles against the Jewish state. The weapon of choice of Palestinian militants in Gaza has been the Kassam rocket, which has relatively poor aim and short range, but has nonetheless caused damage and killed 14 Israelis and injured hundreds more, according to an Israeli government tally.

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Abbas Wants Return To Pre-1967 Borders
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - October 10, 2007 - 1:42pm

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday laid out his most specific demands for the borders of a future independent state, calling for a full Israeli withdrawal from all territories captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Abbas' claim comes as Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams are trying to hammer out a joint vision for a future peace deal in time for a U.S.-hosted conference next month.

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Engaging Hamas: The When And The How
In Print by Ghaith al-Omari - The Orlando Sentinel (Opinion) - October 10, 2007 - 12:00am

The Hamas takeover of Gaza in June and the resulting West Bank-Gaza split has raised serious questions. What are the short-term prospects for reunification? Can serious political progress be made with Israel without Palestinian reconciliation? What are the elements of a successful and lasting future reconciliation?

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