Israeli leader vows more settlement building
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Daniel Estrin - July 2, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel's prime minister says his government will continue settlement construction in the West Bank. A participant in a closed meeting of parliament's powerful Defense and Foreign Affairs committee said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Monday to continue developing areas near Jerusalem, deep inside the West Bank and in the Jordan Valley. The Israeli leader struck a defiant note on settlements days after Israel evacuated a West Bank outpost ruled illegal by Israel's Supreme Court.

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UNESCO votes to add Bethlehem holy sites to world heritage list
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 29, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- UNESCO on Friday declared Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity and the nearby pilgrimage route World Heritage sites. Thirteen members of the 21-nation World Heritage Committee voted in favor of the Palestinian application, securing exactly the needed number of votes. Two countries abstained and six voted against the bid. "I am delighted," Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki told the conference in St. Petersburg, to rapturous applause. "You have our most gracious thanks."

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Donald Macintyre: Nothing resonates like the mistreatment of minors
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Donald MacIntyre - (Opinion) June 27, 2012 - 12:00am

The charge that Israel violates international law in its treatment of Palestinian prisoners in general and child prisoners in particular is hardly new.

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Settlers erect homes, level land by Nablus outposts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 20, 2012 - 12:00am

Israeli settlers have brought 45 caravans to expand settler outposts near Nablus, a local official said Wednesday. Construction began on Monday on three settler outposts adjacent to Eli and Shilo settlements in the northern West Bank, PA official monitoring settler activities Ghassan Daghlas told Ma'an. Bulldozers have razed more than 60,000 square meters of agricultural land near Palestinian villages Jalud, Qaryut and Jurish, he said, noting that settlers had constructed several cement homes and brought in caravans.

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Quartet envoys meet amid Palestinian criticism
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
June 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Envoys from the Middle East Quartet met in Brussels on Friday amid calls from the Palestinians to step up action to halt continuing Israeli settlement activity. Officials from the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia gathered "to consult as they routinely do over the phone as well", said a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

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Make a choice: Settlements or democracy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Tal Harris - (Opinion) June 13, 2012 - 12:00am

The events surrounding last week’s Knesset vote on the illegal Ulpana outpost seemed like a vindication of Israeli democracy for many of its citizens. The Supreme Court ruling to evacuate 30 families living on Palestinian land was upheld, as was the notion that Israel’s democracy and the rule of law can exist side by side with its expanding presence in the West Bank. This is fiction.

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Help us save Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Dor Glick - (Opinion) June 11, 2012 - 12:00am

My consciousness was sawed off this week. Ever since the global boycott campaign against the settlements got underway, I objected to it and attempted to persuade my friends to avoid any foreign intervention in our situation.

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UK, France, Germany condemn Israeli settlement plans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 8, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The UK on Friday condemned Israel's decision to authorize 851 new housing units in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel on Wednesday announced the new homes after upholding a High Court ruling to evacuate five families from the illegal Ulpana outpost. "The decision to move settlers from an illegal outpost by creating housing units in settlements elsewhere across the Green Line sets a dangerous precedent," UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement.

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Settlement harvests in need of a new label
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - June 7, 2012 - 12:00am

Supporters of economic boycotts against Israel scored victories last month when South Africa and Denmark said they would ban the use of a "Made in Israel" label on products from Jewish settlements. Pro-Palestinian groups hailed the moves as a potential watershed in efforts to persuade the international community to penalise Tel Aviv for its settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories occupied by Israel.

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Amnesty tells Israel: End detentions without trial
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Ian Deitch - June 5, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — Amnesty International has appealed to Israel to end the practice of imprisoning Palestinians suspected of militant activity without trial, calling in a report issued Tuesday for the release of hundreds of detainees. The London-based rights group claimed that the prisoners are mistreated and that Israel is violating international law with its practice, known as "administrative detention," which Israel says is vital to prevent attacks.

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