How West Bank Construction Hampers Progress for a Two-State Solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from PBS
(Transcript) December 3, 2012 - 1:00am

RAY SUAREZ: For more on what the construction of this settlement could mean for the stalled peace process, I'm joined by David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Ghaith Al-Omari, executive director of the American Task Force on Palestine. And, David, is this, strictly speaking, in response to the vote on observer status in the U.N., or is this some something that the Israelis have wanted to do anyway? DAVID MAKOVSKY:, Washington Institute For Near East Policy: Well, it's a little of both.

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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

 


Netanyahu: Gov't okayed E1 planning, not building
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - December 2, 2012 - 1:00am

The government gave a green light to zoning and planning in the area known as E1 between Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim, but not to actual construction there, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu clarified to his Likud ministers Sunday as condemnations of the move continued to pour into Israel from around the world.

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Israel: E1 Zone No-Build Policy 'No Longer Relevant'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Laura Rozen - December 2, 2012 - 1:00am

As Israel announced that it was withholding tax payments to the Palestinian Authority on Sunday, an Israeli official told Al-Monitor that Israel considers its 2009 understanding with the Americans that it would not build in the sensitive E1 zone of East Jerusalem “no longer relevant.”

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UN chief: Israel's construction plans 'fatal blow' to two-state solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
December 2, 2012 - 1:00am

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday Israel's plans to build 3,000 new homes in East Jerusalem and West Bank settlements "would represent an almost fatal blow to remaining chances of securing a two-state solution." Ban said in a statement that in the interest of peace, any plans for construction in the "E-1" corridor must be rescinded.

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Settling reality
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
(Editorial) December 2, 2012 - 1:00am

The West condemned Israel’s settlement plan Monday in no uncertain terms, but the 3,000 planned new homes are just the latest in a well-established policy by the Jewish state. The takeover of Palestinian land seized in 1967 via settlements has been a creeping plan by Israel to change the reality of the situation over the past 45 years.

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Netanyahu brushes off world condemnation of settlement plans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Maayan Lubell - December 2, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday brushed off world condemnation of Israel's plans to expand Jewish settlements after the Palestinians won de facto U.N. recognition of statehood.

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Amid Euphoria Over U.N. Vote, Palestinians Still Face Familiar Challenges
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - December 2, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank — “Now we have become a state!” Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, announced Sunday to a crowd of thousands in the courtyard of his headquarters in this Palestinian city.

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Israel’s Addiction to the Status Quo
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Noam Sheizaf - (Opinion) December 2, 2012 - 1:00am

A well-known cliché in Israeli political discourse refers to a high rate of support among the Jewish public for a two-state solution. As the claim goes, despite the Second Intifada and the rounds of fighting against Hamas in Gaza, most Jews still prefer this solution to the annexation of the Palestinian territories.

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Dividing the West Bank, and Deepening a Rift
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - December 1, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM — High up in an empty, mountainous expanse east of this city there is a stone patio with a pair of green metal benches and a plaque marking the cornerstone of a future Jewish community. Dedicated in 2009, the plaque promises the new city will be built “adjacent to the united Jerusalem, which will be quickly re-established.”

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