EU retracts criticism of Israeli settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - July 9, 2009 - 12:00am

The European Commission on Thursday backtracked on its unusually harsh criticism of Israeli settlements, declaring that a statement released earlier this week did not reflect the commission's position. The contentious statement accused Israel's settlement policy of strangling the Palestinian economy and making the Palestinian government more dependent on foreign aid.

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Judenrein! Israel adopts Nazi term to back settlers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Dan Williams - July 9, 2009 - 12:00am

Hosting the German foreign minister this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used an especially tainted term to condemn the Palestinian demand that Israel's settlements in the occupied West Bank be removed. "Judea and Samaria cannot be Judenrein," a Netanyahu confidant quoted him as telling Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Asked how Germany's top diplomat responded to hearing the Nazi Holocaust term for areas "cleansed of Jews," the confidant said, "What could he do? He basically just nodded."

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Israel must keep much of Golan: Netanyahu aide
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
July 9, 2009 - 12:00am

Israel is ready to withdraw from areas of the Golan Heights, but it will not give up large parts of the occupied territory in any peace deal with Syria, a top aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. National Security Adviser Uzi Arad also said in an interview with Haaretz newspaper published on Friday that as part of a statehood deal that settles the conflict with the Palestinians, Israel should be granted NATO membership.

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Israel backers must support a settlement freeze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by John Friedman - (Opinion) July 9, 2009 - 12:00am

The Jewish community in America has always supported Israel. We have raised funds, walked in solidarity, visited whenever possible and prayed for the safety of the Jewish state since its very inception. “Wherever we stand, we stand with Israel” is a comment made sincerely by many. But surely, if we stand with Israel, if we want what’s best for the Jewish state, we must be honest -- we must tell the leadership of our spiritual home the truth. And the truth is, President Obama is right when he says that settlement building must stop.

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Obama will not give in
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Mickey Bergman - (Opinion) July 8, 2009 - 12:00am

President Obama will not give in to Israel when it comes to settlements. Both he, Secretary Clinton and Special Envoy Mitchell have made it abundantly clear: “not one more brick.” Israel’s refusal of this demand could potentially lead to a level of tensions between Washington and Jerusalem that we have not seen in a long while. Israel should propose an alternative that will not only make the administration happy, but will also make real progress toward ending the Israeli-Arab conflict.

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Israel fumes at EU settlement statement
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - July 7, 2009 - 12:00am

Furious at a European Union statement blaming the settlements for aid the EU gives the Palestinians, the Foreign Ministry on Monday summoned the EU ambassador to Israel, Ramiro Cibrián-Uzal, to register a protest. In a rare move, the senior deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry, Rafi Barak, called Cibrian-Uzal to the ministry in Jerusalem for an explanation. An AP story quoted the European Commission as saying that Israel's settlement policy helped strangle the Palestinian economy and made the Palestinian government more dependent on foreign aid.

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Barak: Israel will dismantle outposts within months
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Roni Sofer - July 7, 2009 - 12:00am

Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with US Middle East envoy Senator George Mitchell in London on Monday, for their second meeting in the space of a week. The defense minister told Mitchell that "Israel is committed to evacuating the 23 illegal outposts within weeks or months."

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Poll: Majority of Israelis in favor of 'natural growth'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
(Analysis) July 7, 2009 - 12:00am

Some 61% of the Israeli public support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands on settlement expansion, unless for the purpose of "natural growth," the War and Peace Index for June said Tuesday. Thirty-one percent are against the PM's position, but both sides agree that the government cannot do anything that may harm Israel's relations with the United States.

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Why Israel won't evacuate West Bank outposts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel - (Analysis) July 7, 2009 - 12:00am

If George Mitchell, America's special envoy to the Middle East, wants an advance estimate on the reliability of Israeli promises to evacuate outposts, he may find the High Court of Justice discussion on the outpost of Migron helpful. The state's request to be granted another year-long extension before having to evacuate the outpost by law offers a sad glimpse into the situation, and reveals the gaps between the official declarations of the Netanyahu administration and the actual law enforcement in the territories.

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Israel's settlements in West Bank present a major hurdle
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Edmund Sanders - (Opinion) July 6, 2009 - 12:00am

This sprawling, well-manicured Israeli settlement -- with its rows of red-tile roofs, palm trees and air-conditioned shopping mall -- could almost pass for Orange County. Except the guards in this gated community sometimes pack automatic weapons. Settlements such as the city-sized Maale Adumim, about four miles east of Jerusalem in the West Bank, are viewed by much of the world as illegal because they are built on land seized by Israel during the 1967 Middle East War. Many Israelis see Maale Adumim as part of their country.

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