US: Outposts Not Helpful to Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 25, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- The United States said Tuesday it was concerned by Israel's decision to sanction three settler outposts in the West Bank, as world powers warned of the negative impact on the peace process with Palestinians. An Israeli governmental committee earlier authorized the three outposts -- Bruchin, Sansana and Rechelim -- which were built on land Israel declared "state-owned" in the West Bank, an area it captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which Palestinians want as part of a future state.

»

West Bank settler post faces demolition deadline
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - April 25, 2012 - 12:00am

ULPANA OUTPOST, West Bank — A fast-approaching deadline to demolish the homes of 30 families in an unauthorized West Bank settlement outpost is deepening fractures in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, with some hard-liners warning the ruling coalition will fall if the buildings come down. As he enters his fourth year in office, Netanyahu is walking a fraying tightrope, declaring himself committed to making peace with the Palestinians while making concessions to settlers who have illegally staked claim to territory Palestinians want for a future state.

»

Outposts 2012: Coming to a West Bank hill near you
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) April 24, 2012 - 12:00am

It was early in the morning and the tony suburb was waking up to its day. Young parents rushed to get their little ones into the car, headed for nursery school, leaving behind their designer homes and lush gardens. The morning joggers finished their running quota for the day, decked out in their latest-fashion athletic gear. At the bus stops, children waited to get picked up for school, while their parents made their way into work in the big city. Within an hour the suburb would be emptied of most of its residents. An ancient view could be seen in the surrounding hills and valley around.

»

Israel legalizes West Bank settler outposts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - April 24, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — Israel legalized three unsanctioned West Bank settler outposts and was trying to save another on Tuesday, infuriating the Palestinians as the chief American Mideast envoy was in the region laboring to revive peace efforts. The decision fueled suspicions that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hardline coalition would try to legalize as many rogue settlement sites as possible to cement Israel's hold on occupied land the Palestinians claim for a state.

»

Erekat: PLO to ask Security Council for settlement censure
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 24, 2012 - 12:00am

JERICHO (Ma'an) -- PLO official Saeb Erekat said Tuesday that Palestinian leaders are examining ways to secure a resolution from the UN Security Council condemning Israeli settlement building, after Israel gave legal sanction to three settler outposts. In an interview with official PA radio Voice of Palestine, Erekat called on the Israeli government to choose between peace and settlement expansion, warning that sanctioning more settlements on Palestinian land will kill the two-state solution.

»

UN Chief “Deeply Troubled” by new West Bank Outposts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Michelle Goldberg - April 24, 2012 - 12:00am

UNITED NATIONS, April 24 (Reuters) - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday that he was "deeply troubled" by Israel's decision to grant legal status to three settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, describing the activity as illegal under international law. The three outposts - Bruchin, Sansana and Rechelim - were built on land Israel declared "state-owned" in the West Bank, an area it captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which Palestinians want as part of a future state.

»

UN: Israel displaced 67 Palestinians in a week
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 23, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israel forcibly displaced 67 Palestinian refugees in East Jerusalem over the last week, UN agencies said Sunday. On Wednesday, Israeli forces evicted two Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem's Beit Hanina. Jewish settlers moved into the homes the same day. Also on Wednesday, Israeli authorities destroyed the homes of seven families in al-Khalayleh in East Jerusalem, displacing them for the third time in six months.

»

The Israeli government's badge of shame
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am

The behavior of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and most of his ministers with regard to Beit El's Givat Ha'ulpana neighborhood recalls that of a career criminal who is undaunted by condemnation or punishment.

»

Israel to seek deferral of settler evictions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
April 23, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he would ask Israel's Supreme Court to defer next week's deadline for demolishing five apartment buildings erected illegally for settlers in the West Bank. The court has ruled that the buildings, which house 30 families in the unauthorized Ulpana outpost on the fringes of the Beit El settlement, must be razed by May 1 because they were built on privately owned Palestinian land. Netanyahu said his government is looking for "legal" ways to prevent the buildings from being demolished.

»

EU in Jerusalem condemns eviction of Arab family
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
April 21, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — The European Union has condemned an Israeli eviction of an Arab family in east Jerusalem. Israeli police evicted a family from a home in the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Hanina Wednesday. Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said the property belonged to Jewish owners. The European Union missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah issued a joint statement Saturday announcing they "are deeply concerned by the plans to build a new settlement in the midst of this traditional Palestinian neighborhood."

»


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