Worth Reading... Palestine-Related Articles

Mark Perry: The Petraeus briefing: Biden's embarrassment is not the whole story (Foreign Policy)

On Jan. 16, two days after a killer earthquake hit Haiti, a team of senior military officers from the U.S. Central Command (responsible for overseeing American security interests in the Middle East), arrived at the Pentagon to brief Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The team had been dispatched by CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus to underline his growing worries at the lack of progress in resolving the issue. >

Amjad Atallah: Middle East peace efforts: lessons from healthcare reform (LA Times)

It took a year of trying for President Obama to persuade Israelis and Palestinians to enter into "proximity talks" to resolve issues standing in the way of a final peace plan. But as we learned from the stunning announcement this week -- during Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the region -- that Israel had approved 112 new settlement units in the West Bank and 1,600 new settlement units in East Jerusalem, there is a lot that can go wrong. >

Johann Hari: Palestinians should now declare their independence (Independence)

Could the Israeli government make it any more obvious they have no intention of sharing the Over-Promised Land with its other inhabitants? >

Ahmad Tibi: Israeli extremism exposed (The Washington Times)

Recently, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon refused to meet with members of the U.S. Congress, whose institution provides Israel with the economic wherewithal to occupy the West Bank. Through astonishing ineptness, rather than principled policy, Israel is risking the anger of its bankroller. >

Rory McCarthy: Israel plans more East Jerusalem homes as talks collapse (Guardian)

Israeli authorities are considering plans for at least another 8,000 homes in settlements in East Jerusalem, it emerged today, despite the latest collapse in proposed peace talks with the Palestinians. >

Abe Hayeem: Israel's unfair 'law of return' (Guardian)

The yearly drive to encourage British Jews to emigrate to Israel culminated last weekend in the Israel Property Exhibition in a north London synagogue. "Make your dream come true with your own home or investment in Israel," it urged. Although most of the property for sale is in Israel itself, some is in the occupied Palestinian territories. >

US and Israel dodge settlement confrontation (BBC)

It took a year of trying for President Obama to persuade Israelis and Palestinians to enter into "proximity talks" to resolve issues standing in the way of a final peace plan. But as we learned from the stunning announcement this week -- during Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the region -- that Israel had approved 112 new settlement units in the West Bank and 1,600 new settlement units in East Jerusalem, there is a lot that can go wrong. >

'50% against equal rights for Arabs' (Jerusalem Post)

Fifty percent of Jewish Israeli high-schoolers believe that Arab Israelis should not be granted the same rights as their Jewish counterparts, according to a new Ma'agar Mohot poll of 536 15-to-18-year-olds. >

Jamal Juma: Why Israel jailed me for 'talking too much' (IMEU)

The Palestinian elected leadership is weak. And even with Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan this week, the renewed Middle East peace process appears to be little more than a charade. Israel has taken this opportunity to crack down on Palestinians who advocate nonviolent protests against the Israeli West Bank segregation barrier and charged them based on questionable or false evidence. >

European Parliament backs UN report on Gaza war (Washington Post)

In a move likely to worsen EU ties with Israel, the European Parliament urged its 27-member states Wednesday to monitor the Israeli and Palestinian probes into alleged war crimes in Gaza. >

A city that should be shared (Economist)

Even as the Americans strive to jump-start fresh talks between Israelis and Palestinians, the Israeli government has been using the hiatus to intensify the refashioning of East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians see as their future capital. >

From time to time, the Palestine Center distributes articles it believes will enhance understanding of the Palestinian political reality.

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