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Cablegate: Jerusalem Media Reaction (01/21): Local Press Report That

Published: Thu 21 Jan 2010 07:46 AM
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TAGS: PREL KMDR KPAL KWBG KPAO IS
SUBJECT: JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (01/21): Local press report that
Special Envoy George Mitchell arrives without any new guarantees
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Main Stories:
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Independent daily Al-Ayyam leads with news citing well informed
Palestinian sources saying that the Palestinian leadership is under
pressure to return to negotiations with Israel. The leading headline
says that Special Envoy George Mitchell isn't bringing anything new
this time and wants to pursue negotiations without a full settlement
freeze. Independent daily Al-Quds front pages news on Mitchell
saying from Syria that the US is committed to comprehensive peace in
the region.
The dailies highlight stories on Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak
approving upgrading a college in the Ariel settlement to a
university. The headlines all state that this will be the first
Israeli university in the West Bank.
In related news, dozens of settlers attacked Awarta village near
Nablus on Tuesday night, destroying tomb stones and the door of a
school. The dailies also report that the Israeli authorities
submitted notices to the Bedouins of Ka'abneh in Jericho yesterday
notifying them that the Israelis will demolish a mosque and a school
no later than February 4, 2010, claiming that the Bedouins lack the
appropriate building permits and that the buildings are located in
Area C.
Citing Israeli daily Ha'aretz, Al-Quds front pages a report that the
Israeli Ministry of Interior stopped giving work permits to
foreigners who work with international NGOS in the Palestinian
Territories and Jerusalem. The Al-Quds headline says that Israel
will move the offices of the international organizations from
Jerusalem to the West Bank.
The dailies report that the Fatah Revolutionary Council issued a
statement yesterday at the conclusion of its meetings in Ramallah
renewing its support for Palestinian Authority (PA) President
Mahmoud Abbas and all PA institutions. The council called for
promoting the popular resistance against the wall and settlement
activities. The council also stressed that Hamas should sign the
national reconciliation plan without amendments.
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BLOCK QUOTE:
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Al-Quds runs an editorial under the title "After a Year of Promises,
Nothing Will Change if We Ourselves Don't Change" which talks about
President Obama after his first year in office. The editorial argues
that none of Obama's promises were achieved, but says that the
problem is not with President Obama or the pressure that he is being
exposed to, but rather with the weak Palestinian and Arab leadership
that lacks the strategic vision to defend Palestinians' rights. The
editorial concludes that Palestinians should not wait for others to
help them solve their problems.
RUBINSTEIN
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