JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (03/26): PALESTINIANS ASSERT ARAB

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SUBJECT: JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (03/26): PALESTINIANS ASSERT ARAB
IDENTITY OF JERUSALEM

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Main Stories:
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Al Ayyam and Al Hayat Al Jadida lead with March 24 statements by
President Obama reaffirming U.S. commitment to the two-state
solution. The President is also quoted stating that achieving a
two-state solution will not be easier under a Netanyahu government.
The report, also on Al Quds' front page, is linked in both papers to
reporting on the secret agreement between Likud's Netanyahu and
Beytenu's Lieberman to build housing units in the Jerusalem E1 area,
a move that critics say threatens to cut Jerusalem off from the
Palestinian Territories. All papers run reaction from Palestinian
Authority President spokesman Abu Rudaynah noting Obama's statements
as another indicator of U.S. commitment to the two-state solution.
Rudaynah also highlights the appointment of Special Envoy George
Mitchell as further proof of U.S. "seriousness." Al Ayyam adds
statements by PLO chief negotiator Erekat welcoming Obama's
statements and calling for their "transforming" into concrete
timetables and mechanisms for implementation.
Al Quds leads with a report on Israeli plans to build new
"settlement neighborhoods" in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah and Abu
Dis areas. The report cites Israeli daily Maariv in noting that
Jerusalem Mayor Barakat will soon visit the U.S. to meet with U.S.
administration officials and Jewish leaders.
Al Quds and Al Ayyam run front page reports on March 25 statements
by Palestinian Authority Premier Fayyad calling on the international
community to compel Israel to accept the two-state solution and end
control over Area C zones, established by the Oslo Accords.

All papers front page a report on a "breakthrough" in prisoners
exchange talks between Hamas and Israel. According to Hamas deputy
chief Baraka, indirect talks have resumed. Papers note that an
Egyptian official, who visited Israel on March 25, has returned to
Cairo to inform his government and Hamas about the "development" and
communicate that to Hamas. Papers speculate that Israel has agreed
to the release of Palestinian leaders Saadat, Hamid and Marwan
Barghuti.
Al Quds and Al Ayyam's front pages cite a report by Human Rights
Watch that accuses Israel of unlawfully using white phosphorus in
its offensive in Gaza, a potential war crime, according to the
group.

Al Hayat Al Jadida's front page cites a Reuters report on statements
by senior UN official and former U.S. diplomat, B. Lynn Pascoe
calling the situation at Gaza crossings, "intolerable," as Israel
continues to block the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, despite
earlier agreements. Pascoe reiterated the UN call on Israel to
fulfill its responsibilities under international humanitarian law
and open crossings for humanitarian assistance and reconstruction
materials. --------------
BLOCK QUOTES:
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1) Azzam Abu Al Sud opines in Al Quds under the title, "Launching
Jerusalem, the Capital of Arab Culture"(03/26): "Despite all
[Israeli] attempts to prevent the Arab spirit and [prevent] Arab
culture from expressing [that spirit] in Jerusalem, we [Palestinian
Jerusalemites] remain Arabs, a thorn in their side, Christians and
Muslims. We must exert more effort, thought, and careful action [to
protect our identity]."

2) Talal Okal opines in Al Ayyam under the title, "When will we
learn our lesson?"(03/26): "The Israeli occupier, under the
leadership of the rightwing national unity government... constitutes

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a direct, imminent danger to all Palestinians, negotiators and
resistance. Will this [danger] constitute a valid, strong, and good
enough reason for ending the [internal Palestinian] division, or,
will the dialogue and squabbling continue...?"

WALLES