JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (04/16): PALESTINIANS SEE DOUBLE

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SUBJECT: JERUSALEM MEDIA REACTION (04/16): PALESTINIANS SEE DOUBLE
STANDARD IN US DEALINGS WITH ISRAEL,
PALESTINIANS

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Main Stories:
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Voice of Palestine (VOP) official radio aired an interview with
Consul General Walles on their main evening news broadcast on April

14. The interview led the broadcast and highlighted U.S. commitment
to the two-state solution. The interview was rebroadcast on April
15 as part of VOP's popular morning show and excerpts ran on the
midday news show.

Al-Hayat Al-Jadida and Al-Ayyam lead with news of the April 15
meeting in Ramallah between Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos and
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Fayyad. Al-Quds also runs
front page coverage. According to reports, Fayyad stressed the
importance of exerting pressure on Israel to halt settlement
activities in all of the "Occupied Territories, including Jerusalem"
in order to provide, "vital support" to the peace process. Fayyad
reiterated that Israel must abide by international standards and the
Road Map and stressed that regional peace can be achieved if the
Israeli occupation ends. Fayyad called on European countries and
the Middle East Quartet to play a central role in these efforts.
For his part, Moratinos stressed that Europe will not accept Israeli
refusal of signed agreements, Israel must should meet its
obligations to regional peace efforts and must halt settlement
activities in support of a two-state solution. The same coverage
quotes Special Envoy Mitchell from Tunisia noting that peace in the
Middle East is a priority for President Obama. Al-Ayyam and
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida run separate front page coverage of Mitchell
stressing that peace between Palestinians and Israel must be based
on the two-state solution, with two states living together in peace
and security.

Al-Quds runs inside coverage citing DPA of PLO chief negotiator
Sa'eb Erekat's comments from a press conference on April 15 in
Jericho. Erekat spoke after meeting with Congresswoman Lowey's
delegation and U.S. Consul General Walles in Jerusalem about
obliging Israel to accept the two-state solution as the basis for
negotiations. Erekat also noted that Israel must commit to signed
agreements, halt all settlement activities and lift "the siege" and
closures on the West Bank and Gaza. The U.S. delegation expressed
U.S. support for the two-state solution and commitment to signed
agreements between Palestinians and Israel.

Al-Quds leads with and the two dailies front page news about
Palestinian groups declaring April 17, a "national solidarity day"
in support of the 11,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. In
related news, front pages report on calls by Islamic "activist
institutions" urging Muslims to go to the Jerusalem Al-Aqsa Mosque
compound on April 16. The action is aimed at preventing "extremist
Jewish groups" from making good on their promise to "break into" the
compound, according to coverage.

An Al-Ayyam inside page cites wire reports about Secretary Clinton
calling for coordinated, international efforts to combat piracy and
notes that Clinton will send an envoy to a donors conference for
Somalia to discuss the issue. In local economic news, Al-Quds'
inside page reports on a U.S. Consulate General delegation visiting
the West Bank Qalqiliyah Chamber of Commerce on April 14.
Discussions with local leaders focused on the city's "deteriorating
economic situation" caused by Israeli closures and restrictions on
the movement of people and goods, according to coverage. Local
leaders called for U.S. Consulate General support in addressing the
issues, reporting adds.

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In cultural news, Al-Quds and Al-Ayyam run inside page reports on a
cooperative project between the U.S. Consulate General and a West
Bank theater in Beit Jala to translate and perform Mark Twain's play
"The Prince and the Pauper" for young audiences throughout the West
Bank. The reports highlight a congratulatory message from Consulate
Public Affairs Officer Schweitzer-Bluhm.
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BLOCK QUOTES:
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1) Al-Quds independent daily runs an editorial under the title,
"What happened to the two-state solution?"(04/16): "If the U.S.
joins Israel in its boycott of Hamas and allows Israel to control
the Gaza Strip in an effort oust Hamas because it does not recognize
Israel, why doesn't the U.S. apply the same logic when dealing with
Israel who refuses the two-state solution, Annapolis and an
independent Palestinian state? This [U.S.] policy highlights the
double standard used by international powers and particularly the
U.S. in dealing with [the two parties of] the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict."

2) Talal Okal opines in Al-Ayyam independent daily under the title,
"The ball is in the American court" (04/16): "This is the third
visit by Envoy Mitchell to the region since being named by
Presidents Obama... although these visits have not yet resulted in
anything tangible, they reflect the seriousness of President Obama
in pursuing the political process right from the beginning [of his
tenure] ... The visit this time will be for the purpose of meeting
with the newly-formed Israeli government which has already rejected
everything related to the peace process... This rejection will
require the U.S. administration to spend tremendous amounts of time
and effort on repaving the peace process road [if still possible.]"

WALLES