In a side room at the airport
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avirama Golan - (Opinion) June 16, 2010 - 12:00am

Here is a story known to only some of the citizens of Israel. A few weeks ago a 43-year-old lecturer in sociology at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who serves as a member of the prestigious academic journal Sociology, packed a suitcase and went to Ben-Gurion International Airport. From there he was supposed to take off for the journal's annual editorial board meeting in London. He stood in line, showed his passport and his ticket and was immediately directed to a separate line.

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Arab Israeli the most hated person in Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Globe and Mail
by Patrick Martin - June 15, 2010 - 12:00am

Two weeks ago, she was virtually unknown. But after travelling aboard the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara, on which nine Turkish citizens were killed when Israeli commandos stormed the boat, Hanin Zoaby, a 41-year-old, first-term Knesset member, has become the most hated person in Israel. As an Arab Israeli, she also has found herself at the centre of a new political force with which Israel will have to contend.

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Separate roads push West Bank Arabs to the byways
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Ben Hubbard - June 13, 2010 - 12:00am

For the thousands of Palestinians who travel daily between the north and south West Bank, there is only one route: a steep and narrow track up and down a canyon with 15 hairpin turns and the scars of frequent accidents. Wadi Nar means "the Valley of Fire," a place where brakes fail, clutches burn up, engines stall and people die. The ride up and down the canyon walls is among the worst routes Palestinian motorists must use to circumnavigate the towns, army posts and well-maintained highways built for Israelis on land the Palestinians claim for a future state.

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Israel's Arab-Jewish conflict played out on a soccer field
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Lisa Rosen - May 27, 2010 - 12:00am

Any soccer fanatic gearing up for the World Cup will tell you that national pride is on the line with every game. When that pride is caught up in geopolitics, keeping score can get even more complicated. The documentary "After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United" looks at Bnei Sakhnin, a soccer team from an Arab city in Israel that won that country's national cup in 2004.

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Makhoul's defense: Harsh interrogation methods used
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Sharon Roffe-ofir - May 27, 2010 - 12:00am

Following the indictment against Arab-Israeli author Ameer Makhoul, chairman of Ittijah (the Union of Arab Community-Based Associations), his defense counsel claimed he is innocent and accused the Shin Bet of using particularly violent methods against his client. According to the lawyer, the violence led Makhoul to 'admit' to acts he did not in fact commit. A senior Shin Bet source said the accusations are groundless. Makhoul is accused of espionage, assisting an enemy at a time of war and maintaining contact with an enemy agent.

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Israel indicts 2 Arab citizens in aiding Hezbollah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Ben Hubbard - May 27, 2010 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — Israel indicted two prominent activists from its Arab minority on Thursday for allegedly spying for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, deepening a case that has raised tensions with the country's Arab minority. Both men denied the charges, the latest in a series of cases in which the government has accused Arab citizens of aiding Israel's staunchest enemies. Israel's Shin Bet security service said Arab activist Amir Makhoul confessed to meeting with a Hezbollah agent in Denmark in 2008 and agreed to collect information for the Lebanese militia.

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Yes, Israel's a democracy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Jacob Dayan - (Opinion) May 27, 2010 - 12:00am

The Jewish state of Israel is a diverse nation that has absorbed people from more than 140 countries. Among its population are about 1.5 million Arabs, including Israeli Knesset member Ahmad Tibi, who in a May 23 Times interview lashed out at Israel, using inflammatory words like "racist" and "fascist." As is his style, Tibi failed to back up his white-hot rhetoric with hard facts.

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Rightist banned from J'lem neighborhoods
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Shmulik Grossman - May 26, 2010 - 12:00am

In an unprecedented move, the administrative order against settler Neriah Ofen, keeping him away from the West Bank, was extended to also include the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Pisgat Zeev and Neve Yaakov. The order was signed by GOC Home Front Command Major General Yair Golan. Ofen, a right-wing activist, is well known to the security services from the days of the Gaza disengagement, when he was suspected of planning attacks against Arabs. He was also under administrative detention.

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Israel to permit entry to Arab investors for PIC
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 26, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel will permit an exceptional 815 Middle East businessmen and women to enter the West Bank for Bethlehem's second Palestine Investment Conference (PIC) in June, officials announced on Tuesday. Executive director of PIC Ja’far Hdeib called news of the permits, communicated by Israel's Civil Administration late Monday night, the first signs of success for the conference, titled Investing in Palestine: Empowering Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.

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Residency and naturalisation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Daoud Kuttab - May 20, 2010 - 12:00am

My eldest daughter, Tamara, who studied and worked in the US, finally got her own Israeli-issued residency ID for Jerusalem. It took her seven years to accomplish this feat despite the fact that she was born and raised in Jerusalem to parents holding Jerusalem residency. What would normally be a routine act is a major hurdle for Palestinians, especially those who reside in Jerusalem.

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