October 6th

Abbas blames aides for motion's removal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - October 6, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is considering firing a number of his top aides who advised him to withdraw a motion to the UN Human Rights Council regarding the findings of the commission of inquiry led by Justice Richard Goldstone into Operation Cast Lead. Abbas's decision to withdraw the motion has triggered a wave of unprecedented criticism and condemnations among Palestinians and throughout the Arab world. » Read more

Abbas: Jews spending billions on Jerusalem lands ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - October 6, 2009 - 12:00am On the backdrop of recent riots in the Old City of Jerusalem, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has warned against a Jewish takeover of all parts of the capital. According to Abbas, the holy city requires much more effort, attention and dedication from the Arabs in order to deal with the Israeli attempt to change the reality in the city. » Read more

Report: Hamas arrests militants planning to fire rockets at Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz October 6, 2009 - 12:00am The Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip have arrested over the last two days a number of Palestinian militants planning to fire rockets at western Israel, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported Tuesday. The report quoted group sources as saying Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has organized a crackdown against Palestinian factions to curb the attacks against Israel. Hamas has warned the factions not to fire rockets under any circumstances, according to the report, even in response to Israeli measures at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. » Read more

Border Control / Obama is no sucker ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - October 6, 2009 - 12:00am One minute they were getting ready at the City of David complex and the next, the prime minister was not coming. Maybe the American rescue over the Goldstone report had a price Last Wednesday passersby noticed considerable bustle on the outskirts of Silwan at the foot of the Old City walls in Jerusalem. Security guards were prowling hither and yon and workers were there was lot of business with tables. A sign announced the City of David would be closing. » Read more

Why Goldstone matters ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Ahram by Richard Falk - (Opinion) October 6, 2009 - 12:00am So why did the Israeli government boycott the commission? The real answer is quite simple: they knew full well that the commission, any commission, would have to reach the conclusions it did reach. -- Uri Avnery, Israeli peace activist and former Knesset member » Read more

Fayyad cabinet says it still backs Goldstone report ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 6, 2009 - 12:00am The caretaker government in Ramallah claimed during its weekly cabinet meeting on Monday that it still supports Judge Richard Goldstone’s report on alleged war crimes in Gaza. According to a government statement, the West Bank cabinet headed by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said that the government reaffirmed its previous stance urging the United Nations Human Rights Council to take up the report at its next session next March. It was “unacceptable” to waste an opportunity to bring alleged Israeli war criminals to justice, the cabinet said. » Read more

Resistance denied ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Ahram by Stephen Lendman - October 6, 2009 - 12:00am Established in 1992, the Addameer (Arabic for conscience) Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association helps Palestinian prisoners, and works to end torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions, other forms of abuse, and unjust, unequal treatment in Israel's criminal justice system, which handles Jews in one way and Palestinians in another. » Read more

Ramallah PLC members side with Abbas over Gaza report fiasco ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 6, 2009 - 12:00am Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) asked Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad Al-Maliki on Monday for an explanation as to why Palestinian diplomats dropped their endorsement of a key United Nations report on alleged war crimes in Gaza. A statement that emerged from the Ramallah meeting was much less critical of Abbas and his government than a parallel but separate meeting of Hamas-affiliated lawmakers in the Gaza Strip that denounced President Mahmoud Abbas as a traitor for moving to delay international action on the report by Judge Richard Goldstone. » Read more

Israel restricting Arab Americans' travel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Barbara Ferguson - October 6, 2009 - 12:00am Arab Americans have reported difficulties in travel since Israel instituted a new entry visa policy early this spring that restricts them from entering Israel from the West Bank. The new passport stamp, issued by the Israelis at entry points, such as the Allenby Bridge border crossing between Jordan and the Israeli-controlled West Bank, says: "Palestinian Authority Only." According to the new policy, those entering with the stated intention to visit the West Bank are being prohibited from crossing the "Green Line" into Israel. » Read more

War criminals must not be shielded ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Linda S. Heard - (Opinion) October 6, 2009 - 12:00am Once again Palestinians have attempted to procure justice via recognised international channels to no avail. The United Nations Human Rights Council shelved the Goldstone report that compiled evidence that war crimes may have been committed by Israel in Gaza. This means that Israel has once again escaped referral to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The volte-face was the result of pressure from the White House which discounted the report as flawed and one-sided. » Read more