October 12th

Strenger than Fiction / Loyalty oath is not about Arabs, it’s about hatred of liberal values ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Carlo Strenger - (Opinion) October 11, 2010 - 12:00am There is nothing left to say about how bad, harmful and useless the new citizenship law is: Labor Party Minister Isaac Herzog has warned that it is another step towards fascism; legal experts like Mordechai Kremnitzer have pointed out that it doesn’t serve any identifiable purpose except making Arabs feeling even less at home in Israel. Likud Ministers Benny Begin and Dan Meridor have pointed out how harmful the law is for the relation with Israeli Arabs and for Israel’s standing in the world. » Read more

Israel Continues Deportation of Palestinians with Gaza ID ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by David Miller - October 7, 2010 - 12:00am When 31-year-old Farid Sha’aban was driving with his friend near the Israeli city of Beer Sheva in late October 2008, he could not imagine how drastically his life was about to change. “The police stopped us. They came right at me, handcuffed me, and drove me directly to the Gaza Strip,” Sha’aban told The Media Line. Sha’aban, whose father was born in Gaza and who lived there for only one year at age 11, was deported to Gaza because his address was registered in the town of Jabalia in the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Netanyahu asking Palestinians to cede right of return ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) October 10, 2010 - 12:00am Benjamin Netanyahu is not satisfied with forcing gentiles who wish to obtain Israeli citizenship to formally declare their recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Now he is demanding that the neighbors on the other side of the border also declare Israel to be a Jewish state (what about "democratic"? ). They will grant recognition in perpetuity, while he will grant a temporary settlement freeze for two months. Maybe three. Judaism for sale. » Read more

Israeli troops accused of shooting children in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - October 11, 2010 - 12:00am At least 10 Palestinian children have been shot and wounded by Israeli troops in the past three months while collecting rubble in or near the "buffer zone" created by Israel along the Gaza border, in a low-intensity offensive on the fringes of the blockaded Palestinian territory. Israeli soldiers are routinely shooting at Gazans well beyond the unmarked boundary of the official 300 metre-wide no-go area, rights groups say. » Read more

Can the OECD stand up to Israel? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Sam Bahour - (Opinion) October 12, 2010 - 12:00am What can be said for the state of international law when international organisations such as the OECD find themselves unable to prevent a member country from bringing its unlawful practice into the life of the organisation itself? In such situations, how can law-abiding member countries avoid being drawn into acquiescence? Later this month, these questions may find answers when Israel hosts an OECD gathering in Jerusalem to discuss global tourism. » Read more

Columbia University Establishes First Academic Center for Palestine Studies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Forward by Joy Resmovits - October 8, 2010 - 12:00am America’s first academic center devoted to Palestinian studies launched to huge applause – and with apparent Jewish support – at Columbia University the evening of October 6. Rashid Khalidi, the noted Palestinian American historian of the Middle East who will co-direct the center, told a capacity filled 335-seat lecture hall that he hoped the center would serve to connect Palestine scholars across the globe. Another of its goals will be to build up its library collections. “A great lacuna in Palestinian history is the lack of archives,” Khalidi said. » Read more

French FM: Peace initiative underway to resume Palestinian-Israeli negotiations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua October 11, 2010 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- France is preparing an initiative that aims at resuming the stalled direct peace talks between the Israeli and the Palestinians, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Monday. "Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu asked the European Union to play a role in peacemaking and intervene to bridge the rift between the Palestinians and the Israelis," Kouchner told a joint press conference with his Spanish counterpart Miguel Moratinos in the French Consulate in Jerusalem. But Kouchner did not reveal the content of the plan. » Read more

Deputy PM: Israel officials doubt peace reachable ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Aron Heller - October 11, 2010 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — An Israeli deputy prime minister says members of the Cabinet's decision-making circle doubt a peace deal with the Palestinians can be reached in the near future. Moshe Yaalon's remarks appear contrary to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stated commitment on trying to reach an agreement within a year. Yaalon spoke to Army Radio on Tuesday. The peace talks, which resumed last month, have stalled over Israel's refusal to renew a moratorium on West Bank settlement construction. » Read more

PA submits request for new airport ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Analysis) October 12, 2010 - 12:00am TEL AVIV (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority has submitted a request to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office for the construction of a new Palestinian airport in the central West Bank district of Jericho, Hebrew-language media reported Tuesday. The four square kilometer airport, 10km southeast of Jerusalem, includes plans for a single terminal, six gates for boarding, a large parking lot and international airport facilities and was submitted by the PA transport minister, Israeli daily Maariv reported. » Read more

President's office rebuffs rumors of Abbas resignation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 12, 2010 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas will continue on as leader of the Palestinian Authority, the secretary-general of the president's office said Monday. Abdul Rahim said reports of Abbas' resignation and the dismantling of the PA were "all rumors to lower the spirits of the Palestinians," as he received the Tunisian representative to the PA Shakib Ath-Thawadi at the presentational compound in Ramallah, central West Bank. » Read more