January 29th

‘Corruption will let Hamas take W. Bank' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - January 29, 2010 - 1:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has surrounded himself with many of the corrupt officials who used to work for his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, and that’s why Hamas will one day take control of the West Bank, Fahmi Shabaneh, who was appointed by Abbas four years ago to root out corruption in the Palestinian Authority, said on Thursday. » Read more

Court rules Sheikh Jarrah protests legal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ronen Medzini - January 28, 2010 - 1:00am The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court ruled Thursday that leftist demonstrations in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah are not illegal as claimed by the police. The ruling was issued during a court hearing to discuss the indictments filed against 18 protestors who were arrested in Sheikh Jarrah last Friday, after demonstrating against Jewish settlers who took over houses in the Arab neighborhood. » Read more

Researcher: Israel destroyed Palestinian books ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews January 28, 2010 - 1:00am Israel plundered and destroyed tens of thousands of Palestinian books in the years after the State's establishment, according to a doctoral thesis to be submitted next month by a Ben-Gurion University researcher. In an interview with the researcher published on al-Jazeera's website Thursday, he claimed that Israel destroyed the Palestinian books in the framework of its plan to "Judaize the country" and cut off its Arab residents from their nation and culture. » Read more

Netanyahu to U.S.: I'll free Fatah prisoners to boost Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - January 29, 2010 - 1:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agrees to the release of hundreds of Fatah prisoners as part of efforts backed by the United States and Egypt to jump-start the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu expressed a willingness to release prisoners as a goodwill gesture in talks with the special U.S. Mideast envoy, George Mitchell. Under the plan, Israel would also embark on low-level negotiations with U.S. mediation. » Read more

Menachem Mazuz: Israel must probe Gaza war to counter Goldstone ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ari Shavit - January 29, 2010 - 1:00am The Goldstone report is a serious threat to Israel that will "continue to haunt us and take away our legitimacy," outgoing told Haaretz in an interview. » Read more

A binational state? Here? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Alexander Yakobson - (Opinion) January 29, 2010 - 1:00am Since the division of the land into two viable states is no longer possible, there is no choice - for anyone who believes in equality - but to support a democratic binational state from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River, claims Meron Benvenisti (Haaretz, January 22). » Read more

Palestinians irate over new Jerusalem tram ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Karin Laub - January 29, 2010 - 1:00am Jerusalem's first light rail starts test runs this spring, with its sleek silver cars gliding across the city and promising to relieve the perpetual congestion. But Palestinians see no reason to celebrate. They hope to derail the $1 billion tram because they fear it will further entrench Israeli control over east Jerusalem, the part of the city they want as a capital. They've asked a French court to force two French multinationals, Veolia and Alstom, out of the project and are urging Arab countries to cancel contracts with the two companies. » Read more

Hamas: Israel assassinated operative in Dubai ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Albert Aji - January 29, 2010 - 1:00am Hamas accused Israeli agents on Friday of assassinating a veteran operative of the Palestinian militant group, saying he was electrocuted last week in a Dubai hotel room. Hamas' top leader, Khaled Mashaal, vowed to retaliate. The militant group identified the man as Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, one of the founders of Hamas' military wing that has been responsible for hundreds of deadly attacks and suicide bombings targeting Israelis since the 1980s. It said he was 50 years old. » Read more

Best of 2009 unveiled in Ramallah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 27, 2010 - 1:00am Results of Ma'an Network's annual poll on leading figures and organizations were announced at a celebration attended by political, factional, social, public and media figures in Ramallah on Wednesday evening. Ma'an general director Raed Othman thanked attendees and those who voted. He said an estimated 32 percent of Internet users in the occupied Palestinian territories participated in the poll, the largest such survey ever conducted. Results » Read more

Obama: US backs Israel, sympathizes with Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 29, 2010 - 1:00am US President Barack Obama said on Thursday that the United States would always ensure Israel's security but that Washington must also pay attention to the plight of the Palestinians. The president, speaking at a town-hall meeting on various issues, was responding to a question about why, if the US truly supports human rights, it has not called out Israel and Egypt for abuses against Palestinians, apparently in reference to the blockade of Gaza. » Read more