November 2nd

A significant victory for Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News (Editorial) November 2, 2011 - 12:00am Winning their bid for full membership at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) is a great victory for the Palestinians. The importance of this is not confined to the membership per se. Rather, it should be seen within its wider context of its importance and immediacy in giving Palestinians their basic rights. » Read more

UN victory for Palestine needs no extra fallout ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) November 2, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinians won a symbolic but highly important victory on Monday when Unesco, the UN's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, awarded them full membership status, the first UN body to do so since a September request for greater recognition. » Read more

Thousands of UN schools staff strike for third time in Gaza Strip ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - November 2, 2011 - 12:00am JERUSALEM // Employees at about 240 United Nations schools in the Gaza Strip have gone on strike for the third time in little more than a month to protest against the punishment of a teacher with alleged unauthorised links to Hamas. Suheil Al Hindi was suspended from his teaching duties by the UN's Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in September for reportedly organising an event attended by Hamas officials. That was in breach of the UN agency's policy of barring participation in political activity without first obtaining permission. » Read more

Obama will rue his lack of principle on Palestine's Unesco membership ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Ian Williams - (Opinion) November 2, 2011 - 12:00am The cheers that rang across the hall of the Unesco meeting when Palestine became a member on Monday are being echoed in surprising quarters. » Read more

UNESCO’s vote ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Editorial) November 2, 2011 - 12:00am A huge cheer of joy erupted Monday in the General Assembly room of the Paris-based UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) after "Palestine" was voted in as the organization's 195th member. However, the event was, in reality, not a cause for celebration but another lamentable example of the moral bankruptcy of the UN and its organizations. While the US, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and Israel voted against it, such bastions of human rights and freedom as China, Russia and Brazil voted in favor. » Read more

How Unesco countries voted on Palestinian membership ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian November 2, 2011 - 12:00am Breakdown of how Unesco countries voted on Palestinian membership 194 member states 173 votes cast 81 required majority 52 abstentions 14 "no" votes 107 "yes" votes No: Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Palau, Panama, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sweden, US, Vanuatu. Abstentions: » Read more

Israel's ideal partners are in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) November 2, 2011 - 12:00am It's a pleasure to do business with Islamic Jihad. It fires Grad rockets, Israel responds with bombs, Egypt mediates indirect talks, there's a cease-fire and everyone is satisfied. Israel once again displays its "deterrent power" (which did not deter Islamic Jihad from launching rockets in the first place ). » Read more

Palestinians must say no to negotiations with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Opinion) November 2, 2011 - 12:00am Now that Palestine has been recognized by the United Nations' cultural organization, UNESCO, it will be no more of a non-state and no less occupied than it was before. Its citizens will be no less unfree than they are today, no less under the yoke of Israeli foreign rule. But their civil disobedience versus Israel, the United States and the Quartet raises the hope that the Palestinians will not return to the negotiating table - because negotiations have become an obstacle to the decolonization process, the essential condition for peace. » Read more

U.S. Law Enforcement Chiefs to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Arieh O'Sullivan - October 31, 2011 - 12:00am After 9/11, American law enforcement had to move quickly to get their expertise up to deal with terrorism. Countering terrorism was nothing new to the Israelis, who have accumulated decades of experience trying to provide security for its citizens, who have suffered suicide bombings and armed attacks by the militant Palestinians and others. During the so-called Second Intifada, over 1,000 Israelis were killed by suicide bombings, but in the last half dozen years the violence has dropped dramatically, largely due to actions by Israel’s security forces. » Read more

Israeli PM defends east Jerusalem construction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman November 2, 2011 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel's prime minister is defending his decision to expand construction in east Jerusalem. Benjamin Netanyahu says it is Israel's "right" and "duty" to build in all parts of its capital. Israel captured east Jerusalem along with the West Bank in the 1967 war. Palestinians claim that section of the city as their future capital. » Read more