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PA report: Israeli settler attacks on the rise
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 7, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli settler violence towards Palestinians increased "dramatically" in June, according to a Palestinian Authority report released Wednesday. The report documented 139 attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank by the Israeli army and settlers as reported to the government during the month, including demolition of 95 buildings and over 3600 olive trees and vines. The release highlighted a fire in the village of Madama on Tuesday, and in Aqraba village on Monday, both in the northern Nablus district, which it attributed to Israeli settlers. |
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Washington Watch: Ships of fools
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) July 6, 2011 - 12:00am There’s more to the story of this year’s would-be Gaza flotilla than friends of Hamas going for another Mediterranean cruise just to poke their fingers in Israel’s eye. As this is being written, the ships remain bottled up in Greek harbors, stopped not by Israeli commandos rappelling from helicopters, but by something even more intimidating: squads of Jewish lawyers and diplomats. Israel also had help from international leaders who didn’t want to appear to be backing an international terrorist organization. |
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Erekat in Washington: UN bid continues despite pressure
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 7, 2011 - 12:00am PLO official Saeb Erekat said Wednesday that Palestinians would continue the bid for the UN to recognize an independent Palestinian state, after meeting US officials in Washington DC. The former chief negotiator said the US had demanded they withdraw their appeal, Israeli news site Ynet reported. But in a press conference Erekat stressed that the resolution, planned for September, does not contradict renewing currently stalled peace negotiations with Israel. |
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Support flotilla, with all its faults
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Larry Derfner - (Opinion) July 6, 2011 - 12:00am For political reasons, I wouldn’t go on the flotilla that’s trying to sail from Greece to Gaza, nor would I board the planned “air flotilla” to Ben-Gurion Airport on Friday. But for weightier political reasons, I hope the people on the boats make it to Gaza and those on the planes get through to the West Bank (even though it’s understood Israel won’t let them). As a Zionist, I don’t identify with these activists. But as a hater of the occupation, I support what they’re doing now. My heart isn’t really with them - but my head is. |
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In dealing with flotilla, Israel is anything but smart
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Opinion) July 7, 2011 - 12:00am Like an anti-Semitic caricature, Israel has extended its long tentacles around the globe in an effort to stop 10 decades-old ships from sailing to Gaza. Many Israelis interpreted this as a great victory. |
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Study: Nonregistered Palestinian refugees are impoverished, marginalized and vulnerable
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Simona Sikimic - July 6, 2011 - 12:00am U.N. service provision to the 17,000 estimated nonregistered Palestinian refugees in Lebanon has improved in recent years but too many of the “most vulnerable of the already vulnerable” continue to suffer from poor and patchy service provision, according to a report released Tuesday. The Danish Refugee Council study, “Incomplete Entitlement,” reveals that despite 80 percent of non-registered refugees reporting access to at least one U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) service, the average adult lives on $2.7 a day. |
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A Palestinian View: The consensus was positive
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons (Interview) July 4, 2011 - 12:00am an interview with Hanna Amireh bitterlemons: When the Palestine Liberation Organization decided last week to go ahead with its plan to seek statehood at the United Nations, was there great discussion about the issue? Amireh: The meeting decided on a general direction of seeking recognition of the Palestinian state on the borders of 1967, first at the Security Council and also at the General Assembly. Of course, there was a discussion and different positions presented, but the general consensus was to support the move. bitterlemons: Was there a discussion of the risks involved? |
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Jewish approval of Obama unaffected by Israel tensions, poll shows
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) July 5, 2011 - 12:00am President Obama's status among American Jews remains unaffected despite recent tensions with Israel's government, according to a Gallup Poll. Obama's approval rating among U.S. Jews was 60 percent in June, the polling company said, consistent both with earlier months. Also, Jews still consistently approved of the president's performance at an average of 14 percentage points above the general public, Gallup said in its release Tuesday. Obama's overall approval rating in June was 46 percent. |
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Heated debate over Palestinian prisoners in Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Yolande Knell - July 6, 2011 - 12:00am The entrance to the Abu Jihad Museum for the Prisoners' Movement closely resembles a jail. Step inside the revolving steel door topped by barbed wire and you stand behind bars that surround the ticket desk. Exhibits at the site, in the West Bank town of Abu Dis near Jerusalem, tell the stories of Palestinian political prisoners from the British Mandate period to modern-day Israel. Palestinians have come to view their experience of detention, for actions that oppose the occupation of their land, as part of their national identity. |