September 15th

A Friend In Deed ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward (Editorial) September 14, 2011 - 12:00am Imagine, for a moment, what might have happened if the President had not taken the Prime Minister’s phone call. It was the night of September 9. The lives of six Israelis locked in their embassy in Cairo hung in the balance, as a surge of angry Egyptians scaled the concrete wall surrounding the building, tore down the blue-and-white flag, and pillaged the offices. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to reach Mohammed Tantawi, head of Egypt’s Supreme Military Council, but somehow, he couldn’t be located. Desperate, Netanyahu called President Obama for help. » Read more

Only Palestinians can create a new Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Tareq Baconi - (Opinion) September 15, 2011 - 12:00am The flurry of activity around the coming UN vote on Palestinian statehood suggests this is a key moment in the struggle for self-determination. While that might be the case, it is not because of the vote itself. Independently of the vote's outcome, the Palestinian move has already had a positive impact on the ground. It has also transformed the way Palestinians are approaching their struggle by precipitating a drive for self-empowerment in anticipation of this moment. » Read more

Israel does not want a Palestinian state. Period. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) September 15, 2011 - 12:00am What will we tell the world next week, at the UN? What could we say? Whether in the General Assembly or the Security Council, we will be exposed in all our nakedness: Israel does not want a Palestinian state. Period. And it doesn't have a single persuasive argument against the establishment and the international recognition of such a state. » Read more

In would-be Palestinian state, a dose of reality ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet by Tom Perry - (Opinion) September 15, 2011 - 12:00am In another world, the tented village at al Hadidiya might mark the farthest reaches of a future Palestine. Instead, the herding community living here talk about the limits of that dream. Nestled in the northeast corner of the West Bank, al Hadidiya amounts to a cluster of sprawling sackcloth encampments which shelter families and goats from the fierce desert elements. Even if Palestinian leaders win U.N. recognition of statehood this month, the people of al Hadidiya say it will not improve their lives, squeezed by the rules of Israeli occupation. » Read more

Yes to Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Reza Aslan - (Opinion) September 15, 2011 - 12:00am Later this month, the Palestinian Authority intends to go before the United Nations to request recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Although there is strong backing for the bid, the United States, in the name of supporting Israel, has stated its willingness to use its Security Council veto power to keep the Palestinians from joining the U.N. as a full voting member. The U.S. has also refused to join in a more symbolic General Assembly vote that could change the Palestinians' status from a "nonvoting observer entity" to a "nonvoting observer state." » Read more

Israel and New York’s Ninth District ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times (Editorial) September 15, 2011 - 12:00am There has already been a lot of theorizing about why a little-known Republican businessman, Bob Turner, won Tuesday’s special Congressional election in a traditionally Democratic New York City district. The grim economy appears to have been a big factor in his victory over Assemblyman David Weprin, and some voters also complained about Mr. Weprin’s principled vote in Albany to legalize gay marriage, which was anathema to many ultra-Orthodox Jewish voters. » Read more

Israel prevents Palestinians from free movement ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Google News by Diaa Hadid - September 15, 2011 - 12:00am Ahmad Ayyash once had a construction job in Israel, earning good money. Now he is a goat herder struggling to eke out a living, barred from working in Israel and restricted from entering his olive grove next to this West Bank village. Ayyash's story is familiar to Palestinians, who face a complicated system of travel restrictions that Israel mostly developed during the height of violence between them and Palestinians, hoping to prevent militants from reaching the Jewish state and West Bank settlements. » Read more

Israeli-Arab militant cell held ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News September 15, 2011 - 12:00am A statement from internal security service Shin Bet said the Israeli-Arabs wanted to attack a police post, as well as a soldier and a policeman. It alleged that the attacks were planned in their village of Daburiyya, just east of Nazareth, in Galilee. A lawyer for the men was quoted as dismissing the allegations. Shin Bet said the men were part of "the Salafist jihadist stream", and had been looking at materials on how to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs). » Read more

Israel okays PA's acquisition of anti-riot gear ahead of UN vote ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel - September 15, 2011 - 12:00am Israel has given approval for the Palestinian Authority to equip its security forces with riot-control gear, such as tear gas grenades and rubber bullets. The PA has approached Israeli firms to buy such equipment in advance of expected demonstrations on the West Bank around the Palestinians' request for United Nations recognition as an independent state. » Read more

UN report lauds PA state-building progress ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 14, 2011 - 12:00am A new UN report lauds Palestinian Authority state-building achievements but warns of a widening gap between institutional progress and a stagnant political process. Prepared by the office of the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, the report follows previous UN assessments that the PA’s state-building progress is on track to deliver the goals it set out to achieve. "The PA has completed what it set out to achieve two years ago to prepare its institutions to be able to assume the responsibilities of statehood," the report, released on Wednesday, states. » Read more