February 25th

Stability not at cost of injustice ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Ziad Asali - (Editorial) February 24, 2011 - 1:00am One would expect the usual demands for democracy, human rights, freedom of expression and regularly scheduled elections as well as a heightened commitment to the people of the region, that their rights and aspirations will be reflected in this new vision. Furthermore, it would not be surprising if all these were packaged as part of an initiative to address the Palestine-Israel conflict and a commitment to the establishment of a state of Palestine. » Read more

Second chance in the Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Rami Khouri - (Editorial) February 25, 2011 - 1:00am Sometimes in life you get a second chance to get something right, after getting it wrong the first time. The perception I get from discussions in Washington, with independent analysts and people in and close to the administration, is that the Obama team remains caught and wavering between two approaches: to forge ahead with a bold new policy that responds to the historic changes now rippling through the Middle East; to broadly maintain established old patterns of American policy, especially vis-à-vis Arab autocrats and the Arab-Israeli conflict. » Read more

Palestinian-American Entrepreneur Re-Envisions West Bank Development ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Jeffay - February 23, 2011 - 1:00am In his chic office in Ramallah, Bashar Masri, believed to be the richest person in the Palestinian territories, is in high spirits. It’s February 3, his 50th birthday, and the past year has been a particularly good one. It is a year that has seen him start construction on the first planned Palestinian city, an $800 million development that will have more homes than Ramallah. And he nearly achieved in the boardroom what Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose office is just a few blocks away, hasn’t managed in negotiations. » Read more

Young Palestinians call for protests on 15 March ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - February 24, 2011 - 1:00am Their movement has no name and no leaders. Just a goal, and a tool. The goal is to force an end to the political divisions among Palestinians by stirring the youth of Gaza and the West Bank to emulate their brothers and sisters in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. Their tool – as elsewhere – is the internet, specifically Facebook. "End The Division", a page in both Arabic and English, calls for protests across the Palestinian territories and refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon on 15 March. It has already got thousands of supporters, and is growing by the day. » Read more

Jerrold Kessel, journalist, author, filmmaker, dies at 66 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Leslie Susser - February 25, 2011 - 1:00am Jerrold (Yoram) Kessel, who died on Thursday after a long battle with cancer, was one of Israel’s leading English-language journalists, with a career that spanned over four decades in radio, print and television, including stints as Jerusalem correspondent for the London Jewish Chronicle, news editor at The Jerusalem Post, Israel reporter for CNN and sports columnist for Ha’aretz. He was 66. We first met at the Hebrew University in the 1960s, as part of a group of young ex-South African immigrants studying subjects like literature, history, politics, economics and philosophy. » Read more

PA, Hamas fear Gaddafi will attack Palestinians in Libya ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - February 24, 2011 - 1:00am Palestinians on Thursday expressed fear that Muammar Gaddafi would turn against thousands of Palestinians living in Libya under the pretext they are helping his opponents. The concern came in response to charges made by Gaddafi and his son Seif al-Islam to the effect that Arabs living in Libya were involved in the fighting against the government. Both the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas government have called on neighboring Arab countries to intervene to prevent Gaddafi from carrying out “massacres” against Palestinians in Libya. » Read more

J Street aims to have 2,000 at weekend conference in DC ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Hilary Leila Krieger - February 25, 2011 - 1:00am More than 50 members of Congress are expected to attend J Street’s second-annual conference here this weekend, with 200 offices receiving the progressive group’s lobbyists during its visit to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, according to the organization. The number of federal lawmakers coming to the conference gala on Monday night are slightly more than the 44 who came last year, but well under the 148 lawmakers who served as a host committee at the last conference. This year J Street has no host committee. » Read more

Israel allows $13.5 million into Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Tani Goldstein - February 25, 2011 - 1:00am Israeli authorities – the Bank of Israel and security forces – approved and facilitated the transfer of $13.5 million in cash to the Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing on Wednesday, just several hours before a Grad rocket attack on the southern city of Beersheba, Ynet has learned. The money was transferred from a bank account of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in the Bank of Palestine in Ramallah to the organization's account in the same bank in Gaza in order to pay the salaries of UNRWA employees in the Strip. » Read more

Demand soars for Birthright trips ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews February 25, 2011 - 1:00am A record 40,108 eligible Jewish young adults in North America applied to participate in a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip this summer. Registration for the trip, which closed February 22 after only seven days, represents both the highest number of applicants from North America and the shortest registration period. » Read more

Ian McEwan donates Jerusalem Prize money to Israeli-Palestinian peace group ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Maya Sela - February 25, 2011 - 1:00am The British author Ian McEwan, who received the Jerusalem Prize at this year's International Book Fair, said he will be donating the $10,000 award to Combatants for Peace. The group was founded by Palestinians and Israelis who had previously taken an active part in fighting each other. Its representatives said they are committed to working to end the occupation and achieve a two-state solution. McEwan met Thursday with group representatives Bassem Ararmin, Muhammed Aweida, Yoni Yahav and Roi Amit to hand them the prize money. » Read more