March 15th

World Bank: Economic slowdown in Palestinian Authority endangers state-building efforts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Budgetary problems, a drop in international aid and an economic slowdown in the West Bank are hampering the efforts of the Palestinian Authority to build the institutions of an independent state, according to a new report by the World Bank. According to the bank's data, the gross national product in the West Bank grew at a rate of 5.8 percent during the first three quarters of 2011, compared to a rate a 7.5% during the same period in 2010. The bank predicted a further drop in growth, to 5%, in 2012. According to the data, the economic slowdown in the West Bank began in 2008.

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Study: Israeli 'state land' illegally taken from West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israel has designated some 900,000 dunams of the occupied West Bank as Israeli state land, using procedures that break local and international laws, an Israeli human rights group said Wednesday. "Large swaths of land have been classified state land and designated for use by settlements, despite the fact that they belong to Palestinian individuals or communities," according to a new report by B'Tselem. The study says Palestinian land "was taken from their lawful owners by legal manipulation and in breach of local law and international law alike."

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Unity deal 'next year'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Hamas' leadership in the Gaza Strip is unlikely to follow through on its end of the reconciliation deal with Fatah anytime soon, a senior party official said Wednesday. The party's external leadership agreed in Qatar to implement the deal in a joint announcement by politburo chief Khalid Mashaal and Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, disappointing the leadership in Gaza.

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Gaza-Israel clashes: The view from each side
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by Rupert Wingfield-Hayes - March 12, 2012 - 12:00am

Sitting in the centre of Gaza City this mini-conflict has an almost surreal quality. With the windows open, a distant rumble very like thunder rolled across the city each time an Israeli strike hit home. But down below on the streets the cars kept passing, the shops stayed open, pedestrians kept walking home with their groceries. After years of blockade and repeated rounds of air strikes Gazans appear almost inured to the endless conflict. Further out of the city, closer to the Israeli border, the atmosphere is different. The streets are quieter.

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Israel-Gaza truce mostly observed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Nidal Al-Mughrabi - March 13, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA, March 13 (Reuters) - An Egyptian-brokered truce between Israel and militant groups in the Gaza Strip was largely observed on Tuesday after four days of violence in which 25 Palestinians were killed and 200 rockets were fired at Israel. The number of Palestinian rocket attacks dropped sharply after the deal took effect overnight, with less than 10 rockets reportedly fired since then. In a further sign of a return to normality, towns and cities in southern Israel announced plans to reopen schools that had been kept shut for the past three days.

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Israeli aircraft hit Gaza in response to rockets
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says its aircraft have struck militant sites in the Gaza Strip in response to continued rocket fire on southern Israel. The two sides agreed earlier this week to halt a four-day flare-up of violence but sporadic rocket fire and retaliatory airstrikes have persisted. Thursday's airstrike came after three rockets were fired at Israel a day earlier. No one was hurt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed Iran for the latest violence.

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Airstrikes target Gaza Strip
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Israel launched airstrikes on two sites in the Gaza Strip overnight Wednesday, less than 48 hours after agreeing to an Egypt-brokered truce. Witnesses said that Israeli missiles landed on agricultural land, causing a fire and severe damage. No injuries were reported. In a statement, the Israeli army said its warplanes targeted "a rocket launching site in the northern Gaza Strip and a terror tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip." Earlier, a rocket fired at Beersheva was intercepted by the Iron Dome active missile defense system, the army said.

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March 14th

To the leftist who has no problem with rocket fire on Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Bradley Burston - (Opinion) March 14, 2012 - 12:00am

War again. Rockets again. Israel assassinates the commander of a radical Palestinian militia coalition in Gaza. In retaliation, gunners in the Strip fire rockets at cities across southern Israel. Israel launches a series of air strikes targeting the launch crews. More than 20 Palestinians are killed and scores injured. In Israel, questions are raised about the wisdom and the necessity of the assassination. Sounds all too familiar. Not much new here, from the looks of it. Back pages, even in the Arab world.

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Israel 'must end imputiny of violence by settlers'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Donald MacIntyre - March 14, 2012 - 12:00am

EU governments, including Britain, have secretly been urged by their top diplomats in Jerusalem and the West Bank to press Israel to enforce laws against Jewish settlers responsible for an "alarming" rise in violence against Palestinians and their property.

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NEWS: An unannounced truce between Israel and militants in Gaza appears to be holding. Some Israelis regard the violence as a "mini-drill" for a conflict with Iran. Israeli officials say relations with Egypt are stable in spite of the flare-up. Islamic Jihad holds a "victory rally" in Gaza. Israelis are urged to avoid Turkey due to potential security threats. Israel's Druze community is divided over military service. The US and Jordan reportedly urge Pres. Abbas to stop threats to dismantle the PA. Palestinian members may play a key role in deciding the leadership race in Kadima. The EU is quietly pushing Israel to end impunity for violent settlers. COMMENTARY: Bradley Burston slams "leftists who have no problem with rocket attacks against Israel." Khaled Abu Toameh says Hamas will now have to get used to the fact that Islamic Jihad is a major rival in Gaza. Yaakov Katz says the new truce won't last more than a few months. Ron Kampeas says after PM Netanyahu's Washington trip, Israel must now decide what to do about Iran. The National says Egypt's role in calming the Israel-Gaza violence shows it needs to play a larger regional role. Filippo Grandi says the BRICS are building a new partnership with UNRWA. The Jordan Times says Israel provoked the latest round of violence and asks why. Tariq Alhomayed says those Palestinians involved in the violence are fighting Assad's battle for him. Yossi Alpher says with the peace process on indefinite hold, people need to think of constructive alternatives. Ghassan Khatib says Palestinians are caught in the middle of tension between the West and Iran.

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