May 24th

High Court: Arabs deserve tax breaks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Aviad Glickman - May 23, 2012 - 12:00am


Three Arab communities in northern Israel will be granted tax breaks by the State, similarly to Jewish communities in the same regions that are already entitled to the benefits, the High Court of Justice ruled Tuesday.


Amnesty Int'l slams Gaza blockade, settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
May 24, 2012 - 12:00am


Israel is criticized for violating the human rights of West Bank and Gaza Palestinians in Amnesty International's yearly report on the state of the world's human rights released on Wednesday. "Israel maintained its blockade of Gaza, prolonging the humanitarian crisis there, and continued aggressively to expand settlements in the Palestinian West Bank territory it has occupied since 1967," the report posited.


Security forces 'abuse detainees with impunity'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 24, 2012 - 12:00am


BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Palestinian security forces in the West Bank and Gaza abuse detainees with impunity and use excessive force against demonstrators, Amnesty International said Wednesday. The London-based rights group issued its annual report, and accused the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority and Hamas security forces of arbitrarily detaining each other's supporters.


Israelis brace for more ethnic strife in south Tel Aviv
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Gur Salomon - May 24, 2012 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Israeli police beefed up forces in south Tel Aviv on Thursday, just hours after a protest against African migrants residing in the city turned violent. Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch is weighing plans to bolster Tel Aviv District Police with Border Police units which are largely deployed in the West Bank, the Yediot Aharonot daily reported, to assist Tel Aviv District Police in confronting crimes and thwarting reprisal attacks against the Africans.


Israeli PM delays bill to legalize West Bank outposts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 23, 2012 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday reached an agreement with the nationalist coalition partner Habayit Hayehudi ("The Jewish Home") to delay the voting on a bill to legalize Jewish homes built on private Palestinian lands.


Hamas leader: Egyptian elections define future of Palestinian cause
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 24, 2012 - 12:00am


GAZA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail Haneya on Wednesday said presidential elections in Egypt "would define the future of the Palestinian cause." "The results of the elections will also establish a role for the nation in the world map," Haneya added in a brief statement.


Israeli peace movement to launch online university
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
May 24, 2012 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM — Organizers of an online Mideast peace movement say they are launching the Internet's first university for Israelis and Arabs across the Middle East Former Israeli peace negotiator Uri Savir, founder of the "Yala Young Leaders" movement, says the group's "Online Academy" will offer students courses in government, social networks, communications and skill development.


Turkey May Indict Senior Israeli Officers Over Deadly Gaza Flotilla Raid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Rick Gladstone - May 23, 2012 - 12:00am


A prosecutor in Turkey has prepared indictments and recommended life sentences for four senior Israeli officers over the killing of nine activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla forcibly intercepted by Israeli commandos two years ago, Turkish news services reported Wednesday. The indictments, which have not been formally approved by the Turkish judiciary, could further strain relations between Turkey and Israel, which were once close but which deteriorated badly after the flotilla raid on May 31, 2010.


May 23rd

Nothing is “inevitable”
In Print by Hussein Ibish - NOW Lebanon (Blog) - May 22, 2012 - 12:00am

One of the most important political principles is that history is not deterministic in any sense. It is, rather, a genealogy of human choices. It is shaped by agency, intentionality and decisions that are both individual and collective. 


NEWS: Hamas is moving forward with teaching Hebrew to Gaza schoolchildren. Pro-Hamas students face serious difficulties completing their education in the West Bank. The EU expresses “concern” over the arrest of a leader of Palestinian nonviolent protests. The rebirth of Palestine's national air carrier is part of a move towards state sovereignty. The PA says Israel has violated an Egyptian-brokered prisoner exchange agreement. South Africa demands Israeli settlement produced goods be clearly labeled as distinct from those from Israel. Armed settlers attacked a village near Nablus while Israeli soldiers apparently do nothing to prevent the use of live ammunition. A new study shows 70% of Palestinians living in occupied East Jerusalem exist below the poverty line. The Knesset is moving forward with a bill to retroactively “legalize” unauthorized settlements. Palestinian writer Salameh Kaileh describes Syria as a “slaughterhouse.” COMMENTARY: Thomas Friedman says now is the time for constructive unilateralism on Israel's part. Amira Hass says Israel is encouraging Hamas ruling Gaza because it wants to detach it from the West Bank. Denis MacShane says Israel cannot be compared to apartheid South Africa. Ray Hanania says Israel's withholding of Palestinian tax revenues is a serious threat to calm and stability. Leonard Fein says for many young Jewish Americans, Israel is nothing but a headache. Peter Beinart says Palestinians and Israelis have in fact been negotiating, even though everybody thinks they have not been. Elliott Abrams says the Hamas-Fatah agreement for national elections might displace PM Fayyad but not produce elections or any lasting national reunification. Yossi Beilin says it's hard to know at this point how much of a hard liner PM Netanyahu really is. Mahdi Abdul Hadi says Israel has retreated into a bunker mentality government. Hussein Ibish recounts his debate with Reza Aslan at UCLA and emphasizes the importance of human agency and choices in determining the path of the future.

American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017