May 16th

Time to Abandon Stalled Peace Process?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - May 16, 2012 - 12:00am

Washington — Once seen as heresy, proposals for bypassing the Middle East peace process — or even jettisoning a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — are increasingly making their way into mainstream discourse while the peace process itself remains mired in a deep freeze. The spectrum of ideas now being voiced in prominent and respected political quarters range from unilateral steps to be taken by either side, to abandoning the two-decades-old peace process altogether.

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Settlements to get NIS 44M
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Zvi Lavi - May 16, 2012 - 12:00am

The Knesset's Finance Committee on Tuesday approved the allocation of NIS 44 million (roughly $12 million) in favor of West Bank settlements. Some NIS 17 million of the NIS 44 million will serve as compensation for the Migron evacuees.

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Israel's Interior Minister: All African migrants should be jailed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
May 16, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel's Interior Minister Eli Yishai said on Wednesday that most of the migrants from Africa are engaged in criminal actions and should be placed in detention facilities. Yishai said that Israel is willing to provide financial assistance for migrants to leave. In an interview with Army Radio, Yishai differentiated between refugees and asylum seekers, saying that "whoever is considered a refugee, and there are few, can stay. One cannot forsake the security of Israelis."

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Israel plans for quake aid to Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Dan Williams - May 15, 2012 - 12:00am

TEL AVIV, May 15 (Reuters) - Israel said on Tuesday it had set up a mechanism to get aid to the Palestinians in the event of a major earthquake. A 5.5-magnitude quake rattled Israel and the occupied West Bank on Friday, reminding residents of their vulnerability to the Syria-African Rift, a northern extension of Africa's Rift Valley. "The working assumption is that they (Palestinians) do not have the means to deal with such a disaster on their own," said Alon Rozen, director-general of Israel's Civil Defence Ministry.

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Palestinian prisoner deal shows non-violence works
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Ali Sawafta - May 16, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank, May 15 (Reuters) - Standing up to Israel through non-violent resistance can produce encouraging results, Palestinians said on Tuesday, after a prisoner hunger strike produced some Israeli concessions. The deal under which some 1,600 Palestinian prisoners agreed on Monday to end a month-long fast against Israel's prison policy was struck on the eve of Nakba (catastrophe) Day that marks Israel's founding in a 1948 war when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven out of their homes.

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Palestinian anti-corruption chief: Aide of late leader Arafat suspected of stealing millions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
May 16, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank — The shadowy financial adviser of the late Yasser Arafat is being sought on suspicion he stole millions of dollars in public funds, the top Palestinian anti-corruption campaigner said Wednesday. It is the highest profile investigation since President Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority established an Anti-Corruption Commission and a special court two years ago to deal with such cases, the panel’s chief, Rafik Natche, told The Associated Press.

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Palestinians face hurdles to a greener West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Daniella Cheslow - May 16, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank — After years of neglect, the Palestinians are going green. In a society preoccupied with the struggle for independence from Israel, protecting the environment has often been sidelined — as evidenced by the ubiquitous sight of burning trash and piles of garbage bags on sidewalks in this city of 30,000 north of Jerusalem.

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Hamas condemns PA cabinet reshuffle
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 16, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) – The reshuffled Palestinian Authority government will be sworn in Wednesday at 6 p.m. officials said, in a move that Hamas condemned and labeled illegitimate. This is the second reshuffle for the Ramallah-based government which was first established in June 2007 under Salam Fayyad. In the new government, Fayyad is expected to lose his post as finance minister. Other changes include a new portfolio for Jerusalem while the education ministry will be split from the higher education post.

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Officials: Palestinian PM reshuffles Cabinet
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Karin Laub - May 16, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian officials say Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is replacing almost half of his West Bank-based Cabinet. The reshuffle is a clear sign that efforts to end the Palestinian political split and blend separate governments in the West Bank and Gaza are stuck. The West Bank is run by internationally backed pragmatists while the militant Hamas is in charge in Gaza since a violent 2007 takeover. A Palestinian unity deal has been held up by repeated disagreements.

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May 15th

NEWS: An agreement is reached between Israel and hunger striking Palestinian prisoners. Hamas again calls for capturing more Israeli soldiers to bargain for Palestinian prisoners. Palestinians commemorate Nakba Day, and doctors say over 80 were injured in clashes with Israeli occupation forces near Ramallah. MK Tibi says Israelis must show empathy on Nakba Day. Iran executes a man accused of being an Israeli spy. Israel allows the export of clothes from Gaza after a five-year ban. New documents suggest that settlers in the controversial Ulpana outpost may have been duped into thinking they were not building on privately owned Palestinian land. The EU says Israeli settlement expansions are threatening the prospects for a two-state solution. Israel displays its security technologies to international visitors. Palestinians are increasingly turning to the Gulf for trade and aid. COMMENTARY: Hanan Ashrawi says Israeli recognition of the Nakba is vital for peace. Ha'aretz says the Nakba is part of Israel's history. Noam Neusner says Israel might be ready for a peace agreement, but the Palestinians are not. The chief of the PLO's Washington mission Areikat says Congress should be more constructive regarding aid to the Palestinians. Tony Karon says Israel's settlement policy depends on tactical deceptions. The National says a letter from a US member of Congress demonstrates widespread ignorance at senior American levels about the Middle East. Alon Ben-Meir asks if the new Israeli coalition deal is an ingenious political coup or an insidious political scheme. Samuel Segev says the political climate in Jordan is “boiling,” including on issues related to the Palestinians and Israel.

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