Monetary chief: PA bank borrowing reaches limit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 11, 2012 - 12:00am The head of the Palestine Monetary Authority said Sunday that the Palestinian Authority government has reached the maximum limit of borrowing from Palestinian banks. Jihad Al-Wazir said in a statement that banks in Palestine increased lending to the government by over $300 million in the last two months, and cannot lend more unless repayments from donor countries come through. The Authority has set supervisory measures to bolster the banking sector in the face of any political or economic shocks, al-Wazir added. » Read more

Sabra and Shatila: Israel’s war of lies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Uri Avnery - (Opinion) June 10, 2012 - 12:00am Thirty years ago this week, the Israeli Army crossed into Lebanon and started the most stupid war in Israel’s history. It lasted for 18 years. About 1,500 Israeli soldiers and untold numbers of Lebanese and Palestinians were killed. Almost all wars are based on lies. Lies are considered legitimate instruments of war. Lebanon War I (as it was later called) was a shining example. From beginning to end (if it has ended yet) it was a war of deceit and deception, falsehoods and fabrications. » Read more

Senior Hamas leader says Israel could be isolated by Egypt vote ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - June 8, 2012 - 12:00am A presidential victory for the Muslim Brotherhood candidate in Egypt would leave Israel isolated and vulnerable in the Middle East, according to senior Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad, who serves as the Palestinian militant group's deputy foreign minister. » Read more

Strong and Stronger ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) June 8, 2012 - 12:00am At a recent informal meeting with Jewish Americans at the White House, President Barack Obama apparently expressed concerns about “domestic political constraints” holding back Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the peace process with Israel. This has led a number of observers, including Peter Beinart, to conclude that Abbas is politically "weak," or at least that Obama thinks so. » Read more

Interview: Israeli-Palestinian security coordination in low levels: official ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua June 10, 2012 - 12:00am A senior Palestinian security official on Sunday told Xinhua in an interview that the security coordination between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in the West Bank has been declining over the past two years. Adnan Damiri, spokesman of the PNA security apparatuses, told Xinhua at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah that Israel has been attempting to undermine the security coordination in the West Bank with the PNA, adding that "the stalled peace talks are the main reason behind this decline." » Read more

A Palestinian return to a just Intifada ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) June 11, 2012 - 12:00am Stones have always served Palestinians better than rifles and bombs. The First Intifada beginning in 1987 was the first demonstration of mass resistance. Boycotts and strikes were employed, and clashes on the ground were marked by stone-throwing Palestinian youth. Al Aqsa Intifada, from 2000 to 2005, is on the other hand remembered for a spiral of suicide bombings and pitched battles with the Israeli military. » Read more

Israelis unite in call to release jailed spy Pollard ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua June 10, 2012 - 12:00am In the largest public campaign to date, tens of thousands of Israelis have signed a petition calling on President Shimon Peres to leverage his diplomatic stature in order to secure the freedom of Jonathan Pollard, a former intelligence analyst jailed in a U.S. prison for the past 27 years on charges of spying for Israel. Peres on Saturday night departed on a six-day trip to the United States, where U.S. President Barack Obama will award him later in the week the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the most prestigious civilian honor bestowed by the U.S. administration. » Read more

The state of Gaza: Five years after Hamas took power in the city, how has life changed for its citizens? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - (Opinion) June 10, 2012 - 12:00am The front office of Kamal Ashour's small family clothing factory in Gaza City opens on to Izzedine al-Qassam Street, named, like Hamas's military wing, in honour of the Islamist mujahid who led the anti-Zionist, anti-Mandate, Black Hand gang and was shot dead by British police in 1935. » Read more

Pro-settler vandals suspected in anti-Arab assaults ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters June 11, 2012 - 12:00am Suspected Israeli pro-settler activists vandalised Palestinian cars in Jerusalem on Monday, their second attack in a week in apparent retribution for plans to move 30 settler families from illegally built homes. Israeli police are concerned there could be further attacks before a July 1 deadline to move the families. » Read more

Israelis, learn Arabic ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yaron Friedman - (Opinion) June 10, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli students are obligated to take English and Hebrew exams, but not Arabic (which is an official language in Israel.) Arabic studies for Hebrew-speaking students are mandatory only until ninth grade, and one can choose to study French or another language instead. Indeed, most Israeli students do not take the Arabic matriculation exam. » Read more