September 19th

Settlements Keep Growing Despite Migron Setback
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Jeffay - September 16, 2012 - 12:00am


Jerusalem — Three years after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that he had “no intention of building new settlements,” contractors paid by Israel’s government have constructed a brand-new, exclusively Jewish neighborhood in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.


Detained Palestinian theatre director resumes hunger strike
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - September 18, 2012 - 12:00am


The Palestinian militant turned theatre director Zakaria Zubeidi has resumed a total hunger strike in protest at his continued detention without charge by Palestinian security forces, and his supporters say he could die within days.


Abbas says he will go ahead with UN bid speech
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
September 19, 2012 - 12:00am


BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- President Abbas reiterated on Wednesday that he will deliver a speech at the General Assembly of the United Nations to ask for recognition of Palestine as a non-member state. The comments, which were posted on the president's Facebook page, added that the speech would most likely take place on September 27.


PNA criticizes Egypt for receiving Hamas leader
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
September 18, 2012 - 12:00am


RAMALLAH, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Tuesday criticized the official reception of the deposed Premier of Hamas government in Gaza Ismail Haneya by Egyptian Premier Hesham Qandil.


Israel military holds largest snap drill in years
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - September 19, 2012 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM — The Israeli military on Wednesday conducted its largest snap drill in years as tensions with Iran over its nuclear program rise and civil war in neighboring Syria rages.


News Analysis: Various scenarios await Abbas amid a series of Palestinian crises
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
September 18, 2012 - 12:00am


RAMALLAH, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is nowadays busy with preparing to go for a second risky trip to the United Nations in New York next week for the bid of recognizing a non-member Palestinian state in the UN General Assembly.


World Bank: Palestinian fiscal crisis is deepening
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - September 19, 2012 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM — The World Bank warned Wednesday of a deepening fiscal crisis in the Palestinian territories and appealed to donors to act urgently to prop up the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.


September 18th

A Hollow Call For "Justice"
In Print by Hussein Ibish - The Daily Beast (Opinion) - September 17, 2012 - 12:00am

Ben Cohen's response to my recent piece systematically proves every point I make about Israel's cynical new campaign to raise the issue of Jewish refugees. In particular he demonstrates that this is not about defending the rights of Jewish refugees, since no substantive demands on their behalf are made, but simply about using them to try to obliterate the claims of Palestinians. It's one of the oddest cries for "justice" I've ever encountered, since it seeks merely to deny the claims of others.


NEWS: The IMF issues a strong warning on the state of the Palestinian economy, saying it poses a "high risk" of continued social unrest in the occupied West Bank.The PA plans to tell donors at an upcoming meeting that the economic status quo is unsustainable. Experts say the stability of the PA is gravely threatened by its ongoing financial crisis. A new Palestinian opinion poll suggests a strong link between economy and security. The New York Times profiles Israeli Amb. Michael Oren. A pro-Hamas bloc wins union elections among UNRWA employees in Gaza. In a recently released surreptitiously filmed video at a fundraiser, Mitt Romney suggests peace is almost impossible to accomplish and this is entirely the fault of the Palestinians. PLO leaders say they are looking at the possibility of canceling the Oslo agreements with Israel, as UN officials say a 2-state solution is becoming more remote. The controversy grows over Islamophobic and anti-Semitic sentiment at California universities. A Gaza-based poet remembers the Sabra and Shatila massacre. IPS profiles Palestinian Paralympians. Palestinians in Ramallah stage a peaceful protest against a controversial anti-Islam online video. Tobias Buck profiles Rawabi, the first ever planned Palestinian city. COMMENTARY: The Washington Post says it would be extremely risky for Palestinians to renew a UN bid. Yossi Verter says PM Netanyahu is perceived as campaigning on behalf of Republicans. Linda Gradstein says US-Israel tensions are exaggerated. Nathan Jeffay asks what Israel would do without the PA and Pres. Abbas. Samuel Berger worries that Romney may be adopting Netanyahu's “dangerous timetable for war.” Daniel Drezner is dismayed by Romney's videotaped comments about Israel and the Palestinians. Hussein Ibish defends his critique of Israel's new campaign on Jewish refugees and migrants from the Arab world.

IMF issues warning on Palestinian economy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Financial Times
by Tobias Buck - September 18, 2012 - 12:00am


The Palestinian economy is heading for a further slowdown in growth and a spike in unemployment just as it faces a “high risk” of continuing social unrest, according to the International Monetary Fund. The conclusions of the most recent IMF fact-finding mission make alarming reading both for Palestinian leaders and western governments amid growing concern over the viability of the Palestinian Authority and with peace talks with Israel frozen.



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