September 6th

Hamas seeks to enter the world of diplomacy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Saleh al-Naami - (Opinion) September 5, 2012 - 12:00am   Gaza Asharq Al-Awsat – For the first time since the 2007 division between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, following the bloody confrontation between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority [PA] and Hamas’s subsequent takeover of the Gaza Strip, the Hamas government is seeking to appoint diplomats. This is a move that many believe is an indication that Hamas intends to announce an independent state in the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Is Netanyahu planning an October surprise? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) September 5, 2012 - 12:00am As the Republicans and Democrats held their conventions and the presidential election moved into the home stretch, the rhetoric and pressure coming out of Israel for an attack on Iran intensified like the winds of Hurricane Isaac. It’s difficult to tell how much is aimed at keeping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and how much at preventing Barack Obama’s reelection. » Read more

The PA’s electricity tab ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Editorial) September 5, 2012 - 12:00am We Israelis love to grumble but on occasion, our gripes aren’t irrational. The spate of price hikes that recently hit us from all directions may be unavoidable due to factors outside anyone’s direct control but they hurt nonetheless. Electricity charges offer a cogent case in point. » Read more

News Analysis: Tensions simmering in West Bank over high living cost ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 6, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Protests against the high cost of living increasingly erupted all over the West Bank over the past few days, during which some demonstrators burned Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's posters while others attempted to set themselves ablaze. » Read more

More signs signaling Israel will not be attacking Iran soon ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Anshel Pfeffer - (Opinion) September 5, 2012 - 12:00am If anyone needed further proof that Benjamin Netanyahu has buckled under the pressure and will probably not be giving the order to attack Iran in the next few months, at least not before the U.S. elections, the latest reported IDF appointments seem to supply it. » Read more

Policy paralysis scuppers Palestinian economic dream ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Noah Browning - September 5, 2012 - 12:00am (Reuters) - Palestinian dreams of building a strong economy to speed up the state's drive towards independence could soon be plunged into darkness, quite literally. The cash-strapped government of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Authority (PA), is so behind with its bills that the Israeli company that provides Palestinians' electricity has threatened to cut the power unless the PA pays outstanding debt of almost $80 million. » Read more

Palestinians slipping deeper into poverty -UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Robert Evans - September 6, 2012 - 12:00am GENEVA, Sept 5 (Reuters) - The United Nations UNCTAD agency issued a gloomy outlook for the Palestinian economy on Wednesday, arguing that tougher Israeli policies and settlement expansion were pushing the occupied territories and Gaza deeper into poverty. The situation had been aggravated in 2011 by a sharp drop in foreign aid, which for years provided a vital support, dimming any hope for an upswing even in the longer term, a report from the trade and development body said. » Read more

It's not normal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Rami Livni - (Opinion) September 6, 2012 - 12:00am It is difficult to persuade a person who feels happy that he is in fact depressed and despondent. Why should he believe it? With regard to everything about the occupation, the citizens of Israel feel fine. They brush off arguments about the effect it has on morals, about the demographic problem, the economic damage and the undermining of our international relations. Their apathy does not stem only from "proof" that Israel must not budge from the position in which it is entrenched, because of the failure of the diplomatic process and changes in the Arab world. » Read more

Gaza Strip: Israeli strikes 'kill six militants' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News September 6, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinians said three were killed by Israeli fire in the north of the strip on Thursday morning. Israel said they were planting a bomb near its fence. Hours earlier, an air strike in central Gaza killed three militants who Israel said were set to fire rockets. There has been a spate of rocket attacks and air strikes in recent days. In the latest incident, Israel said it had fired at a "terrorist squad that was planting an explosive device" near the town of Beit Hanoun. » Read more

Everything is reversible ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yariv Oppenheimer - (Opinion) September 6, 2012 - 12:00am The past few months have seen the formation of a strange alliance between some settler representatives and leading leftist figures, which is based on the lack of faith in the "two states for two peoples" paradigm. » Read more