August 9th

Imprisoned Palestinian Children Must Be Treated Justly ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post by Gerard Horton - (Opinion) August 9, 2012 - 12:00am "UK ready to take on Israel over fate of children clapped in irons," read the headline in a leading UK newspaper the morning after the latest report on the treatment of Palestinian children held in military detention was released in London in June. The Foreign Office-funded report -- Children in Military Custody -- was written by a delegation of UK lawyers that included a former Attorney General and a judge of the Court of Appeal, following their visit to Israel and the West Bank last September. » Read more

Israel is losing crucial support ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) August 8, 2012 - 12:00am The level of understanding in the international community is changing and both Romney and Netanyahu had better wake up and smell the coffee. » Read more

Neglecting Sinai ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Adel Al Toraifi - (Opinion) August 9, 2012 - 12:00am History shows us that disorder in Sinai spells trouble. » Read more

Occupation, Not 'Culture,' Holds Back Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Sari Bashi - (Opinion) August 9, 2012 - 12:00am As a Jew of Iraqi descent living in Israel, I was taught to take prideful note of the role that my ethnic group played in building the country. ”You see that bridge?” my uncle would ask me as we watched footage of a Tel Aviv sports event. “An Iraqi Jew built it.” And when the TV switched to a commercial for an appliance company, my uncle, who left Baghdad in 1943 at the age of 16, would say: “The owner of that company is Iraqi. Do you see how he built it from nothing?” » Read more

Nearly sisters: Arab and Israeli women's common challenges ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Khaled Diab - (Opinion) August 9, 2012 - 12:00am A photo of a presumed Israeli soldier exercising her right to bare arms – and legs and midriff – with a machine gun slung casually over her shoulder has gone viral. » Read more

Torture under occupation: Destiny or a surmountable obstacle? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Louis Frankentaler - (Opinion) August 6, 2012 - 12:00am It remains clear to even the most forgiving observer of Israeli behavior that the occupation involves the routine violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law including torture and ill treatment. » Read more

U.S. pushing Palestinians to delay U.N. bid until after elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star August 9, 2012 - 12:00am Washington is pressing the Palestinian leadership to delay a fresh bid to seek upgraded U.N. status until after the U.S. elections, a senior Palestinian official said Wednesday. “There are pressures from the United States and some Arab parties to delay the voting until after the United States presidential elections, due in November,” Palestinian Liberation Organization Executive Committee member Saleh Raafat told Voice of Palestine radio. » Read more

Hamas rejects holding parliamentary elections in West Bank only ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua August 8, 2012 - 12:00am Islamic Hamas movement on Wednesday rejected a proposal of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to hold the Palestinian legislative council elections in the West Bank only. Salah al-Bardaweel, a senior Hamas leader in Gaza, told Xinhua that any elections that are not held in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip "would devote to internal division and is against our national interests." » Read more

EU: We expect Israel to cancel demolition orders for Palestinian villages in Area C of West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - August 9, 2012 - 12:00am The European Union is searching for new ways to express its opposition to Israeli policy in Area C of the West Bank, regions under Israeli security and civil control. The EU's fundamental stance, opposing the non-development of the area for Palestinians, was underscored in conclusions forged by the EU's foreign affairs council during a meeting on May 14. Since that meeting, EU officials have discussed ways of translating this position into policy action. » Read more

Fayyad raps Israeli plan to evict Palestinian shepherds ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Jihan Abdalla - August 9, 2012 - 12:00am An Israeli plan to evict 12 shepherd communities in the occupied West Bank to make way for army training zones was condemned by the Palestinian Authority premier on Wednesday as a move to depopulate Palestinian areas. Israel has designated the area south of the city of Hebron as a closed military zone and asked for Supreme Court approval to move the residents to the nearby village of Yatta, where the Israeli Defense Ministry claims many of them have permanent homes. » Read more