May 16th

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.

Political climate in Jordan boiling
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Winnipeg Free Press
by Samuel Segev - (Opinion) May 15, 2012 - 12:00am

What is going on in Jordan? For some time, the political climate in the kingdom has been boiling. In the last six months, King Abdullah has been forced to change his government three times, but demonstrations against the monarch continue. Luckily for him, there is no immediate danger of his overthrow. The reasons for the constant tension in the kingdom are abundant: unemployment, high cost of living, a rise in the power of the Islamists and the struggle between the Bedouins and the Palestinians, who constitute a majority in the country.

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Ingenious Political Coup Or Insidious Political Scheme
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Alon Ben-Meir - (Blog) May 14, 2012 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Netanyahu's move to expand his coalition to include Kadima with 28 Knesset members provides him with a majority of 94 out of 120 parliamentarians and represents nothing short of an ingenious political coup or an insidious political scheme, depending on what he does with his historic mandate. Reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians and bridging the social gap must be first and foremost on his national agenda.

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Arafat-Sharon talks?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) May 16, 2012 - 12:00am

So you write a letter to a congressman expressing concern over House Resolution 268, a resolution that reaffirms US commitment "to a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict". And then you wait. A year later, you receive a response dated April 20, 2012. But it might as well have been dated 2002.

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Settler policy rests on history of Israel's tactical deceptions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Tony Karon - (Opinion) May 16, 2012 - 12:00am

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, urging him to use his new unity government to advance the peace process with the Palestinians. In particular, she looked forward to Mr Netanyahu's reply to a letter from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, so that the two could resume negotiations as soon as possible.

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Ambassador Maen Rashid Areikat: For a more constructive Congress on Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Hill
by Maen Areikat - (Opinion) May 14, 2012 - 12:00am

The past few weeks have seen interesting statements by several former and current Israeli officials criticizing the policies of their government. They particularly focused on Israel’s failure to engage in talks with the Palestinians to end the conflict.

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