May 14th

Netanyahu ordered evacuation of Hebron home over fears of war crimes suits ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - May 13, 2012 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the evacuation of a Hebron home taken by settlers last month after being informed that the expropriation of Palestinian homes and lands could complicate Israeli officials in war crimes litigation, Haaretz learned on Sunday. » Read more

IDF closes Palestinian school to make way for West Bank training zone ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - May 14, 2012 - 12:00am A Palestinian elementary school was shut down last week after Israel's Civil Administration confiscated the vehicle used to transport teachers to it. Teachers initially tried coming to the school, located in the Jinba cave village in the southern Hebron hills, by donkey, but this proved disruptive since they were often late. » Read more

PLO officials: Netanyahu letter on peace a non-starter ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Ali Sawafta - May 14, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Reuters) -- The formal response of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Palestinian grievances over frozen peace negotiations contains nothing that could revive the talks, Palestinian officials said on Sunday. Netanyahu's reply on Saturday to a letter he received last month from Mahmoud Abbas rejected the Palestinian president's demand to halt Jewish settlement building in occupied territories and repeated a call for an unconditional return to talks that collapsed in 2010, according to the officials. » Read more

Israel's military looks to the sea ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - (Analysis) May 11, 2012 - 12:00am TEL AVIV — With the acquisition this month of a sixth German-made submarine, Israel is seeking to position itself as the region's undisputed naval powerhouse. From spying on enemies to intercepting illegal arms shipments to blockading the Gaza Strip, Israel's naval capabilities are playing a more prominent role in the nation's security. The latest advanced German sub, with a price tag of more than $500 million, is Israel's most expensive piece of military equipment. » Read more

Palestinian forces seize ex-fighter in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Ballas - May 13, 2012 - 12:00am JENIN, West Bank — Palestinian security forces detained a prominent ex-fighter Sunday, stepping up a campaign of arrests following the death of the governor of the northern West Bank district of Jenin, residents said. Masked security men seized Zakariya Zubeidi in Jenin after halting his car, blindfolding him and shackling him before bundling him into another car and speeding away, residents said. » Read more

Palestinian prisoners portraits underscore absence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Dusan Vranic - May 13, 2012 - 12:00am KUFR RAI, West Bank — For the thousands of Palestinian families who have a relative in Israeli detention, a photograph is the only real contact with their loved ones. In homes, the images are usually decked in elaborate frames alongside the portraits of dead ancestors, marking the conspicuous absence of the prisoners. » Read more

Deal looks near to end Palestianian hunger strike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ian Deitch - May 13, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Egyptian and Palestinian officials said Sunday they were close to reaching a deal with Israel that would end a mass hunger strike by Palestinians in Israeli jails. Some 1,600 Palestinian prisoners are on strike, most for a month, but three have refused food for more than 70 days. They launched the strike to press their demands for better conditions and an end to detention without trial. » Read more

Tony Blair urges Israel to keep hunger strikers alive ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - May 14, 2012 - 12:00am Tony Blair has stepped into the crisis triggered by a mass hunger strike of Palestinian prisoners, pressing Israel to take steps to prevent the "tragic" outcome of any of them dying. » Read more

West Bank Leader Says Security Forces Can’t Get Guns ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Jodi Rudoren - May 12, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority said Saturday that his security forces were struggling because » Read more

May 12th

The Lessons of the Nakba In Print by Ziad Asali - The Daily Beast (Opinion) - May 11, 2012 - 12:00am I do not need anyone to teach me about the Palestinian Nakba. It is the defining moment of my existence. I do not need anyone to lecture me about it either. » Read more