December 18th

Hijab Stands In the Way of Palestinian Female Journalists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Diana Atallah - December 18, 2012 - 1:00am Journalists Claim Discrimination for Wearing Hijab RAMALLAH - Lubna Abu Safiyeh was forced to leave her media job and now works in an administrative position in a Ramallah company - all because her ambition to work in the TV world did not fit her choice of wearing a head scarf. » Read more

Palestinian poll: Hamas' Haniyeh would win PA presidency over Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - December 17, 2012 - 1:00am If elections for Palestinian president were to take place today, and the candidates were Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh would win, a new Palestinian public opinion poll reveals. According to the poll, published on Monday by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), headed by Khalil Shikaki, some 48 percent of the electorate would vote for Haniyeh, compared with 45 percent to Abbas. » Read more

Poll: 67% of centrist Israelis wouldn't elect party that splits Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jonathan Lis - December 18, 2012 - 1:00am Two-thirds of centrist voters - defined as Labor Party and Yesh Atid supporters - would not support a party willing to compromise on Jerusalem, according to a poll commissioned by the rightward-leaning Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. » Read more

Public sector union announces strikes across West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 18, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority civil servants union on Monday accused Israel of collective punishment for withholding Palestinian tax revenues and announced strike action over non-payment of salaries. Union chief Bassam Zakarneh said government employees would strike from noon Tuesday until the end of the week.Civil servants have not received November salaries and cannot afford transport to get to work, Zakarneh added. » Read more

Israeli navy arrests Palestinian fisherman ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua December 17, 2012 - 1:00am GAZA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli naval forces arrested a Palestinian fisherman on Monday after wounding him by shooting at his boat off Gaza City shore, a Palestinian official said. Nezar Ayyash of the fishermen syndicate said that Israeli gunboats encircled the fishing boat of Mas'ad Bakr, opened fire at the boat, wounded the guy and arrested him. » Read more

Pope tells Abbas of hope for Mideast solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters December 17, 2012 - 1:00am VATICAN CITY, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Pope Benedict told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday the Vatican hoped the recent de facto recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations would spur the international community to find a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Abbas, who is on a tour of Europe to thank countries that supported the Nov. 29 resolution by the U.N. General Assembly recognising Palestine, held private talks with the pope for about 25 minutes in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace. » Read more

Israeli Embassy Deletes ‘Christmas Thought’ Attacking Palestinians From Facebook ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Robert Mackey - December 17, 2012 - 1:00am Last Update, 3:10 p.m. A “Christmas thought,” suggesting that if Jesus lived in the modern world he would “probably end up being lynched in Bethlehem by hostile Palestinians,” was deleted from the official Facebook page of Israel’s embassy in Ireland on Monday, just a few hours after it was posted. » Read more

U.S. concerned about deaths in Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua December 18, 2012 - 1:00am WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Obama administration on Monday voiced its "deep concern" about the reported deaths of dozens of civilians following the outbreak of armed conflict a day earlier in a Palestinian refugee camp in the Syrian capital Damascus. » Read more

Syrian rebels take control of Damascus Palestinian camp ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Mariam Karouny - December 17, 2012 - 1:00am BEIRUT, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Syrian rebels took full control of the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp on Monday after fighting raged for days in the district on the southern edge of President Bashar al-Assad's Damascus powerbase, rebel and Palestinian sources said. The battle had pitted rebels, backed by some Palestinians, against Palestinian fighters of the pro-Assad Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC). Many PFLP-GC fighters defected to the rebel side and their leader Ahmed Jibril left the camp two days ago, rebel sources said. » Read more

Syria Warns Refugees Not to Aid Rebels ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Rick Gladstone, Hania Mourtada - December 17, 2012 - 1:00am BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syria warned its Palestinian refugee population on Monday not to aid the insurgency that is fighting President Bashar al-Assad, as hundreds of Palestinians fled the Yarmouk neighborhood of Damascus. Many headed for relative safety in Lebanon, a day after Syrian forces attacked that neighborhood with airstrikes for the first time in the civil war. » Read more