March 4th

Gaza grown herbs exported to Europe ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Saud Abu Ramadan - March 4, 2013 - 1:00am The farm where Jamal Abu Najja grows spices and medicinal herbs, had been part of an Israeli settlement west of the southern Gaza town of Rafah until late August 2005 when Israel pulled out from the coastal enclave and evacuated 21 settlements. Since then, the Palestinians are planting around one third of the 360-square kilometer Gaza Strip lands with various kinds of agricultural products, including fruits, vegetables and recently herbs and spices. » Read more

Europe: Settlement products are tainted goods ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Daniella Peled - (Opinion) March 3, 2013 - 1:00am Food labeling is a hot topic in Europe right now. Following the horsemeat scandal, with traces of equine flesh found in beef products across the continent, there have never been such strident calls for responsible sourcing of food products clearly tracing their origin. » Read more

Police question Israeli about attack on Arab woman ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press March 3, 2013 - 1:00am Israeli police say they have questioned a 17-year-old Israeli girl from a West Bank Jewish settlement suspected of participating in a group attack on a Palestinian woman last week at a Jerusalem train station. Jerusalem Police Chief Yossi Parienty told Israeli reporters Sunday that the Palestinian woman told police that Israeli women spit on her, attacked her and ripped off her headscarf. A bystander photographed the incident and the photos were publicized widely in Israeli media. » Read more

Israel: Autopsy of Detainee Shows Signs of ‘Resuscitation Attempts’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - February 28, 2013 - 1:00am The Health Ministry said Thursday that tests showed that the hemorrhages and fractured ribs found during the autopsy of a Palestinian prisoner who died in Israeli detention last weekend were “characteristic of the resuscitation attempts that were performed on the deceased,” efforts that lasted for 50 minutes. » Read more

Israel blames Hamas for keeping shut Gaza crossing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press March 4, 2013 - 1:00am An Israeli military spokesman says the militant Islamic group Hamas has pressured a Palestinian contractor into keeping closed the Gaza side of the only cargo crossing with Israel. Maj. Guy Inbar says the crossing was set to open on Monday but the Palestinian operator of the crossing said he wouldn't come to work. Inbar says Hamas wants control of the crossing, operated by its rival, the secular Palestinian Authority that governs the West Bank. There was no comment from Hamas. » Read more

On the IDF's most wanted list: A Palestinian shepherd and two baby goats ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - March 3, 2013 - 1:00am If it weren’t for the nudniks of Ta'ayush – a group of Israelis active in the southern West Bank – this story would be yet another unwritten chapter in the chronicles of the hostile rule, another grain of dust from the daily fallout of toxins we're addicted to. » Read more

Gaza: Gunfire Erupts Along Border With Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - March 1, 2013 - 1:00am Palestinians fired at an Israeli military jeep along the Gaza border on Friday, hitting the vehicle but causing no injuries, and three Palestinian protesters were wounded by Israeli fire during disturbances alon » Read more

Gaza Hamas rulers to start campaign to catch spies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press March 4, 2013 - 1:00am Gaza's Hamas rulers say they will begin a new campaign to find Palestinian collaborators with Israel. Col. Mohammed Lafi of Gaza's Interior Ministry said Monday that the campaign aims to protect Palestinian militant groups battling Israel. Lafi says they will also warn other Palestinians of the dangers of spying. Israel security officials have long relied on a network of informants in the Palestinian territories to keep tabs on militants. » Read more

Kerry scolds Turkish leader for comment about Zionism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Anne Gearan - March 1, 2013 - 1:00am Secretary of State John F. Kerry scolded Turkey’s leader Friday for likening Zionism to a “crime against humanity,” saying such remarks complicate efforts to forge Mideast peace. » Read more

Kerry and Abbas hold surprise meet in Riyadh to discuss Israeli-Palestinian talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jack Khoury, Barak Ravid - March 4, 2013 - 1:00am U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met for unplanned talks on Monday afternoon, as part of their coinciding visits to Saudi Arabia. Abbas' own trip to the capital Riyadh to meet King Abdullah was unexpected, and may have been coordinated to overlap with Kerry's. The lunch meeting, which was added to Kerry's schedule at the last-minute on Monday morning, focused on efforts to resume the diplomatic process between Israel and the Palestinians and on U.S. President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to the region. » Read more