February 15th

Palestinian rally for hunger striker turns violent ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Ian Deitch - February 15, 2013 - 1:00am Palestinian demonstrators clashed with Israeli soldiers on Friday at a rally held in support of a prisoner observing an intermittent hunger strike to protest his incarceration. The Israeli military said about 200 Palestinians threw rocks at soldiers who responded with tear gas during the rally outside Ofer prison in the West Bank. The protesters called for the release of Samer Issawi, who has been on an on-again, off-again hunger strike for several months as he serves time for alleged terror activity. » Read more

Abbas seeks world help to save Palestinians on hunger strike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Oman Tribune February 15, 2013 - 1:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas late on Tuesday called on the international community to intervene urgently in support of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails. “Things may get out of control if the lives of the hunger strikers are not saved,” Abbas said on Palestinian television. “We ask the international community to respond effectively to ease the situation, otherwise it will be impossible to control and it will deteriorate across the Palestinian territories. » Read more

Gazans need a new lifeline from stifling blockade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) February 15, 2013 - 1:00am Since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Israel has inflicted collective punishment on Palestinians in an attempt to weaken support for the armed group. As part of this, Israel has severely limited the importation of goods into Gaza, putting ordinary Palestinians on what Israeli officials once euphemistically termed "a diet". » Read more

Palestinian prisoners in Israel go on hunger-strike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua February 14, 2013 - 1:00am Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel went on a one-day hunger strike Thursday in solidarity with six mates who have been fasting for months. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoner' Club said in a statement that 360 prisoners in three Israeli jails have gone on the hunger strike, and that most of them are affiliated to Islamic Jihad movement. All Palestinian prisoners in Israel, totaling up to some 4,500, will join the hunger strikers on Tuesday, the statement added. » Read more

UN officials voice concern over health of Palestinian detainees on hunger strike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Nations News Service February 13, 2013 - 1:00am Two senior United Nations officials today voiced their concern about Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody, particularly following reports of the fast deteriorating health conditions of several who have been on hunger strike. » Read more

Swedish photographer wins World Press Photo award ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Toby Sterling - February 15, 2013 - 1:00am Swedish photographer Paul Hansen won the 2012 World Press Photo award Friday for newspaper Dagens Nyheter with a picture of two Palestinian children killed in an Israeli missile strike being carried to their funeral. The picture shows a group of men marching the dead bodies through a narrow street in Gaza City. The victims, a brother and sister, are wrapped in white cloth with only their faces showing. » Read more

Chuck Hagel's confirmation and the orthodoxy of US debate on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Michael Cohen - (Opinion) February 14, 2013 - 1:00am This week, former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel achieved a rather dubious accomplishment: he became the first nominee for Secretary of Defense to be filibustered by the United States Senate. » Read more

2 injured by Israeli fire in north Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 15, 2013 - 1:00am Two young Palestinian men were injured by Israeli fire in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, medics said. A 20-year-old man was hit in the chest by gunfire east of Beit Hanoun, and is a moderate to serious condition, Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said. Another man, aged 22, was shot in the hand in the same incident and has moderate injuries, al-Qidra said. The pair are being treated in Beit Hanoun hospital. » Read more

Palestinian stabbed to death in Rishon Lezion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Eli Senyor - February 15, 2013 - 1:00am A stabbing at a Rishon Lezion construction site left a 25-year-old Palestinian dead. The worker was evacuated to the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center early Friday morning after sustaining knife wounds to the chest. He succumbed to his wounds while on the operating table. An initial investigation led the authorities to take one city resident in for questioning. » Read more

A Zionism of the left ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Rami Livni - (Opinion) February 14, 2013 - 1:00am The election results strengthened the following message: The left's return to power must include its renewed presence in debates about Zionism. To that end, the left must create a new, liberal and up-to-date perception of Zionism. It must be an alternative to the insular distorted Zionism of the right - disconnected from reality - which has served a minority of Jews throughout history. » Read more