April 6th, 2009

Palestinian women train with men at academy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
April 5, 2009 - 12:00am

The first batch of women set to graduate from the Palestinian military academy marched with their male colleagues on Saturday, in a rare display of women and men training alongside each other in the Middle East. The sight of women in uniform is not a common one in the Palestinian Authority, as only a small number serve in law enforcement, and the sight of them training and serving alongside men is almost unheard of. The joint training marks a first, and a symptom of the growing influence of women in a traditionally male-dominated society.

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Abbas lays down terms for peace talks with Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
April 6, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday laid down his conditions for renewing stalled peace negotiations with Israel. The new Israeli government "would have to accept the creation of a Palestinian state, stop construction in West Bank Israeli settlements and remove army roadblocks crippling life in the West Bank so that we can resume dialogue in order to reach a political solution," Abbas said. The Palestinian leader was speaking during a visit to Baghdad.

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Arabs urged to continue peace process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Abdul Jalil Mustafa - April 6, 2009 - 12:00am

Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the Board of Directors of King Faisal Center for Islamic Researches and Studies, yesterday urged the continuation of the Middle East peace process, saying Arabs “have no other option at this stage.” Speaking at the Strategic Studies Center of the University of Jordan, Prince Turki said, “Given the present situation, we don’t have other than the option of the peace process and we have to push ahead with peace which we have accepted as our strategic choice”

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Palestinian Deliberateness Is Sound
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Mohammad Salah - (Opinion) April 5, 2009 - 12:00am

There is no reason to be anxious about the delay in an agreement among Palestinian factions to solve pending issues and reach a true national reconciliation. If anything has given cause for anxiety, it was the exchange of pleasantries, hugs and kisses before the cameras and television camera lights, along with the issuing of receptive and affectionate statements, and perhaps ones of praise and "polishing," while each side harbors non-positive sentiments vis-à-vis the others.

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Israel demolishes Palestinian house in Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 1, 2011 - 12:00am

Israeli forces on Monday demolished five homes belonging to Palestinians in East Jerusalem, locals said. The demolitions, in Khan al-Ahmar near the illegal Israeli settlement Maale Adumin, displaced 71 people, including 60 children, according to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. ICAHD, a prominent Israeli non-governmental organization, said Monday that Israel was forcing Palestinians out of East Jerusalem as part of a deliberate policy that might constitute a war crime.

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Netanyahu to Evade Two-State Solution- Israeli Official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Nazar Majli - April 6, 2009 - 12:00am

In an exclusive statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, a senior Israeli government diplomat said that the new-old Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, is coming under great pressure from abroad to move forward in the Palestinian negotiations on the basis of a two-state solution. He added that Netanyahu intends to circumvent this principle and to take a new approach that might be surprising.

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Israel Anticipated a Stronger Hamas in Gaza War
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Howard Schneider - April 4, 2009 - 12:00am

The small house near Gaza City posed no immediate threat -- there was no sniper fire or evidence it was wired with explosives. But as the Israel Defense Forces approached with plans to position soldiers on either side, Maj. Gur Rosenblat said he still regarded the structure with suspicion, and called in a bulldozer to tear it down. There was nothing inside.

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April 3rd

Raghida Dergham evaluates how Arab governments and the Obama Administration can work together to improve the situation in the Middle East (1). An op-ed in Haaretz attempts to put the ax attack in the West Bank attack into context (2), while the rabbi of the settlement in question insists that his community is not seeking revenge (4). Newly appointed Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is questioned by police regarding allegations of fraud (3) (11), as opposition leader Tzipi Livni condemns his recent speech rebuffing Annapolis conference agreements (7). An Italian news publication reports that at least 19,000 Palestinian homes have been destroyed since 1967(5). Palestinian unity talks in Cairo are suspended, and set to resume in three weeks (10). The United Nations appoints a former war crimes prosecutor to investigate alleged offenses by both sides during the Gaza war (14).

UN appoints Gaza war investigator
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Jazeera English
April 3, 2009 - 12:00am

The United Nations has appointed a former war crimes prosecutor to investigate offences allegedly committed by Israeli and Palestinian fighters during Israel's war on Gaza. Richard Goldstone, a Jewish judge from South Africa, will lead a fact-finding team on the mission, ordered by the Human Rights Council in January.

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Head in the sand?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by George S. Hishmeh - April 3, 2009 - 12:00am

Why does Benjamin Netanyahu think that everyone will believe him when he speaks from the two sides of his mouth, especially when he is talking about life-and-death issues like peace with the Arabs, particularly the Palestinians?

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