November 26th, 2008

Violence by Extremists in the Jewish Settler Movement: A Rising Challenge
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
by Matthew Levitt, Becca Wasser - November 24, 2008 - 8:00pm

Thirteen years after the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli security officials are expressing heightened concern that a new wave of violent extremism among fringe elements in the Jewish settler movement threatens not only Palestinian civilians, but also Israeli national security and the future of any potential peace diplomacy. Recent Trends in Violence by a Settler Fringe

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Fatah leader who fled to West Bank returns to Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
November 25, 2008 - 8:00pm

A Gaza leader of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah faction returned home on Tuesday more than three months after fleeing to the West Bank following deadly clashes between his clan and the Islamist Hamas movement. "I feel how any Palestinian feels on returning to his family and friends," Ahmed Hilles told reporters after entering the Gaza Strip from Israel through the Erez border crossing.

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Palestinian Forces Dilute Hebron’s Volatile Brew
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - November 24, 2008 - 8:00pm

It was a scene that revealed both its medieval origins and its contemporary significance. On one side of the concrete schoolyard sat the Rajabi clan, wearing their finest kaffiyeh headdresses. On the other side were the Ajnounis, similarly decked out. These ancient Hebron families had been feuding in the lawlessness of this city, leaving nine dead in recent months. Yet here they were last week, brought together by the newly installed Palestinian security forces, and being obliged to reconcile.

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U.S. Muslims Taken Aback by a Charity’s Conviction
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Laurie Goodstein - November 25, 2008 - 8:00pm

American Muslim groups responded with uncustomary silence on Tuesday to the news that leaders of a Muslim charity shut down by the federal government had been convicted in a retrial of money laundering, tax fraud and supporting terrorism.

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November 25th

ATFP Board Member Daoud Kuttab explains the ongoing centrality of the occupation to Palestinian lives and thinking (1). Disputes emerge among Hamas leaders (2), while the PA contemplates elections in the West Bank only if Hamas blocks them in Gaza (7). Reports suggest economic growth in the West Bank (5) and growing distress in Gaza (6). A UN official compares the Israeli occupation to apartheid in South Africa (4), while Israeli soldiers are again caught on tape abusing Palestinian civilians (3).

West Bank alone could go to polls
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Jumana Al Tamimi - November 23, 2008 - 8:00pm

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas could hold elections in the occupied West Bank alone if Hamas prevents the ballot from taking place in Gaza, an Abbas aide said on Monday. "If Hamas forcibly prevents them from preparing for elections in Gaza, this is not going to stop the elections from being held. We will hold the elections in the West Bank and Hamas will be responsible for preventing the elections in Gaza," senior Abbas adviser Nimer Hammad said.

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Palestinians line up for dwindling cash in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Ibrahim Barzak - November 24, 2008 - 8:00pm

Local banks in Gaza, under pressure from Israeli sanctions, are running out of cash and desperate Palestinians lined up at branches Monday hoping to pull money out of frozen accounts. But most banks have sharply curtailed withdrawals over the past two weeks and some have posted signs telling customers they cannot take out any more money. The U.N. stopped distributing cash handouts to Gaza's poorest last week. Economists and bank officials are warning that tens of thousands of civil servants will not be able to cash paychecks next month.

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Boom Times for West Bank Economy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Abd el-Raouf Arnaout - December 31, 1969 - 8:00pm

Palestinian businessmen concluded their one-day Palestine Investment Conference "north forum" in the West Bank city of Nablus with a package of seven investment projects with a total value of $510 million. Five of the projects were in the infrastructure sector, one in industry, and one to finance investments. All are concentrated in the northern part of the West Bank where the Palestinian Authority (PA) has proved, over the course of this year, its ability to impose law and order.

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Top UN official: Israel's policies are like apartheid of bygone era
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Shlomo Shamir - November 24, 2008 - 8:00pm

United Nations General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann on Monday likened Israel's policies toward the Palestinians to South Africa's treatment of blacks under apartheid. Israel's actions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were like "the apartheid of an earlier era," said Brockmann, of Nicaragua, speaking at the annual debate marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. He added: "We must not be afraid to call something what it is."

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Policeman filmed head-butting East Jerusalem residents
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Jonathan Lis - December 31, 1969 - 8:00pm

The Justice Ministry's Police Investigation Department (PID) recently launched an investigation in efforts to locate a patrol police officer who was documented head-butting two Arab residents of East Jerusalem, a man and a woman, while evacuating homes slated for demolition. The policeman was filmed by an activist belonging to the human rights group B'Tselem during the preparation for the demolition of several buildings in the al-Boustan neighborhood in the Silwan village in the city. The footage was recently handed over to PID.

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