July 25th, 2012

Arafat documentary paints intimate portrait of late leader
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
by Brandon Davis - (Opinion) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am

He has been called a terrorist, a freedom fighter and the founding father of the Palestinian nation - and in Richard Symons' and Joanna Natasegara

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Fayyad meets EU parliament member
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 25, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- The prime minister in Ramallah met Tuesday with an Austrian social democrat politician and called for international action to stop Israel's violations of international law. Salam Fayyad told Hannes Swoboda that Israel's violations were "endangering the two-state solution," and called for European and international intervention to stop plans to demolish eight villages. Fayyad said Israel's plan, disclosed Monday by Israeli media, will displace 1,500 Palestinians.

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Israel confronts a flood of African refugees
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Ruth Marcus - (Opinion) July 24, 2012 - 12:00am

Walk through Levinsky Park near the central bus station here and you might think you were in another country. African men, and some women, occupy every inch of a low stone bench in the brutal sun. Blankets are stashed in the branches of a eucalyptus tree, to be retrieved at nightfall.

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Hundreds of Palestinians face eviction from land
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Karin Laub - July 24, 2012 - 12:00am

The Israeli Defense Ministry wants to evict hundreds of Palestinians from eight hamlets in a West Bank area the military has designated as a firing zone, rights activists said Tuesday, portraying the decision as a new Israeli land grab. The firing zone, one of several in the West Bank, covers several thousand acres close to the border with Israel. Hundreds of Palestinian herders and farmers live there for part of the year in caves and shacks.

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July 24th

NEWS: A Palestinian prisoner in Israeli detention ends a hunger strike claimed to have lasted for 103 days. Israeli police are looking into whether settlers used forged land documents in an effort to prevent their court-ordered eviction. Israeli field commanders are reportedly undergoing training in international law. The UN expresses grave concern over the fate of Palestinian refugees in Syria. PLO official Ashrawi urges the EU to reconsider upgrading its relations with Israel. Egypt's ambassador to the PA says entry regulations for Palestinians to his country have not changed. PA and Hamas officials will reportedly meet in Cairo to explore ways of alleviating the Gaza fuel crisis. Israel's municipal authorities in Jerusalem have asked the military to take responsibility for Palestinians living east of the separation barrier. FM Lieberman says any transfer of weapons of mass destruction from Syria to Hezbollah would be grounds for war. Gangs in southern Sinai are reportedly smuggling stolen fuel into Gaza and Israel. COMMENTARY: Budour Hassan says Palestinians are not neutral in the Syrian uprising. David Harris says Israel can't afford a Romney presidency. Yossi Verter says the real reason Kadima leader Mofaz left the Netanyahu coalition is fear that it is preparing a war with Iran. Orly Azoulay says PM Netanyahu is “playing with fire” by counting on a Romney victory in the US presidential election. Gershon Baskin says the Israeli right, including Netanyahu, are pretending the Palestinian problem has disappeared. Tal Harris says official Israeli government recognition of the university in the Ariel settlement undermines prospects for a two-state solution, and Ron Mandelbaum says it fails both in terms of due process and substance. The National says Egypt's unofficial easing of visa restrictions for Palestinians might be limited to the seven people who already reportedly took advantage of the procedure. Elisheva Goldberg and Hannah Gross say New York's MTA is using a double standard regarding Middle East-related ads.

Dear MTA, A Little Consistency
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Elisheva Goldberg, Hannah Gross - (Opinion) July 23, 2012 - 12:00am

The latest player in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be sidestepping the law.  And it's not the ultra-Orthodox.  It's the MTA.

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Palestinians, visa-free
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) July 24, 2012 - 12:00am

Early yesterday morning, seven Palestinians were allowed entry into Egypt through Cairo International Airport. Nothing too special, you might think. But these seven were allowed in without the usual security clearances and visas, making it the first time in years that Palestinians had been allowed visa-free entry into Egypt.

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The Real Problems with Israel's Newest University
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Ron Mandelbaum - (Opinion) July 20, 2012 - 12:00am

A few days ago, Israel named Ariel’s University Center as its eighth official university. It should not have done so for several reasons. First, the decision was facilitated because it was based on a peculiar institutional setup existing as a result of its occupation of the West Bank. Second, the decision goes against a basic tenet of academia: judgment of an argument should be based on its merit alone. The erroneous decision is only compounded by the current state of Israeli higher education.

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Wait until Ariel is part of Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Tal Harris - (Opinion) July 23, 2012 - 12:00am

Let it be that the settlement of Ariel becomes part of Israel’s sovereign lands. Let it be no longer considered illegal and subjected to international boycotts. Let it be that its 18,000 residents don’t have to move out in the future. Let it be that it prosper and even become a highly desired tourist attraction. The Ariel of today, however, cannot be any of these things.

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South Sinai Gangs Smuggle Stolen Fuel Into Gaza, Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Masry Al-Youm
by Ayman Abou Zeid - July 23, 2012 - 12:00am

South Sinai residents have reported that organized gangs are smuggling state-subsidized fuel into the Gaza Strip and Israel through underground tunnels at the border.

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