May 7th, 2012

Blame game defers solution to Gaza's energy crisis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from IRIN
May 2, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA CITY (IRIN) -- From factories to the fishing industry, the Gaza Strip economy is being affected by more than two months of fuel shortages and power outages, taking a toll on the livelihoods of its 1.6 million inhabitants. To make a living on the sea, Madlene Kollab needs 20 liters of fuel each day. Unable to afford that, the Gaza Strip's only fisherwoman has seen her catch halve to just 1.5 kilos per day.

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Meshal loses control of Hamas military wing as authority moves to Gaza leadership
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - May 2, 2012 - 12:00am

Hamas political bureau head Khaled Meshal, who now resides in Qatar, is expected to keep his post after an internal vote by the organization's leadership later this month. But sources have told Haaretz that Hamas leaders have decided to transfer some of Meshal's critical areas of authority to the leadership in the Gaza Strip, including control of the organization's budget and of its military wing.

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Israel army closes probe into deaths of 21 Gazans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - May 1, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said Wednesday it has closed its investigation into the shelling deaths of 21 members of a single Palestinian family and would not file any charges in what was one of the gravest incidents in the 2009 war in the Gaza Strip.

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The Visionary
Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The New Republic - May 4, 2012 - 12:00am

If you were to pinpoint one moment when it looked as if things just might work out for Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister, it would probably be February 2, 2010. That day, Fayyad addressed the annual Herzliya Conference, a sort of Israeli version of Davos featuring high-powered policymakers and intellectuals. It is not a typical speaking venue for Palestinians; yet Fayyad was warmly received.

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NEWS: PM Netanyahu calls for early elections on September 4, in which he is expected to be returned to office. Palestinian journalists are fighting back against PA moves to censor them in the West Bank. Palestinian refugees reconnect with their families through Facebook. Israel's Supreme Court seems unsympathetic to government requests to delay the court-ordered demolition of a large “unauthorized” settlement outpost. The High Court also denies appeals for release by two hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners being held without charge, as the protest action becomes more widespread. Israel's internal security force recommends the demolition of the homes of two Palestinians convicted of murder. A Fatah official says PM Fayyad will likely remain prime minister even if there is a cabinet reshuffle. Israeli soldiers testify they threw stones at other occupation forces while posing as Palestinians during protests in the West Bank. Palestinian policewomen are breaking gender stereotypes. Pres. Abbas is reportedly trying to recover PLO intelligence documents from the Arafat era from Tunis. Fatah officials say the latest reconciliation talks with Hamas in Cairo yielded no results. COMMENTARY: Ben Birnbaum profiles Fayyad. Akiva Eldar says Pres. Obama's rhetoric will help Netanyahu get reelected in September. Smadar Shir says releasing a conspirator in the assassination of the late PM Rabin invites the next assassination. Uri Avnery says there is a virtual uprising of former military and security officials against Netanyahu, but he'll probably be reelected anyway. Libby Lenkinski says even if Palestinian prisoners under “administrative detention” were to get Israel's occupation version of “due process,” they wouldn't get fair trials anyway. Shay Fogelman says Israel should agree to the prisoners' demands and end “administrative detention.” Yossi Alpher says neither the Israelis nor the Palestinian leaderships seem to have a viable strategy for moving forward. Ghassan Khatib says all those who care about the future of Jerusalem and a two-state solution must act.

Those who care need to act
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) May 7, 2012 - 12:00am

Several weeks ago, at a Doha conference promoting solidarity with occupied East Jerusalem, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas encouraged Arabs and Muslims to visit the occupied city as a form of support for Palestinians under occupation. This call generated a great debate, one simultaneously enflamed by a series of controversial visits to Jerusalem holy sites by prominent Arab personalities.

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Is there a viable strategy here somewhere?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) May 7, 2012 - 12:00am

Last February, at a conference for the defense of Jerusalem in Qatar, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on Arabs to visit East Jerusalem and the mosques on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif. The declared objective was to enhance and support the Palestinian claim to East Jerusalem and the Old City and break Israel's "siege" of the city.

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Submit to the strikers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Shay Fogelman - (Opinion) May 7, 2012 - 12:00am

It's impossible to determine precisely how many days people can survive without food. The medical history of hunger strikes indicates that healthy people of average weight can expect to lose consciousness on the 55th day of their fast. The data also indicates that hunger strikers can expect to die by day 75. As these lines are being written, administrative detainees Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahla are approaching the 70th day of their hunger strike. They are reportedly both still conscious but, statistically speaking, they can expect to die any minute.

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Habeas Corpus for Palestinians?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Libby Lenkinski - (Opinion) May 4, 2012 - 12:00am

This week, the topic of the Palestinian hunger strike again made headlines.  This issue first came up in social and mainstream media in the recent case of Khader Adnan—and was followed with a second hunger striking Palestinian prisoner, a woman named Hanna Shalabi.  Both Adnan and Shalabi planned to bring themselves to nearly fatal starvation in protest of being held in administrative detention by Israel and mistreated during arrest.

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A putsch against war
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Uri Avnery - (Opinion) May 7, 2012 - 12:00am

Generals and secret police chiefs get together for an attack on the politicians. In some countries, they arrest the president, occupy government offices and TV stations and annul the constitution. They then publish “Communiqué No. 1,” explaining the dire need to save the nation from perdition and promising democracy, elections etc. In other countries, they do it more quietly. They just inform the elected leaders that, if they don’t desist from their disastrous policies, the officers will make their views public and precipitate their downfall.

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