How to tell when a Mideast Expert is lying ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - April 13, 2010 - 12:00am Allow me to begin with a word or two about lying. Lying in the Middle East is not the same as lying other places. In the Mideast, lying is a way of life, which is to say, it is a cultural imperative. It is at once armor and entryway. It cushions and conditions the way people feel and think, it lubricates commercial and social intercourse, it frames all political debate and negotiation. » Read more

Fayyad: New IDF orders threaten to empty West Bank of Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA) April 12, 2010 - 12:00am The Palestinian leadership on Monday protested against Israeli military orders that could see tens of thousands of Palestinians deported from the West Bank. On Sunday Haaretz revealed that a new military order aimed at preventing infiltration will come into force this week, enabling the deportation of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank, or their indictment on charges carrying prison terms of up to seven years. » Read more

Israeli forces kill Palestinian gunman in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Ori Lewis - April 13, 2010 - 12:00am A Palestinian gunman was killed and three were wounded in Israeli military strikes in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Palestinian medics and the Israeli army said. The Palestinian death was the first in the Islamist Hamas-ruled territory since three gunmen and two Israeli soldiers were killed more than two weeks ago in the most serious clash between the two sides in 14 months. A spokesman for the Islamic Jihad militant group said Israeli tanks fired shells and a helicopter launched a missile at its men east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. » Read more

Israeli nuclear scientists denied entry to U.S. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from World Tribune April 12, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli sources said scientists employed at Israel's nuclear facility at Dimona have been denied visas to the United States. They said the Israelis were not allowed to enter the United States for training in chemistry, nuclear engineering and physics. "This is a new policy decision of the Obama administration, since there never used to be an issue with the reactor's employees to study in the United States, and until recently, they received visas and studied in the United States," the Israeli daily Maariv said. » Read more

Erekat: World must compel Israel to revoke military order ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 13, 2010 - 12:00am Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat called on US Mideast envoy George Mitchell, among others, to immediately intervene and pressure Israel to revoking a military order mandating the expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank defined as "infiltrators." Erekat further issued the same communique to EU Mideast representative Marc Otte, the UN's special coordinator for the peace process, Robert Serry, Russia's special envoy to the region, Alexander Saltanov, and Quartet envoy, Tony Blair. » Read more

Aluminum to enter Gaza after 3-year Israeli ban ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 13, 2010 - 12:00am Israel has informed the Palestinian Authority that aluminum and wood will be permitted entry into Gaza, officials said Monday. The announcement was made by Nasser As-Seraj, assistant undersecretary in the Ministry of National Economy, and was confirmed by Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh. Fattouh told Ma'an that the first truckload of wood is expected to enter Gaza on Thursday -- the first delivery for over three years -- but that it remains unclear when the transfer of aluminum is expected. » Read more

Palestinian state on track says World Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times by Tobias Buck - April 12, 2010 - 12:00am The Palestinian government is on track to deliver on its promise of building the institutions of an independent state, the World Bank said on Monday. In its latest report, the bank offers a clear endorsement of the policies of Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister and the architect of an ambitious programme designed to achieve independence and statehood by the middle of next year. It notes the impressive economic growth in the West Bank in 2009, and praises recent improvements in the management of public finances. » Read more

It takes a village to humanize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Richard Cohen - (Opinion) April 13, 2010 - 12:00am Budrus is a Palestinian village just inside the West Bank. "Budrus" is also a documentary about what happened in that village when Israeli authorities tried to use some of its land -- cherished olive groves -- to build a security fence separating Arab from Jew or, as has too often been the case, terrorist from target. The villagers resisted, the Israelis insisted, and in the end an agreement was reached. On paper, it looks like a compromise. On film, it's an Israeli rout. » Read more

Towards a Palestinian State: Reforms for Fiscal Strengthening ATFP World Press Roundup Article from April 13, 2010 - 12:00am A viable state requires public institutions that create an enabling environment for private sector-driven growth, manage public finances efficiently, and are able to deliver effective services to the population. The Palestinian Authority (PA) is making steady progress on implementing its reform program and building the institutions required by a future state: the PA has strengthened its public financial management systems, improved service delivery, and made significant reforms to increase security and shore up its fiscal position. » Read more