August 20th

Paying for the ‘price-tag’ policy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Mohamed Alasmar - August 18, 2010 - 12:00am It is no secret that over the course of the past several months, Israeli settlers in the West Bank have randomly attacked Palestinian villagers and their property after their government makes decisions they oppose. Settlers who resist the government’s limited attempts to implement the partial freeze of settlement expansion have adopted what they call the “price tag” policy, an irrational and indiscriminate policy applied against Palestinians who have no role in Israeli decision-making processes. » Read more

PLO defends Abbas statements on Jewish rights ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 20, 2010 - 12:00am The PLO responded Wednesday to a letter to Mahmoud Abbas authored and endorsed by Palestinian academics and intellectuals questioning the Ramallah-based government's ability to lead. The 22 July letter, signed by dozens of scholars, activists, and civil society leaders, specifically expressed concerns that Abbas had denied Palestinians their basic rights and accepted an "exclusive Jewish claim to Palestine" in remarks during a conversation with American Jews in the US capital. » Read more

Dozens faint during prayers under Ramadan sun ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 20, 2010 - 12:00am Tens of thousands of Palestinians lined up at West Bank checkpoints early on Friday morning, waiting to be granted access to the holy city of Jerusalem for prayer on the second Friday of Ramadan. Officials at the Islamic Waqf office estimated 150,000 worshipers gathered in the Old City mosque for prayer, while Israeli estimates put the number at 95,000. » Read more

Arab states cut aid to PA ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz August 20, 2010 - 12:00am Arab states have cut financial aid to the Palestinian Authority so far this year and the United Nations has warned of a looming Palestinian cash crisis. "The Arabs are not paying. We urge them to meet their financial pledges," said Saleh Rafat, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee and one of the few Palestinian officials willing to speak out on the matter. Arab government officials declined to comment on the issue. » Read more

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks expected to resume in September ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Douglas Hamilton - August 20, 2010 - 12:00am Israelis and Palestinians will be invited Friday to begin direct peace talks in two weeks in Washington, a diplomatic source said Thursday night. Both sides were expected to attend the talks, which would begin Sept. 2, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Envoys from the so-called Quartet of powers -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations -- agreed to the details Thursday, the source said, adding that President Obama would be present at the talks. The White House declined to comment Thursday. » Read more

Anshel Pfeffer / It's all too easy for Israeli rights groups to call the IDF's bluff ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Anshel Pfeffer - August 20, 2010 - 12:00am This week I published in Haaretz the story of a small group of reserve soldiers who last month, while on active duty in the Jordan Valley, decided to make a small modification to their routine: They replaced the standard collection of curt phrases in basic Arabic - used by generations of IDF soldiers to order Palestinian civilians to stop, open their car door, present documents and identify themselves - with the more pleasant greetings and respectful, traditional blessings of which Arabic is so full. » Read more

Report Criticizes Gaza Restrictions ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - August 19, 2010 - 12:00am Kamal Sweleim’s family has owned a farm in this northern part of Gaza for six decades. For most of that time, it was a mix of citrus orchards and plump cows, and the family made a handsome living selling its products to Israel, Jordan and the West Bank. But 10 years ago, when the second Palestinian uprising broke out, spreading violence in Israeli streets, Israeli tanks started repeatedly tearing through the family’s fields, chasing militants. Last year, during the Israeli war in Gaza, the Sweleims were ordered to move out, and their trees and wells were bulldozed. » Read more

Israelis and Palestinians to Resume Talks, Officials Say ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Mark Landler - August 20, 2010 - 12:00am Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to announce Friday that Israel and the Palestinians will return to direct negotiations for the first time in 20 months, delivering the Obama administration a small victory in its protracted effort to revive the Middle East peace process, two officials briefed on the situation said Thursday evening. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, have agreed to place a one-year time limit on the talks, these officials said. » Read more

August 19th

You'll Never Guess What the Laws of War Say About Attacking a Neutral Vessel on the High Seas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by J.J. Goldberg - August 19, 2010 - 12:00am I don’t know about you, but I find on occasion that there’s nothing more relaxing than to curl up with some good reading material. Well, the other day I was getting cozy with my favorite Geneva Conventions on the laws of war, and to my surprise I came across an annex to the conventions detailing the ins and outs of what’s legal and what’s not legal in the conduct of warfare at sea. How about that? The document is fetchingly titled The San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea, 12 June 1994. » Read more

Wikipedia editing courses launched by Zionist groups ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Rachel Shabi - August 18, 2010 - 12:00am Since the earliest days of the worldwide web, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has seen its rhetorical counterpart fought out on the talkboards and chatrooms of the internet. Now two Israeli groups seeking to gain the upper hand in the online debate have launched a course in "Zionist editing" for Wikipedia, the online reference site. » Read more