Abbas says Israeli measures against Palestinian dangerous
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 9, 2011 - 1:00am


Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday described Israeli measures against people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as "dangerous." In his meeting with visiting Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez, Abbas called on Israel to stop house demolitions and settlement building in east Jerusalem, and to lift the blockade on Gaza. "These dangerous violations must stop," Abbas said.


Israeli president inaugurates Israeli-Arab hi-tech recruitment program
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 10, 2011 - 1:00am


Israeli President Shimon Peres Wednesday inaugurated a 50-million-U.S.-dollar initiative to increase the numbers of Israeli-Arabs in the hi-tech workforce, called Maantech. The term "Maan" in Arabic mean "together," and in this case, that means backing by the government and two dozens leading Israeli and international firms, among them are Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Amdocs, Checkpoint, and Oracle. The Israeli government is footing 20 million dollars of the sum, with the remainder coming from private sources.


NATO offers troops after Mideast peace deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
February 9, 2011 - 1:00am


NATO would offer peacekeeping services to Israelis and Palestinians if both parties request it in a peace deal, the alliance's secretary general said Wednesday Anders Fogh Rasmussen said NATO would intervene if a future peace treaty was broken or if the two sides needed assistance. Until then, NATO would "not (become) involved in the Mideast peace process and is not seeking a role in it," Rasmussen said. The NATO leader spoke at an annual security conference in the Israeli city of Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv.


NATO offers troops after Mideast peace deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
February 9, 2011 - 1:00am


NATO would offer peacekeeping services to Israelis and Palestinians if both parties request it in a peace deal, the alliance's secretary general said Wednesday Anders Fogh Rasmussen said NATO would intervene if a future peace treaty was broken or if the two sides needed assistance. Until then, NATO would "not (become) involved in the Mideast peace process and is not seeking a role in it," Rasmussen said. The NATO leader spoke at an annual security conference in the Israeli city of Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv.


Gazan students hold Egypt solidarity rally
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 9, 2011 - 1:00am


Several hundred Islamist students rallied in central Gaza on Wednesday in a show of solidarity with the ongoing anti-government protests in Egypt, onlookers said. "Gaza salutes the Egyptians" they shouted, denouncing embattled President Hosni Mubarak as "an American collaborator." Waving Egyptian and Palestinian flags, they also shouted angry slogans against Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman and Prime Minister Ahmad Shafiq. Earlier on Wednesday, Egyptian immigration officials told AFP they had been ordered to bar Palestinians from entering the country.


What Israel fears in Egypt
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Sallai Meridor - February 9, 2011 - 1:00am


One might expect that Israelis, who live in the only democracy in the Middle East, would turn out in the squares of Jerusalem and the gardens of Tel Aviv to show solidarity with the demonstrators in Egypt. The protesters, after all, are seeking to overthrow an authoritarian regime. Israelis, however, have stayed at home, warily following events on TV and the Internet.



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