April 25th

Tech diplomacy: Israeli CEO hires Palestinian programmers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - April 22, 2011 - 12:00am The last time chief executive officer Eyal Waldman had been to the Israeli-occupied West Bank was as a soldier. But when he needed to outsource some work for his fast-growing Israeli technology company, he chose an unconventional solution: hiring Palestinian programmers from Ramallah. » Read more

Israel's wall cements psychological divide between Arab, Jew ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - April 22, 2011 - 12:00am shad Zeid, a Palestinian farmer who lives not far from the bustle of Tel Aviv, once sold his crops to Israeli acquaintances – chatting with them in Hebrew as they paid for cabbage or cauliflower. But now Mr. Zeid's world ends abruptly at a high wall of gray concrete erected by Israel to protect its citizens against Palestinian suicide bombers. Just beyond the wall bordering his fields lies Kfar Saba, a Tel Aviv suburb of 85,000 that was once part of his customer base. » Read more

Palestinian Police Kill Israeli Visiting West Bank Holy Site ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - April 24, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian police shot and killed one Israeli and wounded four others early Sunday after the Israelis surreptitiously visited a Jewish holy site inside a Palestinian-controlled area, officials on both sides said. The shooting occurred outside Joseph’s Tomb in the West Bank city of Nablus after three carloads of religious Israeli Jews visited the site to pray, without coordinating their plans through the Israeli Army. Twice-monthly trips to the tomb have been organized with army escorts for the past four years without incident. » Read more

April 22nd

Abbas says France backs his reconciliation plan with Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 22, 2011 - 12:00am Visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday his reconciliation plan with Hamas has won support from French President Nicolas Sarkozy during their meeting at the Elysee Palace. Abbas said he told Sarkozy he would go to the Gaza Strip to meet Hamas leaders in a bid to establish a coalition government and choose a proper date for elections. The plans were backed by the French leader, he said. In March, Abbas had said he was willing to accept Hamas leader Ismail Haneya's invitation to visit Gaza. » Read more

UN urges bold steps to relaunch Mideast peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Patrick Worsnip - April 21, 2011 - 12:00am The United Nations called on Thursday for "bold and decisive steps" to relaunch the Israeli-Palestinian peace process as the region awaits a possible new initiative by U.S. President Barack Obama. U.N. political chief Lynn Pascoe and ambassadors of key Security Council countries said it was important to break the deadlock soon as a proclaimed September deadline for reaching an agreement draws closer. » Read more

Abbas to EU: lead Mideast peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Euronews (Interview) April 21, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has made clear that he intends to take the question of statehood to the United Nations this September, unless there is progress on the issue before then. Abbas spoke with euronews in Tunis, before arriving in Europe. Mohammed Shaikhibrahim, euronews: “President Abbas, the US has failed to bring about an end to Israel’s settlement-building policy in the West Bank. The Americans have brandished their veto when questions over censure of Israel came up in the UN Security Council. Do you still count on the US to advance the peace process?” » Read more

What Future for the Goldstone Report? Beyond the Name ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Richard Falk - (Opinion) April 22, 2011 - 12:00am Ever since it first struck the raw nerve of Israeli political consciousness, I thought it misleading to associate the Goldstone Report so exclusively with its chair, Judge Richard Goldstone. After all, despite his deserved prominence as an international jurist, he was the least qualified substantively of the four members of the mission. » Read more

Housing project aims to keep Christians in Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) by Majeda El Batch - April 22, 2011 - 12:00am If you build it, they will come -- or perhaps just stay. That's the hope of the Christian leadership in Jerusalem, which is building homes in a bid to stem an exodus of Christians. While the Holy City draws hundreds of thousands of Christian pilgrims, particularly over Easter when they come to retrace the steps Jesus took to his crucifixion, much of the city's small Christian population would rather leave. » Read more

Palestinian Authority threatens to block international mail ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by David Miller - April 21, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian Authority will stop sending and receiving international mail beginning next month, a Palestinian minister has warned, asserting that Israel has failed to implement a 2008 agreement that would let the PA have direct postal relations with the rest of the world. » Read more

Landau: Israel should annex W. Bank if PA get statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Mordechai Twerksy - April 21, 2011 - 12:00am Dr. Uzi Landau, Israel's Minister of National Infrastructure, warns that in the event of a unilateral United Nations declaration of a Palestinian state, he will call upon Israel to annex the Jordan Valley and large, Jewish populated blocs in the West Bank: » Read more