April 25th

'Heinous act against Jewish worshipers' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Attila Somfalvi - April 24, 2011 - 12:00am Shooting attack or unintentional mishap? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned on Sunday evening the shooting incident at Joseph's Tomb in Nablus that killed 24-year-old Ben-Yosef Livnat and injured two other Hasidim, calling it a "terrorist attack." In his statement, Netanyahu urged the Palestinian Authority "to take harsh steps against the perpetrators who committed this heinous act against Jewish worshipers who were on their way to prayer." » Read more

'Worshippers visit Joseph's Tomb every night' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Raanan Ben-Zur - April 24, 2011 - 12:00am Almost every night, Jewish worshippers sneak into Palestinian territory, where Joseph's Tomb is located, without obtaining a permit. On Sunday morning such a "routine" visit ended with a fatal shooting that killed Ben-Yosef Livnat, a 24-year-old father-of-four and the nephew of Sports and Culture Minister Limor Livnat. The entrance into the Tomb vicinity is usually coordinated by Chairman of the Yesod Olam association Haim Reicher, who also arranges entries to other holy sites in the West Bank. » Read more

'PA will defer UN statehood bid if 'serious' talks begin' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Editorial) April 25, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian leadership will defer its plan to seek a declaration of statehood in the United Nations this September if "real and serious" negotiations begin before that point, PLO Executive Committee Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo told London-based Al-Hayyat on Monday. Abed Rabbo added that the Palestinians only have two options in their playbook and that if it is not satisfied by renewed talks, it will go ahead with the United Nations plan. » Read more

Above the Fray: The great Mideast chess game ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Alon Ben-meir - (Opinion) April 22, 2011 - 12:00am Amid the Israeli-Palestinian stalemate, a storm of diplomatic activity is brewing. The Palestinians, Israel and the United States are carefully calculating what moves to make next. Only the Palestinians appear to have a clear-cut strategy: internationalizing the conflict through a United Nations General Assembly Resolution recognizing a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, within the 1967 borders. » Read more

Good morning, Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by David Rosenberg - (Opinion) April 22, 2011 - 12:00am Sometime in September the United Nations General Assembly will vote (in all probability) in favor of Palestinian statehood. How the vote will be taken and what its significance for the relationship between infant Palestine and the rest of the world and for the day-to-day management of Israel’s occupation is anyone’s guess. » Read more

West Bank Shooting Comes Amid Upsurge in Violence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by David Rosenberg - April 24, 2011 - 12:00am One Israeli was killed and three others were injured by gunfire early on Sunday as they were leaving a Jewish holy site in the city of Nablus, amid signs of an upsurge of Palestinian attacks on Israelis originating in the generally quiet West Bank. » Read more

For Israelis and Palestinians, the status quo is neither sustainable nor desirable ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Gary Younge - (Opinion) April 25, 2011 - 12:00am Back in 2008 a Florida couple running a small business that throws children's parties bought two costumes that looked like Tigger and Eeyore on eBay from a firm in Peru for $500. When Walt Disney saw the characters advertised online, it threatened legal action for an infringement of copyright laws and presented the couple with a seven-point demand to cease and desist. » Read more

Israelis shot in West Bank tried to break through Palestinian roadblock, probe shows ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson, Anshel Pfeffer - April 24, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian security forces opened fire early Sunday on three cars full of Israelis who entered the West Bank compound of Joseph's Tomb without permission and then tried to break through a local checkpoint, according to an initial investigation by the Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinian Authority. Ben-Joseph Livnat, a 25-year-old father of four and nephew of Culture and Science Minister Limor Livnat, was killed in the shooting. Three other people were wounded, and are in light to serious conditions. » Read more

Minister Livnat: My nephew was killed by a terrorist disguised as a Palestinian policeman ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Nir Hasson - April 24, 2011 - 12:00am Hundreds attended the funeral of Ben-Joseph Livnat Sunday, who was killed and three others were wounded earlier in the day when a Palestinian security officer opened fire on their car as they were leaving the holy site of Joseph's Tomb near the West Bank city of Nablus. The funeral procession left Alon More near Nablus, heading toward the Mount of Olives Graveyard. Livnat, 25, is the nephew of Science and Culture Minister Limor Livnat, and is survived by his wife and four children. » Read more

Report: Hamas seeks to kidnap more IDF soldiers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz April 25, 2011 - 12:00am Hamas is planning to take advantage of the relative calm in Gaza to arrange additional kidnappings of Israeli soldiers, according to a report by Israel Radio quoting an article published Sunday in Hamas' Al-Resalah newspaper. The report said that Hamas would potentially perpetrate the abductions to attain additional bargaining chips in the event that Gilad Shalit is killed during Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip. The Hamas newspaper report added that the past five years in which they have held Shalit hostage will prove helpful in the organization fulfilling its goal. » Read more