Abbas ‘feels he’s above the law,’ charges Dahlan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - July 31, 2011 - 12:00am Ousted Fatah official Muhammad Dahlan over the weekend launched a scathing attack on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, accusing him of dictatorship and financial corruption. He said that more than $1 billion have gone missing from a fund that was handed over to Abbas after he was elected president in 2005. Dahlan’s attack on Abbas came after PA security forces raided the former Fatah commander’s home in Ramallah on Thursday, arresting his bodyguards and confiscating weapons and armored vehicles. » Read more

Palestinians Prepare for Massive Uprising ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Mel Frykberg - July 29, 2011 - 12:00am "We plan to take to the streets en masse," Musa Abu Maria, a leading member of the Popular Committee in Beit Ummar, a town 11 km north of Hebron in the southern West Bank told IPS. "We will block entire highways leading to and from Israel’s illegal settlements. We will march on settlements. But these will be non-violent and the protestors will be peaceful. » Read more

Report: Israel plans to build separation wall in Golan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 1, 2011 - 12:00am GOLAN, Syria (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities plan to build a wall in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, the official Syrian news agency SANA reported Friday. The wall will separate the town of Majdal Shams in Israeli-occupied territory from the suburb of Al-Oude and Ain Al-Tinah in Syria, SANA reported. SANA said the cement wall would be four kilometers long and eight meters high. Earlier this year, Israeli forces killed at least 27 people in the area during demonstrations against the Israeli occupation. » Read more

PM: Abbas set on bringing Palestinian state to UN vote ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Lahav Harkov - August 1, 2011 - 12:00am Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is determined to bring Palestinian statehood to a UN vote in September. "Abbas made a strategic decision to go to the UN, because the price for him will be low," Netanyahu said. "For us, recognition of a state will only pass through the security council." He added: "We are working to ensure a US veto in the UN Security Council, but that will not prevent a majority in the General Assembly." » Read more

Lebanese, Israeli soldiers exchange fire over border ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua August 1, 2011 - 12:00am BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese Army opened fire at a group of Israeli soldiers that crossed the border Blue Line into Lebanon in the Wazzani area early Monday, a security source told Xinhua. The source said the six Israeli soldiers, who had crossed into Lebanon, fired at the Lebanese army post in response. No casualties were reported. The Lebanese military sent reinforcement to the Wazzani area soon after the incident and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) circulated extensive patrols, said the source. » Read more

PA: Employees to receive salaries Tuesday ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 1, 2011 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority premier said Sunday that full salaries for the month of July would be paid Tuesday, following strike threats from a union representing government employees. But Salam Fayyad said that "the payment of full salaries will significantly reduce the ability of the Palestinian Authority to meet other needs during the next month.” Fayyad urged patience, saying he would continue to make tireless efforts to secure foreign aid that needed to overcome the crisis and enable the Palestinian Authority to meet all of its commitments. » Read more

Soldiers kill 2 in raid on refugee camp ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 1, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians during an arrest raid near Ramallah in the central West Bank early Monday, onlookers and medical officials said. Witnesses told Ma’an that soldiers stormed Qalandiya refugee camp at dawn and as they ransacked homes, confrontations erupted between the army and local residents. » Read more

Gaza border violence: Another threat to Palestinian statehood? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ahmed al-Dabba - July 29, 2011 - 12:00am As Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas ramps up his campaign for a United Nations vote on statehood in September, the Gaza Strip is buzzing with speculation that Israel and radical Palestinian elements could derail the effort with cross-border violence. Militants in the Hamas-run territory recently launched Qassam rockets into Israel for the first time in three months, breaking a tenuous cease-fire and drawing retaliatory attacks from Israel. Israel said yesterday that 24 rockets have been fired on its territory so far this month. » Read more

Israel struggles with free-speech rights ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - July 31, 2011 - 12:00am A string of new laws passed this year by Israel's right-leaning Knesset has triggered an unusually rancorous debate here over where to draw the line on free speech, exposing shifting sentiments about a core democratic ideal. The latest battle erupted with the approval this month of a law that created civil and financial penalties against those who voice support for boycott campaigns targeting Israel or its institutions, including West Bank settlements that many in Israel and around the world oppose as an obstacle to peace. » Read more