August 8th

Where do Palestnians figure in the Israeli cry for 'social justice'? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Mira Sucharov - (Blog) August 8, 2011 - 12:00am With the four-week old Israeli cost-of-living tent protests swelling in intensity -- capped by 300,000 demonstrators taking to the streets on Saturday night - I am fascinated by the fact that the term “social justice” has become a household word. The official slogan of the demonstrations -- “The nation demands social justice!” (Ha’Am doresh tzedek chevrati!) - involves the headiest and most ethereal of concepts. But commentators have been rightly asking whether the use of the term “social justice” is deserved. » Read more

Some lessons gleaned from living with the Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Advertiser-Tribune by Paulette Schroeder - (Opinion) August 8, 2011 - 12:00am How strangely I'm ending my time in Palestine. Having lived three years in Hebron, Palestine, I find that I'm surprised but finally keen to what it really means to be a citizen of the United States. At the same time, I've come to appreciate more clearly what it means for me to be Christian in our world today. » Read more

Israel's "empty promise" won't stop Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua (Opinion) August 5, 2011 - 12:00am BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- As Israel extended an olive branch to the Palestinians by renewing peace negotiations, the Palestinians said Israel can not halt their bid for recognition of a full membership in the United Nations and of a Palestinian state within the lines that existed prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. EMPTY PROMISE » Read more

Palestinian FM: A wave of international recognition on the way ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Ali El-saleh - (Opinion) August 7, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki has stated to Asharq Al-Awsat that a wave of international recognition of the state of Palestine will take place in the next few weeks, adding that Honduras and South Sudan will be on top of the states that will recognize the Palestinian state. According to Al-Maliki, Honduras will announce its recognition of the Palestinian state on 20 August in spite of the angry reaction by Tel Aviv. » Read more

Israel's Arab citizens must join the social struggle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Oudeh Basharat - (Opinion) August 8, 2011 - 12:00am In days gone by there were long lines of cars at the gas stations on the eve of a rise in prices. The late comedian Dudu Topaz ridiculed the Israeli citizen who "puts one over" on the state by stocking up before the price increase, opportunistic individualism was at its zenith, and people used elbows energetically to obtain yet one more cheap liter of fuel. » Read more

Palestinians and the U.N. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times (Editorial) August 7, 2011 - 12:00am In little more than a month, the Palestinians are expected to ask the United Nations to recognize their state. We have sympathy for their yearning and their frustration. For years, they have been promised a negotiated solution — President Obama called for a peace deal by September — and they are still empty-handed. But the consequences could be profoundly damaging for all involved. » Read more

Lebanon to recognize Palestinian state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star August 6, 2011 - 12:00am BEIRUT: Lebanon is set to recognize the Palestinian state, various media reports said Saturday, adding that President Mahmoud Abbas will visit the country in mid-August. Lebanon’s decision comes as it is preparing to head the United Nations Security Council in September coinciding with the Palestinian Authority’s plan to campaign to win U.N. recognition. It is the only Arab country that has not yet recognized the Palestinian state. » Read more

‘There’s a Girl Here’ Proves Recipe for Banking Deposit Growth in Mideast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Simon Clark - August 8, 2011 - 12:00am Reem Qaraqe was a novelty at the Bethlehem branch of Bank of Palestine Plc (BOP), and she says some customers didn’t hide their astonishment. “There’s a girl here,” was a typical remark. “Why?” As the branch’s first female teller, Qaraqe says she quietly fumed as she endured teasing and disrespect. She had about reached her limit the day Munjed the fish seller showed up, unfurled a wad of smelly shekels, threw it on the counter and commanded her to deposit it. She says her first notion was to hit him. Instead, she decided to try extreme politeness. » Read more

Israel puts pressure on human-rights organisations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Vita Bekker - August 7, 2011 - 12:00am TEL AVIV // Just months after Israel ended its invasion of the Gaza Strip more than two years ago, life became more challenging for Sari Bashi and her human-rights group Gisha. Right-wing government officials, legislators and pressure groups, angered at charges by rights organisations that Israel had committed war crimes during the attack, launched a campaign to discredit groups such as Gisha, which uses legal aid to help loosen Israeli restrictions on Gaza Strip residents. » Read more

Academic claims Israeli school textbooks contain bias ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - August 7, 2011 - 12:00am Nurit Peled-Elhanan, an Israeli academic, mother and political radical, summons up an image of rows of Jewish schoolchildren, bent over their books, learning about their neighbours, the Palestinians. But, she says, they are never referred to as Palestinians unless the context is terrorism. » Read more