February 3rd

More detentions in Ramallah at rally for Egypt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 3, 2011 - 1:00am Palestinian Authority police beat back protesters with clubs and detained at least two at what witnesses described as a spontaneous rally and show of support for the Egyptian people as chaos hit Cairo streets. "I was sick and tired of sitting at home and doing nothing," one Ramallah resident said, explaining that she had seen on the social networking site Facebook that friends were attending a peaceful protest at 9 p.m. in the city center. » Read more

The Lifta that never will be ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Esther Zandberg - February 3, 2011 - 1:00am The first Arab residents have begun to enter their new homes in the village of Lifta at the western approach to Jerusalem. Many of them are descendants of Palestinian families who lived there until the eve of the Israeli War of Independence in 1948. When they left the village, it remained abandoned for decades and its ruins became a symbol of the destruction of the Palestinian community in Israel. » Read more

Fatah official calls for revolt in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 3, 2011 - 1:00am Major General Tawfiq At-Tirawi, former director of the PA general intelligence and Fatah Central Committee member called Wednesday in a statement for the people of Gaza to rise up in revolt against the Hamas government. The people of Gaza, he said, should take their cue from Egypt and call for the end of the "dictatorship that restricts their freedoms." At-Tirawi's statement is widely believed to be a response to the new group on the social networking site Facebook, Preparation for the Dignity Revolution, which calls for a mass rally in Gaza City on 11 February. » Read more

Why Palestinians remain so quiet as Egyptians loudly rail against Mubarak ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Daniella Cheslow - February 2, 2011 - 1:00am Cries for President Hosni Mubarak's ouster in Egypt are being echoed in Jordan with antigovernment protests and a "day of rage" planned for Syria this Friday. But in the Palestinian territories, it's the silence that is most notable. Part of that quiet is due to a rare common effort from the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip to suppress vocal support for Egyptian protesters. Both sides dispersed solidarity demonstrations that were planned for last Sunday and Monday. » Read more

Uneasy lies the head ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Asher Susser - February 3, 2011 - 1:00am In the early 1960s, when Jordan's King Hussein was embattled by Nasser's regime in Egypt that was bent on the export of its revolutionary fervor, the young king published an autobiography entitled "Uneasy Lies the Head". Taking his cue from Shakespeare's King Henry IV ("Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown"), Hussein's characterization of his predicament could equally apply today to his son and heir, King Abdullah II. Egypt is once again the source of inspiration for revolutionary fervor. » Read more

Uneasy lies the head ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Asher Susser - February 3, 2011 - 1:00am In the early 1960s, when Jordan's King Hussein was embattled by Nasser's regime in Egypt that was bent on the export of its revolutionary fervor, the young king published an autobiography entitled "Uneasy Lies the Head". Taking his cue from Shakespeare's King Henry IV ("Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown"), Hussein's characterization of his predicament could equally apply today to his son and heir, King Abdullah II. Egypt is once again the source of inspiration for revolutionary fervor. » Read more

February 2nd

Israel urges West: Make sure new Egypt regime honors peace deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - February 2, 2011 - 1:00am Prime Minister wants international community to make clear that new leadership must meet a series of conditions similar to those posed by Hamas in order to gain recognition of legitimacy. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked U.S. President Barack Obama and a number of other Western leaders in recent days to make it clear to any new Egyptian regime that it must abide fully by the peace agreement with Israel. » Read more

AL postpones Jerusalem conference due to unrest in Arab countries ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua February 1, 2011 - 1:00am The Arab League (AL) decided Tuesday to postpone the "Jerusalem Conference" scheduled in Doha, Qatar early February to indefinite date due to the serious situation in Egypt and some other Arab countries. Mohammed Soubie, assistant of the AL general secretary, announced the postpone in a statement after a series of consultations between Qatar, the hosting country and the AL. » Read more

Hamas worried upheaval in Arab world will spill into Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - February 2, 2011 - 1:00am Gaza police disperse rally showing solidarity with Egyptian protesters; several thousand join Facebook group calling for a protest against Hamas rule in the Strip. Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip are concerned about the effects of the upheaval in the Arab world, as Facebook messages call on Gaza residents to demonstrate against Hamas rule on Friday. » Read more

Huckabee says no Palestinian state in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Aron Heller - February 1, 2011 - 1:00am Potential 2012 U.S. presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said Tuesday that if Palestinians want an independent state, they should seek it from Arabs — not Israel. The evangelical minister and Fox News host said Jews should be allowed to settle anywhere throughout the biblical Land of Israel — an area that includes the West Bank and east Jerusalem. He called the demand on Israel to give up land for peace an "unrealistic, unworkable and unreachable goal." » Read more