February 2nd

Guyana recognises Palestinian state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Caribbean News Now! by Ray Chickrie - January 14, 2011 - 1:00am Guyana has declared official recognition of a Palestinian State within the 1967 borders. In a news release, the Foreign Ministry said, “It is Guyana's hope that the increasing recognition of the state of Palestine will contribute to a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the creation of lasting peace and stability in the region.” Guyana since 1975 has been a member of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, and in the 1970s severed diplomat ties with Israel. » Read more

Israel, Alone Again? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Yossi Klein Halevi - (Editorial) February 1, 2011 - 1:00am ISRAELIS want to rejoice over the outbreak of protests in Egypt’s city squares. They want to believe that this is the Arab world’s 1989 moment. Perhaps, they say, the poisonous reflex of blaming the Jewish state for the Middle East’s ills will be replaced by an honest self-assessment. » Read more

B.E., Before Egypt. A.E., After Egypt. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Thomas L. Friedman - (Editorial) February 1, 2011 - 1:00am I’m meeting a retired Israeli general at a Tel Aviv hotel. As I take my seat, he begins the conversation with: “Well, everything we thought for the last 30 years is no longer relevant.” » Read more

February 1st

The Arab citizen stands up for his dignity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post by Ziad Asali - (Blog) February 1, 2011 - 1:00am The Arab youth have lost their fear, and marched in defiance of their leadership in search of bread, freedom and dignity. They have forged new political realities that are fraught with possibilities and promise as well as dangers and peril. One thing is clear-the status quo has come to an end. Arab unity, long proclaimed dead and buried, has re-emerged in a political contagion which is spreading among the Arabs whose regimes (with the exception of the Gulf) are twisting in the winds. » Read more

PA: Israeli destruction of water resources must stop ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 1, 2011 - 1:00am Israel has "intensified its campaign of targeting Palestinian water cisterns for destruction," Minister of the Palestinian Water Authority Shaddad Attili said Tuesday, condemning the acts. Speaking on the 10th anniversary of the Israeli-Palestinian Joint Water Committee's 'Declaration for Keeping the Water Infrastructure out of the Cycle of Violence,' Attili accused Israel of using water to target Palestinian communities in vulnerable areas and force their departure. » Read more

Palestinian Cabinet in West Bank says it will hold municipal elections 'as soon as possible' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press February 1, 2011 - 1:00am Palestinian Cabinet in West Bank says it will hold municipal elections "as soon as possible."

PA accuses Hamas of selling donated medicine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 1, 2011 - 1:00am The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry on Monday accused its counterpart in the Gaza Strip of selling donated medical aid to private pharmacies. The Ramallah-based ministry said five convoys had delivered almost 1,600 tons of medical aid to the coastal enclave so far in 2011. However, only a few tons of the donated medicine reached the PA ministry's warehouse in the Gaza Strip, the ministry said in a statement. » Read more

2 Gaza rockets explode in Israeli towns ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press January 31, 2011 - 1:00am The Israeli military says two rockets fired from Gaza have exploded in Israeli towns. No one was hurt, but there was some damage. The attacks came a few minutes apart late Monday. One rocket hit Netivot, 9 miles (14 kilometers) east of Gaza, and the second exploded in Ofakim, 15 miles (25 kilometers) from Gaza. The military says the range indicates the rockets were Grads. Israel charges that Iran supplies Gaza militants with Grads. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. » Read more

Movement for equality ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Elad Smorzik - January 2, 2011 - 1:00am On the pale parquet floor of the Rabeah Murkus Dance Studio in Kfar Yassif a few students are warming up to a backdrop of purple walls and a decorated Christmas tree. After Murkus hustles the last of the lingerers in the dressing room, samba music starts coming through the loudspeakers and the lesson in modern dance begins. Couple by couple, the youngsters bound along the length and breadth of the space, energetically carving the air. » Read more

Palestinian media mum on Egypt protests ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Nasser Laham - February 1, 2011 - 1:00am Silence prevailed, from the Palestinian Authority, the government in Gaza, the factions and the people; all kept a safe distance from the Egyptian hot potato for fear that coming out on the wrong side would impact their future. » Read more