Israel denies West Bank permits for students on US-funded scholarships ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Vita Bekker - October 23, 2012 - 12:00am TEL AVIV // Ghadir Abu Rokba has become one of the latest victims of Israel's years-long bid to separate the Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The 18-year-old from Gaza's Jabalya refugee camp last spring applied for a US-sponsored scholarship to study mathematics at Birzeit University in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. » Read more

Israel Bans Even Marriage Ties Between West Bank and Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Hayat by Mohammad Younes - October 22, 2012 - 12:00am Ali Batha — from the West Bank — met Rihab Abu Hashish — from the Gaza Strip — while studying at Birzeit University in the West Bank in 2000, and lived a love story that led them to marriage. However, at the time, this young couple didn't know that Israeli policy is aimed at completely separating the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, and prevents any contact between the two sides, including even marriage. » Read more

Palestinian reporter Asmaa al-Ghoul aims to keep thorn in Hamas’ side ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ben Sales - October 22, 2012 - 12:00am TEL AVIV (JTA) -- She can't stay out of trouble there, but Asmaa al-Ghoul always comes back to Gaza. A secular, feminist Palestinian journalist, al-Ghoul, 30, has been harassed by Hamas. She's also been beaten and arrested by Hamas police for protesting its Islamist policies and suppression of human rights. » Read more

Israeli Arabs fighting battle to attend university ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Ilene Prusher - October 23, 2012 - 12:00am Only about 11 percent of college and university students are Arab, according to the Council on Higher Education (CHE). Given that the Arab population in Israel now stands at more than 20%, that number is indicative of the barriers still holding Israeli Arabs back from gaining the education they seek, and therefore keeping thousands of citizens from integrating into the Israeli workforce. » Read more

Ex-IDF legal expert: World's take on Israel's West Bank operations saps our self defense ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gili Cohen - October 22, 2012 - 12:00am The way the world perceives Israel’s activity in the territories is detracting from the country’s ability to defend itself, the former head of the Israel Defense Forces’ International Law Department said Monday. » Read more

UNRWA staff to strike over cuts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 22, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- UNRWA staff employed in schools, clinics and offices in refugee camps across the West Bank will strike on Tuesday in protest over cutbacks in services. UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, is cutting health services and other emergency programs, and firing 130 employees, a spokesman for refugee camps in the West Bank said Monday. Imad Abu Ismail said in a statement that medical operations had been canceled due to a financial crisis in the UN agency. » Read more

Israeli ministry markets hundreds of housing units in controversial area ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua October 23, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli housing and construction ministry announced Monday the marketing of 5,000 new housing units nationwide, nearly 700 of which are located in a controversial area beyond the 1967 borders, local news outlets reported. The announcement comes just several days after the European Union (EU) denounced Israel for building in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo. » Read more

Survey: Most Israeli Jews would support apartheid regime in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gideon Levy - October 23, 2012 - 12:00am Most of the Jewish public in Israel supports the establishment of an apartheid regime in Israel if it formally annexes the West Bank. A majority also explicitly favors discrimination against the state's Arab citizens, a survey shows. The survey, conducted by Dialog on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, exposes anti-Arab, ultra-nationalist views espoused by a majority of Israeli Jews. The survey was commissioned by the Yisraela Goldblum Fund and is based on a sample of 503 interviewees. » Read more

Israel not committed to two-state solution -Carter ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Ori Lewis, Maayan Lubell - October 23, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on Monday said the Israeli-Palestinian peace process had reached a crisis point and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government was not pursuing a two-state solution. "That policy of promoting a two-state solution seems to be abandoned now and we are deeply concerned about this move towards this catastrophic so-called one-state choice ... this is a major concern," Carter told a news conference. » Read more

Romney, Obama pledge Israel backing, agree Iran strike last resort ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Tabassum Zakaria - October 23, 2012 - 12:00am WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney vied on Monday over who was Israel's strongest defender but both agreed that a military strike over Iran's nuclear program must be a "last resort." Tehran's nuclear program, which the West suspects is for developing weapons and that economic sanctions have so far failed to stop, is almost certain to be among the top foreign policy challenges facing the next president. » Read more