October 23rd

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

Bomb wounds Israeli officer on Gaza border ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Maayan Lubell - October 23, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM - An Israeli officer was severely wounded on Tuesday when a bomb went off beside an army patrol along the border with the Gaza Strip, a military spokeswoman said. The attack came hours before the Emir of Qatar arrived in Gaza in the first visit by a head of state to the blockaded enclave since it was taken over in 2007 by the Iranian-backed Islamist Hamas movement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will deliver a strong response to the attack. "We will fight and we will hit them very, very hard," Netanyahu said. » Read more

Fatah 'not invited' to meet Qatari emir ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 22, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Fatah has not been invited to meet Qatar's emir who is due to visit the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, a Fatah leader said Monday. Yahya Rabah told Ma'an that Fatah received no invitation from Qatar or the Hamas-led government in Gaza to meet Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. Rabah, who is based in Gaza, said Fatah was not informed of the reason for the visit or any of the arrangements but said the trip raised questions. » Read more