October 12th

West Bank settlers stealing tons of soil from Palestinian land ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - October 11, 2012 - 12:00am Roughly a month ago, infrastructure work began in one of the house-trailer neighborhoods in the West Bank settlement of Ofra. Brown soil was needed to cover the foundations. In properly functioning places, such soil is bought and paid for, but not in Ofra. Tzvi, a local farmer, nicknamed “Kishu,” found an alternative: He sent a rented tractor and truck to the outskirts of the settlement, next to the Palestinian villages of Silwad and Deir Dibwan, where they simply stole dirt. Tzvi claims that the land belongs to him. » Read more

PA, Jordan sign agricultural cooperation agreements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 5, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The Palestinian Authority agriculture minister on Friday said a number of cooperation agreements signed with Jordan will benefit Palestinian producers. During a brief trip to the West Bank on Thursday, Jordanian Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh signed a number of trade deals with the Palestinian Authority. Agriculture minister Walid Assaf said these included exchange of scientific expertise between the two sides to boost agricultural productivity. » Read more

West Bank, Gaza university staff to strike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 10, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- University staff will go on strike Tuesday over ongoing wage disputes with the Ministry of Education, a union chief said Thursday. Amjad Barham, head of the union for university professors and staff, told Ma'an that staff in the West Bank and Gaza would strike on Tuesday and for two days the following week. He said the ministry continued to ignore the union's demands, despite a meeting on Wednesday with Minister of Education Ali Jarbawi. » Read more

ADL pulls out of interfaith talks over Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Religion News Service by Michele Chabin - October 11, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM (RNS) The Anti-Defamation League said Thursday (Oct. 11) it has withdrawn from an Oct. 22 U.S. Jewish-Christian interfaith meeting to protest a letter from some Protestant participants that urged Congress to rethink U.S. funding to Israel. Numerous Jewish organizations have condemned the letter, which was signed by leaders of the Presbyterian, United Methodist, Lutheran, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ denominations, as well as the head of the National Council of Churches. » Read more

Hamas bans announcement of new Gaza Islamic party ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua October 11, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Hamas movement obstructed Thursday the declaration of a new Islamic party in the Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the Al-Nour Salafi party said. Hamas, which controls Gaza, summoned the members of the party's founding committee for questioning "in order to prevent the launching of the party" that was scheduled Thursday, said the spokesman, who calls himself Abu Outba. » Read more

Poll shows center-left "super party" could win Israeli elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua October 12, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- If the main leaders of Israel's center and left political forces would join forces in one party, they could defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the early general elections to be held in January, a survey revealed Thursday. » Read more

Iran, economy to dominate Israeli elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Adam Gonn - October 12, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- In the Israeli elections scheduled on Jan. 22, 2013, the right-left fault line may not be drawn as in the past along issues such as relations with the Palestinians, but over Iran's controversial nuclear program and Israel's economy, analysts said. » Read more

Hezbollah says it sent drone over Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Zeina Karam - October 11, 2012 - 12:00am BEIRUT —The leader of Hezbollah claimed responsibility Thursday for launching an Iranian-made drone aircraft into Israeli airspace earlier this week, adding more tension to an already explosive Mideast atmosphere. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah warned that it would not be the last such operation by his Lebanese militant group. » Read more

Netanyahu agreed to full Golan Heights withdrawal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Shimon Shiffer - October 12, 2012 - 12:00am The onset of the rebellion against Bashar Assad in January 2011 interrupted intense negotiations between the Syrian president and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which the latter agreed to a full Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights in exchange for a peace agreement, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Friday. » Read more

October 11th

Netanyahu Planted Seeds for Early Vote at U.N. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Jeffay - (Opinion) October 10, 2012 - 12:00am Tel Aviv — Nobody outside his inner circle knew it yet, but when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations late last month, it was the start of his election campaign. He talked tough on Iran in the September 27 speech, presenting himself to Israelis as a leader who has the confidence to make demands for their security, and the guts to take out a red pen and draw the “red line” he is setting for the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program on a cartoon-style picture of a bomb. » Read more