OSCE denies observer status for Palestinian Authority ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) July 10, 2012 - 12:00am The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe denied observer status to the Palestinian Authority, according to Israeli media reports. In a 28-21 vote, the OSCE voted last month against granting the observer status, according to the reports. The PA denied making a request for observer status, however, according to the Ma'an Palestinian news service. "Joining the organization is not one of the Palestinian Authority’s priorities," Majdi al-Khalidi told Ma'an after learning about Israeli reports of the vote. » Read more

There. It's finally done. Israel has ended the occupation. Tick. Tick. Tick. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - (Opinion) July 10, 2012 - 12:00am I thought the occupation would end differently. I thought that when the occupation finally ended, Palestinians would flood into the streets in delight and relief and weeping at their newfound freedom, a sudden intoxication of rights, their lifelong hopes for independence made concrete. I thought the end of occupation would be deafening and terrifying and liberating and wholly new. I thought that when the occupation ended, we would know. » Read more

Hamas in Gaza pin hopes on Mursi's election in Egypt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News July 10, 2012 - 12:00am On a sweltering July afternoon in Gaza City, Ghazi Hamed leans back in his chair and kicks off his shoes. He stretches out his legs towards a large fan whirring in the corner of his office. He seems keen to cool his toes. Hamas' deputy foreign minister is hot but he is not bothered. A smile creeps across his neatly trimmed salt and pepper beard. He's very much in the pink. "Everyone is celebrating. We are very happy. It was wonderful," he smiles. » Read more

'Two-state solution key to achieving peace' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Tovah Lazaroff - July 11, 2012 - 12:00am Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a key issue in achieving regional peace and global stability, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Tuesday. He was delivering a speech at Haifa University, where he received an honorary doctorate in recognition of his work to combat anti-Semitism and his dedication to resolving the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. » Read more

The Anti-Balfour Declaration ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) July 10, 2012 - 12:00am Wonder what it feels like to have inadvertently put yourself between a rock and a hard place? Just ask Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Monday the Levy Committee, which he appointed last January, issued its report that was supposed to examine the question of Israeli “state lands” in the occupied Palestinian territories, but has far exceeded its mandate. The most significant aspect of the report is its blunt assertion that Israel is not “the occupying power” in the occupied territories. » Read more

Settlements could endanger Israel's Jewish majority: Israeli president ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 10, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli President Shimon Peres on Tuesday said he believes that legalizing all settlements in the West Bank would threaten Israel's Jewish majority. Peres' comments came on the heels of a recent report recommending the government to legalize all Jewish settlements in the West Bank. "Israeli settlements in territories densely populated by an Arab population could bring about a threatening demographic change, that is, it could endanger the Jewish majority in Israel," Peres said during a ceremony at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl cemetery. » Read more

East Jerusalem residents suffer from severe water shortages ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 11, 2012 - 12:00am Tens of thousands of Israeli Arabs in east Jerusalem are coping with severe water shortages, while official bodies bicker over the reasons. According to Gihon, the Jerusalem Municipality's water company, the disruptions are caused by illegal tapping into the water system. "There is a widespread phenomenon of water theft in this area, which we have been warning the water authority about for a very long time. » Read more

Israel’s Occupational Hazard ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg (Editorial) July 10, 2012 - 12:00am Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might have gotten what he wanted from the committee he named to explore ways to legalize unauthorized Jewish settlements in the West Bank. After all, its chairman, retired Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy, had previously made clear that he rejects the term “occupied territory” to describe the West Bank’s status. » Read more

Abbas to visit Saudi Arab seeking financial aid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 11, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday to request urgent help to overcome the financial crisis faced by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), a local official said on Wednesday. Nimer Hammad, Abbas's political adviser, said that the visit is to deal with the financial crisis in order to alleviate it. » Read more

Israel frees hunger-striking Palestinian player ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ibrahim Barzak - July 11, 2012 - 12:00am Dozens of Islamic militants fired rifles in the air Tuesday in a rousing homecoming for a member of the Palestinian national soccer team who was released by Israel after being held for three years without formal charges. The player, Mahmoud Sarsak, 25, had staged a hunger strike for more than 90 days to press for his release, winning support from international sports organizations. Israel accused Sarsak of being active in the violent Islamic Jihad group, a charge he denied while in custody. » Read more