West Bank high life masks deepening economic crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Noah Browning - July 5, 2012 - 12:00am Past the Israeli sentry towers blackened by firebombs and the entrance to a refugee camp emblazoned with posters of rifle-clenching militants, downtown Ramallah sparkles. The scars of an intractable conflict and occupation melt away: cafes bustle with smartly dressed patrons, water-pipe smoke perfumes the air and basslines from trendy clubs shake the night. New model BMWs ply leafy avenues beneath villas and tall apartment blocks sprout from the West Bank hills. But it's more mirage than miracle. » Read more

Israeli settlements 'jeopardising' Palestinian prosperity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News July 5, 2012 - 12:00am The study suggests Palestinians could generate an extra £1bn ($1.5bn) a year if restrictions to their use of land, water and movements were removed. It says Palestinians can use only 6% of the land, while settlers control 86%. Israel criticised the report, saying it had "a clearly political agenda". About 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. » Read more

The Coming War ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Benny Morris - (Opinion) July 3, 2012 - 12:00am Over the years, commentators–including myself–have wrongly predicted an Israeli assault on Iran’s nuclear installations coming “soon.” But recent developments and a variety of signs indicate that such an attack is imminent, and highly likely before the American presidential elections. » Read more

Palestinians skeptical on Clinton-Abbas meet ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Nida' Tuma - July 5, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian officials don’t believe that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Friday-scheduled meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and French President Francois Hollande will bring them back to the negotiation table. The meeting, which Clinton requested, will discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the release of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails. The meeting agenda also includes a Palestinian plan to seek a UN resolution that condemns settlements in the “occupied” territories. » Read more

Palestine’s winter ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star (Editorial) July 4, 2012 - 12:00am Since the so-called Arab Spring began a year and a half ago, there has been one cause conspicuous by its absence: that of Palestine. This is a subject that was described as the central issue of Arab nationalism and was the inspiration given for revolutions and military movements that have taken place since the great catastrophe of 1948. » Read more

Report: Jordan biased over Palestinians from Syria ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press July 4, 2012 - 12:00am HRW's report could not be independently verified. The Palestinians are living in a heavily-guarded housing complex near the northern border, 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the Jordanian capital. Jordan already hosts 2 million Palestinian refugees and their descendants who fled or were driven out of their homes in Arab-Israeli wars. » Read more

US sending the wrong signals ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) July 5, 2012 - 12:00am Although Syria seems on the verge of imploding, US President Barack Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney — both locked in a tight presidential campaign — are still distracted, focusing elsewhere in the Middle East — yes, on Israel and its inflated ambitions! » Read more

UN envoy: Elections commission must be allowed to work in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 5, 2012 - 12:00am UN envoy Robert Serry on Thursday called on authorities in Gaza to allow the Central Elections Commission to operate, after Hamas suspended its work. Serry, the UN special coordinator for the peace process, visited the commission's headquarters in Gaza on Thursday, a statement from his office said. » Read more

Palestinians take anti-Oslo protest to Abbas HQ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters July 3, 2012 - 12:00am Hundreds of demonstrators marched on the offices of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday to protest against diplomatic contacts with Israel and to denounce police violence at a previous rally. Chanting for an end to the Oslo accords, which were meant to pave the way to permanent peace with Israel, the flag-waving crowd cut through Ramallah's crammed city centre under the watchful eye of scores of plainclothes security officers. » Read more

The mystery of Arafat's death affects friend and foe alike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Alan Philps - (Opinion) July 6, 2012 - 12:00am Followers of the career of Yasser Arafat, who died in Paris almost eight years ago, will not be surprised that his ghost has now returned to haunt his successors at the head of the Palestinian Authority. Al Jazeera dropped a bombshell this week with an investigation into the still-unexplained causes of his death: a Swiss laboratory has found traces of polonium, the radioactive isotope used to assassinate the former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006, on Arafat's toothbrush and clothing. » Read more