What Avigdor Lieberman learned from George Orwell ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Carlo Strenger - (Opinion) August 22, 2012 - 12:00am Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman outdid himself in his latest venture. As reported in Haaretz today, he sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon a letter. » Read more

Palestinian women racers find freedom on the track ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat August 22, 2012 - 12:00am Ramallah, (AFP) - With her bright orange pedicure, Michael Kors handbag and skinny jeans, Maysoon Jayyusi hardly looks like a Palestinian speed racer -- until she gets behind the wheel. The minute she starts up her SUV, she's off -- coursing ahead of the rest of the traffic, weaving among bewildered locals in the crowded streets of the West Bank city of Ramallah. » Read more

Palestinian town gets new mayor, aged 15 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - August 22, 2012 - 12:00am She could have spent the long, hot summer holiday hanging out with friends or helping at home. But instead, 15-year-old Bashaer Othman is making speeches, signing documents, chairing meetings, attending civic functions and meeting citizens as mayor of Allar, a small Palestinian town high in the West Bank hills. » Read more

NGO: Demolish Palestinian structures in W. Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Yonah Jeremy Bob - August 22, 2012 - 12:00am The activist NGO Regavim filed a petition late Tuesday requesting that the High Court of Justice order the West Bank Civil Administration and the IDF to halt the building of and demolish Palestinian structures near Pnei Haver in the West Bank. The NGO said that in a routine tour of the West Bank area near the Palestinian village of Bnai Na'eem, it discovered 15 new structures that it alleges were built without a filed master plan or the required permits. » Read more

Official: Muslim-Christian unity must be more than a slogan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 22, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Unity between Muslims and Christians in Palestine must become common practice and not just be a slogan, the governor of Ramallah and al-Bireh said Wednesday. Layla Ghanam made the comments while welcoming a church delegation offering congratulations for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, a statement said. "Religious Muslim and Christian holidays are considered national holidays for all Palestinians. This shows how cohesive and united our people are, and we are proud of this," the PA official added.

Abbas calls for protection of Jerusalem holy sites ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 22, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas stressed Tuesday the need to protect Jerusalem's Islamic and Christian holy sites, speaking on the anniversary of an attempted arson of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Abbas said the fire, which was set by an Australian in 1969, was "the first (attack) in a series that aimed to demolish the Al-Aqsa Mosque to make way to build the (third) temple." » Read more

Netanyahu distances himself from Lieberman's call to oust Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - August 22, 2012 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday distanced himself from the letter penned by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to the Mideast Quartet, which called for the removal of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. "The Foreign Minister's letter does not represent the position of the prime minister or that of the government," said a senior official in Netanyahu's office. » Read more

Palestinian leadership condemn Israeli FM call to oust Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua August 22, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian leadership on Wednesday slammed Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's call for the removal of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. » Read more

Israeli minister wants Palestinian leader's ouster ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press August 22, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel's foreign minister is urging the international community to help replace Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Avigdor Lieberman sent a letter to international Mideast peace mediators calling Abbas an "obstacle to peace." He wants them to push for Palestinian elections to choose a new leader. Lieberman heads a hard-line party and is known for heated rhetoric that sometimes embarrasses the government. » Read more

Egyptian official: Recent Sinai operation was fully coordinated with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - August 22, 2012 - 12:00am An Egyptian military source said Wednesday that the recent deployment of troops in the Sinai peninsula was fully coordinated with Israel, refuting media reports that the move violated the Israel-Egypt peace treaty. The al-Masry al-Youm newspaper quoted a member of Egypt's Higher Military Council as saying that Egyptian forces entered Sinai only following consultations with Israel. » Read more