September 17th

Palestinian trade unions divided over strike action ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 17, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Palestinian trade unions are divided over whether to continue strike action in protest against rising living costs, unionists said Sunday. Transport union leader Nasser Younis told Ma'an that strike action was not a goal in itself but a means to pressure the Palestinian Authority to listen to their demands. » Read more

Official: 30 years after camp massacre, justice still elusive ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 17, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- On the 30th anniversary of the massacre of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon's Sabra and Shatila camp, a Palestinian official stressed that no one has been brought to justice. "Those responsible for slaughtering thousands have not been punished and Palestinian refugees continue to be denied their homeland," PLO official Saeb Erekat said in a statement Sunday. » Read more

'Egyptian soldier killed in Sinai terrorist clash' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post September 17, 2012 - 12:00am An Egyptian soldier was killed Sunday in an exchange of fire between terrorists and Egyptian troops and security forces in the Sinai Peninsula, army spokesman Colonel Ahmed Mohammed Ali said, according to AFP. , » Read more

Gaza govt: Inquiry cleared Palestinians in Sinai attack ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 17, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The government in the Gaza Strip has conducted an investigation with Egyptian coordination into the deadly border attack last month, and found no Palestinians were involved, a Palestinian official said on Monday. Neither residents of the Gaza Strip nor other Palestinians played a part in the killing of 16 Egyptian security officials on Aug. 5, spokesman of Gaza's interior ministry, Ehab al-Ghasein, said in a statement. » Read more

All-female bloc runs in Palestinian elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - September 15, 2012 - 12:00am HEBRON, West Bank — A new group running for municipal elections in Hebron is offering residents an alternative to politics as usual in the conservative West Bank city: Women at the helm, instead of men. » Read more

Hamas court convicts 4 in Italian activist death ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ibrahim Barzak - September 17, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — A Hamas court convicted four men Monday in the abduction and slaying last year of a pro-Palestinian Italian activist in Gaza, sentencing two of the suspects to 35 years in prison each, a judicial official said. » Read more

On Jewish new year, Israelis fear Iran strike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Daniel Estrin - September 16, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israelis ushered in the Jewish New Year on Sunday with a sense of uncertainty, fearful that war with Iran could break out this year. » Read more

Israeli Leader Makes Case Against Iran on U.S. TV ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Steven Lee Myers - September 16, 2012 - 12:00am WASHINGTON — Having been rebuffed privately by President Obama last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel took to the airwaves in the United States on Sunday to warn that » Read more

September 14th

Faded hopes of Palestinian place at UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Jon Donnison - (Opinion) September 14, 2012 - 12:00am Car horns blared as people craned out of their sunroofs waving red, black, green and white Palestinian flags. The crowds had just watched President Mahmoud Abbas, live on a giant screen from New York, as he told the United Nations he was heading to the Security Council to ask for Palestine to be admitted as a member state. Although the move was unlikely to change facts on the ground for Palestinians, or end Israel's occupation, Mr Abbas saw it as a way of putting diplomatic pressure on the Israeli government. » Read more

Peace with Israel remains far away 19 years after Oslo treaties ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua (Analysis) September 13, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Nineteen years after the signing of the interim peace treaties, better known as Oslo accords, chances of reaching a permanent deal between Israel and the Palestinians became slim once again as their peace talks have been stalled since October 2010. » Read more