September 13th

Abbas offers condolences to US after deadly attack in Libya ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 13, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday called US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to offer his condolences on the death of the American ambassador to Libya. "On behalf of myself, personally, and all Palestinian people, we offer sincere condolences to the US president after the US ambassador in Libya was killed in a criminal attack," Abbas said, according to the official Palestinian Authority news agency Wafa. » Read more

Few choices for voters in upcoming election ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 13, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The registration process for local elections ended Tuesday with 200 municipalities registering only one bloc of candidates, officials said Thursday. The West Bank has 353 electorates but 200 of them will not be contested in October's municipal election because voters will only be able to vote for one list of candidates. Abdul Kareem Sidir, undersecretary of the Ministry of Local Government, told Ma'an that 16 municipalities in the Jerusalem area decided to run on joint lists, which means candidates will be unopposed. » Read more

Palestinian prisoners in Israel on hunger strike for release of elderly ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 13, 2012 - 12:00am   RAMALLAH, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian prisoners in Israel went on a hunger strike on Thursday to urge for the release of their colleagues who have been held before Israel and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed their peace accords in 1993, a Palestinian official said. » Read more

Hamas PM postpones Cairo visit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 13, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haneya postponed his visit to Egypt to next week, a Palestinian official said Thursday. The visit was planned to take place Thursday but was postponed for "technical reasons," said Yousef Rizka, an aide to Haneya. Haneya has a scheduled meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Qandil, a spokesman said earlier this week. » Read more

Israeli gov't boosts army budget by over 126 mln USD ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Dave Bender - September 13, 2012 - 12:00am   JERUSALEM, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- An Israli Knesset (parliament) committee ruled to allocate an extra 500 million shekels (126.7 million U.S. dollars) to the Israeli army's 2012 budget, according the Jerusalem Post on Thursday Israeli Finance Committee's decision raised the total sum to about 60.3 billion shekels (15.2 million U.S. dollars), the Jerusalem Post said. » Read more

Palestinian farmers wither in tough climate ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Jihan Abdalla - September 12, 2012 - 12:00am BEIT UMMAR, West Bank, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Once a mainstay of the local economy, Palestinian agriculture in the rocky West Bank is in decline as farmers struggle to protect their livelihoods and their lands. Deprived of water and cut off from key markets, farmers across the occupied territory can only look on with a mix of anger and envy as Israeli settlers copiously irrigate their own plantations and export at will. » Read more

Middle East crisis in spotlight at Toronto film fest ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Julie Gordon - September 12, 2012 - 12:00am TORONTO, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has taken a backseat in recent days to the Arab Spring, but at the Toronto International Film Festival an unusually high number of films shine fresh light on the decades-long conflict. Dramas like "The Attack" and "Out in the Dark" explore the human side of the strife, while documentaries such as "State 194" and "The Gatekeepers" offer insight into the politics behind the conflict through interviews with top political and security players. » Read more

Israel distances itself from Prophet Muhammad film ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press September 12, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — The Israeli government is distancing itself from a filmmaker whose movie ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad sparked a deadly riot at an American consulate in Libya, but says it will be "vigilant" at its diplomatic offices overseas. The movie, "Innocence of Muslims," was produced by Sam Bacile, a 56-year-old California real estate developer who has said he's both Israeli and American. The film depicts Muhammad as a fraud, womanizer and madman. » Read more

Israel hints it will keep pressing US on Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Amy Teibel - September 13, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel's leader suggested in an interview Thursday that he'll keep publicly pressing the United States to get tougher on Iran, despite the strains his remarks have caused with the Obama administration. » Read more

Washington needs to appreciate the other side ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) September 12, 2012 - 12:00am As Americans (and many others in the world) were marking last Tuesday the 11th anniversary of the horrendous 9/11 terrorist attack by Al Qaida, there is no doubt that many are still wondering whether the US is now a safer place or US governments can avoid similarly devastating incidents. The obvious grievances that motivated the attackers were attributed to the one-sided US policies in the Middle East, still a source of great concern to many inside the US and others elsewhere. » Read more