June 27th

Caterpillar pulled from social indexes over company’s use in Palestinian territories ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press June 27, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — A U.S. investment firm has removed Caterpillar Inc. from three of its popular indexes that track socially responsible investments, citing concerns about the Israeli military’s use of company bulldozers in the Palestinian territories. » Read more

Israel slams Iranian allegation of "Jews behind drug trade" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua June 27, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday slammed remarks by a senior Iranian official alleging that Jews control international drug trade. » Read more

Questions For One-Staters ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) June 26, 2012 - 12:00am Supporters of the two-state solution are often told that this vision is unrealistic and has become unachievable. Young, idealistic seekers of justice and equality are increasingly offering what they claim is a more "realistic" solution: a single state for all Israelis and Palestinians, including refugees. Here are ten questions that might help these single-staters think through the feasibility of the project they have in mind: » Read more

Israeli rectors oppose academic upgrade of West Bank college ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua June 27, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Senior Israeli academics are urging the government not to grant university status to an state college located in a city in the West Bank. The Academic Center in Ariel has been seeking to upgrade its ranking to a university for years. The center, established three decades ago, has 12,500 students, including Israeli Arabs and Palestinians. » Read more

Traditional Gaza drawn to old alternative therapy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Ibrahim Barzak - June 27, 2012 - 12:00am RAFAH, Gaza Strip — In a Gaza shop, a group of men sit with glass jars attached to their legs, their backs, their faces, sucking at the skin as blood slowly seeps out. It's the latest craze in the isolated coastal strip — cupping therapy. Cupping is an ancient form of alternative medicine whose advocates believe it improves blood flow and helps relieve a range of ailments from headaches to arthritis. It is perhaps best known in the West as part of traditional Chinese medicine. » Read more

Israeli, Palestinian leaders may meet next week ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - June 27, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — Israeli and Palestinian officials say they expect Israel's new deputy prime minister to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas early next week in a bid to restart peace talks. Negotiations have been frozen for nearly four years. The Palestinians want Israel to halt settlement construction on occupied lands before talks can resume. Israel wants negotiations to start without any preconditions. » Read more

June 26th

Jews Must Repudiate All Hatred, Especially From One of Their Own ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post by Brian Levin - (Blog) June 25, 2012 - 12:00am Pamela Geller, an outspoken Islamophobe who spins wild hateful conspiracy theories about Muslims, as well as President Obama, had a speaking event entitled "Islamic Jew Hatred: The Root Cause of the Failure to Achieve Peace" cancelled in Los Angeles over the weekend following condemnation by a number of local advocacy groups. The speech sponsored by the Zionist Organization of America was terminated after the venue owner, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, intervened to prevent its tenant from hosting the controversial speaker. » Read more

A Palestinian Village Tries to Protect a Terraced Ancient Wonder of Agriculture ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - June 25, 2012 - 12:00am BATTIR, West Bank — In this scenic Palestinian village in the West Bank hills near Bethlehem, just south of Jerusalem, a week is said to last eight days, not seven. That is because Battir’s eight extended families take daily turns watering their crops from the natural springs that feed their ancient agricultural terraces, a practice they say has wor » Read more

For Gaza, Egypt’s Islamist victory no quick fix ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ibrahim Barzak, Karin Laub - (Opinion) June 25, 2012 - 12:00am Gaza’s euphoria over the election of a Muslim Brotherhood leader as Egypt’s first Islamist president seemed a bit premature as reality set in the Monday. » Read more

Resolved: This is Not the Road to a Two-State Solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Elisheva Goldberg - (Opinion) June 22, 2012 - 12:00am Earlier this week North Carolina’s Democratic Party considered a resolution that sought to end “Israel’s illegal occupation.” And that’s not all it said: It also called for a “nuclear free zone in the Middle East” i.e. » Read more