February 28th

PA urges top cleric to annul Jerusalem fatwa ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 28, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority minister of religious affairs on Tuesday urged a top Muslim cleric to annual his recent fatwa which ruled that non-Palestinian Muslims should not visit Jerusalem while it remains under occupation. Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi, a respected Sunni Muslim cleric, gave the decree after President Mahmoud Abbas urged Arabs and Muslims worldwide to visit the city at the Jerusalem conference in Qatar on Sunday. » Read more

Iran angry at Hamas abandoning Al-Assad ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Paula Astatih - February 28, 2012 - 1:00am Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat –Hamas political bureau deputy chief Moussa Abu Marzook sought to draw a line under the speculation regarding Hamas’s position in Syria, confirming that the Palestinian movement has left Syria because it respects “the will of the people” and rejects the “security solution” being enacted by the al-Assad regime. » Read more

U.S. congresswomen see Israel, Palestinians in the eyes of J Street ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Linda Gradstein - February 27, 2012 - 1:00am KALANDIYA, West Bank (JTA) -- The U.S. congresswomen get off the bus and stand in the chilly shadows of the Kalandiya crossing point between the West Bank and Jerusalem. It’s late morning, well past the rush hour when thousands of Palestinians congregate here, and only a few dozen Palestinians stand in line. To cross, the Palestinians go through a series of metal turnstiles and wait with their documents until they are called, one by one, to approach the Israeli soldiers sitting behind bullet-proof barriers. One Palestinian man strikes up a conversation. » Read more

Israel wouldn't warn U.S. before Iran strike, says intelligence source ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press February 28, 2012 - 1:00am Israeli officials say they won't warn the U.S. if they decide to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, according to one U.S. intelligence official familiar with the discussions. The pronouncement, delivered in a series of private, top-level conversations, sets a tense tone ahead of meetings in the coming days at the White House and Capitol Hill. » Read more

Israel to promote east Jerusalem project on area claimed to be future Palestinian airport ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua February 27, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Jerusalem municipality Building and Planning Committee last week started bureaucratic arrangements for building an industrial zone in north Jerusalem's Atarot area, where the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) plans to establish its international airport in future state, The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday. Meir Margalit, a Jerusalem council member from Meretz party who holds the east Jerusalem portfolio slammed the municipality's plans. » Read more

PLO official calls to end Israel's "policy of racism" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua February 28, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- An official of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on Tuesday called on the international community to force Israel to end its "policy of racism" against Palestinians. Hanan Ashrawi, head of the PLO information and culture department, criticized Israel's "racist separation system" against Palestinians, referring to the West Bank barriers, checkpoints and the expansion of Jewish settlements. In the West Bank, which Israel occupied in 1967, there are 500, 000 Jewish settlers "living on the sources of income of the Palestinians," she added. » Read more

Palestinian woman on hunger strike in prison ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters February 27, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, Feb 27 (Reuters) - A Palestinian woman, released by Israel in a prisoner swap last year but re-arrested earlier this month and held without charge, is on a hunger strike to protest at her treatment, officials said on Monday. Hana Shalabi started refusing to eat 12 days ago, her lawyer and a Palestinian prisoners's organisation said, becoming the second Palestinian detainee to go on a hunger strike in quick succession. » Read more

Gaza power plant closes again ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 28, 2012 - 1:00am GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Gaza's only power plant has been forced to shut down for the second time in two weeks due to a fuel shortage, the energy authority in the Gaza Strip said Tuesday. Energy officials appealed to Egypt to provide Gaza with a sufficient amount of fuel to allow regular operation of the plant, adding that the disruptions were inflicting a heavy toll on the 1.7 million Palestinian residents of the blockaded strip. » Read more

Israel urges settlers in West Bank outpost of Migron to relocate ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - February 28, 2012 - 1:00am Reporting from Jerusalem— With negotiations apparently at an impasse, the Israeli government launched a last-ditch effort Monday to avoid a confrontation over the court-ordered evacuation of Jewish settlers living in the West Bank outpost of Migron. Lawmaker Benny Begin, who has been leading government efforts to resolve the issue, held a news conference to urge the families to accept an offer to relocate them. » Read more

Israeli troops fatally shoot infiltrator who crossed border from Egypt’s Sinai desert ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press February 28, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — Israeli troops have killed an unidentified man who illegally crossed into Israel through the porous border with Egypt’s Sinai desert. A military statement says soldiers patrolling the border overnight spotted a group of people who had breached the frontier. It says the soldiers called on the people to stop, but the infiltrators opened fire, drawing return fire from the Israeli troops. The military said Tuesday that one man was killed and the others fled back to Egyptian territory. » Read more