January 30th

Netanyahu must watch The Gatekeepers, if only to save his own legacy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Carlo Strenger - (Opinion) January 30, 2013 - 1:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in an unenviable position. His next tenure is bound to be much more difficult than the one ending now, in which he could balance his various coalition partners against each other to do what he does best: stalling, evading and avoiding big decisions. Now he is faced with Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party, which stands in a formidable bargaining position and is intransigent on a number of its demands. » Read more

Why Palestine Should Take Israel to Court in The Hague ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by George Bisharat - (Opinion) January 29, 2013 - 1:00am LAST week, the Palestinian foreign minister, Riad Malki, declared that if Israel persisted in its plans to build settlements in the currently vacant area known as E-1, which lies between Palestinian E » Read more

PA official: Female dress code at Gaza university 'illegal' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 27, 2013 - 1:00am The Palestinian Authority Minister of Higher Education on Sunday issued an official condemnation over a Gaza university's decision to implement an "Islamic" dress code for female students. Al-Aqsa University president Salam al-Agha told Ma'an Sunday that the code, which is set to be implemented when the new semester begins, does not require the jilbab (full-length coat) or niqab (face-veil), but rather what he termed dress befitting of the university. He said students would not be expelled for violations of the dress code. » Read more

Alcohol serving restaurants set alight in Ramallah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Nasouh Nazzal - January 30, 2013 - 1:00am The Palestinian security apparatus has released a number of Palestinians accused of setting alight two restaurants which serve alcohol in Beir Zeit, a town north of Ramallah, for lack of evidence. Palestinian crowds gathered in front of the adjacent restaurants last weekend and threw stones at their windows, doors and signboards. Others set the two restaurants on fire and the crowds remained at the scene, watching until the two restaurants were totally gutted. » Read more

Palestinians Hope to Tell Their Story Through the Oscars ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Diana Atallah - January 29, 2013 - 1:00am Palestinians hope an Oscar-nominated documentary depicting a non-violent struggle against Israel will succeed in telling their story, even though some recent viewers who saw the film in Ramallah expressed reservations about Israeli involvement in the movie. 5 Broken Cameras is one of five candidates for the Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature category this year. Released in 2011 by Palestinian director Emad Burnat and Israeli director Guy Davidi, it has been screened in 50 countries and translated into several languages. » Read more

Palestinian apprehended for stabbing Israeli youth in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua January 29, 2013 - 1:00am A 23-year-old Palestinian was apprehended by soldiers after allegedly stabbing a Jewish young man at the Tapuach junction in the West Bank on Tuesday. The 17-year-old victim from Jerusalem's surroundings suffered light to moderate wounds and was evacuated by medical emergency services to the Bellinson Hospital in Petach Tikva, near Tel Aviv, the Walla! news website reported. Police spokesperson Mickey Rosenfeld confirmed to Xinhua that the suspected perpetrator was arrested by the Judea and Samaria police department. » Read more

Bank of Israel governor says "personal reasons" behind departure ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua January 30, 2013 - 1:00am Outgoing governor of the Bank of Israel Stanley Fischer said on Wednesday that he is leaving office mainly due to "personal" rather than professional reasons. In a a press conference held here, Fischer said he believes that he has achieved the goals he set for himself. "Eight years is a long time. I believe I am leaving the bank in good shape, much better than what it was before I entered office," Fischer said. Fischer announced on Tuesday that he will retire from his position in June and will not complete his term which is to end in 2015. » Read more

Palestinian fighter, rebel dies in Damascus ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Albert Aji - January 29, 2013 - 1:00am A hard-line Palestinian military commander who rebelled against leader Yasser Arafat to form his own rival party died in Damascus on Tuesday, according to his representatives and hospital officials. Said Musa Maragha, better known by his nom de guerre, "Abu Musa," was 86. They said Maragha died of cancer. Maragha, a Jordanian of Palestinian descent, defected from the Jordanian army in 1970 over tensions between the military and Palestinian fighters who were using the kingdom as a base to carry out attacks against Israel. » Read more

Israel hits target in Syria border area ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Oliver Holmes - January 30, 2013 - 1:00am Israeli forces attacked a convoy on the Syrian-Lebanese border overnight, a Western diplomat and regional security sources said on Wednesday, as concern has grown in the Jewish state over the fate of Syrian chemical and advanced conventional weapons. The sources, four in total, all of whom declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, had no further information about what the vehicles may have been carrying, what forces were used or where precisely the attack happened. » Read more

Israel jets increase activity in Lebanese airspace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Zeina Karam - January 30, 2013 - 1:00am The Lebanese military said Wednesday that Israeli warplanes have sharply increased their activity over Lebanon in the past week, including at least 12 sorties in less than 24 hours in the country's south. » Read more