March 5th

European Campaign to Boycott Israeli Phone Companies in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Palestine News Network March 4, 2013 - 1:00am Monday 4th March, Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported that labor Unions of France, Ireland, Britain, Italy, and Sweden signed an agreement to boycott illegal Israeli settlements' products, including telecommunication services in the west Bank, according to a statement by the union. The agreement, which was signed following a conference organized by the Association France Palestine Solidarity (AFPS) in Paris, discussed the Israeli settlement activities and their effect on economic, political and social life in Palestine. » Read more

Facts – review ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Michael Billington - (Theater Review) March 4, 2013 - 1:00am How do you tackle the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Most British dramatists, with the striking exception of David Hare in Via Dolorosa, shy away from it. But Canadian playwright Arthur Milner has had the bold idea of confronting some of the key issues in the form of a 90-minute police procedural; and, even if it can't cover the whole territory, the result is undeniably tense. » Read more

Abbas, Fayyad at odds over finance minister's resignation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 5, 2013 - 1:00am The opposing statements by President Mahmoud Abbas and his premier Salam Fayyad over the finance minister's resignation have stirred debates over the leaders' jurisdictions. Nabil Qassis on Saturday announced his resignation, less than a year after he was appointed to replace Fayyad as finance minister. Abbas refused the resignation, but Fayyad told the cabinet on Sunday that he had accepted it. Under Palestinian Basic Law, the prime minister is responsible for dismissing ministers or accepting their resignations. » Read more

News Analysis: Israeli PM can form new gov't before new deadline: analysts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Adam Gonn - March 5, 2013 - 1:00am Despite the hard time over the past weeks in talks with his potential coalition partners, Israeli Prime Minister designee Benjamin Netanyahu, who has got an additional 14 days from President Shimon Peres to form a new government, can complete the task, though he kept complaining about the boycott of "certain parties," analysts say. » Read more

West Bank Buses Only The Latest In Israel's Segregated Public Transport ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Anna Miller - (Opinion) March 4, 2013 - 1:00am Today, Israeli bus company Afikim will begin operating a “Palestinian-only” bus service to transport Palestinian workers to central Israel. Previously, Palestinians holding permits to work in Israel would use Israeli buses to travel to work there. Now Palestinians who try to use the Israeli buses will be requested to use the Palestinian bus instead. » Read more

New routes to racism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) March 5, 2013 - 1:00am At the beginning of the week, separate bus lines were launched for Palestinians in the territories who travel into Israel. The Transportation Ministry claims the lines are meant to ease travel conditions for the Palestinians, but they’re actually another manifestation of a regime based on discrimination and segregation. » Read more

Ramallah is Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Arabiya (Opinion) March 5, 2013 - 1:00am No other city says Palestine to me more than Ramallah. At the Kalandia checkpoint, a large Israeli sign warns visitors they are about to enter Palestinian territories and that as such their safety and security are under threat. The obvious separation wall Israel has erected is an eyesore that immediately sets a mood of desperation and isolation. The huge cement wall which Israel calls “security fence” is tall and lifeless. It separates, divides even West Bank residents from their schools and businesses. » Read more

Settlers build new illegal outpost near Nablus ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 5, 2013 - 1:00am Israeli settlers erected a new outpost on Sunday on a hilltop east of Nablus, a Palestinian Authority said. Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, said residents of the Elon Moreh settlement installed 10 mobile homes in Ras Hazim fields, a few hundred meters from Deir al-Hatab village. Settlers used bulldozers to dig a road to Ras Hazim, Daghlas told Ma'an. He said farmers would no longer be able to access 100 acres of private Palestinian land. » Read more

The Myth of the Missed Opportunity In Israeli-Arab Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) March 4, 2013 - 1:00am The month of March holds out the promise of abundant political opportunities. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected, in all likelihood, to form his third government; President Barack Obama is coming on his first visit as a sitting president to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan, and immediately after that the summit meeting of the Arab League is convening in Doha. As it does every year, the summit will likely ratify the Arab Peace Initiative born in Beirut more than 10 years ago. » Read more

Israeli settler rabbi who promoted peace dies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press March 4, 2013 - 1:00am Rabbi Menachem Froman, an Israeli settler known for his efforts to promote coexistence between Arabs and Jews, has died. He was 68. His son Shivi Froman said he died Monday after a long illness. Froman, who served as the rabbi of the West Bank settlement of Tekoa, had ties to many Palestinian leaders. He was an outspoken opponent of attacks by Jewish settlers on mosques. He often visited damaged holy sites with local Palestinian officials. He believed Israelis and Palestinians could live together peacefully. » Read more