March 12th

Is Hamas Considering Recognition Of Israel? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Shlomi Eldar - (Analysis) March 11, 2013 - 12:00am Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority are busy preparing for President Barack Obama’s visit, but as it turns out, Hamas is also keeping a close watch on the American president’s visit. » Read more

On tape: Settler attacks Palestinian shepherd ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Elior Levy - March 11, 2013 - 12:00am A Palestinian who was tending to his herd a few hundred meters from the Avigail outpost in the south Mount Hebron area was attacked for no apparent reason by the outpost's security officer on Saturday. The officer claimed two Palestinian children had approached the Jewish outpost. » Read more

Palestinian unity hopes dim as Egyptian crisis grows ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Dalia Hatuqa - (Opinion) March 12, 2013 - 12:00am The streets of Cairo have been seeing much action of late, as Egyptians rally against the government of President Mohammed Morsi. But even as that country's political landscape teeters, Palestinians have tried - fruitlessly it turns out - to make use of Egypt's reinvigorated role as a broker to reconcile Fatah and Hamas. Meetings in Cairo last month would have been hailed as a feat were it not for the fact that Palestinians have been witnessing the sad dance carried out for years between the two feuding factions: kiss and make up before exchanging blame. » Read more

Women's Day: 'We need extra workshops for men' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 8, 2013 - 1:00am Marking International Women's Day, Palestinian women seek freedom and a better life in a liberated state, while calling for equality in their society. Aisha Abu Shanab, the recent recipient of an award honoring Arab mothers, dedicated the title to all Palestinian women "who are mothers for the prisoners, the martyrs, and injured." Abu Shanab is the wife of late Hamas leader Ismael Abu Shanab, who was assassinated by Israel in 2003. Her son died in the Cast Lead assault on Gaza in 2008. » Read more

Racists a handful of hooligans ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Noah Klieger - (Opinion) March 12, 2013 - 12:00am There is no need for me to stress my strong objection to racism of all kinds and types, especially violent racism against innocent civilians. The assault of the Arab woman, who arrived to console the bereaved at the home of her Jewish friend in Jerusalem, by Jewish girls or boys (Hilltop Youth-style) is indeed a serious incident. Clearly, the rioters must be punished and judged severely as soon as possible. » Read more

Palestinian refugees in Syria face undue obstacles as crisis worsens: UN official ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 5, 2013 - 1:00am A senior UN official on Monday said that the Syrian crisis is having dire effects on Palestinian refugees living in Syria, who face obstacles in receiving humanitarian assistance and are increasingly being drawn into the conflict. Filippo Grandi, the commissioner general of UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), told a press conference here that keeping schools open and health centers open is "an increasing challenge in a situation of growing insecurity, lack of access and other problems." » Read more

11 wounded in clashes at Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 12, 2013 - 12:00am At least 11 people were injured Tuesday in renewed gunfights at the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the southern Lebanese city of Sidon. The fighting erupted between the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and supporters of Bilal Badr at al-Fawqani, an official of the Fateh al-Islam extremist group, state-run National News Agency reported. The gunmen used machine-guns and mortar shells in the fighting. The clashes came a day after a former Fatah al-Islam member was shot. » Read more

Erdogan, this isn't Zionism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Dmitry Shumsky - (Opinion) March 12, 2013 - 12:00am What did Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan mean when he recently compared Zionism to fascism and termed it a crime against humanity? He probably wanted to say that the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and the inhumane blockade of the Gaza Strip, the one that citizens of his country sought to break when they boarded the Mavi Marmara ship are similar to the cruel, abusive acts of fascist states toward their own citizen-subjects. » Read more

Obama visit marks a choice for Israel: Grow up or grow old ATFP World Press Roundup Article from by Bradley Burston - (Blog) March 12, 2013 - 12:00am President Barack Obama's visit to Israel comes less than a month before Israel reaches retirement age. As Israel faces the 65th anniversary of its founding next month, the arrival of the American president marks something of a crossroads in the history and the direction of the country. » Read more

Jerusalem Arab residents contest highway route ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Diaa Hadid - March 11, 2013 - 12:00am A new Israeli highway project is threatening to add to tensions in Jerusalem by cutting through a quiet, middleclass Arab neighborhood to link a large bloc of Jewish settlements to the city. The project comes during a flurry of Israeli building in east Jerusalem, the section of the city claimed by the Palestinians as their future capital. » Read more