September 28th, 2012

As Sinai border heats up, Egypt buries its head in the sand ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - (Opinion) September 28, 2012 - 12:00am Beyond this week's dramatic media coverage of the female soldier deployed with the Karakal infantry battalion credited with helping to end a terror attack, and the subsequent Facebook correspondence between her and a female colleague who hid when the firing began, the incident last Friday in which Israel Defense Forces soldier Cpl. Natanel Yehoshua Yahalomi was killed gives Israel cause for concern. » Read more

What Netanyahu's meddling in US election means for Obama, Romney, and diplomacy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by David Weinberg - (Opinion) September 27, 2012 - 12:00am Some observers claim that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to tip the scales against President Obama in the elections this November. Judging by his recent behavior – and based on my own research about how such efforts have played out in other settings – these accusations are probably correct. » Read more

Abbas goes for UN bid of recognition as two-state solution retreated ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Saud Abu Ramadan - (Analysis) September 27, 2012 - 12:00am   RAMALLAH, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- When Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas found out that reviving the stalled peace process with Israel impossible and the United States retreated from backing the two-state solution, he decided to go to the UN to ask for recognizing a non-member Palestinian state. » Read more

Spineless bookkeeping: The use of Mizrahi Jews as pawns against Palestinian refugees ATFP World Press Roundup Article from 972 Magazine by Yehouda Shenhav - (Blog) September 25, 2012 - 12:00am In the last three years, we have witnessed an intensive campaign aimed at winning political and legal recognition of Arab Jews as “refugees.” The aim of this campaign is to create symmetry in public opinion between the Palestinian refugees and the “Oriental” Jews who arrived to Israeli in the 50s and 60s, presenting both populations as victims of the 1948 war. » Read more

Palestinian Jerusalem hospitals warn of financial crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star September 28, 2012 - 12:00am OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: A group of six medical facilities serving Palestinians in east Jerusalem warned Friday of an "unprecedented financial crisis" because of unpaid bills owed by the Palestinian Authority government. In a statement, the East Jerusalem Hospitals Network said they are owed more than 67.5 million shekels ($17 million, 13.3 million euros) for the treatment of Palestinians whose bills are supposed to be covered by the West Bank government. » Read more

Israel campaign throws spotlight on Jewish refugees from Arab lands ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Yolande Knell - September 28, 2012 - 12:00am At the edge of Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem, elderly men sit playing backgammon - or shesh besh as it is known locally - wearing looks of intense concentration. It is a scene which can be found in coffee shops across the Middle East, such as in Egypt, Syria, Yemen and Iraq. In fact many of the men here are Jewish Israelis who originally came from those Arab countries. » Read more

Hamas Bans Israeli Fruit Imports Into 'Self-Sufficient' Gaza Strip ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Calcalist by Doron Peskin - September 27, 2012 - 12:00am The Agriculture Ministry in the Hamas government announced over the weekend a prohibition on the import of fruits from Israel to the Gaza Strip, except for bananas and apples. Tahsin al-Saqa, manager of marketing in the Agriculture Ministry in Gaza, explained that the prohibition comes from the desire to protect local production. Saqa explained that the Strip has achieved self-sufficiency in various sectors, including grapes, citrus fruits, guavas, and more, and that preference is thus given to local farmers.  » Read more

Gaza official: Egypt pledged to ease Rafah travel in days ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 27, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Egypt has informed Palestinian officials that it will introduce measures to ease travel through the Gaza Strip's Rafah crossing in the coming days, a crossings official said Thursday. Gaza crossing director Maher Abu Sabha said they understand the crossing will be opened on Fridays, the weekend day it is usually shut. Everyday working hours, currently from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., will also be increased, Abu Sabha said. The number of passengers permitted to travel each day will be raised to 1,500, he added. » Read more

Gaza tunnel-traders say network at 10 percent capacity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 28, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Just 10 percent of the tunnels under Gaza's border with Sinai are still in operation, after Egypt moved to close the underground network in recent weeks, tunnel owners said Friday. The tunnel trade, which operates with oversight from the Hamas government in Gaza, is now placed under strict regulations, they told Ma'an. » Read more

4 Palestinian refugees killed in northern Syria, violence elsewhere ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 28, 2012 - 12:00am   DAMASCUS, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- A pro-government radio said four Palestinian refugees were killed Friday when armed groups fired mortar shells at the al-Nairab camp in Syria's northern province of Aleppo. Sham FM gave no further details, but also reported that loud explosion was heard Friday in the coastal city of Banyyas. It said, however, that the details surrounding the blast are still emerging. » Read more