September 14th, 2012

In Israel's Tel Aviv, missiles seem like a distant notion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Anat Shalev - September 13, 2012 - 12:00am   JERUSALEM, Sep. 13 (Xinhua) -- Nobody seems to be thinking about a nuclear Iran or a possible missiles attack on the streets of Tel Aviv, Israel, this week. Everything seems normal, and mundane urban life seems to continue its daily routine in the " city that never stops." However, there is still a tangible threat of a looming war with Iran. Or at least, that is what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have tried to signal over the past few months: prepare for war. » Read more

PM: I'm not interfering in US presidential election ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - September 14, 2012 - 12:00am Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu dismissed as “completely groundless” allegations he is manufacturing a crisis with US President Barack Obama just before the November 6 American election to influence the outcome in favor of Republican candidate Mitt Romney. Netanyahu, in a Rosh Hashana interview with The Jerusalem Post that will appear in full on Sunday, said his call for the United States and the international community to set red lines for Iran was not at all connected with the US political campaign. » Read more

Israeli court: Settlers can return to Hebron home ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press September 13, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — An Israeli court has ruled that Jewish settlers can return to a home in the West Bank city of Hebron from which they were evicted four years ago. The settlers claimed they had legally bought a four-story structure in Hebron, a city that has become a flashpoint in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The Palestinian owner claimed the purchase documents were forged. The settlers had to move out in 2008. » Read more

September 13th

Liberman calls Abbas a 'liar, a coward and a wimp' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - September 13, 2012 - 12:00am Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman kept up his campaign against Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, calling him a "liar, coward and wimp" who would quit if he had any modicum of self-respect. Liberman, who last month sent a letter to the Quartet calling for Abbas' replacement, said at a briefing with reporters that the PA leader neither represents anyone nor controls anything. He repeated his charge in the letter to the Quartet that Abbas was engaged in diplomatic terrorism, which he said was even worse than conventional terrorism. » Read more

For first time, Israeli state agency opposes segment of West Bank separation fence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Zafrir Rinat - September 13, 2012 - 12:00am The Israel Nature and Parks Authority has reneged on its consent to construction of the separation fence near the Palestinian village of Battir, south of Jerusalem. It is the first time a government agency has expressed opposition to the construction of a segment of the fence. In a document sent recently to the Defense Ministry, the INPA cited damage to the landscape and to relations with residents of the Palestinian village, and demanded that the Defense Ministry find an alternative way of ensuring security in the area. » Read more

Israel takes cut of Palestinian tax revenues ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by George Hale - September 13, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities have seized millions of shekels in tax revenue for the Palestinians to compensate for an Israeli company's unpaid electricity bills, officials said Wednesday. Finance Ministry officials say Israel kept 35 million shekels ($9 million) of the 260 million shekels ($66 million) in customs taxes it collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority in September. The Israeli Ministry of Finance confirmed the deduction. » Read more

Abbas offers condolences to US after deadly attack in Libya ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 13, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday called US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to offer his condolences on the death of the American ambassador to Libya. "On behalf of myself, personally, and all Palestinian people, we offer sincere condolences to the US president after the US ambassador in Libya was killed in a criminal attack," Abbas said, according to the official Palestinian Authority news agency Wafa. » Read more

Few choices for voters in upcoming election ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 13, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The registration process for local elections ended Tuesday with 200 municipalities registering only one bloc of candidates, officials said Thursday. The West Bank has 353 electorates but 200 of them will not be contested in October's municipal election because voters will only be able to vote for one list of candidates. Abdul Kareem Sidir, undersecretary of the Ministry of Local Government, told Ma'an that 16 municipalities in the Jerusalem area decided to run on joint lists, which means candidates will be unopposed. » Read more

Palestinian prisoners in Israel on hunger strike for release of elderly ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 13, 2012 - 12:00am   RAMALLAH, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian prisoners in Israel went on a hunger strike on Thursday to urge for the release of their colleagues who have been held before Israel and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed their peace accords in 1993, a Palestinian official said. » Read more

Hamas PM postpones Cairo visit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 13, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haneya postponed his visit to Egypt to next week, a Palestinian official said Thursday. The visit was planned to take place Thursday but was postponed for "technical reasons," said Yousef Rizka, an aide to Haneya. Haneya has a scheduled meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Qandil, a spokesman said earlier this week. » Read more