May 16th, 2012

Palestinian hunger strikes: the power of peaceful protest ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Benedetta Berti - (Opinion) May 15, 2012 - 12:00am It may not have received much international attention, but Palestinian hunger strikes, which ended on May 14, have the potential to shake the status quo of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That potential lies in the nonviolent nature of the strikes, which were carried out by Palestinians in Israeli detention, backed by grass-roots organizers, and concluded with Israel agreeing to improve prison conditions. » Read more

Prisoners of Process ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Hanan Ashrawi - (Opinion) May 15, 2012 - 12:00am Two days ago the news of an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian prisoners to end the hunger-strike broke. The prisoners, most of whom have been without food for a month, won the right to have Gazan family visit them in prison (such visits have been denied for the past seven years) and the release of roughly 20 prisoners from solitary confinement into the general prison population (one prisoner has been in solitary confinement for almost a decade). » Read more

Thank you, Russian immigrant to Israel, for Nakba Day ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - (Opinion) May 15, 2012 - 12:00am It is customary for our people to honor fast days, memorial days and festivals by studying commentaries on their origins, the symbols and rituals of their observance, and the ways in which they connect to our own lives. » Read more

'The Palestinians Can Wait' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Alex Fishman - (Opinion) May 7, 2012 - 12:00am The coordinator of government activities in the Palestinian territories, Brigadier-General Eitan Dangot, has asked that the government approve an additional 5,000 permits for Palestinian laborers to enter Israel. That’s good for everyone. Politically, it’s good for Israel. Economically, it’s good for the Palestinian Authority. From a security perspective, it’s not a problem. » Read more

UCLA’s “one state or two” debate ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Journal by Jonah Lowenfeld - May 15, 2012 - 12:00am For anyone who missed the debate on May 15 at UCLA between Reza Aslan and Hussein Ibish over whether the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be resolved by creating a Palestinian state alongside the Jewish one or by creating a single bi-national state, here’s the basic report of what went down. » Read more

Ailing Palestinian Hospital Awaits Cash Infusion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Arieh O'Sullivan - May 16, 2012 - 12:00am Husni Samara is a gynecologist and endoscopic surgeon at Al-Makassed hospital on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives. Even though he has a family to support and hasn’t been paid in months, he won’t consider lucrative offers from abroad. » Read more

Time to Abandon Stalled Peace Process? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - May 16, 2012 - 12:00am Washington — Once seen as heresy, proposals for bypassing the Middle East peace process — or even jettisoning a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — are increasingly making their way into mainstream discourse while the peace process itself remains mired in a deep freeze. The spectrum of ideas now being voiced in prominent and respected political quarters range from unilateral steps to be taken by either side, to abandoning the two-decades-old peace process altogether. » Read more

Settlements to get NIS 44M ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Zvi Lavi - May 16, 2012 - 12:00am The Knesset's Finance Committee on Tuesday approved the allocation of NIS 44 million (roughly $12 million) in favor of West Bank settlements. Some NIS 17 million of the NIS 44 million will serve as compensation for the Migron evacuees. » Read more

Israel's Interior Minister: All African migrants should be jailed ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz May 16, 2012 - 12:00am Israel's Interior Minister Eli Yishai said on Wednesday that most of the migrants from Africa are engaged in criminal actions and should be placed in detention facilities. Yishai said that Israel is willing to provide financial assistance for migrants to leave. In an interview with Army Radio, Yishai differentiated between refugees and asylum seekers, saying that "whoever is considered a refugee, and there are few, can stay. One cannot forsake the security of Israelis." » Read more

Israel plans for quake aid to Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Dan Williams - May 15, 2012 - 12:00am TEL AVIV, May 15 (Reuters) - Israel said on Tuesday it had set up a mechanism to get aid to the Palestinians in the event of a major earthquake. A 5.5-magnitude quake rattled Israel and the occupied West Bank on Friday, reminding residents of their vulnerability to the Syria-African Rift, a northern extension of Africa's Rift Valley. "The working assumption is that they (Palestinians) do not have the means to deal with such a disaster on their own," said Alon Rozen, director-general of Israel's Civil Defence Ministry. » Read more