May 15th, 2012

Tibi: Israel must show empathy on 'Nakba Day' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Lahav Harkov - May 15, 2012 - 12:00am MK Ahmed Tibi (UAL-Ta'al) spoke out against criticism of "Nakba Day" demonstrations on Tuesday, calling for Jewish Israelis to show empathy. "Recognition and empathy of the others' suffering is a lofty, humane value and a step towards peace between nations," Tibi said at a demonstration near Umm el-Fahm. » Read more

Medics: 80 injured in Nakba protests near Ramallah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 15, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Over 80 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli forces near Ramallah on Tuesday, medics said, as protesters commemorated the Nakba, or catastrophe, of their exile in 1948. After a mass rally in Ramallah's clock square, protesters headed to Israel's Ofer detention center and the Qalandiya checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem to commemorate the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the founding of the state of Israel. » Read more

Palestinians march in annual mourning ritual ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - May 15, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians on Tuesday marked their mass displacement that followed Israel's creation with a blend of sadness and hope, stopping in their tracks for a mournful siren but also flashing victory signs and carrying banners proclaiming their right of return. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced from their villages during the war that established the Jewish state in 1948, an event they commemorate every year as their "Nakba," or catastrophe. » Read more

Hamas official urges militants to abduct Israeli soldiers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 15, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- A Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip called on Tuesday for Palestinian factions to abduct Israeli soldiers in order to swap them for Palestinians jailed by Israel. Khan Younis district spokesman Hammad al-Ruqab called on militant groups, and in particular Hamas' military wing the Al-Qassam Brigades, to seize forces "whatever the cost", which he lauded as the most successful route to freeing prisoners. » Read more

Palestinians in Jails End Hunger Strike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - May 14, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails ended a hunger strike on Monday that had lasted for weeks, signing an agreement with the Israeli authorities that promised improved conditions, according to officials. The end of the strike calmed fears of widespread unrest in the event of a prisoner’s death. “There is an agreement — the strike is over,” Sivan Weizman, a spokeswoman for the Israel Prison Service, said by telephone on Monday evening. » Read more

May 14th

After Years Of Clashes, Mofaz And Netanyahu Agree On Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'ariv by Eli Brandstein - (Opinion) May 10, 2012 - 12:00am In the three meetings Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held with Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz on May 7, the two discussed at length the issue of Iran's nuclear program. Netanyahu sought to clarify whether Mofaz supported his policy on the issue and his position on the way to stop the Iranian race toward a nuclear bomb. » Read more

Informal talks still have a role ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) May 14, 2012 - 12:00am "Track II" or informal diplomacy played its most significant and constructive role in the history of Israeli-Palestinian relations prior to the Oslo breakthrough when the Palestine Liberation Organization started direct negotiations with the Israeli government. The reason track II talks flourished at that time--the late eighties and early nineties--was that Israel was refusing to deal directly with the Palestinian leadership. » Read more

Sadly, nothing left to talk about ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) May 14, 2012 - 12:00am A few weeks ago, after much soul-searching, I reluctantly accepted an invitation to a meeting about the peace process with Palestinian colleagues, held under the auspices of a veteran third-party convener who is truly dedicated to the cause of Israeli-Palestinian understanding and reconciliation. I have been turning down such invitations regularly for several years now, ever since concluding that the meetings had become pointless and were not worth the price I would pay in pure frustration. » Read more

In their hunger, Palestinian strikers are acquiring names ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Egypt Independent by Sharif S. Elmusa - May 12, 2012 - 12:00am With the hunger strike of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel gathering momentum, I wanted to know names, look closely at faces, read biographies. » Read more

Settlements, Palestinian Style ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'ariv by Amihai Attali - (Opinion) May 10, 2012 - 12:00am Several weeks before Passover 2011, a factory in the industrial area of Mishor Adumim received an unusual request: a Palestinian client urgently ordered more than 80 prefab structures. The factory's owner had never encountered such a large, urgent order before, but succeeded in meeting the deadline. Several weeks later, when the inspectors of the civil administration were enjoying their Passover vacation, hundreds of Palestinians congregated in the area of the Keidar channel under Maale Adumim and erected all the prefab structures within a short time period. » Read more