April 2nd, 2012

Man dies of wounds from Israeli West Bank raid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 2, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- A young Palestinian man died on Monday morning from wounds suffered in an Israeli raid on his village near Ramallah last week, his family told Ma'an. Rashad Theib Shoukha, 28, was critically injured by a gunshot to the chest during a dawn raid on Rammun village on Tuesday. His brothers Anwar and Akram were also injured in the raid. An Israeli army spokeswoman said at the time that an Israeli soldier "was stabbed during routine activity ... the soldiers responded to the attackers in self defense, and three were injured." » Read more

Palestinian authorities detain woman for allegedly insulting president on Facebook ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press April 2, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — Rights activists say a Palestinian university lecturer has been detained on accusations that her Facebook page insulted President Mahmoud Abbas. Hadeel Hneiti of the al-Haq rights group said Monday that Palestinian security forces arrested Ismat Abdul-Khaleq after they found writing on her Facebook page accusing Abbas of being a traitor and demanding he resign. Hneiti said the 37-year-old Abdul-Khaleq was taken into custody Wednesday. » Read more

Israeli deputy FM: Arab demos 'diplomatic terror' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press March 31, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel's deputy foreign minister says an annual protest Palestinians mounted over the weekend is "political terrorism." Danny Ayalon spoke Saturday in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv. He said Land Day protests are "a continuation of the diplomatic terrorism (Palestinian Authority President) Abu Mazen is using against Israel in international forums." » Read more

Palestinians and Israeli Troops Clash Amid Protests ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - March 30, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Thousands of Palestinians protested on Friday against Israeli policies of land seizure and control of Jerusalem, leading to clashes with Israeli troops in which a 20-year-old was killed and scores of others were injured. The annual protest, known as Land Day, drew demonstrators in groups of hundreds in locations within Israel as well as in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza. There were also solidarity marches in neighboring Lebanon and Jordan. » Read more

Israel Frees Palestinian Detainee After Hunger Strike of Weeks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Fares Akram, Isabel Kershner - April 1, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — A Palestinian woman who spent more than 40 days on a hunger strike to protest her detention by Israel without charge or trial was released from an Israeli prison on Sunday and sent into temporary exile in Gaza under a deal reached with the Israeli authorities. » Read more

March 30th

A Country of Walls ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons (Interview) March 29, 2012 - 12:00am an interview with Talal Okal BI: What do the conditions in the Sinai peninsula have to do with you and others in the Gaza Strip? Okal: The border that separates Sinai in Egypt and the Gaza Strip is the only border that is open for our use. The town of Rafah [where the main crossing is located] is actually split across the border between the two sides and many of Egyptian Rafah's residents are relatives of those who live on the Gaza side of the town. The connections there are extensive. Moreover, the tunnel network operating out of Gaza opens onto the Sinai. » Read more

Water-Rights Rancor Swirls Through West Bank Settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Calcalist (Analysis) March 28, 2012 - 12:00am The politics of water is one of the most intriguing issues involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Who really owns the water sources shared by both Israel and the Palestinians, and how should they be divided? Peace Now activist Dror Etkes, known for his activity as the organization's chief tracker of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, has prepared a special report commissioned by the UN which shows how the settlers' activity in the West Bank seriously obstructs the Palestinians' access to springs and their ability to use them. » Read more

Hamas' Mission Is Evolving As Sands Shift in Mideast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Isam al Khafaji - (Analysis) March 22, 2012 - 12:00am “We will not be part in a war between Iran and Israel.” The startling announcement came not from the moderate Jordanian monarchy, nor from the Palestinian authority whose aim is to liberate the territory under Israeli occupation since 1967, but from Hamas, the organization whose proclaimed objective is to liberate all of historic Palestine via armed struggle. » Read more

Challenges and Opportunities ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yoram Meital - (Opinion) March 29, 2012 - 12:00am Developments in the Sinai Peninsula during the past year clearly reflect dramatic changes in Egypt and highlight the delicate situation at the Israeli-Gazan-Egyptian border junction. » Read more

Peter Beinart Responds ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Tablet Magazine by Peter Beinart - (Opinion) March 30, 2012 - 12:00am When someone calls you “an angry ex” and an “angry scold” and says your book is an “act of moral solipsism” written in “a spirit of icy contempt and patent insincerity,” it is tough to know where to begin. » Read more