August 24th, 2011

Yalla Peace: The rarity of ‘common’ sense ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Ray Hanania - (Opinion) August 24, 2011 - 12:00am If you are a Palestinian or Israeli driven by common sense, you are an anomaly in the Middle East. That could explain why there is no end in sight to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There is not much common sense in the Middle East. People are consumed with fear, suspicion and traditions of vengeance. There is a lot of passion. A lot of anger. And a lot of meaningless, distorted rehashing of the past. I consider myself a reasonable person. You have to be when you are both a journalist and a stand-up comedian. That also means I have a lot of common sense. » Read more

I am a Zionist. And I am a Palestinian nationalist ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Mira Sucharov - (Opinion) August 24, 2011 - 12:00am One of the first times I taught my Israeli-Palestinian relations course, a puzzled student approached me at the end of the first class. “I always thought Zionist was a derogatory word,” he whispered. I smiled sympathetically and explained that Zionism simply means the desire for Jews to have a state of their own, as a response to centuries of exile and anti-Semitism persecution. It was a word we’d be using frequently, I added. » Read more

Woman injured as missile hits Rafah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Masry Al-Youm August 24, 2011 - 12:00am A missile from Gaza that hit Rafah in North Sinai Wednesday has left one woman injured, a source told the state-run news agency MENA. The woman was transferred to a hospital for treatment after the missile landed in Rafah's Nafoura Square. MENA did not give further details about the incident. The missile may have been fired by Hamas in Gaza at southern Israel. Palestinian factions on Monday announced a ceasefire following bloody clashes at the border between Gaza and Israel. But some factions rejected the truce. » Read more

In Battle for Weiner's Seat, Support for Israel Looms Large ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Naomi Zeveloff - August 24, 2011 - 12:00am David Weprin is an Orthodox Jew and a state assemblyman from Queens with a background in finance, a deep family history in state and local politics, outspoken support for Israel and an unobtrusive demeanor. So when Democratic leaders were looking for a candidate who could slide easily into the heavily Jewish district left behind by sexting Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, Weprin seemed like a winning candidate — and an inoffensive one — to clinch the September 13 special election. » Read more

IDF investigation: Egyptians took part in attack near Eilat ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ron Ben-Yishai - August 24, 2011 - 12:00am The IDF did everything in its power to prevent Egyptian troops from getting hurt in last Thursday's multiple terror attacks near Eilat, inquiries conducted by both the IDF and the Egyptian army showed. The IDF also found that at least three of the terrorists were Egyptian citizens. Head of the General Staff's Planning Branch Amir Eshel, who traveled to Cairo early this week to present to Egyptian officials the findings of the IDF's initial investigation, even brought photographic evidence to the fact. » Read more

Israel bolsters Egypt border defenses over new terror warnings ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff, Anshel Pfeffer - August 24, 2011 - 12:00am Chief of Staff Benny Gantz ordered on Wednesday that the Israel Defense Forces increase defensive measures along Israel's border with Egypt due to intelligence that terrorist groups are planning attacks similar to the ones last Thursday in which eight Israelis were killed. The new measures include putting in place additional means of electronic and visual intelligence gathering as well bolstering the Navy Command Center in the southern city of Eilat. » Read more

Israeli military: Aircraft strike Gaza gunmen ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman August 24, 2011 - 12:00am Violence along the Gaza-Israel border heated up on Wednesday, with Israeli airstrikes on militant targets and militant rocket fire at Israel. Israeli media reported that security forces sent down reinforcements to the area. A music festival that was to be held in the southern city of Ashkelon was canceled, conforming with military recommendations against large gatherings in tense security times, the military said. » Read more

Haniyeh urged to allow students out of Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 24, 2011 - 12:00am A Palestinian human rights official is urging the leadership in Gaza to reverse a decision blocking eight students from traveling to the United States for university. Rawyeh Ash-Shawwa, member of the legislative council and head of the Independent Commission for Human Rights, called on Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh to personally reverse the decision. She called the decision an explicit violation of human rights. » Read more

Fatah official: Hamas requested elections delay ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 24, 2011 - 12:00am Fatah central committee member Mahmoud Al-Aloul on Tuesday said Hamas requested the postponement of local elections. In a statement, Al-Aloul said a delegation representing Hamas requested that the vote be postponed until reconciliation with Fatah was finalized. President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on Monday postponing local West Bank elections, scheduled for Oct. 22, "until appropriate circumstances" exist. The October vote was planned to take place in the West Bank and the elections commission said Hamas had blocked efforts to organize elections in the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Arab League supports Palestinian bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) August 24, 2011 - 12:00am The Arab League's Peace Initiative Committee pledged to support the Palestinian bid for unilateral statehood at the United Nations next month. At a meeting in Doha Tuesday, members of the committee approved a work plan to build up international support for the move, paving the way for the Palestinians to secure full membership status with East Jerusalem as its capital, Gulf Times reported Wednesday. In an interview on al-Jazeera, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of initiating the recent tensions in Gaza to distract attention from the wave of social justice protests. » Read more