Palestinian reconciliation frozen until elections commission resumes work in Gaza: Fatah official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
July 19, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinian reconciliation is frozen until Hamas allows the elections committee to resume its work in the Gaza Strip, an official from President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party said Thursday. "We are not ready to hold any meeting with Hamas before it cancels its unjustified position," said Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of Fatah Central Committee, referring to the closure of the Central Elections Commission (CEC) office in Gaza. Hamas took over Gaza in 2007 after routing pro-Abbas forces in deadly battles.

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Israeli president vows retribution "both near and far" over tourist bus blast
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
July 19, 2012 - 12:00am

"Israel will locate and act against terror all over the world," Israeli President Shimon Peres said Thursday in a strong response to a suicide bombing against Israeli tourists in Bulgaria a day earlier. Five Israelis were killed, along with the Bulgarian bus driver, at the Burgas airport when an as-yet unidentified man detonated a powerful charge that ripped through a tour bus full of just- arrived Israeli tourists.

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Death of Palestinian woman at Bil'in protest goes to High Court
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gili Cohen - July 18, 2012 - 12:00am

The High Court of Justice on Wednesday will hear a petition demanding an IDF criminal investigation into the January 1, 2011 death of a Palestinian woman while a demonstration was taking place in the West Bank village of Bil'in. Jawaher Abu Rahmah died after having inhaled tear gas fired the previous day to disperse a demonstration staged in Bil'in to protest the separation fence in the village area.

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Abbas in Egypt to meet Mursi
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 18, 2012 - 12:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Egypt on Tuesday evening to meet with newly elected Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi. The president will update Mursi, Egypt's first democratically elected leader and Islamist in power, on the situation of Israeli settlements, and other activities in the occupied territories, a Fatah statement said. He will tell Mursi of the pressure put on Palestinian leaders to return to negotiations without conditions.

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Fayyad meets with Clinton in Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 17, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Jerusalem on Monday, and discussed prospects for a return to negotiations with Israel, officials said. The meeting was set to follow-up Clinton's meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris ten days ago, when Abbas asked the US official to communicate to Israel his demands before going ahead with talks, presidential advisor Nimir Hamad told Ma'an.

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PNA outraged by Israel's remarks about Al-Aqsa Mosque
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
July 17, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinian National Authority ( PNA) was outraged Tuesday by Israel's attorney general's remarks that Muslim's Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem is integral to Israeli territory and thus under Israeli Law. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat protested the comment, saying it went against UN Security Council resolutions and the Palestinian-Israeli agreements. Erekat stressed that East Jerusalem with its holy places and archaeological sites are part of an occupied territory. "All the Israeli attempts to annex them are illegal and unrecognized."

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Israel to Clinton: Tell us what Egypt is thinking
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - July 16, 2012 - 12:00am

US secretaries of state usually devote their visits to the region shuttling between the Israelis and Palestinians, but as Hillary Clinton began her one-day stopover today, the focus is on two countries needing US mediation: Israel and Egypt.

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Where Obama failed on forging peace in the Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Scott Wilson - (Opinion) July 14, 2012 - 12:00am

It was their first meeting with the new president, and the dozen or so Jewish leaders picked to attend had made an agreement among themselves: No arguing — either with each other or their host. The pledge would be hard to keep.

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Committee: Arafat died from unknown poison
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 13, 2012 - 12:00am

The head of a medical committee investigating the death of Yasser Arafat said Thursday that the late President died from poisoning, but not could not confirm the use of a radioactive element called polonium. Abdullah Al-Basheer, a doctor in Jordan, made the comments during a press conference in Ramallah. While not being able to confirm the use of polonium, the element can still not be excluded from current investigations, he said.

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The PA's Pitiable Strategy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by George Hale - (Opinion) July 12, 2012 - 12:00am

The mood in Bethlehem this weekend offered a stark contrast to the wailing and gnashing of teeth going on in Washington since UNESCO recognized the birthplace of Christ as a world heritage site. Hundreds of Palestinians gathered Saturday at the Church of the Nativity to hear their leaders take credit for a rare victory and promise more to come.

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