Limited construction goods to enter Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 13, 2010 - 12:00am

Two of the Israel/Gaza terminals will open on Thursday, what will likely be the final day of crossings operations for the week, Palestinian liaison officials were informed early the same morning. Crossings officer Raed Fattouh said he was told to expect approximately 130 truckloads of goods, including 5 truckloads of plastic pipes for the coastal waters, one truckload of goods for the power authority, one truckload of cement for aid agencies and 2 truckloads of iron girders and gravels.

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Regulator says Gaza banking OK despite closures
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Karin Laub - May 12, 2010 - 12:00am

The top Palestinian financial regulator sought to assure an anxious public Wednesday that the Gaza Strip is not facing a banking crisis after the Palestinian territories' largest lender closed two of its three Gaza branches last week. The decision by the Jordan-based Arab Bank to shutter the shops set off jitters among its Gaza customers. On Wednesday, dozens of clients lined up at the bank's sole remaining branch in Gaza City, some of them in order to close their accounts.

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Fire at Israeli warehouse causes heavy losses to Gaza traders, importers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Emad Drimly - May 11, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinian traders and importers said Monday they suffered heavy losses due to a massive fire that broke out several days ago in a warehouse in southern Israel, where their goods, supposed to be sent to the Gaza Strip soon, are stored. Gaza traders and merchants told Xinhua that the massive fire destroyed the entire warehouse in the area of Moshav Shuva in Negev in southern Israel, adding "the losses were estimated with a value of seven million U.S. dollars."

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Exclusive: Arab Bank shuts down in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Golan Hazani - May 10, 2010 - 12:00am

The largest bank in the Arab world, the Arab Bank, will shut down its three Gaza branches, the Calcalist learned Monday. Their closing will mark the last of the banks working according to international banking standards in Gaza. Tunnel operators in Strip say ruling Islamist movement issue the order late Wednesday for unknown reasons; Hamas says tunnels will continue to operate as long as blockade not lifted Full Story

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Why won't Israel allow Gazans to import coriander?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - May 7, 2010 - 12:00am

The Defense Ministry is refusing - on security grounds, it says - to reveal why Israel prohibits the import into the Gaza Strip of items such as cilantro, sage, jam, chocolate, french fries, dried fruit, fabrics, notebooks empty flowerpots and toys, while allowing cinnamon, plastic buckets and combs. Palestinian smuggler climbing down into an underground tunnel that leads from Gaza to Egypt. But in its response to a freedom-of-information suit last week, the state did admit, for the first time, that there is specific list of permissible goods.

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Gaza: Lineups to remove cash from Arab Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 6, 2010 - 12:00am

Hundreds of Gaza residents started lining up outside the Ar-Rimal branch of the Arab Bank in Thursday morning, the day after an announcement by the administration that two of the three Gaza Strip branches would close. In a statement, the bank announced that "in light of worsening conditions under which the Bank is called upon to operate in Gaza and after having recently reduced the number of its staff there, it has also decided to close two of its three branches."

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Political will is the missing ingredient in construction of a new Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Hill
by Dr. Mohammad Mustafa - (Opinion) May 5, 2010 - 12:00am

Last month, in two separate reports, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) corroborated what the Palestinian private sector has been saying for years, that the hope for sustainable economic development in the West Bank, as well as East Jerusalem and Gaza, is being structurally stymied by the Israeli government.

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MESS Report / Hamas fears economic crisis could spark uprising
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - May 4, 2010 - 12:00am

It turns out that not only Greece and Spain are suffering economic hardship. The Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip is facing a severe economic crisis due to the dwindling foreign assistance the organization normally relies on. The financial distress is raising concern among Hamas leaders that they may not be able to withstand the increasing public pressure, which could lead to a popular uprising against the government.

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Hamas short on cash as Gaza blockade takes toll
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Rizek Abdel Jawad - May 3, 2010 - 12:00am

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Hamas confirmed Sunday it is unable to pay thousands of government workers in full for a second straight month — a new sign that the Islamic militants are caught in what may be the most serious cash crunch in three years of ruling Gaza. Hamas dismisses rumors of a financial crisis, and insists its money woes are temporary. However, it has resorted to an unpopular tax drive to raise money, suggesting that a heavy blockade on the territory, an Egyptian crackdown on smuggling and an increasingly expensive government bureaucracy are taking their toll.

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Details of Gaza blockade revealed in court case
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by Tim Franks - May 3, 2010 - 12:00am

BBC News has seen documents, submitted to an Israeli Court, which give more detail than ever before about how and why Israel maintains its Gaza blockade. In one document, Israel describes the import curbs as "a central pillar in the armed conflict with Hamas". It also confirms estimates were made of how many calories Gazans need, but says these were not used for policy-making. Israel says the blockade is to pressure Hamas, which does not recognise Israel and backs attacks on its citizens.

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