UN: Gaza not 'liveable' by 2020 barring urgent action
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Nidal al-Mughrabi - August 28, 2012 - 12:00am

Gaza will no longer be "liveable" by 2020 unless urgent action is taken to improve water supply, power, health, and schooling, the United Nations' most comprehensive report on the Palestinian enclave said on Monday. "Action needs to be taken now if Gaza is to be a liveable place in 2020 and it is already difficult now," UN humanitarian coordinator Maxwell Gaylard told journalists when the report was released on Monday.

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Official: Qatar to open office to oversee Gaza reconstruction
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 24, 2012 - 12:00am

Qatar will open an office in Gaza to oversee its reconstruction projects in the enclave, an official in Gaza said Friday. Minister of Public Works and Housing Yousif al-Mansi said a Qatari delegation had agreed to start the first phase of a $224 million project during a visit to Gaza in June. "We're waiting for the delegation to come back in the next week or two to open a Qatari office in Gaza to start signing contracts and start the reconstruction projects," al-Mansi told Ma'an.

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A building boom
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Economist
(Opinion) August 18, 2012 - 12:00am

Five years after Israel and Egypt closed their gates, the Palestinian strip of land they encircle is rising from the ashes of war and siege. “We’re building cities,” says a delighted UN engineer, putting the finishing touches to “Saudi City”, a public housing estate replete with garages, tiled bathrooms and dishwashers that cost its Saudi sponsors $120m. Built on land where Israel first settled Jews after its 1967 conquest and then removed them in 2005, it is set to open its doors to 11,000 residents in the next few months.

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Gazans hope Egypt will ease clampdown on smuggling tunnels
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - (Opinion) August 14, 2012 - 12:00am

Last week's terror attack in Sinai, which claimed the lives of 16 Egyptian soldiers, prompted the authorities in Cairo to clamp down on the smuggling tunnels connecting Egyptian Rafah and the Gaza Strip. Dozens of bulldozers arrived at the Egyptian side of the Philadelphi Route and began demolishing tunnels. On the other side, Hamas closed the tunnel entrances, at least for the time being. For around 70,000 Palestinians whose livelihoods depend on the tunnels, it is a severe blow.

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Egypt Military: 'Elements from Gaza' involved in Rafah border attack
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ahram Online
August 9, 2012 - 12:00am

In a military audio statement aired on state television Monday afternoon, the armed forces presented their account of the deadly attack on the Egyptian-Israel border Sunday. "A terrorist group of 35 people attacked a border guard south of Rafah Sunday evening at 7pm, right around Ramadan Iftar time, where 16 of our soldiers were martyred and 7 injured; three of them severely injured. The terrorist group then took over an army Armed Personnel Carrier and used it to penetrate the Egypt-Israel border where Israeli forces destroyed it."

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Gaza closure sends prices soaring, smugglers say
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
August 9, 2012 - 12:00am

Gazans say the sealing of their territory following a weekend attack by Islamic militants on the Egypt-Israel border has sent prices soaring and is leaving hundreds of medical patients stranded. Egypt says the attackers who killed 16 Egyptian soldiers had help from Gaza. In response, Egypt closed its border crossing and shut down hundreds of smuggling tunnels.

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Gaza closure sends prices soaring, smugglers say
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Ibrahim Barzak - August 8, 2012 - 12:00am

Gazans say the sealing of their territory following a weekend attack by Islamic militants on the Egypt-Israel border has sent prices soaring and is leaving hundreds of medical patients stranded. Egypt says the attackers who killed 16 Egyptian soldiers had help from Gaza. In response, Egypt closed its border crossing and shut down hundreds of smuggling tunnels.

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Official: Rafah crossing to reopen
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 8, 2012 - 12:00am

Egyptian authorities are expected to reopen the Rafah land crossing to Palestinian travelers in the coming days, says Mahir Abu Sabha, director of crossings in the ministry of interior in Gaza. Abu Sabha told Ma’an that he expected the Rafah crossing to be opened Thursday-Saturday. He asserted that talks with the Egyptian side over reopening the crossing were ongoing. Abu Sabha reiterated that the Gaza Strip had nothing to do with the "terrorist" attack on Egyptian soldiers Sunday which left 16 dead.

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Israel: Hezbollah smuggled explosives into Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
August 8, 2012 - 12:00am

Israeli security forces say Hezbollah militants have smuggled explosives into northern Israel using a network of drug dealers on either side of the Lebanese-Israeli border. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Wednesday the explosives were to be used in attacks on Israelis. He says 14 Israeli Arabs were arrested over the past few weeks in connection with the case. The arrests followed a months-long undercover operation.

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Gaza pays dearly
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
(Editorial) August 8, 2012 - 12:00am

The militarization of the Sinai by all kinds of extremist factions, as well as the spread of such parties inside Gaza, began under the nose of Hosni Mubarak, and has been going on in Gaza since Hamas took over the strip.

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