PA says to pay partial salaries Sunday
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 11, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority finance ministry announced Sunday that it would pay part of salaries owed to public sector employees by the end of the day. The salaries of prisoners families will be paid completely while public sector employees will receive 52 percent of their salaries, the ministry said in a statement. The aid-dependent Palestinian economy in the West Bank faces a financial crisis due to a drop in aid from Western backers and wealthy Gulf states, as well as Israeli restrictions on trade.

»

How the West Bank barrier has starved business and community
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - (Analysis) November 5, 2012 - 1:00am

Inside the derelict wedding hall, bird droppings have stained the golden cloths th

»

Israeli group: 2 new outposts established in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 31, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Two illegal settler outposts have been recently established in the West Bank, representing the first such developments since 2005, Peace Now announced Wednesday. Foundations for Nahalei Tal, north of Ramallah, and Tzofim North, in Qalqiliya, have been built over the last few months and the outposts now contain mobile homes, electricity, water, roads and infrastructure, the Israeli peace group said.

»

PLO sources: Fayyad proposes new government
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 31, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has presented a plan to the PLO leadership to form a more inclusive factional government, officials in Ramallah said Wednesday. Two PLO executive committee members, denying reports that Fayyad had offered his resignation, said he presented a political vision to encourage a more inclusive government.

»

Palestinian Economy Is Teetering On Brink of Collapse, Study Finds
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Danny Rubenstein - (Analysis) October 30, 2012 - 12:00am

Last Saturday [Oct. 13], I visited a folk festival in the [West Bank Palestinian] Christian village of Taybeh, east of Ramallah — not to be confused with the Arab city [of Tayibeh] within the Green Line. The village of Taybeh is known primarily thanks to the beer-producing Taybeh Brewery, which is marketing to Israel as well and is quite popular in some of the pubs in the country.

»

Israel counted food needs in Gaza blockade
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - October 17, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military calculated the number of calories Gaza's residents would need to consume to avoid malnutrition during a sweeping blockade imposed on the Palestinian territory between 2007 and mid-2010, according to a document the Defense Ministry released under a court order. Critics claim the document is evidence that Israel limited food supplies in order to put pressure on Hamas, the violently anti-Israel militant group that seized power in the coastal strip in mid-2007.

»

Stifled West Bank economy drains Palestinians' hopes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by Yolande Knell - October 16, 2012 - 12:00am

The city is the largest in the West Bank and a major commercial and industrial hub, accounting for about one third of the West Bank's GDP. Recently it was also the scene of some of the worst violence during Palestinian economic protests. Locals blame the discontent on high unemployment, low wages and the rising cost of living as well as the heavy burden of consumer debt. "Our economy depends 100% on customers and as you can see, now the customers have no money," says Ayman, a tour guide.

»

Just 5% of J'lem municipality property serves Arabs
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Melanie Lidman - October 16, 2012 - 12:00am

Only 5.5 percent of the 2,600 properties owned by the city of Jerusalem are serving the Arab residents of the capital, according to a new database created by the Jerusalem Awakening party and the Public Knowledge Workshop.

»

Salafis' rise in Gaza robs Hamas of resistance banner
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - October 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Tel Aviv Israel and Hamas are seeking to restore the relative calm that has prevailed for months after a weekend flare-up in fighting between Israel and Gaza that left at least five Palestinians dead. 

»

Palestinians plan protest to halt Shadma development
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Tovah Lazaroff - October 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinians on Sunday held the first of what they hope will be weekly protests meant to halt any attempt by settlers to develop a small Gush Etzion hilltop, known to Israeli as Shadma and to Palestinians as Oush Ghrab. Several dozen Palestinians holding flags and signs stood in the parking lot behind the hill, which is sandwiched between the Palestinian village of Beit Sahur and the Nokdim road.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017