Gazans forced to cancel habits of Muslim feast
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Ahmed Fayoomi, Hamada Hattab - (Analysis) August 29, 2011 - 12:00am

GAZA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Various types of Turkish delights and chocolates piled up on stalls in a popular market in Gaza City, but only few people seemed to be interested. This was two days ahead of a Muslim's feast that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Buying sweets to serve visiting relatives is a regular habit to mark this occasion. The scenes of frustration have been visible on the face of the 40-year-old Abu Rashid Abu Assi, as he kept promoting his sweets and almost begging people to buy from him.

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Amid renewed unrest, political players discuss Sinai development
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Masry Al-Youm
by Nadine Marroushi - August 29, 2011 - 12:00am

In the wake of renewed unrest in Sinai, talk about the dire need to develop the eastern peninsula is resurfacing. Political parties have been quick to make proposals.

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EU diplomat says aid to Palestinians in question
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Daniella Cheslow - August 25, 2011 - 12:00am

Europe's financial crisis is causing some European Union lawmakers to question whether the bloc can continue to deliver millions in aid to the Palestinians, an EU diplomat said Thursday. The EU is the largest single donor to the Palestinians, contributing about 500 million euros ($720 million) a year to build institutions for a future state and pay salaries. Under Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the Palestinians embarked in 2009 on a two-year state-building plan to be ready for independence by September.

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Palestinian PM denies U.S. threat to cut aid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
August 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Sunday denied reports that Washington has threatened to cut financial aid if the Palestinians insisted to seek recognition at the United Nations. A statement by Fayyad's office said the Palestinian premier and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed the fiscal crisis the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) were suffering from and that donor nations should meet their financial commitments to the PNA.

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Abbas makes Arab aid appeal, sees risk to U.N. bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet
August 15, 2011 - 12:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday appealed for Arab financial support to help the Palestinians deal with "pressures and threats" from Israel and its allies which he said were a risk to his plan to seek U.N. approval for statehood in September. The Palestinian Authority faces a financial crisis which forced it to cut wages by half in July. Policymakers have identified a shortfall in Arab aid as the main cause.

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Israel's West Bank dilemma
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The San Francisco Chronicle
by Joel Brinkley - (Opinion) August 14, 2011 - 12:00am

Shaul Goldstein knows that most everyone on Earth dislikes him and his kind. For some, it's visceral hatred. For others, he represents the largest obstacle to solving a problem everyone everywhere wants resolved. "We are the enemy of the world," he volunteered without any prompting. "We have to hide behind a curtain."

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PA formulates policies to avert financial crisis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 12, 2011 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Al-Khatib said Thursday the PA was formulating ideas for next year's budget in order to avert a financial crisis. The objective is to increase local revenue and reduce expenditures without affecting health, education services or PA employees' salaries, Al-Khatib told Ma'an. The new policies are intended to compensate for the lack of promised funds from donor countries, above all Arab states.

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Penniless Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Affairs
by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) August 11, 2011 - 12:00am

The financial crisis currently facing the Palestinian Authority is not just economic; it is also a symptom of the deep political problems facing the leadership in Ramallah. The PA has based its appeal to the Palestinian public on a strategy that combines working with Gulf Arab states, Israel, and the West to produce improvements in the quality of life for Palestinians under occupation, while at the same time pursuing independence through international diplomacy.

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‘There’s a Girl Here’ Proves Recipe for Banking Deposit Growth in Mideast
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg
by Simon Clark - August 8, 2011 - 12:00am

Reem Qaraqe was a novelty at the Bethlehem branch of Bank of Palestine Plc (BOP), and she says some customers didn’t hide their astonishment. “There’s a girl here,” was a typical remark. “Why?” As the branch’s first female teller, Qaraqe says she quietly fumed as she endured teasing and disrespect. She had about reached her limit the day Munjed the fish seller showed up, unfurled a wad of smelly shekels, threw it on the counter and commanded her to deposit it. She says her first notion was to hit him. Instead, she decided to try extreme politeness.

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EU contributes €22.5 million to pay PA salaries
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 2, 2011 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The European Union announced Tuesday that it would contribute €22.5 million to help the Palestinian Authority pay July salaries and pensions for around 83,000 Palestinian public service workers and pensioners. The EU announced that the money would be channeled through PEGASE, the European mechanism for support to the Palestinians, a statement said. "This is a clear message of our solid commitment toward the Palestinian people at this critical time" said Christian Berger, the EU representative.

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