MESS Report / This Ramadan, the occupation is not the hot topic in Ramallah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - August 13, 2010 - 12:00am

On Wednesday afternoon, the first day of the month-long fast of Ramadan, the weather in the West Bank was cooler than it had been earlier in the week, making it more conducive to fasting. But with temperatures still hovering around 30 degrees Celsius, it is easy to understand that fasting from dawn to dusk is no great pleasure. When we arrived in downtown Ramallah on Wednesday and looked for parking, we saw that city authorities had designated the area for metered parking. But it's the West Bank, so what could possibly happen to a parking scofflaw? A parking ticket?

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Peace Would Curb Palestinian Need for Donors, Abbas Aide Says
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg
by Jonathan Ferziger - August 6, 2010 - 12:00am

The Palestinian economy may grow 20 percent annually if there is peace with Israel and become less dependent on international donors, said Mohammad Mustafa, who runs the Palestinian Authority’s main investment fund. In the meantime, Palestinians are pushing ahead with development of a new West Bank financial center and what may become the biggest initial public offering yet when mobile phone operator Wataniya Palestine Telecom sells shares before the end of the year.

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Business leaders meet at iconic Nablus mansion
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 6, 2010 - 12:00am

Business leaders from Nazareth in northern Israel met up with their counterparts in the West Bank on Thursday, holding a meeting with Hamas and Fatah officials in a bid to encourage reconciliation. Nablus governor Jibrin Al-Bakri attended the discussion hosted by telecommunications tycoon Munib Al-Masri at his Palladian-style palace atop Mount Gerizim. The talk focused on developing economic ties on both sides of the Green Line.

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Economy minister: Growth contingent on donor whims
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 3, 2010 - 12:00am

The development of the Palestinian economy is dependent on donor countries, and its growth follows the political whims of the region, Palestinian Authority Minister of National Economy Hasan Abu Libda told Ma'an. "The money received from donor countries is the oxygen for Palestinian economy. However, this money is contingent on the political process, so it in effect acts as a sword hanging over our heads," Abu Libda explained during an interview on Ma'an Radio Sunday.

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With blockade's easing, some Gaza factories revive
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Karin Laub - July 21, 2010 - 12:00am

Some of the hundreds of Gaza factories idled by Israel's blockade are cranking up rusty machines to can tomatoes, mix concrete and press pills again now that Israel is allowing in raw materials for the first time in three years. But Israel's recent easing of the closure appears unlikely to get Gaza's battered economy back on its feet.

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Cheaper Internet: Next Stop, ‘Palestine’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Benjamin Joffe-Walt - July 18, 2010 - 12:00am

[Jerusalem] Internet is about to get cheaper for Palestinains. Within weeks, the Palestinian Authority will be taking action which is expected to end the virtual monopoly held by the Palestinian Telecommunication Group PalTel over Internet services in its territory. Palestinian Authority Minister of Telecom and Information Mashhour Abu Daka told The Media Line he will be issuing certificates shortly for telecommunications companies wishing to provide Internet services to the Palestinian market.

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PA wraps up store-to-store campaign
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 6, 2010 - 12:00am

After visiting most of the shops in the West Bank, Palestinian Authority Minister of the Economy Hassan Abu Lubda said the "store-to-store" campaign promoting the boycott of settlement goods had come to an end. A statement announced the end of the project, which saw hundreds of volunteers coordinated by government and bodies to go to shops - mostly food and mini-markets - with lists of goods produced in settlements and promoting the government-led boycott.

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Israel's anti-boycott belligerence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Miri Weingarten - (Opinion) June 30, 2010 - 12:00am

A new "anti-boycott bill", the third in a series of proposed laws that aim to curtail the ability of civil society to criticise Israeli government policy, will punish Israelis or foreign nationals who initiate or promote a boycott of Israel. The bill not only prohibits boycotts of legal Israeli institutions, but also of settlement activities and products. It seeks to impose fines on Israelis who "promote boycotts" and transfer the fines to boycotted organisations.

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There is work to be done to prepare for a Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) June 21, 2010 - 12:00am

Almost everything about the second Palestine Investment Conference held in Bethlehem earlier this month, which I had the honour of attending as a member of the US president Barack Obama’s official delegation, was encouraging.

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Young leaders prepare study on EU export opportunities
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 14, 2010 - 12:00am

Following the EU announcement that officials were preparing a proposal to open the entire union's market to Palestinian goods, officials from the Young Leaders Organization in Ramallah said a feasibility study was underway. The research will examine a series of export opportunities to EU nations, and according to a statement by the group, aims "to identify opportunities and constraints that prevent the exploitation of the designated ad hoc quota for Palestinian businesses who would like to export their products to Europe."

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