Gaza-Israel violence escalates after deadly attack
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Globe and Mail
August 19, 2011 - 12:00am


Gaza militants launched barrages of rockets deep into Israel early Friday and Israeli aircraft struck targets in the Palestinian territory in the aftermath of the deadliest attack against Israelis in three years. Gunmen who appear to have originated in Gaza and crossed into southern Israel through the Egyptian desert ambushed civilian vehicles traveling on a remote road, killing eight people. Six were civilians, and two were members of Israeli security forces responding to the incursion.


Israel strikes central Gaza refugee camp
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 19, 2011 - 12:00am


Israeli warplanes struck An-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Friday morning in an ongoing assault which has killed at least seven Palestinians in the coastal enclave since Thursday. One Palestinian was lightly injured as Israeli fighter jets bombed a generator near the camp, causing a power outage across the area, said Gaza medical official Adham Abu Salmiya. Missiles also hit a training camp of the armed wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, witnesses said.


Who is the Palestinian group blamed for the attacks?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
August 19, 2011 - 12:00am


Israel has blamed a Palestinian faction, the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), of launching attacks along its border with Egypt that killed seven Israelis on Thursday. Within hours of the assault, the IAF struck back at the PRC, which is based in Gaza, killing five of its members, including the leader and his lieutenant. Following are some details on the organization, which denied involvement in the attack in southern Israel:


US urges Egypt to control Sinai
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Masry Al-Youm
August 19, 2011 - 12:00am


The United States pressed Egypt Thursday to follow through on promises to ensure security in the Sinai following a string of attacks in southern Israel said to have been staged from the desert region. The White House denounced the attacks, which left seven Israelis dead and thirty injured, and expressed hope those responsible "will be brought to justice swiftly." "We condemn the brutal terrorist attacks in southern Israel today in the strongest terms," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.


Cairo talks between Israel, Hamas deadlock
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Elior Levy - August 18, 2011 - 12:00am


A senior Egyptian source said Thursday that the third round of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, meant to facilitate a prisoner exchange deal which would secure the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, have deadlocked. The source, quoted by the London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Hayat, said both sides were "digging in their heels," and that as of Thursday, no date has been set to renew the talks. "Each party is interested in getting the best deal they can. We are still far from the point of saying that the talks have matured into a deal," the source said.


Former Palestinian power broker fighting for political survival
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - August 18, 2011 - 12:00am


Some view him as a ruthless opportunist, others a convenient scapegoat for his superiors. But one thing is certain: Mohammed Dahlan, once considered the charismatic odds-on-favourite to succeed Yasser Arafat as leader of the Palestinians, is fighting for his political life.


Israelis blame 'terrorist' border attacks on Gaza militants, poor security
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - August 18, 2011 - 12:00am


Militants carried out a series of attacks on Israeli buses and cars on a highway near the border with Egypt midday Thursday, highlighting the deteriorating stability along the open frontier between the two neighbors. The coordinated attacks on at least three separate targets north of the city of Eilat that left at least seven Israelis dead, including one soldier, and dozens injured were highly unusual for the quiet border region. Surprised by the scope of the attacks, Israel security forces killed some seven militants.


Bloody Attack Along Egyptian Border Reveals Weakening Control
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Arieh O'Sullivan - August 18, 2011 - 12:00am


In a series of coordinated attacks along Israel’s border with Egypt on Thursday, terrorists killed at least seven Israelis and wounded dozens more, including civilians and soldiers. The Israeli army said they had “targeted” seven of the gunmen in the attack, which will likely raise Israeli concerns in the stability of Egypt to retain control over an increasingly lawless Sinai.


Rights group: Hamas ban on study abroad students 'illegal'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 18, 2011 - 12:00am


The Palestinian Center for Human Rights denounced Wednesday the decision by Hamas to ban Gaza scholarship students from studying in the United States. "PCHR believes that this decision contradicts basic human rights standards, especially the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," a statement said. The rights group said that the students were banned from traveling for "social and cultural reasons" by the Ministry of Education in the Gaza Strip.


Assad puts Hamas in corner over Syrian assault
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
August 17, 2011 - 12:00am


Syria's crackdown on government opponents has deeply embarrassed the Palestinian group Hamas, which is anxious not to anger its backers in Damascus while at the same time hoping not to alienate its supporters at home. President Bashar Assad's five-month purge of protesters has gathered pace since the start of August, causing thousands of Palestinians to flee a refugee camp in the city of Latakia this week as Syrian security forces attacked the area.



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