UN hails Lebanese step towards Palestinian refugees
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
August 19, 2010 - 12:00am

The United Nations on Wednesday hailed a Lebanese decision to lift an employment ban on Palestinian refugees in the country. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA and the International Labor Office (ILO) said in a joint statement distributed to the press that the Lebanese move represents "an important step in the right direction." "This endorsement of the universal right to work by Lebanese legislators is an important breakthrough," added the statement. "It reaffirms Lebanon's commitment to social justice and decent work for all," it stressed.

»

http://www.statesman.com/news/nation/lebanon-debates-giving-palestinians-rights-855172.html
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Zeina Karam - August 12, 2010 - 12:00am

Mohammed al-Amin spends his days doing little more than playing billiards and smoking cigarettes in this sprawling Palestinian refugee camp, where gunmen roam narrow alleyways dotted with tin-roofed, cement-block homes. The 25-year-old studied dental lab technology but works at a small, grubby coffee shop in the camp, making $100 a month. He dreams of working with a respected doctor in Lebanese society and being welcomed like any other foreigner, without being looked down on.

»

Lebanon debates giving Palestinians rights
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Zeina Karam - August 12, 2010 - 12:00am

Mohammed al-Amin spends his days doing little more than playing billiards and smoking cigarettes in this sprawling Palestinian refugee camp, where gunmen roam narrow alleyways dotted with tin-roofed, cement-block homes. The 25-year-old studied dental lab technology but works at a small, grubby coffee shop in the camp, making $100 a month. He dreams of working with a respected doctor in Lebanese society and being welcomed like any other foreigner, without being looked down on.

»

Israel's Gaza blockade: Millions of dollars worth of aid piles up in warehouses
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Anne Usher - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am

In a half-dozen warehouses in this southern Israeli port, refrigerators and roofing materials for Israeli homes share space with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of PVC pipes, generators, and other equipment intended for 37 wells and water treatment facilities in the Gaza Strip. Stacked in other warehouses close to the Gaza border are steel pipes and cement for building the facilities’ foundations – part of $85 million set aside for water projects by UNICEF and other international donors.

»

UNRWA calls Israeli TV portrayal of Palestinian refugees a 'stack of lies'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gili Izikovich - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am

The United Nations' relief agency for Palestinian refugees, lashed out Tuesday at the Israel Broadcasting Authority for airing what it called a a dishonest portrayal of the organization on Saturday in "Ro'im Olam" on Channel 1 television. The news magazine's anchor and the journalist behind the segment have fired back.

»

Hariri calls for national unity on granting rights to Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Simona Sikimic - June 30, 2010 - 12:00am

“There are humanitarian, social and ethical duties, and the Lebanese state should assume the responsibility of providing them to the Palestinian brothers,” Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Tuesday. “Lebanon will not dodge these duties, which must be crystal-clear, and not be subject to any misinterpretation.” Calling for national unity on the issue, the Prime Minister went on to express his commitment to obtaining a cross-party agreement in exchange for security cooperation from various Palestinian factions, responsible for upholding law and order in the country’s 12 refugee camps.

»

Sustainable development needs a complete lifting of the siege
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
June 28, 2010 - 12:00am

Has there been any tangible change in Gaza since Israel announced an easing of its blockade? Shaban: There is a difference, but the question is how much. Compared to the three weeks before the flotilla, yes, there is a difference. But considering that the entire siege is illegal, there is no difference. bitterlemons: When you say there is a difference, what do you mean?

»

UNRWA criticizes Palestinian infighting
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
June 28, 2010 - 12:00am

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) called on the different Palestinian factions Sunday to stop the infighting in order to solve a developing electricity crisis in Hamas-run Gaza. "It is such a tragedy that, on top of all the other crises that we have in the Gaza Strip, we now have a crisis of electricity," John Ging, director of UNRWA in Gaza, was quoted by AFP as saying.

»

Militants set fire to U.N. summer camp in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Mohammed Assadi - June 28, 2010 - 12:00am

Masked Palestinian gunmen set fire to a U.N.-run summer camp in Gaza on Monday, officials and witnesses said, the second time in recent weeks that militants have attacked a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) children's camp in the Hamas-controlled territory. About 25 militants stormed the recreation facility and assaulted security guards before setting the building on fire, U.N. spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna said. In May, gunmen set a building on fire after accusing the United Nations of promoting immorality in the Islamist-ruled enclave.

»

Arab nations urged to meet aid promises
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times
by Tobias Buck - June 17, 2010 - 12:00am

Arab countries have been urged to use more of their oil wealth to help the Palestinians after figures showed they contributed only 1.5 per cent of the general budget for the United Nations agency charged with supporting the Palestinian refugee community.

»


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